For 15 years between 1806 to 1821, a large portion of Western Louisiana wasn’t under
the jurisdiction of any government.
This area of land, referred to today as Louisiana’s Neutral Strip or No Man’s Land, was a result
of American and Spanish claims in North America, dating back early disputes between the French
and Spanish in the Louisiana Territory.
Both of these empires had established themselves in North America throughout the 1700’s,
competing for land throughout the Western half of North America.
These competing powers would naturally come to disagree on where their empire’s boundaries
end and where the other’s begin, with the Spanish coming to believe the French were
encroaching on their territory in Texas by the mid-century.
Individual Spanish and French military commanders would form an unofficial pact with one another
to avoid escalating tensions during this time, but no official resolution would ever be drafted.
This issue would seemingly resolve itself when the French Louisiana Territory was ceded
to the Spanish in 1764—making the Spanish and British the two sole superpowers of North
America.
Once the French were out of the picture, the border disputes seemed unimportant to the
British and Spanish, so both powers would simply ignore the issue and allow tensions
to settle.
It was not until the 3rd Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed October 1st, 1800, that the disputed
borders would once again become an issue.
The treaty transferred the Louisiana Territory back to the French, meaning the Spanish and
French claims returned to their pre-1764 state—allowing the same disputes to once again become an
issue.
Jefferson, hoping to gain control of the Mississippi for the U.S., would purchase the Louisiana
Territory in its entirety from France in 1803 for $15 million.
Despite the purchase, the borders of the Louisiana Territory were not definite.
Since Jefferson had made a deal with Napoleon, he claimed the same borders the French had
previously claimed, in spite of any disagreements from the Spanish.
The Americans would claim as far West as the Rio Grande for the border of its new territory,
pointing to a former French settlement for legitimacy, however, the more widely recognized
claim would end with the Sabine River—the river that forms the modern border between
Texas and Louisiana.
Throughout 1805 and 1806, there would be several small-scale military skirmishes between the
Spanish and United States.
Neither side, however, was willing to escalate the skirmishes to full-on war.
The American and Spanish military leaders in the region, on November 5th, 1806, would
bring any military conflict in the region to an end when they agreed to create a ‘neutral
ground’ in the Western portion of Louisiana for the time being.
While not officially recognized by either government, the agreement would largely be
respected.
This meant neither power would have any governmental jurisdiction of the area nor would either
occupy it militarily—making it a lawless territory.
The Neutral Strip wouldn’t have any clearly defined borders, but the region is generally
assumed to be defined by the 32nd parallel to the North, the Calcasieu River to the East,
the Gulf of Mexico to the South, and the Sabine River to the West.
Homesteaders would settle the neutral strip just as any other newly acquired territory,
despite the agreement between the Spanish and U.S. prohibiting this.
Naturally, the region would also attract exiles, outlaws, and criminals.
First in 1810 and again in 1812 the Spanish and American militaries would send joint-expeditions
into the area to expel these criminals, until the future of the region would finally be
determined some 15 years after the neutral zone’s creation.
The neutral zone would finally cease to exist in 1821 with the ratification of the Adams-Onis
Treaty, the treaty between the U.S. and Spain that formalized their borders—including
the cession of Florida to the Americans and defining the U.S.-New Spain border to the
West.
The Neutral Strip was now without a doubt American, becoming a part of the state of
Louisiana, along with a part of West Florida—giving Louisiana the borders we see today.
This is 435American.
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