Campti, Louisiana

Campti is a town in the northern part of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Campti had a population of 887. It is part of the Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area. Campti is a flat area of mostly farmland. It is located on the eastern bank of the Red River. Considerable herds of cattle are also raised in the general area.

Tradition maintains that the name "Campti" was derived from the name of a Natchitoches Indian chief, known to the French colonists as "Le Roi Campti" (The King Campti). Church records in Natchitoches show that a French missionary, Père Valentin, visited the community of Campti around 1745. This was the first written record of Campti during the period of French Louisiana.

The rural parish was developed for large cotton plantations, and a majority of the population were enslaved African Americans in the antebellum years. But by the time of the American Civil War, a number of free people of color also lived in Campti and the area. They were known to be related to several of the longtime white families, who acknowledged them, and they were generally well accepted. According to one authority on this area, they lived nearly as white. At least nine men of color, and likely more, enlisted in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and "easily entered a predominately white military company."

During the war, Union Brigadier-General A. J. Smith, with two brigades, reached Campti to assist Rear-Admiral David D. Porter's gunboats on the Red River there. Confederate Brigadier-General St. John R. Liddell's scattered troops had been harassing the Union fleet but quickly retreated as Smith's overwhelming force arrived on April 13, 1864. Smith and his men burned what was left of Campti, on April 14, 1864. The gunboats were returned safely upriver to Grand Ecore in Natchitoches Parish.

In the postwar years, cotton and agriculture continued as mainstays of the economy. Later cattle raising was introduced. Large-scale agriculture and ranching have reduced economic opportunities in the rural area. The population of Campti has continued to be majority African American, reflecting the history of its development. The City of Campti also serves as the tribal headquarters of the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), all land.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 887 people, 427 households, and 192 families residing in the town.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,057 people, 385 households, and 269 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,080.2 inhabitants per square mile (417.1/km²). There were 462 housing units at an average density of 472.1 per square mile (182.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 24.88% White, 74.46% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.28% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.