Ironically, the installation of the railroad service initiated the demise of two regional institutions, the town of Trenton on the west side of the river and the steamboat industry. Trenton, which had been platted into town lots in 1851, declined with the location of the railroad two miles south. Cottonport, a tiny community at the bridgehead on the west side of the Ouachita, changed its name to West Monroe and eventually developed into an important business and industrial community. Steamboat traffic on the Ouachita, which had begun in 1819, yielded to the speed and flexibility of railroad service. The glamorous steamboating era of nearly a century of luxurious but sometimes tragic travel came to an end in the 1910’s. 20TH CENTURY DEVELOPMENT Thus, the parish of Ouachita, which had been created in 1807 and which was subsequently divided into nine parishes, entered the 20th century as a rural agricultural region containing small urban entities. Surrounding Monroe were large plantations with cotton production as the major source of wealth. But with the discovery of gas by Louis Locke in 1916 in Morehouse Parish, the area became known as the Monroe Gas Field, one of the largest gas fields in the world at the time. With this wealth came progress—paved streets, “skyscrapers” and a salt water natatorium in the city of Monroe. And the parish prospered as well. Industries using available natural gas and paper mills using yellow pine from the nearby hilly region located in the area. Transportation routes have continued to unite the parish to the region and to the world. U.S. Highway 80 was constructed in the 1930’s as a major east-west artery. Delta Air Lines began in Monroe as a small cotton dusting operation. And Interstate 20, completed in the 1960’s, now serves as an important coast-to-coast transportation route. Ouachita Parish has been called the “mother parish” of northeast Louisiana. It has contributed much to the welfare of the region, and it continues to offer the leadership of a pacemaker parish as the twenty-first century approaches. [Illustration: _Map of Ouachita Parish, 1980’s_.] WEST OF THE OUACHITA.... [Illustration: Map] CONTRASTS ACROSS THE RIVER The rolling piney hill landscape of Ouachita Parish west of the river contrasts with the delta overflow land east of the river. This contrast was reflected in settlement patterns with different land allocations and building techniques. The delta lands had been acquired by pioneers in the late 18th century and a plantation economy evolved. The less productive western hilly area was settled in the 19th century as small farm holdings. The eastern lands were subject to river overflows; houses were elevated and were generally of wood frame construction. Pioneer houses west of the river were often constructed of logs on wood or stone piers in close proximity to the ground.