Minden has transformed quite a bit since Charles Vedeer founded it in 1835. The town has suffered damages of the Civil War and Reconstruction and between 1872 and 1933 the devastation of five fires and a killer tornado. Despite disaster, Minden continues to progress, but adaptation and rebuilding have caused many familiar landmarks to vanish from the local landscape. The 1902 fire led to the enactment of a city ordinance banning wooden structures downtown; as a result, many edifices were reconstructed. Today, not a single building in the business district predates the 1870s, and the roles of...

Founded in 1835, Minden, Louisiana, quickly developed a reputation as a pioneering force in education and culture in the formerly untamed frontier of Northwestern Louisiana. The early settlers of Minden and their contributions to the rich history of the community are the subject of this engaging pictorial retrospective.
Included in this volume are rarely seen images of leaders of the antebellum era, such as John and Christopher Chaffe, and prominent figures from the Reconstruction period, such as John Sidney Killen, the state representative from Minden when it became the seat of the...