Located in north-central Louisiana, Claiborne Parish was named for the first American governor, William C. C. Claiborne, and is one of the oldest parishes in the state. The area was settled by English and Scots-Irish, who, with persons of African descent, began arriving as early as 1818. Immigration increased markedly in the 1830s following the removal of the Great Raft of the Red River, making access to the interior of the region less difficult. Between 1840 and 1860, settlers from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee poured into the region, establishing farms, villages, churches, and schools. By the 1850s, every trade and industry was represented in the town, bountiful crops were being produced in the countryside, and prosperity was felt throughout the parish.