Lake Providence

Lake Providence is the seat of East Carroll Parish, one of the least populated parishes in Louisiana. It's the northeasternmost city in the state, located where Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas meet. It's a calm, laid-back corner of Louisiana, with plenty of Southern charm to spare.

Its name is tied to a far wilder time in the region's history. In the early 1800s, pirates sailed up and down the Mississippi River, just a stone's throw from Lake Providence. When men traveling the river with merchandise made it past the bends in the river where pirates were known to lie in wait, they would say they "made it to Providence." The spot they were referring to is close to where the town was founded, close to an oxbow lake of the Mississippi River that bears its same name. Lake Providence developed throughout the 1800s as cotton became a major cash crop.

Local attractions include the Louisiana State Cotton Museum, the Panola Pepper Company and the historical Byerley House Museum.