Louisiana's unit of local government is the parish rather than the county. When Louisiana was purchased from France in 1803, the portion that is now approximately the State of Louisiana was called the Orleans Territory. On April 10, 1805, the governing body of the Orleans Territory divided it into 12 counties that roughly coincided with the parishes established by the Catholic Church during the Spanish and French regimes. On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature passed an act that divided the Orleans Territory into 19 civil parishes, but did not abolish the original 12 counties. Over time these 19 original parishes were further divided into the modern 64 parishes. The parish governing body is called the police jury.
Located in northwestern Louisiana, Bienville Parish was created from Natchitoches Parish on March 14, 1848. The parish seat is Arcadia.
From the description of W.P.A. collection. Historical Records Survey transcriptions of Louisiana police jury records. Bienville Parish, 1856-1940. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 233825024
