City of Baker // Our City // History

For more than 2 centuries there has been some sort of community in the area now known as Baker, Louisiana. And even before that, the place was home to the "red man". No particular Indian tribe inhabited this area, but bands of Choctaws and Creeks rambled throughout. The earliest known occupation of our state was 5,000 years ago, in fact by a people referred to collectively as Archaic. We are all familiar with stories of Indian tribes in the Scots Bluff area, just 5 miles south of Baker, and the famous "Red Stick" that marked the high point on the Mississippi River and for which Baton Rouge (French for Red Stick) was named.

From the time of Indian occupation and the earliest explorers to the area, the mighty Mississippi River has been predominantly responsible for the development of the areas skirting its banks. It played a major role in the development of an area called West Florida, of which Baker is a part.

The first settlers came to this area in the early 1700's and there has been continuous settlement since that time. Great plantations flourished in the rich soils adjacent to the river, three of which were located in the Baker area. Parts of the Baker, Groom and the Young properties comprised an area that is now Baker. The small community got its name from Josephus Baker, owner of the Baker Plantation, across which the Yazoo - Mississippi Valley railroad line tying Baton Rouge to Vicksburg ran. The line was completed in 1884, and trains made regular stops on Mr. Baker's property to drop and pick up mail, cargo and passengers. A post office was established at the ''Baker Stop'' on May 3, 1888, and the area became known for mail purposes as Baker, Louisiana. It was not incorporated until 1944 as a village. It achieved the status of ''town'' in 1952, and officially became a city in 1962.

Today, Baker has a population of 13,483, but still retains its small town atmosphere, as it enjoys the best of both worlds - being within the metropolitan area of Baton Rouge, yet having the advantage of local government, with a friendly, home town feeling where community pride and participation are a way of life.