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Zwolle, Louisiana
Town of Zwolle
Old Zwolle Train Station on Main Street
Old Zwolle Train Station on Main Street
Location of Zwolle in Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Zwolle in Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
Zwolle, Louisiana is located in Louisiana
Zwolle, Louisiana
Zwolle, Louisiana
Location in Louisiana
Zwolle, Louisiana is located in the United States
Zwolle, Louisiana
Zwolle, Louisiana
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Louisiana
Parish Sabine
Area
 • Total 4.98 sq mi (12.90 km2)
 • Land 4.56 sq mi (11.82 km2)
 • Water 0.42 sq mi (1.09 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,638
 • Density 359.05/sq mi (138.63/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Zip Code
71486
Area Code 318
FIPS code 22-83685

Zwolle (Za-wall-ee) is a small town in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,759 at the 2010 census, down from 1,783 in 2000. It was named after Zwolle, a Dutch city in Overijssel.

History

The first inhabitants of the bowl-shaped area of land upon which the town of Zwolle is situated were the Mound Builders. Lured here for protection from storms, the "bowl" offered them protection. Prehistoric people built the dome-shaped mounds that line the banks of Bayou Scie and Bayou San Miguel, which form a hollow circle around the townsite. As Mound Builders, they were ancestors of North American Indians who owned and inhabited the territory when the Europeans arrived.

Later, the area was colonized by Spain, which sent the earliest non-Indians to the territory. A Spanish mission church was built at Bayou Scie. Spanish soldiers and Native people intermarried over many generations, and colonial Spanish (not Mexican Spanish) was still spoken in the area until the 1970s.

The first English-speaking settlers arrived in Sabine Parish in 1824, via Natchitoches. These pioneers came chiefly from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In 1871, many more of these settlers moved in and acquired land under the homestead act.

Arthur Stilwell built the Kansas City Southern Railroad from Kansas City to Port Arthur, Texas. He had reached Van Buren, Arkansas in 1893 when he ran out of funds. Stilwell went to Zwolle, the Netherlands and met with a rich coffee merchant Jan De Goeijen. De Goeijen was impressed with St. Joseph Catholic Church, a product of the early Spanish missionaries which stood overlooking the town. De Goeijen sold a $3,000,000 stock issue for Stilwell's railroad and he was permitted to name the place after his hometown and birthplace of Zwolle, a riverside city of currently over 120,000 population in the Netherlands. The charter for the town of Zwolle was granted June 12, 1898.

Geography

Zwolle is located at 31°38′6″N 93°38′33″W / 31.63500°N 93.64250°W / 31.63500; -93.64250 (31.635134, -93.642560). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (11.99%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 276
1910 973 252.5%
1920 909 −6.6%
1930 1,264 39.1%
1940 1,500 18.7%
1950 1,555 3.7%
1960 1,326 −14.7%
1970 2,169 63.6%
1980 2,602 20.0%
1990 1,779 −31.6%
2000 1,783 0.2%
2010 1,759 −1.3%
2020 1,638 −6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Zwolle racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 494 30.16%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 721 44.02%
Native American 215 13.13%
Asian 5 0.31%
Pacific Islander 2 0.12%
Other/Mixed 111 6.78%
Hispanic or Latino 90 5.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,638 people, 696 households, and 415 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,759 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 48.7% Black, 28.1% White, 14.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian and 3.5% from two or more races. 5.5% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Culture

Zwolle Tamale Fiesta

The Zwolle Tamale Fiesta is the town's signature festival. Originating in the late 1970s, the fiesta celebrates the Hispanic heritage rooted in the town's origins. The fiesta takes its name from the tamale and alludes to the town's local notoriety for what is arguably a spicier version of the Mississippi Delta-style boiled tamale, which is believed to have been made in the area since the early 1700s.

The festival was traditionally held on the campus of Zwolle High School on the 2nd weekend of October, kicking off on Thursday night and concluding on Sunday. The practice continued until the early 2000s when the town completed a festival grounds area. The Fiesta relocated to the grounds and scaled back to conclude on Saturday night. Attractions include cultural exhibitions, a parade, a ball, a small-scale carnival and most recently, a mud bog competition.

Loggers and Forestry Festival

Founded in 1995, The Loggers and Forestry festival pays tribute to workers in the community's horticulture industry - the cornerstone of the local economy. Each year, while a queen is decided via a pageant, the oldest-living logger residing in the town is named king.

The Loggers and Forestry festival is held on the town's festival grounds and bears many similarities to the Tamale Fiesta, to include several of its signature events. The festival is typically held in early May. It is the town's second largest local event.

Education

Zwolle High School, Intermediate, and Zwolle Elementary School are combined into one building. The school has 1,500 students.

Notable people

  • Former Lieutenant Governor William J. "Bill" Dodd (1909-1991) graduated from Zwolle High School.
  • D. L. Dykes, Jr., pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, began his ministerial career at the denominational church in Zwolle.
  • Michael Cutright of the 1989 Denver Nuggets, played basketball at Zwolle High School and still resides in the area.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Zwolle (Luisiana) para niños

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