History

The Recorded History of Jefferson Parish

t is thought that man first arrived in the Jefferson Parish area around 500 B.C. However, the recorded history of the region does not begin until the arrival of Europeans in the early eighteenth century.

In 1699 and 1700 the Mississippi River was explored by the Frenchman Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieure de Bienvielle. The banks of the Mississppi were the first areas settled by the French. The relatively high banks of the river provided both elevation and access to the entire Mississipi Valley.

Before Jefferson Parish was established, the region was roughly divided into small, vaguely defined geographic areas. The colonial names of some of these areas are still in use today. For example, Metairie was the area around the alluvial ridge of Bayou Metairie. Bayou Metairie no longer exists, however the name is still in use. Barataria refered to the bayou country. As today, the major islands in the Gulf were named Grand Terre and Grand Isle.

In 1718 New Orleans was founded by the French, by way of which they hoped to control their vast territories inland. While New Orleans was yet a village, the rich soil of the river bank attracted wealthy Frenchman to invest in large scale agricultural endeavors in what is now part of Jefferson Parish.

The area we know as Jefferson Parish was once part of Orleans Parish. Jefferson was created by the Louisiana Legislature on February 11, 1825. Originally, the area was to be named Tchoupitoulas Parish, but ultimately was named after Thomas Jefferson, under whose administration the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France. The boundaries of the Parish have changed several times since the parish was founded.

To find out more about the recorded history of Jefferson, select from the following topics.

The Founding of Kenner

Learn about the facinating beginnings of the city of Kenner. <click here>

Duncan and Philip Minor Kenner