Projects by Darryl Pleasant
During my personal research into the land claims of western Louisiana I found it necessary to cre... more During my personal research into the land claims of western Louisiana I found it necessary to create a GIS project detailing the location and information associated with each available claim. This GIS project provided important information and allowed for more detailed geographic investigations compared to using simple topographic maps. This GIS project has been invaluable to my personal research over the years and I feel it can be of great value to other researchers in Louisiana.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the United States acquired many territori... more During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the United States acquired many territories from foreign governments. Title to all private land within those territories had to be confirmed. In order to accomplish this task Congress passed numerous acts that dealt with land title from these foreign governments. As a result of these Acts of Congress many reports were issued detailing the claims and claimants in the various regions of the United States. These reports and associates surveys are often quite confusing unless there is some semblance of understanding which acts of congress are responsible for which reports and how the claims appear on plat maps. It is very crucial that terminology on plat maps and within their Tables of Content is known which can be matched to particular reports and claims. It is hoped that the following paper will help with this particular issue in western Louisiana and hopefully the eastern region of the state.
Rough Drafts by Darryl Pleasant
A few years ago the Juan Cortez archaeological site 16NA758 was recorded by the regional archaeol... more A few years ago the Juan Cortez archaeological site 16NA758 was recorded by the regional archaeology program of Louisiana. This historic site was attributed to Juan Cortez (often noted as John Cortes) who was listed on plat maps as the owner of the land claim in this section. It was stated to perhaps be one of his ranches or vacherie and that he was probably not a resident of the claim. In fact this land claim has a much more important history than a simple vacherie as this was possibly the home of former San Antonio resident Vicente Tarin while living in exile following the Battle of Medina in 1813.
It seems almost too distant for events in central Mexico to have lasting effects on western Louis... more It seems almost too distant for events in central Mexico to have lasting effects on western Louisiana. However revolutionary events that began in Mexico in 1810 would have long lasting effects on western Louisiana. The resulting conflicts throughout New Spain and Texas would ultimately lead to settlement by refugees in Louisiana during the first few decades of the nineteenth century. The settlement commenced in 1813 when a large refugee population from Texas settled in western Louisiana. These people were escaping the carnage that ensued in the aftermath of the collapse of the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition. Although these refugees would settle throughout the Neutral Ground one particular group of Spanish refugees would found the Village of Adaes in northwestern Natchitoches Parish Louisiana. This village would be located two miles west of the old eighteenth century presidio and mission of Los Adaes.
In 1988 a nineteenth century Spanish settlement was discovered in western Natchitoches Parish. Th... more In 1988 a nineteenth century Spanish settlement was discovered in western Natchitoches Parish. The geographical location of the village was initially determined in 1988 by the discovery of an 1836 plat map showing the location of the Village of Adois. This village is located about two miles southwest of the site of the Los Adaes presidio and slightly to the north of Robeline, Louisiana. Only limited archaeological investigations were conducted due to access restrictions. A brief review of the recovered cultural material is presented. Based on the location and the artifacts recovered it was postulated that this site represents the remains of the Village of Adaes. This was later confirmed by historical documentation.
In the early nineteenth century there was a reemergence of intense Spanish settlement throughout ... more In the early nineteenth century there was a reemergence of intense Spanish settlement throughout western Louisiana. After the Presidio Los Adaes was closed in 1773 there began a forty year absence of significant Spanish settlement in what is today western Louisiana. The Spanish reemergence began in the Neutral Ground in 1813 when the Village of Adaes and the Bayou Scie settlements were settled by refugees from Texas. Around this same time the Bayou Pierre settlement also saw an influx of Spanish refugees. The Village of Adaes would be inhabited for several decades until the mid-nineteenth century when there was a steady population decline. It appears that around the 1850s the Spanish population began moving northward to found another settlement named New Spanish Town. This village would be in existence for several decades disappearing sometime before the turn of the twentieth century. Afterwards nearly all Spanish settlement in western Natchitoches Parish would be centered to the north in and around the Spanish Lake community.
There are several historic archaeological sites in the Bayou Pierre settlement that have warrante... more There are several historic archaeological sites in the Bayou Pierre settlement that have warranted additional attention for many decades. Research into nineteenth century land claims has revealed some interesting discrepancies relating to these prominent archaeological sites in western Louisiana. Two archaeological sites in particular Rocks Bayou 16NA1 and Allen Plantation 16NA4 have a much more varied historic settlement history than previously realized. Results of the analysis reveal that the cultural affiliation of Rocks Bayou is potentially incorrect and Allen Plantation settlement temporal parameters need to be adjusted.
Published Papers by Darryl Pleasant
Caddo Archeology Journal, Apr 27, 2024
The Natchitoches Indians were first encountered by the French in 1690. At the time, they were liv... more The Natchitoches Indians were first encountered by the French in 1690. At the time, they were living along Cane River, which was then the main channel of the Red River. After they returned from a brief stay in South Louisiana in 1712, they seemed to have been stable in their settlement range along the river. Sometime in the middle eighteenth century this changed. A slow migration northward along the Red River began that lasted into the first quarter of the nineteenth century. After the Caddo Treaty of 1835 the Natchitoches Indians eventually moved to Texas, and in 1859, they were among the consolidated Caddo bands that permanently settled in Oklahoma.
Caddo Archaeology Journal, 2014
Louisiana never revealed documentary evidence suggesting possible locations for the ranchos.
Caddo Archaeology Journal, 2013
We camped on the high ground, which is on the left going up, which is the country of the Adayes… ... more We camped on the high ground, which is on the left going up, which is the country of the Adayes… At three o'clock we entered the big river [Bayou Pierre] upon which we made a league to the north-northwest; we camped then near an Adaye establishment. At the right there were two or three wretched huts scattered about [Smith, 1958:247] They embarked me in a pirogue a little larger than the preceding one. We crossed several lakes, and after having made ten leagues, we arrived at the portage of Natchitoches, two leagues from this post [Smith 1958:539]
Drafts by Darryl Pleasant
Clarence Webb defined the Natchitoches Engraved type nearly eight decades
ago. Since then, there... more Clarence Webb defined the Natchitoches Engraved type nearly eight decades
ago. Since then, there has been little additional research on the type itself. No in-depth
studies have been undertaken on one of the most recognizable and important ceramic
types of the historic period. Only Schambach and Miller’s (1984) analysis of the ceramics
from the Cedar Grove site has provided any new information on the type. As a result of
their analysis, the type was divided into two varieties: variety Lester Bend and variety
Natchitoches. From its initial inception, var. Natchitoches has served as more of a
catchall rather than a distinct variety. It has become clear that the Natchitoches Engraved
classification needs to be reconsidered. Many diagnostic traits can be employed to
separate it into meaningful varieties. These varieties reveal that the type is not exclusively
shell-tempered and there is significant time depth to Natchitoches Engraved, disputing
the common belief that it only occurred in the historic period.
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Projects by Darryl Pleasant
Rough Drafts by Darryl Pleasant
Published Papers by Darryl Pleasant
Drafts by Darryl Pleasant
ago. Since then, there has been little additional research on the type itself. No in-depth
studies have been undertaken on one of the most recognizable and important ceramic
types of the historic period. Only Schambach and Miller’s (1984) analysis of the ceramics
from the Cedar Grove site has provided any new information on the type. As a result of
their analysis, the type was divided into two varieties: variety Lester Bend and variety
Natchitoches. From its initial inception, var. Natchitoches has served as more of a
catchall rather than a distinct variety. It has become clear that the Natchitoches Engraved
classification needs to be reconsidered. Many diagnostic traits can be employed to
separate it into meaningful varieties. These varieties reveal that the type is not exclusively
shell-tempered and there is significant time depth to Natchitoches Engraved, disputing
the common belief that it only occurred in the historic period.
ago. Since then, there has been little additional research on the type itself. No in-depth
studies have been undertaken on one of the most recognizable and important ceramic
types of the historic period. Only Schambach and Miller’s (1984) analysis of the ceramics
from the Cedar Grove site has provided any new information on the type. As a result of
their analysis, the type was divided into two varieties: variety Lester Bend and variety
Natchitoches. From its initial inception, var. Natchitoches has served as more of a
catchall rather than a distinct variety. It has become clear that the Natchitoches Engraved
classification needs to be reconsidered. Many diagnostic traits can be employed to
separate it into meaningful varieties. These varieties reveal that the type is not exclusively
shell-tempered and there is significant time depth to Natchitoches Engraved, disputing
the common belief that it only occurred in the historic period.