Red River

Formed March 2, 1871 (54^th parish)

Red River Parish (7,624), Coushatta (1,756)

The yellow brick and masonry Beaux Arts and Classical Revival building which is the Red River Parish courthouse was built in 1929.  The structure is located on East Carroll Street at Red Oak Road.  United States Highway 84 is Carroll Street through the town.  An annex was added in 1982.  William T. Nolan provided the courthouse designs.  Coushatta has always the parish seat.  On March 2, 1871, the parish was formed as the 54^th parish.  The parish was originally part of Natchitoches County.  Coushatta was named from a Native American tribe.  The Red River provided the name for the parish. 

Red River Parish government consists of a President, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 7 Police Jury Members (legislative.)  One District Court Judge and Three Justice Court Judges serve Red River Parish (judicial.) The Red River forms the western border and the Black Lake Bayou forms the majority of the eastern border to the parish.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by Bossier, Bienville, Natchitoches, De Soto, and Caddo parishes.  The seat is pronounced COO-SHAT-TA.

The area of the parish is 402 square miles.  It is 56 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 61 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.0 persons per square mile making it 54 out of 64 in the state.  Red River Parish has 36.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 71 crosses the parish from north to south from Bossier Parish to Natchitoches Parish.  United States Highway 371 enters from the north Bienville Parish and terminates in the parish.  The parish is shaped like a rectangle that is leaning toward the west.  Coushatta is slightly south of the center.  Coushatta is the parish seat and the largest city.  It is 23.0% of the parish population.  The parish is in the northwest part of the state.  Shreveport, Louisiana is to the northwest and Alexandria, Louisiana is to the southeast of the parish.  The parish center is 5.8 miles North-Northwest of Coushatta nearer Edgefield.

Martin