Minden took its name from a town on the Weser River in Germany, the birthplace of its founder’s parents.
Historical Significance of Minden
Minden was founded in 1836 by a German-American named Charles Hance Veeder. The fertile land and transport facilities offered by the Bayou Dauchite, Lake Bistineau, and the Red River, ensured the town’s prosperity in the period before the Civil War.
In 1933 disaster struck Minden: first a cyclone took many lives and destroyed property; a few weeks later fire broke out destroying the business district and many homes; and finally during a Nation-wide bank holiday the funds of citizens and businesses were frozen.
Industry in Minden
The discovery of natural gas and oil in the vicinity of Minden brought a modest boom to the town’s industry in the late 1930s.
