Minden, Louisiana

Form Wikipedia.org

Minden was established in 1836 by Charles Veeder. Native sons include Gene Austin and Sweet Lou Dunbar.

During the Civil War, a large Confederate encampment was located just east of Minden. It housed about 15,000 Confederate soldiers. The town served as a supply depot for the Confederate Army. Close to thirty Confederate soldiers who died in the Battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill are buried in the Old Minden Cemetery.

During the Great Depression, one of the two Minden banks failed and a fire destroyed a major section of the downtown area (1931).

On May 1, 1933, a tornado occurred in the town, destroying 20% of the homes.