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54-454: Dry Prong is a village in central Grant Parish , Louisiana , United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 436 at the 2010 census . Dry Prong was incorporated as a village in 1945. According to tradition, the village received its name when a family moved to the region in the 1870s to build a sawmill. To power the mill, they built

108-554: A water wheel , only to discover that the creek over which they had built it went dry every summer: the creek was a "dry prong". The mill was soon rebuilt over a nearby creek which flowed all year, but the name stuck. The creek is now outside the city limits, on Highway 123 . Shane Davis is the current mayor of the village. Dry Prong is located at the center of Grant Parish at 31°34′44″N 92°31′46″W  /  31.57889°N 92.52944°W  / 31.57889; -92.52944 (31.578819, -92.529487). U.S. Route 167 passes through

162-401: A statement to Alexandria Town Talk : "There have been various holiday displays presented both inside and outside the courthouse over many years. This year, as in years past, they include both secular and non-secular symbols. It is unfortunate that some are offended by these displays during this holiday season, as that was not the intent." According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the parish has

216-458: A total area of 665 square miles (1,720 km ), of which 643 square miles (1,670 km ) is land and 22 square miles (57 km ) (3.3%) is water. The most famous fossil sites within Louisiana are Creola Bluff at Montgomery Landing Site in the parish. The Montgomery Landing Site was a 500 meters (1,600 ft) long and 14 meters (46 ft) high bluff that was the cutbank on the east side of

270-559: Is dramatically moderated. Native American cultures along the river were diverse, developing specialized adaptations to the many different environments. Starting near the headwaters, the Plains division of the Lipan Apache dominated the western Red River area until the 18th century, when they were displaced by invading Comanche from the north. The middle part of the Red River was dominated by

324-530: Is recognized to mark this area of influence, with plantations and churches founded by Louisiana Creoles. Some of the sites are designated as destinations on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail , established from 2008 onwards. The area along the lower Red River of Grant Parish, Louisiana and neighboring parishes had a mixture of hill-country farms and cotton plantations. In the early 19th century, settlers found that much of

378-670: The 256TH IBCT in 2004-5 and 2010. 31°35′N 92°34′W  /  31.59°N 92.56°W  / 31.59; -92.56 Red River of the South The south bank of the Red River formed part of the US–Mexico border from the Adams–Onís Treaty (in force 1821) until the Texas Annexation and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . The Red River is the second-largest river basin in

432-769: The American Civil War .) In April 1815, Captain Henry Miller Shreve was the first person to bring a steamboat, the Enterprise , up the Red River. Fulton and Livingston, who claimed the exclusive right to navigate Louisiana waters by steamboat, sued Shreve in the District Court of New Orleans. The judge ruled that the monopoly claimed by the plaintiffs was illegal. That decision, along with a similar outcome in Gibbons v. Ogden , freed navigation on every river, lake or harbor in

486-511: The Democrat U.S. President Barack H. Obama , who trailed with 1,422 votes (16.4 percent). In 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona swept the parish, with 6,907 votes (80.7 percent) to Obama's 1,474 (17.2 percent). In 1992, George Herbert Walker Bush carried Grant Parish but was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection. He polled 3,214 votes (40.8 percent) to Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas's 3,122 (39.6 percent). This son of

540-512: The Denison Dam . The lake is also fed by the Washita River from the north. Beyond the dam it runs generally east towards Arkansas and receives Oklahoma's Muddy Boggy Creek on the left bank before turning southward near Texarkana . Soon after, the waterway crosses south into Louisiana . The sister cities of Shreveport and Bossier City were developed on either bank of the river, as were

594-535: The Governor of Texas blocked traffic from entering his state on the new bridge. The Red River Bridge Company of Texas owned the original toll bridge and had a dispute over its purchase deal. Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray sent the Oklahoma National Guard to reopen the bridge that July. Texas had to retreat when lawyers determined that Oklahoma had jurisdiction over both banks of the river. In June 2015,

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648-666: The Great Migration , as African Americans left segregation and oppression of the South to seek better opportunities in the North, during the first phase, and in the West, especially California 's defense industry, in the second phase. Tens of thousands of migrants left Louisiana during times of agricultural difficulties and the collapse of agricultural labor after mechanization. In 2000, there were 7,073 households, out of which 36.50% had children under

702-678: The Little Red River , Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River , Salt Fork Red River , North Fork Red River , Cross Bayou , Pease River , Washita River , Kiamichi River , Wichita River , Little Wichita River , Little River , Sulphur River , Bayou Brevelle , Loggy Bayou (through Lake Bistineau and Dorcheat Bayou ), the Blue River , as well as the Ouachita River (also known as the Black River at that point) not far (at Acme, Louisiana ) from

756-658: The Red River . It exposed the top of the Cockfield Formation, the Moodys Branch Formation, and Tullos Member of the Yazoo Clay. In 1979, it was the site of a large whale skeleton discovery. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 22,169 people, 6,989 households, and 4,651 families residing in the parish. As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in

810-573: The Red River Expedition to explore parts of the new lands of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase by traveling up the Red River. Jefferson wrote that the river was "in truth, next to the Missouri, the most interesting water of the Mississippi", in a letter to explorer William Dunbar . Having threaded the maze of bayous at the river's confluence, and the " Great Raft " of lodged driftwood, the expedition

864-410: The Red River flooded parts of northeast Texas, southwest Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma and Louisiana, from Denison Dam , to just south of Alexandria, Louisiana . The river reached its highest level in over 70 years, cresting in most of the affected areas at around 6–9 feet over the flood levels. At 4 PM on June 9, the river reached its maximum height of 37.14 feet. In 1943, Denison Dam was built on

918-637: The Wichita and Tonkawa . This area was prairie , where Native Americans constructed portable and temporary tepees for housing. They practiced limited farming and followed game in seasonal, nomadic hunting cycles. By the time of European contact, the eastern Piney Woods of the lower river courses were dominated by the numerous historic tribes of the Caddo Confederacy . They found plentiful game and fish, and also had good land for cultivating staple crops. In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned

972-592: The cotton and sugar planter Meredith Calhoun , a native of South Carolina . Calhoun also published the former National Democrat newspaper in what became Colfax, designated as the seat of government of the new parish. Grant was one of several new parishes created by the Reconstruction legislature in an attempt to build the Republican Party in the state. Founded in 1869, it had a slight majority of freedmen , many of whom had worked on cotton plantations in

1026-610: The Colfax Riot, the original state designation, as the Colfax Massacre . The total number of freedmen deaths were never established because some of the bodies were thrown into the river and woods. The white militia was led by Christopher Columbus Nash , a Confederate officer who had been a prisoner of war at Johnson's Island in Ohio . It consisted of veterans from Grant and neighboring parishes. The following year, Nash gathered many of

1080-445: The North and West. Such migration continued until about 1970. One of the eleven parishes organized during Reconstruction, Grant was created from parts of Winn and Rapides parishes. Grant Parish is the site of United States Penitentiary, Pollock . Grant Parish was originally a part of the more populous Rapides Parish to the south. Prior to the American Civil War , the center of activity focused upon "Calhoun's Landing," named for

1134-512: The Red River Boundary Compact adopted in 1999 by the states of Oklahoma and Texas . This set the jurisdictional boundary between these states at the vegetation line on the south bank, but left title of adjacent property owners at the south bank. (The Red River actively meanders, as shown by a comparison of maps of the political boundaries defined by the river's course decades ago and currently.) The Red River Campaign (March–May 1864)

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1188-548: The Red River is very arid and receives little precipitation . As a result, much of the river above the Texas–Oklahoma border is intermittent, and until the river is past its great bend south in Arkansas, the flow varies widely. Most of the agriculture in the basin is sustained by groundwater , which is recharged with rainfall and riverflow. The lower course of the river flows through a series of marshes and swamps , where its flow

1242-455: The Red River. The Red River's watershed covers 65,590 square miles (169,900 km ) and is the southernmost major river system in the Great Plains . Its drainage basin is mostly in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, but also covers parts of New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana. Its basin is characterized by flat, fertile agricultural land, with only a few major cities. The drainage basin of

1296-531: The South carried numerous other Republican-leaning jurisdictions. Ross Perot, who later founded the Reform Party , polled 1,174 (14.9 percent). In 1996, Republican Robert J. Dole narrowly won in Grant Parish over U.S. President Bill Clinton , a son of the South, with 3,117 votes (42.8 percent) to 2,980 (40.9 percent). Ross Perot polled another 1,055 (14.5 percent). The last Democrat to win in Grant Parish at

1350-683: The United States from interference by monopolies. When John Quincy Adams became Secretary of State in 1817, one of his highest priorities was to negotiate with Spain about the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase. He negotiated with Luis de Onís , the Spanish Minister to the United States, and finally concluded the Adams–Onis Treaty , also known as the Treaty of 1819. The treaty defined

1404-424: The age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under

1458-428: The age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06. In the parish the population was spread out, with 28.30% under

1512-463: The age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $ 32,917, and the median income for a family was $ 43,214. Males had a median income of $ 36,944 versus $ 18,864 for females. The per capita income for

1566-467: The age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $ 29,622, and the median income for a family was $ 34,878. Males had a median income of $ 31,235 versus $ 20,470 for females. The per capita income for

1620-438: The area. It was named for U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant . The parish seat of Colfax was named for Grant's first vice president, Schuyler M. Colfax (whose name is pronounced COAL-facks) of Indiana . However, the town of Colfax is pronounced CAHL-facks. The parish came into existence on March 4, 1869, which also was the day of President Grant's first inauguration. The parish encompassed both cotton plantations and pinewoods. It

1674-660: The downriver cities of Alexandria and Pineville . After being joined from the north by the Black River (downstream name of the Ouachita River , its largest tributary) about 1.5 miles south of Acme , the river broadens into a complex network of marshlands west of the Mississippi River. Its waters eventually become a tributary of the Atchafalaya River and flow generally southward into the Gulf of Mexico . Tributaries include

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1728-752: The mid-1960s. In December 2016, a courthouse nativity scene in Colfax drew a complaint from the New Orleans chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union . In a letter to the Grant Parish Police Jury, the ACLU said that officials must include secular symbols of the Christmas holiday if a nativity scene is placed alone on public property. District Attorney Jay Lemoine objected to the ACLU challenge in

1782-524: The mouth. The Red River is salty through tributaries above Lake Texoma . The saltiness is caused by a natural phenomenon that dates back to ancient times. About 250 million years ago, an inland sea blanketed parts of what is now those states. As time passed, that sea evaporated, leaving salt deposits – mostly sodium chloride. Rock and silt eventually buried the deposits, but the salt continues to leach through natural seeps in tributaries above Lake Texoma, sending as much as 3,450 tons of salt per day flowing down

1836-460: The north about 10 mi (16 km) west-southwest of Frederick, Oklahoma to form the Red River proper. The combined river proceeds to follow a winding course east through one of the most arid parts of the Great Plains , receiving the Wichita River about 25 miles northeast of the city of Wichita Falls . Near Denison , the river exits the eastern end of Lake Texoma , a reservoir formed by

1890-707: The north, which drains into the North Canadian River ). It turns and flows southeast through Palo Duro Canyon in Palo Duro Canyon State Park at an elevation of 3,440 feet (1,050 m), and past Newlin, Texas , to cross the Oklahoma state line. About 2 miles south of Elmer, Oklahoma , the Salt Fork of the Red River joins from the north. These combined waters receive the North Fork Red River from

1944-464: The parish was $ 14,410. About 16.90% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over. The Federal Bureau of Prisons U.S. Penitentiary, Pollock is located in an unincorporated area in the parish, near Pollock . Today Grant Parish is majority white and votes strongly Republican . Mitt Romney polled 7,082 votes (81.7 percent) in his 2012 race against

1998-561: The parish. The population density was 29 inhabitants per square mile (11/km ). There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5.0/km ). The racial makeup of the parish was 85.43% White , 11.88% Black or African American , 0.89% Native American , 0.14% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.36% from other races , and 1.28% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The decreases in population from 1910 to 1920, and from 1940 to 1960, were chiefly caused by different phases of

2052-405: The population was 22,169. The parish seat is Colfax . The parish was founded in 1869 during the Reconstruction era . Grant Parish is part of the Alexandria , LA Metropolitan Statistical Area and Red River Valley. From 1940 to 1960, the parish had a dramatic population loss, as many African Americans from the plantation areas left in the Great Migration to seek better opportunities in

2106-673: The presidential level was former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia in his 1976 defeat of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. , who had Bob Dole as his vice-presidential partner. Republican nominee Donald Trump was a runaway winner in Grant Parish in 2016 over Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton : 7,408 (84 percent) to 1,181 (13 percent). Public schools in Grant Parish are operated by the Grant Parish School Board . A Company 199TH FSB (Forward Support Battalion) resides in Colfax, Louisiana . This unit deployed twice to Iraq as part of

2160-516: The raft further connected the Red and Atchafalaya rivers, accelerating the development of the Atchafalaya River channel. The Red River Bridge War of 1931 was a boundary conflict between Oklahoma and Texas over an existing toll bridge and a new free bridge crossing the Red River. A joint project to build a free bridge between Durant, Oklahoma and Denison, Texas turned into a major dispute when

2214-614: The river is 1,360 miles (2,190 km), with a mean flow of over 57,000 cubic feet per second (1,600 m /s) at the mouth. The Red River begins at the junction of Buck Creek and Prairie Dog Town Fork , in Harmon County, Oklahoma . Specialists have debated whether the North Fork or the Prairie Dog Town Fork is the true stem. Because of a cartographic error, the land between the north and south forks were claimed by both

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2268-524: The river's length in Louisiana was unnavigable because of a collection of fallen trees that formed a Great Raft over 160 miles (260 km) long. In 1839, Captain Henry Miller Shreve began clearing the log jam, but it was not completely cleared until the 1870s, when dynamite became available. The river was thereafter navigable, but north of Natchitoches it was restricted to small craft. Removal of

2322-523: The south bank of the river as the boundary between the United States and Spain, as of when it was surveyed and demarcated following 1819. That boundary continued to be recognized when Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, and ongoingly when Texas became independent from Mexico in 1835–1836. It remained an official boundary until the United States Congress consented in October 2000 to

2376-601: The south fork. Today, the southern Prairie Dog Town Fork is considered the main fork, though the North Fork is as long and normally has a greater water flow. The southern fork is generally considered the main stem of the Red River and about 120 miles (190 km) long. It is formed in Randall County, Texas , near the county seat of Canyon , by the confluence of Tierra Blanca Creek and intermittent Palo Duro Creek (not to be confused with another Palo Duro Creek 75 miles to

2430-489: The southern Great Plains . It rises in two branches in the Texas Panhandle and flows east, where it serves as the border between the states of Texas and Oklahoma . It forms a short border between Texas and Arkansas before entering Arkansas. It forms much of the eastern border of Miller County, Arkansas , turning south near Fulton and flowing into Louisiana , where it feeds the Atchafalaya River. The total length of

2484-641: The state of Texas and the United States federal government . In 1852, Randolph B. Marcy 's expedition had followed the Prairie Dog Town Fork. Originally called Greer County, Texas , the US Supreme Court ruled that it belonged to the United States, which at the time oversaw the Oklahoma Territory . That territory was later incorporated into the state of Oklahoma , whose southern border follows

2538-471: The village was $ 13,978. About 12.9% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over. Dry Prong residents are zoned to Grant Parish School Board schools. Grant Parish, Louisiana Grant Parish is a parish located in the North Central portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana . As of the 2020 census ,

2592-574: The village, leading north 26 miles (42 km) to Winnfield and south 22 miles (35 km) to Alexandria . The village is within Kisatchie National Forest . According to the United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km), or 0.65%, is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 421 people, 176 households, and 124 families residing in

2646-468: The village. The population density was 315.8 inhabitants per square mile (121.9/km). There were 195 housing units at an average density of 146.3 per square mile (56.5/km). The racial makeup of the village was 95.25% White , 0.95% African American , 0.24% Native American , 1.66% from other races , and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population. There were 176 households, out of which 30.7% had children under

2700-603: The white militia members as the basis of the first chapter of the White League . Other chapters quickly grew up across the state. The White League's organized violence in support of the Democratic Party included widespread intimidation of black voters. The League was integral to white Democrats' regaining power in the state by 1876. Soon after, they effectively disfranchised most blacks, a situation that persisted until after federal enforcement of Civil Rights -era legislation of

2754-531: Was disputed in certain areas. As social tensions rose, Republican officials took their places at the courthouse in Colfax. They were defended by freedmen and state militia (mostly made up of freedmen), who feared a Democratic Party takeover of the parish. Amid widespread rumors, whites organized a militia and advanced on the courthouse on Easter Sunday, 1873. In the ensuing violence, three whites and 120-150 blacks were killed, including 50 that night who were held as prisoners. Leading late 20th-century historians renamed

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2808-594: Was fought along the Red River Valley in Louisiana during the American Civil War . It was part of a failed attempt by the Union to occupy eastern Texas. Confederate commander Richard Taylor succeeded in repelling an army under Nathaniel Banks that was three times bigger than his own. In Louisiana, the area of present-day Natchitoches Parish was settled by French Creole and mixed-race Louisiana Creole people , starting before 1800. The Cane River National Heritage Area

2862-510: Was one of several areas along the Red River that had considerable violence during Reconstruction, as whites tried to maintain social control. The gubernatorial election of 1872 was disputed in the state, and both the Democrats and Republicans certified their slates of local officers. Two inaugurations were held. The election was finally settled in favor of the Republican candidates, but the decision

2916-762: Was stopped by the Spanish near present-day New Boston, Texas . In 1806, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike , under orders to ascertain the source of the Red River, ascended the Arkansas River , made his way downstream on what turned out to be the Rio Grande , and was sent home by the Spanish authorities. A more successful exploration of the river's upper reaches to both its sources came with the 1852 expedition under Capt. Randolph Barnes Marcy , assisted by Brevet Capt. George B. McClellan . (A decade later McClellan became an important general in

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