A city's history is made by its people, and for over 165 years the people of Shreveport, Louisiana have been building a rich heritage. From everyday residents to community leaders, from educators and clergy to entertainers and celebrities, Shreveport's citizens have created a lasting legacy. Here, readers are presented with a collective portrait of the city, including images from both its distant and not-so-distant past. Photographs of ordinary as well as extraordinary people, revealing their lives and their culture, preserve significant moments in time. While it is not possible to include them all in a single book, this volume does much to create a picture of the numerous talented, industrious, and spirited citizens who have contributed to the community's development. Their names are found on local streets, parks, buildings, and monuments; yet, their stories are often unknown. In this volume, readers will meet some of these colorful figures, putting faces with the names that present-day Shreveport residents know so well.

A collection of over 100 images which providina a view of life and commerce in Shreveport, Louisiana from settlement of the area in the 19th century through its present-day role.

A city's history is made by its people, and for over 165 years the people of Shreveport, Louisiana have been building a rich heritage. From everyday residents to community leaders, from educators and clergy to entertainers and celebrities, Shreveport's citizens have created a lasting legacy. Here, readers are presented with a collective portrait of the city, including images from both its distant and not-so-distant past. Photographs of ordinary as well as extraordinary people, revealing their lives and their culture, preserve significant moments in time. While it is not possible to include them all in a single book, this volume does much to create a picture of the numerous talented, industrious, and spirited citizens who have contributed to the community's development. Their names are found on local streets, parks, buildings, and monuments; yet, their stories are often unknown. In this volume, readers will meet some of these colorful figures, putting faces with the names that present-day Shreveport residents know so well.

Between the end of the 19th century and the present day, roughly 2,000 postcards were produced depicting scenes and landmarks in the city of Shreveport and the surrounding area. Most of these were made and distributed during the golden age of postcards, from approximately 1905 through the 1920s. In all, more than half of Shreveport's 170-year history is represented on postcards. Ranging from advertising and promotional cards to scenic views and fold-out souvenirs, the cards showcased the community's growth and development.

The Jewish presence in northwest Louisiana actually predates the establishment of Shreveport in 1836. From the very beginning, Jews have been part of the city's civic, social, and mercantile life. Pioneer settlers began holding services in private homes in the 1840s, and by 1858 the community was sufficiently large enough to consecrate a Jewish cemetery and the first Jewish benevolent association, a forerunner of today's North Louisiana Jewish Federation. In 1859, the first congregation was founded. In The Jewish Community of Shreveport the rich history of this influential and vibrant citizenry is chronicled by well-known Louisiana historian Eric J. Brock, archivist of Shreveport's B'nai Zion Temple. Nearly 18 decades of Jewish life in Shreveport are depicted in over 200 vintage images, many of which are previously unpublished. Both of the city's synagogues, B'nai Zion and Agudath Achim, are represented, as are many of the rabbis, business leaders, political leaders (including three mayors), and laypeople from the community's long history.

Over the course of many decades, the city of Shreveport witnessed dramatic growth and ever-changing landscapes. Mule-drawn railways gave way to electric streetcars, and what was once the Confederate capital of the state became today's vibrant commercial hub of northwest Louisiana. Drawing from their extensive image collection, authors Joiner and Roberson depict the forgotten scenes and lost stories that form the complex layers of Shreveport history. From the famous performances of Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show to the infamous red-light district, from the decline of vigilante justice to the victims who perished from yellow fever, Joiner and Roberson recover and remember lost Shreveport.

Today, Shreveport boasts the largest collection of important twentieth-century buildings in the state of Louisiana, and is surpassed only by New Orleans in the number of locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Well-known Shreveport historian Eric J. Brock details the history of the city's commerce, civic development, neighborhoods, architecture, cemeteries, peculiar events, culture, religion, and education. Based on his columns for the long-running series, "The Presence of the Past," which appeared weekly in the Shreveport JournalPage, it is the result of many years of documentation and research. One can witness the breakup of the Great Raft, relive the yellow fever epidemic of 1873, sing along at the Louisiana Hayride, and retrace the steps of Martin Luther King, Jr. Written in response to an overwhelming number of requests and suggestions for a book of its kind, Eric Brock's Shreveport should fill the void for academic books depicting the area.