Top of the Boot: Louisiana's Original State Line
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GEOGRAPHER'S SPACE TOP OF THE BOOT Louisiana’s original state line BY Richard Campanella ouisiana’s original state line west to the western boundary of the New Orleans) from the District of segment is the 33rd parallel, the said cession, shall constitute a territory Louisiana (later renamed the Territory “top of the boot.” This arbitrary of the United States, under the name of of Louisiana, or Louisiana Territory, Lline entered the political discourse as the territory of Orleans” (italics added). headquartered in St. Louis). As initially an administrative consequence to the described, the border ran over 280 Louisiana Purchase. The famed land miles, from the Mississippi River in acquisition, finalized with a ceremony The 33rd parallel fairly present-day East Carroll Parish to the in New Orleans on December 20, well separated out upper Sabine River in what is now rural 1803, transferred France’s claim to the northeastern Texas, east of Dallas. Mississippi Valley to the dominion of the those predominately Why the 33rd parallel? Though United States, with only passing regard Creole populations members of Congress debated for the indigenous occupancy therein. to the south from the seemingly every conceivable aspect Parties agreed that the Mississippi of the Louisiana Purchase, I could River formed the eastern edge of the hinterlands to the not find any recorded discussions transaction, and that the Continental north and west, specifically on the selection of the Divide—whenever it might someday where presumably 33rd parallel as a territorial border. be mapped—would form the western Perhaps a consensus formed that this edge. But no one quite understood Anglo-American convenient round-integer latitude was where ran the northern and southern emigrants comprised as good as any arbitrary line. It lay edges, abutting British and Spanish the majority of non- roughly halfway between New Orleans possessions; ergo no one knew and St. Louis, the two key Mississippi the full expanse of the real estate indigenous residents. River cities within the Purchase, deal—perhaps 830,000 square and did a decent job of separating miles, give or take a few thousand. Subsequent sections created the out the more heavily populated and The sudden doubling of national positions of governor, secretary, economically vital lower-Louisiana territory called for some new political legislative, and judicial bodies, as region from the vast unchartered geography. On March 26, 1804, the US well as basic territorial laws. A later wilderness to the north and west. Congress in Washington, DC, approved section decreed that the “residue of the The US government in this era “An Act erecting Louisiana into two province of Louisiana,” meaning those was also somewhat wary of its new territories, and providing for the lands north of the 33rd parallel, “shall citizens—they being French in tongue, temporary government thereof.” The be called the district of Louisiana,” and Catholic in faith, Creole in ethnicity, opening section enacted “that all that went on to establish its governance. and monarchical in their political portion of country ceded by France to In this decree, the 33rd parallel legacy—to the point that the territorial the United States, under the name of went from the theoretical graticule of government it created for them was Louisiana, which lies south . of an cartographers to the official map of initially appointed, not elected. The east and west line to commence on the the United States, as a separation of 33rd parallel fairly well separated out Mississippi river, at the thirty-third the Territory of Orleans (or Orleans those predominately Creole populations degree of north latitude, and to extend Territory, with its headquarters in to the south from the hinterlands to the 59 FALL 2020 // LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES // 64PARISHES.ORG north and west, where presumably Territory of Louisiana got renamed Anglo-American emigrants comprised the Missouri Territory; and the 33rd the majority of non-indigenous parallel became Louisiana’s first residents. It’s also worth noting that undisputed straight border segment. the 33rd parallel roughly demarcates The section of that 1811 law the maritime-dominated subtropical invoking the 32nd-to-33rd parallel climate to the south, with its longer is today’s rectitudinous north–south growing season, from the more frigid state line west of Shreveport. But continental climate of the interior, at the time, this vicinity remained a and thus had agricultural significance. disputed region with Spain. As part Whatever the motivations, the 1804 of the same Adams–Onís Treaty that, delineation decision would make a in 1819, transferred Spanish West permanent mark on the American map. Florida and the Sabine Free State Over the next eight years, the to the United States, the Americans territorial government carved out a ceded lands along its far-western confusing dual system of counties and frontier to Spain, among them that parishes throughout the Territory wedge-shaped western tier of the of Orleans, the former for electoral former Territory of Orleans that and taxation purposes, the latter for poked into present-day Texas. judicial matters. The 33rd parallel thus For two years, Louisiana’s became embedded into the borders of only ninety-degree angle became, the counties/parishes of Natchitoches along its lower leg, a Spanish– and Ouachita, which in time would American border. In 1821, with the be subdivided into our present-day independence of Mexico, it became parishes of Caddo, Bossier, Webster, a Mexican–Louisianan border, and Claiborne, Lincoln, Union, Morehouse, fifteen years after that, it became and West and East Carroll. (Mercifully, the Texas–Louisiana border—in counties were eliminated from official the same year (1836) that Arkansas Louisiana geography in the 1840s). entered the Union, thus forever As for the part of the Territory cementing the 33rd parallel as the of Orleans extending westward into Louisiana–Arkansas state border. Texas, that wedge of land got clipped It would be the sole use of the off in an arrangement with Spain to 33rd parallel in the shape of any resolve a border dispute leftover from American state—and a distinctive the Louisiana Purchase. On February one at that: top of the boot. 20, 1811, Congress enacted a law allowing residents of the Territory of Orleans to form a state government RICHARD CAMPANELLA, a and constitution toward admission geographer with the Tulane School into the Union. That act described of Architecture, is the author of The the forthcoming State of Louisiana’s West Bank of Greater New Orleans: western and northern boundary A Historical Geography (LSU Press, as “Beginning at the mouth of the 2020), Cityscapes of New Orleans, River Sabine, thence [northward] Bienville’s Dilemma, and other along the middle of the [Sabine] to books. He may be reached through the thirty-second degree of north richcampanella.com, rcampane@ latitude, thence due north to . the tulane.edu, or @nolacampanella on thirty-third degree of north latitude, Twitter. thence along [that] parallel . to the River Mississippi, thence down to said Right: 1814 map of Missouri Territory river” toward the sea (italics added). by Matthew Carey, featuring ambitious boundaries for the incompletely In 1812, the Territory of Orleans described territory. became the State of Louisiana; the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS VISIT 64PARISHES.ORG TO CHECK OUT THE GEOGRAPHER’S SPACE VIDEO SERIES. 60 FALL 2020 // LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES // 64PARISHES.ORG 61 FALL 2020 // LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES // 64PARISHES.ORG.