Editing Winnfield, Louisiana (section)

==History==
[[File:Stores in Winnfield, Louisiana (1904).jpg|thumb|left|Stores in Winnfield, 1904]]
[[File:Courthouse in Winnfield, Louisiana (1904).jpg|thumb|left|Courthouse, 1904]]

When [[Winn Parish]] was officially formed by the state legislature in 1852, Winnfield was established as the parish seat.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the area around Winnfield was the site of some minor skirmishes.  Confederate forces defeated a Union detachment near Salsbury Bridge sent to destroy the Drake's Salt Works in the area.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}

Many Civil War bandits made the region their home. Among these were the West and Kimbrel clan.

Three Louisiana governors were Winnfield natives and grew up here: [[Huey Long]], [[Oscar K. Allen]] and [[Earl Long]]. Huey Long became governor, U.S. Senator. He was assassinated in 1935.  Oscar K. Allen was elected governor in 1932. Earl Long, "the Louisiana Longshot," served in a variety of state positions, said to be more than other Louisianan, including elective office.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} He was elected governor in 1939, 1948 and 1956.  He was elected to Congress in 1960 but died before he could assume office.

Winnfield was a major producer of salt in the Civil War days; salt kettles used at Big Cedar and Drake's Salt Works furnished salt for the Confederate army. One still exists today in front of the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]], turned into a fountain. The salt works was located on [[Saline Bayou]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Greggory E. |title=1948 History of Winnfield, Winn Parish, LA |url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/winn/history/hist1948.txt |website=USGenWeb Archives}}</ref> Later the Cary Salt Works started an 840-foot deep mine west of Winnfield. The mine was used by the federal government in Project Coyboy [[Plowshare Program]], Cowboy Event. Between December 1959 and March 1960 a series of high explosives were set off inside the Carry Salt Works in an unused portion of the mine.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015077284282;view=1up;seq=10|title=Project Cowboy: Fracturing of rock salt by a contained high explosive|series=Ucrl ;6054|year=1960|publisher=Lawrence Radiation Laboratory}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA158233|title=Cowboy Trails. Phase I. Small-Scale Explosive Tests in Salt Domes. Part 1. Goals, Methods and Conclusions. Part 2. Experimental Program|date=November 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119121308/http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA158233 |archive-date=2015-11-19 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://winnfield.winnfreenet.com/bomb.php|title=Project Coyboy - Coyboy Event - Project Plowboy WinnFreeNet.com|website=winnfield.winnfreenet.com}}</ref> The mine was later flooded by an underground river. The mine and all equipment inside were abandoned.

The rock quarry operated near or on top of the salt mine and produced limestone and gravel still operates today as Winn Rock.