Changes

Overton became the seat of government of Claiborne Parish; in 1871, Webster Parish was separated from Claiborne Parish. Plagued by [[epidemic]]s, Overton was eventually abandoned. The Claiborne Parish seat of government was shifted east to Athens, and then the current location of Homer. Meanwhile, Charles Hanson Veeder (1796-1871), a [[New York]] native, established Minden in 1836, and the new community soon outgrew Overton. Veeder established the defunct Minden Female College, considered the oldest college in Louisiana. In time, farming declined along the Dorcheat, as [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] strikes occurred in Webster Parish during the 1920s.<ref name=lebreton/>​

Overton became the seat of government of Claiborne Parish; in 1871, Webster Parish was separated from Claiborne Parish. Plagued by [[epidemic]]s, Overton was eventually abandoned. The Claiborne Parish seat of government was shifted east to Athens, and then the current location of Homer. Meanwhile, Charles Hanson Veeder (1796-1871), a [[New York]] native, established Minden in 1836, and the new community soon outgrew Overton. Veeder established the defunct Minden Female College, considered the oldest college in Louisiana. In time, farming declined along the Dorcheat, as [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] strikes occurred in Webster Parish during the 1920s.<ref name=lebreton/>​

Historian Marietta LeBreton (1936-2009), who was affiliated with [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] from 1963 until her death,<ref>Obituary of Marietta Marie LeBreton, ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' March 8, 2009.</ref> describes the modern Dorcheat as a "lazy stream winding through low, hilly farmland and catering to the fishermen and sportsmen of North Louisiana."<ref name=lebreton/> Calm-water canoeing is another sport popular on Dorcheat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.povertypoint.us/la-canoeing-kayaking/bayou-dorcheat|title=Bayou Dorcheat|publisher=Povertypoint.us|accessdate=April 9, 2020}}</ref>

Historian [[Marietta LeBreton]], who was affiliated with [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] from 1963 until her death,<ref>Obituary of Marietta Marie LeBreton, ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' March 8, 2009.</ref> describes the modern Dorcheat as a "lazy stream winding through low, hilly farmland and catering to the fishermen and sportsmen of North Louisiana."<ref name=lebreton/> Calm-water canoeing is another sport popular on Dorcheat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.povertypoint.us/la-canoeing-kayaking/bayou-dorcheat|title=Bayou Dorcheat|publisher=Povertypoint.us|accessdate=April 9, 2020}}</ref>

The history of the Dorcheat country is revealed in certain exhibits at the [[Dorcheat Historical Association Museum]] at 116 Pearl Street in Minden. Named for the bayou is the $7.2 million Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, which opened in 2002 at the former Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant (1942-1996) west of Minden. The correctional center was pushed to completion by then Webster Parish [[Sheriff]] [[Ted Riser|Larkin T. Riser]].<ref>Josh Beavers, "Dorcheat Center Ready at Last," ''[[Minden Press-Herald]],'' March 28, 2002.</ref> There is also the Dorcheat Soil Conservation District.​

The history of the Dorcheat country is revealed in certain exhibits at the [[Dorcheat Historical Association Museum]] at 116 Pearl Street in Minden. Named for the bayou is the $7.2 million Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, which opened in 2002 at the former Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant (1942-1996) west of Minden. The correctional center was pushed to completion by then Webster Parish [[Sheriff]] [[Ted Riser|Larkin T. Riser]].<ref>Josh Beavers, "Dorcheat Center Ready at Last," ''[[Minden Press-Herald]],'' March 28, 2002.</ref> There is also the Dorcheat Soil Conservation District.​