Founded in 1835, Minden, Louisiana, quickly developed a reputation as a pioneering force in education and culture in the formerly untamed frontier of Northwestern Louisiana. The early settlers of Minden and their contributions to the rich history of the community are the subject of this engaging pictorial retrospective.
Included in this volume are rarely seen images of leaders of the antebellum era, such as John and Christopher Chaffe, and prominent figures from the Reconstruction period, such as John Sidney Killen, the state representative from Minden when it became the seat of the newly-created Webster Parish in 1871. Also included are photographs of Mayor Robert Floyd Kennon, twenty-five years before he became the governor of Louisiana; the three Webster Parish courthouses; and the Minden Male Academy and the Minden Female College, both constructed in the early 1850s. A series of photographs shows the 1916 post office under construction, in operation, and being replaced by the People's Bank and Trust. Rare images of the Minden Lumber Company, one of the country's largest before it was destroyed by a fire in 1918, and pictures of the devastating 1933 tornado are included as well.