City of West Monroe

History     ëë

  

West Monroe has a rich history filled with strong, determined, conscientious citizens. Efforts were being made to settle on the west bank of the Ouachita River as early as 1780, but the history of West Monroe begins a bit later. It is centered on two towns, Trenton and Cotton Port, which merged to form our community.

In 1815, a locally operated ferry was established, linking Fort Miro to the west bank and opening the "pine hills" country to entrepreneurs and tradesmen. Cotton became the major crop. The area expanded as merchants, willing to sell goods on credit to the cotton farmers, moved to accommodate their customers.

Dr. John Campbell attempted to establish the first town on the west bank of the Ouachita River in December 1837. The following year he was forced into bankruptcy which halted the development of his plans. Twenty two years later this area would become the town of Cotton Port.

Meanwhile, a Georgia native, William Trent, had purchased a large tract of land to the north of Campbell’s proposed town. The tract of land is the present day location of Claiborne Street. By the 1840's, Trent had built a sizable warehouse and cotton shed named "Trent's Landing". In 1848 Trent,along with two businessmen, sold the property to a New Orleans' merchants company.That company subdivided the land in 1851 and created the town of Trenton, named after William Trent.

Purportedly the town did not levy taxes. The treasury consisted only of funds collected from fines of lawbreakers. The streets were kept in repair bycontributions of labor-- four days each year by every male citizen. Now that’s community involvement!

The town of Trenton survived the hardships of the Civil War and continued to prosper with the growth of the cotton industry. By 1870, the town of Trenton had numerous merchants; two hotels; and its own newspaper, the Louisiana Farmer. For “up to the minute” news surely the barbershop was the place to visit.

In 1873 and 1874 the town suffered a one-two punch from major disasters. The growth and prosperity of Trenton was first interrupted in May of 1873 by a fire. The fire began at Moore's drugstore and quickly spread down Claiborn eStreet, engulfing the wooden store buildings. The losses to the Trenton merchants exceeded $142,000, a large figure for that time period. The people of Trenton quickly rebuilt. Then the Great Flood of 1874 came. It inundated Claiborne Street with three feet of water. The people of Trenton had to travel to businesses by boat! Still the citizens persevered. Trenton continued toprosper, surviving numerous floods and economic downturns in the cotton market.What Trenton could not survive was the pull of the newer, larger towns likeVicksburg and Shreveport. The Texas Railroad, which was located to the south ofthe town, was also detrimental.

This is about the time an effort was made to establish a town to the south of Trenton, at the terminus of the railroad. The property, which was located onthe same site previously owned by Dr. John Campbell, was acquired by aVirginian. Dr. Christopher Dabbs attempted to establish a town called Cotton Port but his plans did not materialize. He sold the property in 1858.

In March 1859, the Louisiana Legislature acknowledged the existence of Cotton Port. With the completion of the railroad bridge in 1882, the town prospered.The following year, the fathers of Cotton Port applied for full town status. Just as most things never go quite as planned, there was a problem. About 10 years earlier, a small town in Avoyelles Parish had registered the name of Cotton Port. In November of 1883, the name was set as West Monroe.

West Monroe has established itself as a safe, fiscally responsible City with asmall town atmosphere and big city amenities. Throughout the community you’ll still find neighbors visiting after Sunday services and picnicking in the park.You’ll also find Louisiana’s first nationally accredited police force, majorfood and retail chains, and innovative programs to preserve both ourenvironment andculture. West Monroe-it’s the place you’ve been hoping tofind.