Tensas Parish, Administrative division in northeastern Louisiana, United States
Tensas Parish is an administrative division in northeastern Louisiana extending along the Mississippi River. The area comprises agricultural lands with cotton fields and includes Saint Joseph as its county seat.
The parish was established in 1843 and became a center for cotton agriculture. In the decades before the Civil War, most of the population was enslaved.
The name comes from the Taensa people who lived here before Europeans arrived in the region. Local traditions and place names throughout the area reflect this indigenous heritage.
The area is rural and requires a car for getting around, as distances between towns are considerable. Planning ahead is important since services and facilities are spread out.
The area contains Flowery Mound, an archaeological site from the Coles Creek period. This earthwork shows evidence of early settlement patterns along the Mississippi.
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