Citizens of Natchitoches (NACK-a-tish) have been involved with historic preservation for over fifty years. Today, the city's hard work has paid off and residents enjoy an economic boost though its historic tourism. Fascinating treasures include fort sites, museums, churches and countless historic homes.
   Cultural sites also include the American Cemetery. Early restoration movements began in 1904, when a group of local women formed the American Cemetery Association. Their efforts ensured survival of one of the earliest cemeteries in the Louisiana Purchase Territory. The American Cemetery was established in 1737, where the fort's residents were buried, regardless of class or color. None of the gravesite markers predate 1797, so it remains a mystery if the city's founder, Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis, was buried there.
   In this view, the morning sun is scattered among century old oaks. If this cemetery has a slight hint of familiarity, you may have remembered an emotional closing scene from the motion picture, "Steel Magnolias."

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