200 Years of Statehood

This series was produced on the occasion of the Anniversary of Louisiana Being admitted to the Union of states in 1812. These images relate to events over the course of these 200 years.

Not long ago I met a man who told me he was from “North Louisiana”. Immediately, I assumed Shreveport, Monroe, or Alexandria. After a dramatic pause he said “Minnesota”. He was of course referring to the western lands drained by the Mississippi river in  the original Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In that regard anybody from  Arkansas, Oklahoma,Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and portions of Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Canada can claim “north” Louisiana as their home. That’s about a quarter of the land mass of the current  U.S., so the story of Louisiana is a major part of the story of  America. The acquisition of the Louisiana territory prepared the way for further westward expansion.  —FXP


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