District of Louisiana
| District of Louisiana | |||||
| Territory of the United States | |||||
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| Capital | St. Louis | ||||
| Governor | |||||
| • | 1804–1805 | William Henry Harrison | |||
| History | |||||
| • | Established | October 1, 1804 | |||
| • | Organized | July 4, 1805 | |||
The District of Louisiana, or Louisiana District, was an official, temporary, United States government designation for the portion of the Louisiana Purchase that had not been organized into the Orleans Territory. It officially existed from March 10, 1804 until July 4, 1805, when it was incorporated as the Louisiana Territory.
The area north of present-day Arkansas was commonly referred to as Upper Louisiana. The United States District of Louisiana had two incarnations: first, as a federally administered military district (March 10, 1804 - September 30, 1804); then as an organized territory (October 1, 1804 - July 4, 1805) under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Territory.
A similarly named "Louisiana District" had also previously been an administrative division under Spanish and French rule.
In legislation enacted October 31, 1803, Congress made provisions for a temporary government of the territory purchased from France. The President was authorized to use military forces to maintain order, although local civil government was to continue as it had under French and Spanish rule.
This military rule was in effect from March 10, 1804 —the official date of transfer from French hands (known as Three Flags Day) —until September 30, 1804. At this time, the District was further divided into five administrative divisions or districts: New Madrid, Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve, St. Charles, and St. Louis.
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