[2][3] The city of Natchitoches, when founded, was located on the banks at the head of navigation of the Red River in northern Louisiana, roughly midway between Alexandria and Shreveport.

As such, it eventually developed into a significant trading center, with goods flowing among the French, Spanish, and area Native American tribes.

The city's oldest streets are laid out parallel to the river, and the long-distance road network was expanded after French Louisiana was ceded to Spain in 1763.

It has more than 200 historic structures, including a significant concentration of 18th and early 19th-century buildings built using the French colonial construction technique of bousillage.

[3] Instrumental in the establishment of the district was the historical preservationist Robert DeBlieux, who served as mayor of Natchitoches from 1976-1980.