Caldwell Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,132, making it the fifth-least populous parish in Louisiana. The parish seat is Columbia. Most residents live in the country even beyond the three rural communities in the parish.HistoryOriginally a part of Catahoula and Ouachita parishes, Caldwell Parish was established within its present boundaries on March 6, 1838, with earlier settlements recorded to have been made soon after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Columbia, the parish seat, was founded in 1827, at a natural crossing on the Ouachita River—a river with a national reputation for its natural beauty. The Ouachita divides the parish into delta farmland and wetlands on the east, and piney woods hill country on the west. In the 1800s, Columbia became a steamboat town for the transport of timber staves and cotton. Forestry and agriculture are still the prominent industries in the parish.GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and (2.1%) is water.Major highways25px U.S. Highway 16520px Louisiana Highway 4Adjacent parishesOuachita Parish (north)Richland Parish (northeast)Franklin Parish (east)Catahoula Parish (southeast)La Salle Parish (south)Winn Parish (southwest)Jackson Parish (northwest)
