DeSoto Parish, Louisiana

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DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Parish of DeSoto
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
Flag of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country United States
State Louisiana
RegionNorth Louisiana
Founded1843
Named forsettler, Marcel DeSoto
Parish seatMansfield
Largest municipalityStonewall (area)
Mansfield (population)
Area
 • Total2,320 km2 (895 sq mi)
 • Land2,270 km2 (876 sq mi)
 • Water50 km2 (19 sq mi)
 • percentage5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total26,812
 • Density12/km2 (30/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
Congressional district4th
WebsiteDeSoto Parish Government

DeSoto Parish (French: Paroisse DeSoto) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843.[1] At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 26,656;[2] at the 2020 census, its population increased to 26,812.[3] Its parish seat is Mansfield.[4] DeSoto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area.

History[]

It is a typical misconception that the parish was named after Hernando de Soto, the Spaniard who explored the future southeastern United States and discovered and named the Mississippi River.[5] The parish was in fact named after the unrelated Marcel DeSoto, who led the first group of European settlers there, to a settlement historically known as Bayou Pierre.[6] The parish's name is also commonly misspelled following the explorer's name as "De Soto Parish," but it is properly spelled following the settler's name as "DeSoto Parish."[7]

The Battle of Mansfield was fought in DeSoto Parish on April 8, 1864. General Alfred Mouton was killed in the fighting, but his position was carried forward by Prince de Polignac, a native of France. The battle is commemorated at the four miles south of Mansfield off Louisiana Highway 175. The Confederate victory prevented a planned Union invasion thereafter of Texas.[8] Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, a Confederate victory, occurred with one year and one day left in the duration of the war. Mansfield was quickly followed by the Battle of Pleasant Hill to the south.[9]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 895 square miles (2,320 km2), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (2.1%) is water.[10]

Major highways[]

Adjacent parishes[]

National protected area[]

Communities[]

Map of DeSoto Parish, with municipal labels

City[]

  • Mansfield (parish seat and largest municipality)

Towns[]

Villages[]

Unincorporated areas[]

Census-designated places[]

Unincorporated communities[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18508,023—
186013,29865.7%
187014,96212.5%
188015,6034.3%
189019,86027.3%
190025,06326.2%
191027,68910.5%
192029,3766.1%
193031,0165.6%
194031,8032.5%
195024,398−23.3%
196024,248−0.6%
197022,764−6.1%
198025,72713.0%
199025,346−1.5%
200025,4940.6%
201026,6564.6%
202026,8120.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[2]

According to the 2020 United States census, 26,812 people lived in the parish, up from 26,656 in 2010.[3] At the 2019 American Community Survey,[15] there were 10,821 households.

In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 58.8% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 35.3% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, 1.9% two or more races, and 2.9% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.[16]

There were 10,821 households at the 2019 census estimates, and the home-ownership rate was 71.3%. Of the 7,716 owner-occupied units, 3,917 were married couples living together, 365 male households with no female present, and 896 female households with no male present. There was a 17.1% vacancy rate in the parish. The average family size was 3.07,[15] and the average household size was 2.50.[3]

In the parish, 75.5% were aged 18 and older, and 17.2% were aged 65 and older; the median age was 39.3, and 6.5% were aged 5 and under. Approximately 0.8% of the population were foreign-born, and 2.1% spoke a language other than English at home.

The median income for a household in the parish was $46,006; families had a median income of $56,323, married couples had a median income of $78,090, and non-family households had a median income of $25,314. An estimated 22% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line, and 30.6% of people aged under 18 were at or below the poverty line.

Education[]

Public schools in DeSoto Parish are operated by the DeSoto Parish School Board. It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.[17]

Notable people[]

  • Larry Bagley (born 1949), incoming Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Caddo, Desoto, and Sabine parishes
  • Terry Bradshaw (born 1948), Hall of Fame professional football player, sportscaster, singer, and actor
  • (born 1946), current Louisiana state representative
  • Vida Blue (born 1949), professional baseball player
  • C.L. Bryant (born 1956), Baptist minister and radio talk show host
  • Riemer Calhoun (1909–1994), state senator from 1944 to 1952 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • (1911–1967), state senator from 1940 to 1944 for DeSoto and Caddo parishes
  • Sherri Smith Cheek Buffington (born 1966), Louisiana State Senator
  • (1920–1980), Louisiana state representative
  • (born 1957), Louisiana state representative and former United States Army officer
  • Milton Joseph Cunningham (1842–1916), Natchitoches and New Orleans lawyer, state senator from Natchitoches and DeSoto parishes from 1880 to 1884; state attorney general for three nonconsecutive terms ending in 1900, born in what became DeSoto Parish
  • George Dement (1922–2014), mayor of Bossier City
  • (1861–1938), mayor of Shreveport
  • Joseph Barton Elam (1821–1885), United States Representative from Louisiana's 4th congressional district
  • (1908–1979), U.S. attorney and state 1st Judicial District Court judge in Shreveport; born in DeSoto Parish[18]
  • (1896–1945), state senator for Caddo and DeSoto parishes, 1924–1932, Shreveport attorney[19]
  • John Spencer Hardy (1913–2012), United States Air Force lieutenant general
  • Albert Lewis (1960-), professional football player
  • (1921–1980), historian at Centenary College of Louisiana
  • Curtis W. McCoy, mayor of Mansfield
  • Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), historian at Louisiana Tech University and school principal
  • Mack Charles Reynolds (1935–1991), professional football player
  • , elected Sheriff of DeSoto Parish as a No Party candidate in 2018
  • B. H. "Johnny" Rogers (1905–1977), politician
  • C. O. Simpkins, Sr. (1925–2019 from Mansfield), African-American state representative, dentist, and civil rights activist in Shreveport[20]
  • O.C. Smith (1932–2001), singer

Politics[]

Presidential elections results

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "DeSoto Parish". www.sfasu.edu. Center for Regional Heritage Research. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "QuickFacts: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 105.
  6. ^ Means, Emilia Gay Griffith, and Liz Chrysler. DeSoto Parish. Arcadia Publishing, 2011, p. 8.
  7. ^ "DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court – Honorable Jeremy M. Evans". www.desotoparishclerk.org. Archived from the original on 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  8. ^ Brochure, Mansfield State Historic Site, 15149 Highway 175, Mansfield, Louisiana 71052
  9. ^ John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, pp. 340-347
  10. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Geography Profile: DeSoto Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  16. ^ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  17. ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  18. ^ "Retired Caddo district judge dies at 70, The Shreveport Times, May 6, 1979, p. 16-A
  19. ^ "Funeral for Pike Hall at 11 A.M. Today – Prominent Attorney, Civic Leader Succumbs After Brief Illness". The Shreveport Times. December 17, 1945. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  20. ^ "C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion". cosimpkins.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-07.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Coordinates: 32°04′N 93°44′W / 32.06°N 93.74°W / 32.06; -93.74

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