Gibsland, Louisiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Gibsland, Louisiana
Town
Downtown Gibsland
Location of Gibsland in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Bienville
Area
• Total	2.65 sq mi (6.87 km²)
• Land	2.63 sq mi (6.82 km²)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km²)
Elevation	272 ft (83 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	773
• Density	293.58/sq mi (113.36/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	318
FIPS code	22-28835

Gibsland is a small town in Bienville Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. In 2020, about 773 people lived there.

Gibsland is famous for a few things:

It has important railroad connections.
It was the home of Coleman College, an important school for Black students.
It's the place where the famous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were caught and killed by law enforcement on May 23, 1934.

A person from Gibsland named John McConathy was a champion basketball player at Northwestern State University. He later became a school superintendent and helped create Bossier Parish Community College.

History of Gibsland
Where is Gibsland?
People of Gibsland
Education in Gibsland
Fun Things to Do and See
Famous People from Gibsland
Images for kids
See also

History of Gibsland

Coleman College: A Special School

Coleman College (1915) in Gibsland, Louisiana

Coleman College, also called Coleman Academy, was a school for African American students. It was started in Gibsland in 1887 by O. L. Coleman. This was the first high school for Black students in northern Louisiana.

The school was connected to the Baptist Church. It helped train many teachers and ministers. Coleman College stayed in Gibsland until 1937, when it closed during the Great Depression. It later reopened in Shreveport in 1943 and stayed there until the 1950s.

Gibsland's Railroad Story

Gibsland became a town in 1889. The Louisiana & North West Railroad Company runs a special kind of train line, called a shortline, for 62 miles. This line connects Gibsland to McNeil, Arkansas.

This railroad connects with other big train lines. It meets the Union Pacific railroad in McNeil. It also connects with the Kansas City Southern in Gibsland.

For many years, train fans loved this railroad because it used unusual F7 "covered wagons" trains. These were special types of locomotives. Later, these were replaced by other types of trains called "Geeps." The main train repair shops for the LNW railroad are in Gibsland. They are very close to a busy spot where three different railroads used to meet. This busy train activity was even called the "Gibsland Shuffle" by railfans!

The End of Bonnie and Clyde

On May 23, 1934, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were famous bank robbers. They were stopped and killed by police officers. This happened near Gibsland, on Louisiana Highway 154, south of the town.

Where is Gibsland?

Gibsland is located in the northern part of Bienville Parish. You can find it at coordinates 32°32′34″N 93°3′13″W / 32.54278°N 93.05361°W / 32.54278; -93.05361.

The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 2.65 square miles (6.9 square kilometers). A very small part of this area, about 0.02 square miles (0.06 square kilometers), is water.

People of Gibsland

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	558	—
1910	1,065	90.9%
1920	798	−25.1%
1930	1,090	36.6%
1940	1,023	−6.1%
1950	1,085	6.1%
1960	1,150	6.0%
1970	1,380	20.0%
1980	1,354	−1.9%
1990	1,224	−9.6%
2000	1,119	−8.6%
2010	979	−12.5%
2020	773	−21.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Gibsland in 2020:

Gibsland racial composition as of 2020
Race	Number	Percentage
White (not Hispanic)	70	9.06%
Black or African American (not Hispanic)	660	85.38%
Native American	1	0.13%
Other/Mixed	25	3.23%
Hispanic or Latino	17	2.2%

In 2020, there were 773 people living in Gibsland. There were 261 households and 161 families.

Education in Gibsland

The Bienville Parish School Board manages the schools in Gibsland. Students from kindergarten to 12th grade attend Gibsland–Coleman High School.

Fun Things to Do and See

Festivals and Events

Gibsland has two main yearly festivals:

The Jonquil Jubilee and Historic and Garden Tour: This festival helps local gardeners with advice from botanists (plant experts).
The Bonnie and Clyde Festival: This festival celebrates the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

The Bonnie and Clyde Festival

The Bonnie and Clyde Festival happens in Gibsland in mid-May. A fun part of the festival is a play where actors pretend to rob a bank, just like Bonnie and Clyde. This festival has even been shown on the TV show Weird U.S. on the History Channel. Remember, Bonnie and Clyde were caught near Louisiana Highway 154, south of Gibsland.

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum

Gibsland is home to the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum. This museum is in the building that used to be Ma Canfield’s Café. This was the last place Bonnie and Clyde ate a meal before they were caught.

Perry Carver owns and runs the museum. Linton Jay "Boots" Hinton, whose father was part of the police group that caught Bonnie and Clyde, used to manage the museum. The museum also talks about the local police officers who helped, like Bienville Parish Sheriff Henderson Jordan and his chief deputy, Prentiss Oakley.

Gibsland-Coleman Alumni Association

The Gibsland-Coleman Alumni Association was started in 1981. This group is for former students of Coleman College and others who want to support the school. They mainly give college scholarships every year to students graduating from high school.

The association has groups in Houston, Los Angeles, and Gibsland. They hold a reunion in Gibsland every year during the first weekend of July.

Famous People from Gibsland

Charles M. Blow: A journalist and writer for The New York Times.
Jesse N. Stone: The first African American judge on the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Victor King: A Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball player who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bernard King: Victor King's son, a Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball player who played basketball professionally overseas.
Ralph Hamner: A professional baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs.
John McConathy: A Northwestern State Demons basketball player who was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals.
W. C. Robinson: The second president of Louisiana Tech University.
Sam Smith: The first African American to be a city councilman in Seattle.
Jimmy Wilson: A blues musician.
William E. King: A state lawmaker in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Images for kids

Gibsland welcoming sign: "The Jonquil Capital of Louisiana"
Gibsland Town Hall
Gibsland Bank and Trust Company also has a branch in nearby Minden.
First United Methodist Church in Gibsland
First Baptist Church of Gibsland
The Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum in Gibsland
Linton Jay "Boots" Hinton (born January 1, 1934) is the curator of the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum, which opened in Gibsland in 2004. He is the son of Ted Hinton, a deputy sheriff from Dallas, Texas, who was part of the posse that caught the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.