Old River (Natchitoches Parish) is a series of interconnected, natural waterways totaling over in length in

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Natchitoches Parish ( or ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,515. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Nat ...

. Its main channel runs along

Louisiana Highway 1 Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1) is a state highway in Louisiana. At , it is the longest numbered highway of any class in Louisiana. It runs diagonally across the state, connecting the oil field, oil and gas fields near the island of Grand Isle, ...

from south of

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; , ), officially the City of Natchitoches, is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. At the 2020 United States census, the city's population was ...

, to

Colfax, Louisiana Colfax is a town in, and the parish seat of, Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States, founded in 1869. Colfax is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana metropolitan area. The largely African American population of Colfax counted 1,558 at the 2 ...

. The river is flanked by

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

on the west and the

Red River of the South The Red River is a major river in the Southern United States. It was named for its reddish water color from passing through red-bed country in its watershed. It also is known as the Red River of the South to distinguish it from the Red River ...

on the east, and is one of the many waterways on

Isle Brevelle Isle Brevelle is an ethnically and culturally diverse community, which began as a Native Americans in the United States, Native American and Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana Creole settlement and is located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, N ...

. Like nearby

Cane River The Cane River (French: ''Rivière aux Cannes'') is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, originating from a portion o ...

and

Bayou Brevelle Bayou Brevelle is a series of interconnected, natural waterways totaling over 18 miles in length in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Its main channel is at Old River and Kisatchie Bayou at Montrose to Natchez near the Cane River. During heav ...

, Old River was once the Red River.

Historic churches

St. Anne Chapel at Old River is a historic

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

chapel founded in the 1800s along the banks of Old River near the community of Cypress. It is the cultural and religious center of the area's

Louisiana Creole people Louisiana Creoles (, , ) are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group descended from the inhabitants of colonial Louisiana (New France), Louisiana during the periods of French colonial empire, French and Spanish Empire, Spanis ...

, predominantly of French descent. The church and cemetery are located on Old River Road (Parish Road 615) near Kisatchie Bayou. Other historic churches along Old River include St. James, St. John's Catholic Church, St. Andrew Baptist Church and St. David Church.

References

Rivers of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Rivers of Louisiana {{Louisiana-geo-stub

Historic churches

See also

References