DeRidder, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids DeRidder, Louisiana
City
City of DeRidder
Beauregard Parish Courthouse
Motto(s):  "We dwell in possibilities"
Location of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parishes	Beauregard, Vernon
Incorporated	1903
Area
• Total	9.38 sq mi (24.29 km2)
• Land	9.29 sq mi (24.06 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,852
• Density	1,060.50/sq mi (409.44/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	70634
Area code(s)	337
FIPS code	22-20610

DeRidder is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Vernon Parish. As of the 2010 census DeRidder had a population of 10,578. It is the smaller principal city of the Fort Polk South-DeRidder CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fort Polk South (Vernon Parish) and DeRidder (Beauregard Parish) micropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 87,988 at the 2010 census.

History

DeRidder was named for Ella de Ridder, the sister-in-law of a Dutch railroad financier, Jan de Goeijen. Her family originally came from the small town of Geldermalsen in the Netherlands, where she was one of 13 children. She ran away from home at an early age and was presumed dead by her family, who only later discovered that she had traveled to the United States. The town was named for her by her brother-in-law, who brought the first railroad to that area of Louisiana. Prior to that, the little town was known as Schovall. The first train line to serve DeRidder came in 1902. It was the Pittsburgh & Gulf Railroad, later called the Kansas City Southern.

The July 26, 1924, the DeRidder Enterprise stated: "The first house in DeRidder was made of logs and covered with board shingles, split by hand from the logs of the forest. It was constructed in 1893 and was the old homestead house of Calvin Shirley, who was the original owner of the land upon which the first business house and residence of DeRidder were built. Mr. Shirley homesteaded the 160 acres (0.65 km²) which was later platted and became the original townsite of DeRidder."

According to Eva Stewart Frazar, whose family came to DeRidder near the turn of the century, "The largest pine in the world grew where DeRidder now stands - or so it is claimed by timber men who knew."

About the origin of the town, she says, "the Kansas City railroad was built from Kansas City to Port Arthur - and came right through here about 1896. By 1898 the trains were running. The post-office was named Miersburg for the postmaster whose name was Miers. The railroad workers had used this spot for a camping place for the workmen - and people wanted to get near the railroad - so 160 acres (0.65 km²) of land was bought for the town site.

"Immediately following the purchase of the town site, a ramble of rough houses were hurriedly built out of rough lumber... By 1898 the town consisted of nearly 300 people and a number of shack homes and a sawmill. C. Landry and Mr. George Heard had a hotel. There were about 5 small stores, besides. West Brothers had a Rous Racket store on the east side of the track."

By this time DeRidder had a sawmill, and timber was the prime industry of the area. The longleaf pine was the primary tree used in the industry. In 1903, DeRidder was finally incorporated as a town.

In April 1904, a large portion of the business section of DeRidder was destroyed by fire. The cause was apparently arson. A grand jury collected enough evidence for this to indict George Smith, a gambler, with setting the fire. The man reportedly left town.

DeRidder's first bank opened in 1906. On October 15, 1912, DeRidder was voted the parish seat of Beauregard Parish. The Beauregard Parish Court House and the Beauregard Parish Jail (see below) were built in 1914.

Geography

DeRidder is located in northern Beauregard Parish at 30°51′5″N 93°17′25″W / 30.85139°N 93.29028°W / 30.85139; -93.29028 (30.851419, -93.290230) and has an elevation of 203 feet (61.9 m). U.S. Route 171 leads south 48 miles (77 km) to Lake Charles and north 15 miles (24 km) to the entrance to Fort Polk and 21 miles (34 km) to Leesville. U.S. Route 190 leads south and east 49 miles (79 km) to Kinder and west 52 miles (84 km) to Jasper, Texas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, DeRidder has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.9 km²), of which 9.2 square miles (23.7 km²) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km²), or 0.96%, is water.

Transportation

• Beauregard Regional Airport

Culture

The former Beauregard Parish Jail

The building known as the "Old Beauregard Parish Jail" is a structure that is considered one of the most distinctive of its type in the US. The structure has the characteristics of the collegiate Gothic architectural style, with shallow arches, dormer windows, and a central tower. This style was popular with colleges, universities and churches. The iron bars in most of the windows give the structure an eerie appearance. Inside, there is a spiral staircase that leads up to three floors of jail cells. Another history-making fact is that each cell had a toilet, shower, lavatory and window. When the jail was in use, prisoners could often be seen waving from the barred windows.

It was built to house 50 or so prisoners, but held 13 in comfort. The walls are 13 to 21 in (0.33 to 0.53 m) thick, made of reinforced concrete with a blasted finish. The first floor has quarters for the jailer and his family. In the jail's basement, a long corridor leads to the courthouse next door.

The jail was used until 1982, when a court action forced it to close. On October 4, 1981, it was put on the National Register of Historic Places, along with several other buildings in DeRidder.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,852 people, 3,838 households, and 2,510 families residing in the city.

Education

Beauregard Parish School Board operates local public schools.

For the city of DeRidder these schools are:

• Grades 9–12 DeRidder High School [1] (DeRidder)
• Grades 6–8 DeRidder Junior High School (DeRidder)
• Grades 4 & 5 Pine Wood Elementary School (DeRidder)
• Grades 2 & 3 G. W. Carver Elementary School (DeRidder)
• PreK - 1st Grade K. R. Hanchey Elementary School (DeRidder)

Notable people

• Bert A. Adams, state representative from Vernon Parish from 1956 to 1968; born in DeRidder in 1916
• Joe W. Aguillard, president of Louisiana College in Pineville 2005 - 2014; Beauregard Parish school superintendent, 1999-2000
• Allen Bradley, state representative from 1984 to 1992; lawyer and businessman and former DeRidder City Council member
• Mel Branch, college/professional football player – LSU/Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs/Miami Dolphins
• Chris Cagle, collegiate and professional football player in College Football Hall of Fame
• Chris Cagle, country music singer
• Jerry DeWitt, former Pentecostal minister and current author, public speaker and leader of the American atheism movement
• Gilbert Franklin Hennigan, former Louisiana state senator
• Johnny Jones, college basketball head coach at University of North Texas and LSU
• Michael Mayes, former NFL player
• Michael Sanders, college/NBA basketball player – UCLA/Kansas City Kings/Cleveland Cavaliers
• Charles Emery Tooke, Jr., state senator for DeSoto and Caddo parishes, 1948 to 1956; Shreveport lawyer, born in DeRidder in 1912
• Jennifer Weiner, author
• Deshazor Everett, college/professional football player – Texas A&M/Washington Redskins

Images for kids

• 

  DeRidder Historic District and buildings

See also

In Spanish: DeRidder para niños