Editing Tensas Parish, Louisiana (section)

===Antebellum development===
[[Image:Lake Bruin in Newellton IMG 1270.JPG|thumb|Lake St. Joseph, an [[ox-bow lake]] of the [[Mississippi River]] at [[Newellton, Louisiana|Newellton]]]]

Following [[Indian Removal]] by the United States government in the 1830s, the land was sold and this area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations, the leading commodity crop before the Civil War. Planters moved into the area from the eastern and upper South, either bringing or purchasing numerous [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved Africans]] as workers. They developed plantations along the river and Lake St. Joseph, as waterways were required for transportation routes and access to markets. In 1861, according to the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey|United States Coast Survey]] map, 90.8% of the parish's inhabitants were slaves.<ref>[http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/historicals/preview/image/CWSLAVE Historical charts], NOAA</ref>