Editing Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

{{short description|Parish in Louisiana, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Avoyelles Parish
 | state                = Louisiana
 | type                 = [[Louisiana parishes|Parish]]
 | ex image             = Bunkie TX & Pac. RR.jpg
 | ex image size        = 
 | ex image cap         = [[Texas and Pacific Railroad Depot (Bunkie, Louisiana)]]
 | seal                 = 
 | flag                 = Flag of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.png
 | founded year         = 1807
 | founded date         = March 31
 | seat wl              = Marksville
 | largest city wl      = Marksville
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 866
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 832
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 33
 | area percentage      = 3.8
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 39693
 | pop_est_as_of        = 
 | population_est       = 
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
 | time zone            = Central
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = http://www.avoypj.org/
 | named for            = [[Avoyel]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]
 | district             = 5th
}}

'''Avoyelles''' ({{langx|fr|Paroisse des Avoyelles}}) is a [[parish (administrative division)|parish]] located in central eastern [[Louisiana]] on the [[Red River of the South|
Red River]] where it effectively becomes the [[Atchafalaya River]] and meets the [[Mississippi River]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 39,693.<ref>{{cite web|title=Census - Geography Profile: Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Avoyelles_Parish,_Louisiana?g=0500000US22009|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 21, 2023}}</ref> The [[parish seat]] is [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The parish was created in 1807, with the name deriving from the [[Louisiana (New France)|French]] name for the historic [[Avoyel]] people, one of the local [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] tribes at the time of European encounter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Avoyelles Parish|url=http://ccet.louisiana.edu/tourism/parishes/Acadiana_Parishes/avoyelles.html|publisher=Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism|access-date=September 5, 2014}}</ref>

Today the parish is the base of the [[Federally recognized tribe|federally recognized]] [[Tunica-Biloxi]] Indian Tribe, who have a reservation there. The tribe has a land-based gambling casino on their reservation. It is located in [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]], the parish seat, which is partly within reservation land.

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2024}}
[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] occupied this area beginning around 300 BC. Varying indigenous cultures flourished there in the following centuries. Today on the banks of the old Mississippi River channel in Marksville, three large [[burial mounds]] have been preserved from the [[Mississippian culture]], which flourished especially along the upper Mississippi, the Ohio River and other tributaries, from about 900 AD to 1500 AD. Mounds of its major city, [[Cahokia]], are preserved in western Illinois across the Mississippi from St. Louis, Missouri. The trading network reached from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. A museum and a National Park commemorate this early culture.

The [[Tunica people]] had bands whose territory extended into the central Mississippi Valley. They absorbed the smaller remnant of [[Avoyel]] people nearly two centuries ago. Through the years, they also intermarried with the more numerous [[Biloxi people]]. The peoples organized politically in the 20th century and were federally recognized in 1981 as the [[Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe]]. They are the largest Native American tribe in Avoyelles Parish and have a reservation that extends into Marksville. Descendants of other smaller tribes are also enrolled in this tribe.

Avoyelles Parish is known for its [[French people|French]] colonial history and tradition of French language use. The contemporary [[Creole peoples|Creole]] traditions, in both music and food, reflect Native American, African and European influences. While Avoyelles has a distinctive history of European immigrants, highly influenced by the French in its early history, it is considered the most northern of the 22 "[[Acadiana]]" parishes. These have a tradition of settlement by French-speaking refugees from [[Acadia]] (now eastern Canada) in the late 18th century. They contributed strongly to the development of culture in this area, as did Africans and the indigenous Native Americans. The parish is noted for its brand of [[Cajun music|Cajun]]/[[Creole music|Creole]] style music and its [[gumbo]], a popular soup with roots in the three major ethnicities noted above.

The central part of Avoyelles Parish is sited on a large plateau, slightly above the floodplain of the waterways. Travel by water was long the primary way to move around this area. The Indians used canoes, and the early French settlers developed their own boats, known as ''pirogues.''

Records from the Catholic churches in Mansura and Marksville document the founding of a trading post and a Catholic school by French colonists. The merchants wanted to conduct fur trading with the Tunica Tribe and the missionaries hoped to convert the natives to Christianity. The trading post was built near the Avoyel/Tunica settlement; it was preserved until the mid-1960s. Historic roadside markers on LA 1 identify the site of the historic Catholic mission school.

Franco-European settlers first called this area Hydropolis, meaning water city, referring to the marshes and bayous. The major mode of transportation was by Indian canoe and [[pirogue]] (a French-style dug-out canoe). Church records identify settlers with all their family members listed, as well as some property; in some cases they listed slaves by name. Church records and documentation were recorded in French during the years of initial settlement, then in Spanish during their brief rule in the late 18th century, with a return to French after France reacquired the area under [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] in the early 19th century.

After his troops failed to regain control over Saint-Domingue (now [[Haiti]]), Napoleon withdrew from North America. He sold the large [[Louisiana Purchase]] territory in 1803 to the United States under President [[Thomas Jefferson]]. As the US expanded its rule, local documents began to be recorded in the English of the new government. The United States arranged for the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] and others to survey the Louisiana Territory. It hired local French soldiers, surveyors and doctors, many of whom eventually settled in the area.

Many of the French people who settled Avoyelles Parish immigrated from France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Many of the French words commonly used today in the parish date to terms used during the Napoleon period in France, indicating that this was the period of immigration. They have not been used in France for many generations.

The Spanish influence in Louisiana was more dominant in [[New Iberia]] — this was named after colonists from the Iberian Peninsula, commonly known as Spain and Portugal. There are no Spanish surnames in Avoyelles. A few families from French Canada (Quebec) settled in Avoyelles. They were from a different geographic area of Canada than the Acadians of present-day Nova Scotia, who were expelled by the British from their homeland (Acadie) beginning in 1755 during the [[Seven Years' War]] with France. Many deported Acadians eventually made it to Louisiana from 1764 - 1788, after several years of living in exile along the eastern Atlantic seaboard, Canada, St. Pierre and France.<ref>{{Cite web|title = ACADIAN-CAJUN Genealogy & History: Exile Destination: Louisiana|url = http://www.acadian-cajun.com/exla.htm|website = www.acadian-cajun.com|access-date = February 6, 2016}}</ref>

In the later 19th century, immigrants from [[Scotland]], [[Belgium]], [[Italy]], and [[Germany]] also settled here, following the French Creoles. Together they established today's towns and villages. Their direct ties to Europe set them apart from the Acadians (Cajuns) of southern Louisiana, who came from a culture established for generations in Canada.<ref name="avoyelles.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.avoyelles.com|title=Avoyelles Family Name Origins|website=www.avoyelles.com|access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref> At the turn of the 19th century, [[free people of color]] of African-French descent also settled in Avoyelles. Many came from New Orleans, which had a large community of free people of color. Others were refugees from [[Saint-Domingue]], where slaves had rebelled to gain independence as the nation of [[Haiti]]. Others came from other colonies in the French West Indies.

The blending of these three cultures: Native American, European and African, created a distinct [[Louisiana Creole]] culture noted in the local language, food, Catholic religion, and family ties.

In the 21st century, the Avoyelles Parish culture has been classified as "Cajun" because of the perceived similarities in speech, food, and various folk traditions with the more southern Acadian parishes. But, few families in Avoyelles are of Acadian descent. From the 1800s until the mid-1900s, local Confederate units and local newspaper reports in ''The Villager'' always referred to the Avoyelles French families as Creoles, the term for native-born people of direct descent from early French colonists and born in the colony.<ref name="avoyelles.com"/>

Following the disastrous [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927|Great Flood of 1927]], the US Army Corps of Engineers built a system of levees along the Mississippi River. It reduced immediate flooding in Marksville and other towns, but has caused indirect damage to the wetlands. This has ultimately caused more serious flooding as the speed of the river has increased.

==Geography==
[[File:Geomorphology of Old River.jpg|thumb|right|400 px|Formation of the Atchafalaya River and construction of the Old River Control Structure.]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the parish has a total area of {{convert|866|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|832|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|33|sqmi}} (3.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130830230055/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 30, 2013 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 20, 2014 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}</ref>  The parish is bounded on the east by what was just the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] in the first millennium CE, and is now the Red River and [[Atchafalaya River]]. The formation of the Atchafalaya River happened when the [[Mississippi River]] changed course, breaking up the Red River. In the 20th century the [[Old River Control Structure]] was built at this area to control the flow of the three rivers.

===Major highways===
* [[File:I-49.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 49]]
* [[File:US 71.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Highway 71]]
* [[File:Louisiana 1 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 1]]
* [[File:Louisiana 29 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 29]]
* [[File:Louisiana 107 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 107]]
*

===Adjacent parishes===

{{div col}}
* [[La Salle Parish, Louisiana|La Salle Parish]] (north)
* [[Catahoula Parish, Louisiana|Catahoula Parish]] (north)
* [[Concordia Parish, Louisiana|Concordia Parish]]  (northeast)
* [[West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana|West Feliciana Parish]]  (east)
* [[Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana|Pointe Coupee Parish]]  (southeast)
* [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry Parish]]  (south)
* [[Evangeline Parish, Louisiana|Evangeline Parish]]  (southwest)
* [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides Parish]]  (west)
{{div col end}}

===National protected areas===
* [[Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)
* [[Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1810= 1209
|1820= 2245
|1830= 3484
|1840= 6616
|1850= 9326
|1860= 13167
|1870= 12926
|1880= 16747
|1890= 25112
|1900= 29701
|1910= 34102
|1920= 35300
|1930= 34926
|1940= 39256
|1950= 38031
|1960= 37606
|1970= 37751
|1980= 41393
|1990= 39159
|2000= 41481
|2010= 42073
|2020= 39693
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 20, 2014 }}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref> 2010<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22009.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607015745/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22009.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Avoyelles Parish racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22009&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 25,236
| 63.58%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 10,649
| 26.83%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 349
| 0.88%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 345
| 0.87%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 3
| 0.01%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 1,626
| 4.1%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 1,485
| 3.74%
|}
At the [[2020 United States census]], there were 39,693 people, 15,163 households, and 9,840 families residing in the parish, up from 42,073 residents in 2010. At the [[census]] of 2000,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> there were 41,481 people, 14,736 households, and 10,580 families living in the parish. The [[population density]] was {{convert|50|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 16,576 housing units at an average density of {{convert|20|/mi2|/km2|}}.

In 2000, the racial makeup of the parish was 68.47% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 29.49% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.01% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.17% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.19% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 17.64% reported speaking [[French language|French]] or [[Cajun French]] at home, while 2.12% speak [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. In 2020, its racial makeup was 63.58% non-Hispanic white, 26.83% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.1% multiracial, and 3.74% Hispanic or Latino American.

In 2000, there were 14,736 households, out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.70% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $23,851, and the median income for a family was $29,389. Males had a median income of $27,122 versus $18,250 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the parish was $12,146. About 21.70% of families and 25.90% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 32.50% of those under age 18 and 25.00% of those age 65 or over.

== Education ==
All primary public schools are run by the [[Avoyelles Parish School Board]]. It operates 10 schools with an enrollment over 6,000 students. The school board website is [http://www.avoyellespsb.com/ Avoyelles Parish School Board].<ref>[http://www.avoyellespsb.com/?PN=AboutUs "About Us"], Avoyelles Parish School Board</ref>

===Elementary===
* Cottonport Elementary
* Bunkie Elementary
* Lafargue Elementary
* Marksville Elementary
* Plaucheville Elementary
* Riverside Elementary
* Sacred Heart School, Moreauville
* St. Anthony of Padua School, Bunkie
* St. Joseph School, Plaucheville
* St. Mary of the Assumption School, Cottonport

===High school===
* Avoyelles High School (Moreauville)
* Avoyelles Public Charter School
* Bunkie High School
* LASAS (Louisiana School for the Agricultural Sciences)
* [[Marksville High School]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avoyellespsb.com/?PN=Schools2|title=Avoyelles Parish School Board|website=www.avoyellespsb.com|language=en|access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref>
* Red River Charter Academy
* St. Joseph's High School of Plaucheville

==National Guard==
The 1020th Engineer Company (Vertical) of the 527th Engineer Battalion of the [[225th Engineer Brigade]] is located in [[Marksville, Louisiana]]. The 1086TH Transportation Company of the 165TH CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion of the 139TH RSG (Regional Support Group) resides in [[Bunkie, Louisiana]].

==Communities==
[[File:Map of Avoyelles Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels.PNG|thumb|250px|Map of Avoyelles Parish with municipal labels]]

=== Cities ===
* [[Bunkie, Louisiana|Bunkie]]
* [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]] (parish seat and largest municipality)

===Towns===
* [[Cottonport, Louisiana|Cottonport]]
* [[Evergreen, Louisiana|Evergreen]]
* [[Mansura, Louisiana|Mansura]]
* [[Simmesport, Louisiana|Simmesport]]

===Villages===
* [[Hessmer, Louisiana|Hessmer]]
* [[Moreauville, Louisiana|Moreauville]]
* [[Plaucheville, Louisiana|Plaucheville]]

=== DMA ===
* Alexandria LA DMA

=== Unincorporated areas ===

==== Census-designated places ====
* [[Bordelonville, Louisiana|Bordelonville]]
* [[Center Point, Louisiana|Center Point]]
* [[Fifth Ward, Louisiana|Fifth Ward]]

==== Other communities ====

{{div col}}
* [[Belle d'Eau, Louisiana|Belle d'Eau]]
* [[Belleville, Louisiana|Belleville]]
* [[Big Bend, Louisiana|Big Bend]]
* [[Bodoc, Louisiana|Bodoc]]
* [[Brouillette, Louisiana|Brouillette]]
* [[Cassandra, Louisiana|Cassandra]]
* [[Effie, Louisiana|Effie]]
* [[Hamburg, Louisiana|Hamburg]]
* [[Moncla, Louisiana|Moncla]]
* [[Vick, Louisiana|Vick]]
* [[Yellow Bayou, Louisiana|Yellow Bayou]]
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==

'''Artists, authors and entertainers:'''
* [[Sue Eakin]], historian, author of ''Avoyelles Parish: Crossroads of Louisiana''<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=sue-lyles-eakins&pid=133129023|title=Obituary of Sue Lyles Eakin|publisher=[[The Advocate (Baton Rouge)|Baton Rouge Morning Advocate]], September 19, 2009|access-date=September 21, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Blind Uncle Gaspard|Alcide "Blind Uncle" Gaspard]], early recording artist of traditional [[Cajun music]].
* [[Little Walter]], Marion Walter Jacobs. musician and harmonica player, elected to the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].
* [[Ruth McEnery Stuart]], Marksville
* [[Solomon Northup]], a free man from [[Saratoga Springs, New York]], was held for nearly 12 years as a [[slave]] in Avoyelles Parish after being kidnapped and sold before the American Civil War; he was freed in 1853 by New York and Marksville officials after being traced here. Published his memoir, ''[[Twelve Years a Slave]]'' (1854), which became a best-selling book. It was adapted as a [[Twelve Years a Slave (film)|2013 film]] of the same name, which won Academy Awards.

'''Athletes:'''
* [[Mark Duper]], Moreauville [[Miami Dolphins]] [[wide receiver]]
* [[Allen Barbre]], an [[American football]] [[offensive tackle]] who plays for the [[Denver Broncos]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://64.38.12.138/News/2009/015928.asp|title=Indianz.com-News-Tunica Biloxi man on Green Bay Packers|accessdate=February 13, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705193615/http://64.38.12.138/News/2009/015928.asp|archive-date=July 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2016/10/eagles_native_american_guard_allen_barbre_wont_use.html|title=Eagles' Native American guard Allen Barbre won't use the R-word|last=Eckel|first=Mark|date=October 13, 2016|work=NJ.com|access-date=December 27, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BarbAl20.htm|title=Allen Barbre Stats|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref>

'''Other:'''
* [[John Baptist Lafargue]] (1864–?), American educator, newspaper publisher, editor
* [[Norma McCorvey]], "Jane Roe" in the landmark ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' (1972) decision, in which the US Supreme Court ruled that women had a right to determine whether they would have an abortion.
* [[Felix Moncla|Felix Eugene Moncla Jr.]], [[United States Air Force]] pilot who disappeared over [[Lake Superior]] in 1953.

'''Political leaders:'''
* [[Bill Callegari]], [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] former member of the [[Texas House of Representatives]] from [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]]; engineer and businessman in [[Katy, Texas|Katy]], [[Texas]], born in Cottonport in 1941
* [[Edwin Edwards|Edwin Washington Edwards]], four-term governor of Louisiana.
* [[Elaine S. Edwards|Elaine Schwartzenburg Edwards]], first wife of [[Edwin Edwards]] and appointed as U.S. Senator, serving August–November 1972
* [[Harvey Fields (politician)|Harvey Fields]], born in Avoyelles Parish, state senator for Union and Morehouse parishes from 1916 to 1920; member of the [[Louisiana Public Service Commission]] from 1927 to 1936; former law partner and political ally of [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long Jr.]]
* [[Donald E. Hines]], physician in Bunkie, politician and president of the [[Louisiana State Senate]] from 2004 to 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/Documents/SenateMembership1880ForwardRevisedMar2011.pdf|title=Membership in the Louisiana Senate, 1880–present|publisher=senate.la.gov|access-date=October 16, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Jeannette Knoll|Jeannette Theriot Knoll]], associate justice of the [[Louisiana Supreme Court]], retired 2016, a resident of Marksville
* [[Tucker L. Melancon]], Bunkie, Senior United States District Judge.
* [[Charles Addison Riddle III]], District Attorney, 2003–current,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avoyellesda.org/|title=12th Judicial District - Charles A. Riddle, III - District Attorney|website=www.avoyellesda.org}}</ref> former state representative, 1992–2003.
* [[Earl Barbry]], chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe.
* [[Horace Pierite Sr.]], chief of the Tunica-Biloxi tribe
* [[Sesostrie Youchigant]], chief of the Tunica-Biloxi tribe and last fluent Tunic language speaker

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|11,379|4,460|198|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|12,028|4,979|285|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|11,165|5,035|386|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|10,670|6,077|285|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|10,236|6,327|375|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|8,302|6,976|247|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|7,329|6,701|623|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|4,433|9,689|2,288|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|4,851|8,696|3,002|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|7,659|7,353|588|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|9,402|6,808|463|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|8,216|7,174|681|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,574|8,104|637|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|6,225|3,395|1,158|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|2,459|2,973|6,760|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|4,874|5,102|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|1,270|7,625|1,140|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|3,255|3,628|436|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|2,479|4,405|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|285|1,356|5,464|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|306|3,789|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|183|4,883|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|452|4,408|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|130|3,148|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|419|2,896|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|314|1,010|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|724|1,422|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|44|1,253|12|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|38|949|152|Louisiana}}

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana]]
{{Portal|United States}}
* [[Ray's Ferry]]
* [[Tunica-Biloxi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Heinrich, P. V., 2008, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100628132853/http://www.lgs.lsu.edu/deploy/uploads/Woodville%20100K.pdf ''Woodville 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''] Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
* Snead, J., P. V. Heinrich, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100628125214/http://www.lgs.lsu.edu/deploy/uploads/Ville%20Platte%20100K.pdf ''Ville Platte 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''] Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
* [http://www.avoyellesso.org/ Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
|North     = [[La Salle Parish, Louisiana|La Salle Parish]] and [[Catahoula Parish, Louisiana|Catahoula Parish]]
|Northeast = [[Concordia Parish, Louisiana|Concordia Parish]]
|East      = [[West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana|West Feliciana Parish]]
|Southeast = [[Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana|Pointe Coupee Parish]]
|South     = [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry Parish]]
|Southwest = [[Evangeline Parish, Louisiana|Evangeline Parish]]
|West      = [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides Parish]]
|Northwest =
}}

{{Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana}}
{{Louisiana parishes}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|31.00|-92.00|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana| ]]
[[Category:Louisiana parishes]]
[[Category:Parishes in Acadiana]]
[[Category:Acadiana]]
[[Category:Louisiana placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:1807 establishments in the Territory of Orleans]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1807]]
[[Category:Tunica-Biloxi]]