|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
History OF Minden |
| |
|
| |
Minden,
Louisiana, founded in 1835, has a colorful history filled
with interesting characters, unique events and more
than its share of difficult times. However, the town
has overcome its challenges and grown while maintaining
its small-town charm and earning the reputation of being
a "good place to live." |
| |
|
| |
While settlement in the area of Minden
dates back to the second decade of the 19th century,
the community itself can trace its beginnings to 1835.
In that year, Charles Hanse Veeder, a German-American
born in New York State but most recently a resident
of Southern Indiana, came to Louisiana and built an
inn on a hilltop a few miles from Bayou Dorcheat.
Legend has it that the inn was constructed on a salt
lick that was the best deer-hunting site in the region.
By 1837, Veeder had laid out a town in the shape of
a parallelogram and divided the area into lots. He
named the settlement after the home of his ancestors
in Germany -- Minden. The little town grew and prospered
and soon became the largest town in the vast area
covered by old Claiborne Parish. In 1838, Minden received
one of the first charters for a public school from
the State Legislature. Although the school did charge
tuition, it was open to all white children. This original
Minden Academy later split into two schools, the Minden
Male Academy and the Minden Female College, which
both operated into the 1890s. The Minden High School
of today sits on the site of Veeder's original Minden
Academy.
|
| |
|
| |
Minden
earned an early reputation as a town of culture, aided
by the school and the early introduction of religion
into the community. The Methodists established a congregation
in 1839, followed by the Baptists in 1844, and the Episcopals
in the early 1850s. With a large number of its settlers
coming from England and long-settled areas of South
Carolina and Georgia, Minden never experienced the rough
frontier lifestyle of its larger neighbor to the west,
Shreveport. |
| |
|
| |
The economic
life of Minden centered around commerce on Bayou Dorcheat.
Three separate landings on the bayou served the Minden
community, and the city served as a shipping point for
goods from much of the interior of North Louisiana.
Before the Civil War, warehouses and commercial buildings
extended for more than a mile along the East bank of
Bayou Dorcheat. |
| |
|
| |
In
1901, the Minden Lumber Mill, at the time one of the
largest in the United States, opened here. In May 1918,
a fire of mysterious origin destroyed the Mill, but
Minden's economic downturn was brief as the 1920s saw
the discovery of the nearby Cotton Valley Oil Field
and, in 1923, the shops of the L&A Railroad moved
to Minden bringing several hundred new workers to Minden
and thousands of dollars in payroll.
|
| |
|
| |
In 1933,
Minden's period of relative calm ended in a calamitous
year, with enough disaster to permanently damage any
city. In February, a major fire burned nearly a third
of downtown. On the heels of this fire in April, the
larger of the two banks in town closed unexpectedly.
Then on May 1, 1933, a tornado estimated to have the
strength of a modern F-3 storm hit the city. Officially,
more than $1.2 million dollars in damage was caused,
28 persons were killed, and over 400 were injured. The
disasters of 1933 plunged Minden into the Great Depression
as unemployment soared and hard times came to the city. |
| |
|
| |
In recent
years, Minden has seen a shift from relying on a single
industry to a varied economic base built on the timber
and oil and gas industries, along with various retail
enterprises and a few manufacturers. The proximity to
Shreveport has led to the idea of Minden becoming a
bedroom community for its large neighbor, or perhaps
a retirement community. Whatever the outcome, based
on its history, Minden has found a new way to survive
and thrive in the 21st century. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Best Western Minden
Inn Minden |
| |
1411 Sibley Road, Minden, Louisiana,
United States, 71055-5137
Phone:
318-377-1001 Fax: 318-377-3221 Email
: bestweternminden@yahoo.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Home
| Hotel Amenities
| Room Amenities
| Area Attraction
| Reservations |
|
|
|
|
Directions
| Contact Us
| Sitemap |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Copyright ©
2005. Best Western Minden Inn. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
Text
Links & Web
Design Done By CGS - The Search
Engine Optimization
Outsourcing Company |
|
|
|
|
|
