The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-01-24

TO Natch1fOches, and found the NNCat-
oshe and Yatassec Indians in posses
sion of the country. A short time
afterwards st. Denis followed, and re-
manned with his expedition six months
In the Yatassee village; the latter set
tlement was situated forty miles north
west of this city In what was then
known as the I" Bayou Pierre Country"
Still later, In September, 17l4, st. Denis
arrived Mt the village of Asainaye, now
Nacogdoches, Texas. It seems that
| these early expeditions were prompted
by fear of Spanish entertainments
upon the claimed French dominions
find both Bienville aud st. Denis more
anxious to report, "No Spaniards
found," than to describe the country
through which their expeditions passed,
or the aboriginal Inhabitants they met
with. Indeed, we find that the French
and Spanish governors of the respective
provinces of New Mexico (Texas) and
Louisiana engaged rs early as l719 In a
paper war, something similar, but not
as wordy, to that just finished between
Evarts and Salisbury ON the Halifax
award. This, however, Is incidental
to tho subject upon which wc arc now
engaged.
THE FIRST WHITE SETTLEMENT.
1t will be seen, then, that the date of
tho tchite settlement Of this city begins
with NJ: do Notes possession in Janu-
ary, 1717; somewhat earlier than the
founding Of New Orleans, and not as
| carly by exactly thirty-iive years rs
Philadelphia, to the tlato of which
settlement many of our people COM
! pare ours.
Missions and churches sprung up
almost at the same time tho sites of
| which are now not oven to be found.
On Jan. %, 1717, the Mission of st.
Michel, Adayes, nine miles west Of
this, was founded by order of Linarcs,
then viceroy OF Mexico, by Father
| Augustine, of the Order of Recollets.
Not stone remains to mark the birti,
Of civilization on that spot. The abort
ginal inhabitants are of the past their
homes and hunting grounds arr titled
farms, while Of the descendants of their
conquerors, the Spaniards, but few re-
main, and they are scattered from tho
places of the settlement OF their pioneer
fathers along the shores of Spanish
Lake and the banks of Bayou Pierre.
AS late, however, as 1864, large set
tlement of them retained their homes
in n village known as stSpanish Town."
some three miles beyond Adayes, or
Adias as now written. In that year
| they lost the titles of their lands, and
have since scattered, no one knows
| where.
These early settlements were not i'm
proved upon, for we find that as late as
1916, no settlements of civilized people
had been made west of Adayes, except
the small preside of Nacogdoches, for
merly known as Assinaye. In 1916,
one white family settled Mt the crossing
of the Sabine, on the road from Natchi-
toches to Texas. We learn from this,
| that these early visits of the white men
! wore more in the character of military
expeditions, and the settlements moro
properly military posts than the advent
Of pioneers into Il new, strange and
productive country with II view tC its
civilization and development. Indeed,
If we expect the efforts of tho Catholic
fathers to Christianize the aboriginal
inhabitants, we find that no improve
ments were made by the Spanish emf
grants west OF us for nearly ninety-eight
years after their advent, and not then
by them.
In 1916, the town of Natchitoches
consisted of about 15O houses, which
shows that even this place had not
grown, with any remarkable fertility,
in nearly II hundred years. In fact, wo
must date heactivity of the settlement
of this section from the purchase.