BOSSIER CITY

city, Bossier parish, northwestern Louisiana, U.S., on the east bank of the Red River (bridged), opposite Shreveport. In the 1830s the area was part of a plantation owned by the Cane family, and the city's site was known as Cane's Landing. Following subsequent name changes, it was renamed Bossier City in the early 1900s for Pierre Evariste John Baptist Bossier, a prominent figure in the state's early history. It was the site of Fort Smith, a major Confederate stronghold in the American Civil War; a memorial park now commemorates the site. After World War II, the city's population increased rapidly as industries grew. Bossier City is a railroad and industrial centre in a cotton- and oil-producing region; its manufactures include petroleum and wood products. Services also are important, including tourism (notably casino gambling) and those associated with nearby Barksdale Air Force Base, a component of the United States Strategic Command. Inc. village, 1905; town, 1907; city, 1950. Pop. (1990) 52,721; (1998 est.) 56,637.