Editing Vidalia, Louisiana (section)

==History==
Vidalia was founded by [[Don José Vidal]], when he was secretary to [[Manuel Gayoso de Lemos]], the Spanish Governor of the Natchez District from 1792 to 1797. This was in a brief period of Spanish rule of former French territory west of the Mississippi River. Napoleon took it back and he sold it to the United States in the [[Louisiana Purchase]] of 1803.

In 1811 the Orleans Territorial legislature changed the name of the city <!--from what?  -->to Vidalia after the founder. Vidal had donated land along the river to the city, where it later constructed its civic buildings. He also donated land for the first school in Concordia Parish.

The [[Sandbar Fight|Great Sandbar Duel]], featuring [[Jim Bowie]], was a formal one-on-one duel that erupted into a violent brawl involving multiple combatants on September 19, 1827. It is a regional legend still told by local residents.

Vidalia is home to Louisiana's first [[hydroelectric power]] plant and the largest prefabricated power plant in the world. A total of 41 countries and 21 states collaborated in this historic endeavor, the [[Sidney A. Murray, Jr. Hydroelectric Station]], located in the southern portion of Concordia Parish. The power plant began operation in 1990. The office is located on Texas Street in town.

Hyram Copeland, a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], was repeatedly re-elected; he  served as mayor of Vidalia from 1992 to 2016. He is a 2013 inductee of the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.concordiaed.com/webpage2.cfm?content=Staff&id=25&CFID=22916949&CFTOKEN=5518382| title=Mayor Hyram Copeland| publisher=concordiaed.com| access-date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>