West Monroe’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of West Monroe. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Originally laid out in 1837 as Byron by John Campbell at the foot of the ferry landing to Monroe, the town floundered and Campbell went bankrupt. The area was bought by Christopher Dabbs, a doctor from Virginia who submitted the plans for Cotton Port in 1854; it officially was recognized in 1859.
It too languished until the arrival of the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway and the construction of the bridge over the Ouachita River. Cotton Port boomed as a river port and rail depot.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart West Monroe’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Monroe’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from West Monroe
See all 34 →
West Monroe, decade by decade
1970s
1990s
CommonsVillage of Exercise Village2014
CommonsWest Monroe Mardi Gras MYB 0302011
CommonsWest Monroe Mardi Gras MYB 0192011
CommonsMYB 0372011
CommonsWest Monroe, Louisiana2010
CommonsHistoric district, West Monroe, LA IMG 01142010
CommonsCottonport Historical District, downtown West Monroe, LA IM…2010
CommonsPine street2009
CommonsLAMap-doton-West Monroe2004Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Ouachita Parish - West Monroe - ED 37-30, ED 37-31, ED 37-32, … (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.