Alexandria

On the banks of the Red River, in the heart of Louisiana, is the city of Alexandria. First settled by the French in the mid-1700s, the little Post de Rapides grew to be a thriving trading center. Established in 1805 by Alexander Fulton, a Pennsylvania merchant fleeing from justice after the Whiskey Rebellion, the town of Alexandria flourished when steamboats lined its wharves and cotton was king. Reduced to ashes by Union troops during the Civil War, the town slowly rebuilt itself and, with...