Written for the general public, Colonial Natchitoches: Outpost of Empires provides a detailed look at the colonial frontier experience at one settlement, the Natchitoches Post. First established by the French to trade with the Indians, the Natchitoches Post soon assumed the military function of protecting Louisiana from encroachment by the Spanish. In time, it grew into an area renowned for its tobacco. This book tells the small stories of life at this outpost of the daily activities of the inhabitants, of their relationships with the neighboring Spanish, and of the role the post played in the lives of the Native American tribes of the region.