The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, United States.
19th century
1836 – Shreve Town Company organized; named for Henry Miller Shreve, one of its members. 1837 – Shreve Town Company begins selling plots of land. 1838 – Shreve Town becomes seat of newly formed Caddo Parish. 1839 Town of Shreveport incorporated. John Octavius Sewall elected mayor. 1841 – Caddo Gazette newspaper begins publication. 1847 – Burial ground established. 1850 Population: 1,728. Brewer's Hall built (approximate date). 1852 – South-Western newspaper begins publication. 1853 – Yellow fever outbreak. 1858 – Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas Railroad begins operating. 1860 – Population: 2,190. 1861 – St. Mary's Convent founded. 1863 – Shreveport designated Louisiana Confederate capital (until 1865). 1866 – Charity Hospital established. 1870 – Population: 4,607. 1871 Shreveport becomes a city. Daily Shreveport Times newspaper begins publication. Crisp's Gaiety Theater built. 1873 Dallas-Shreveport railway in operation. Yellow fever outbreak. 1879 – Shreveport Daily Standard newspaper begins publication. 1880 First Presbyterian Church built. Population: 8,009. 1886 – Grand Opera House built. 1887 – Shreveport Waterworks Pumping Station built. 1890 Shreveport Library Association formed. Population: 11,979. 1895 – Evening Judge newspaper in publication. 1896 – Holy Trinity Catholic Church rebuilt. 1899 – Genevieve Orphanage established. 1900 – Population: 16,013.
20th century
1901 – People's Library established. 1902 – Shreveport Journal newspaper in publication. 1905 – Agudath Achim Synagogue dedicated. 1906 – Oil discovered at Caddo Lake in vicinity of Shreveport. 1907 – Nearby Bossier City incorporated. 1909 – Centenary College of Louisiana relocated to Shreveport from Jackson. 1910 Schumpert Memorial Hospital and Chamber of Commerce established. Population: 28,015. 1912 – United States Post Office and Courthouse built. 1915 – Traffic Street Bridge built. 1920 – Population: 43,874. 1922 Shreveport Art Club active. Shriners Hospitals for Children opened. 1923 – Public library built. 1925 – Strand Theatre built. 1926 KWKH radio begins broadcasting. Caddo Parish courthouse built. 1927 – Dodd College established. 1928 KRMD and KTBS radio begin broadcasting. Woman's Auxiliary to the Shreveport Medical Society formed. 1929 – Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium built. 1930 East Texas Oil Field discovered in vicinity of Shreveport. Population: 76,655. 1931 – Shreveport Downtown Airport begins operating. 1933 – U.S. military Barksdale Airfield dedicated. 1934 – Long–Allen Bridge opens. 1935 – Rodessa oil field discovered in vicinity of Shreveport. 1940 – Population: 98,167. 1948 U.S. military Barksdale Air Force Base active. KWKH's Louisiana Hayride radio programme begins broadcast. 1950 Shreveport metropolitan area was started Population: 127,206. 1952 – North Louisiana Historical Association established. 1954 - KSLA-TV (television) begins broadcasting. 1955 - KTBS-TV (television) begins broadcasting. 1960 Shreveport metropolitan area Added Bossier Parish Population: 164,372. 1965 - LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport opened. 1967 – Louisiana State University in Shreveport opens. 1970 – Population: 182,064. 1972 – Quail Creek Cinema in business. 1973 - Shreveport metropolitan area Added Webster Parish 1977 – Pioneer Heritage Center and Spring Street Historical Museum founded. 1980 – Population: 205,820. 1981 – General Motors plant begins operating in Shreveport. 1983 - Shreveport metropolitan area Removed Webster Parish 1986 Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport established. Commercial National Bank Tower (hi-rise) built. 1988 – Jim McCrery becomes U.S. representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district. 1990 – Population: 198,525. 1993 - Shreveport metropolitan area Redded Webster Parish 1994 Stephens African American Museum founded. Harrah's casino built. 1998 Keith Hightower becomes mayor. City website online (approximate date).
21st century
2003 Shreveport – Bossier City metropolitan area Replaced Webster Parish to De Soto Parish 2004 – Convention Center built. 2006 – Cedric Glover becomes first African-American in city elected mayor. 2009 – John Fleming becomes U.S. representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district. 2010 – Population: 199,311. 2014 – Ollie Tyler becomes first African-American woman in city elected mayor. 2023 October 25: Mike Johnson is elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first U.S. Congressman from Louisiana to hold this position. 2026 April 19: Eight children are shot dead in a domestic shooting incident.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/19/louisiana-shreveport-shooting-victims-children/89691076007/
See also History of Shreveport, Louisiana List of mayors of Shreveport, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places listings in Caddo Parish, Louisiana Other cities in Louisiana: Timeline of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Timeline of New Orleans
References
Bibliography
published in 19th century
published in 20th century
+ Chronology
published in 21st century
External links Items related to Shreveport, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).