Discover Your Roots

In 1519, Spanish Conquistador Alonso Álvarez de Pineda was the first European to see the Louisiana coast. Within a decade, Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first European to set foot in the state. The conquistador was a slave of the Native Americans.

Louisiana has been a colony of three different European powers. It has been its own country, the largest land deal in history, and rebelled against the U.S. During the Civil War, the first black regiment and the first black military officers in America served for the Confederacy (not the Union) in the Louisiana Native Guard.

The state is home to the tallest state capitol, the longest bridge, the widest main street, and the first opera in the nation. Internationally, the state boasts several titles including the largest heliport, artificial reef, cypress forest, and prison farm in the world. Louisiana also has the longest bridge over water, first oil well over water, and the first self-made female millionaire who was also the first black female millionaire.

Welcome to history, Louisiana-style!