Town of Colfax
Town
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Grant
Area	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²)
- land	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km²), 0%
Center
- coordinates	31°31′11″N 92°42′30″W / 31.51972, -92.70833Coordinates: 31°31′11″N 92°42′30″W / 31.51972, -92.70833
- elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population	1,659 (2000)
Density	1,111.3 /sq mi (429.1 /km²)
Founded	1869
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71417
Area code	318
Location of Colfax in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

The town of Colfax (pronounced "Coll-fax") is the parish seat of Grant Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ^{[1] [2]} The town was founded in 1869, named for President Grant's vice-president, Schuyler Colfax (pronounced "Cole-fax"). Colfax is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population estimate in July 2005 was 1676.^[1]

Geography

Colfax is located at 31°31′11″N, 92°42′30″W (31.519783, -92.708446)^[3] and has an elevation of 95 feet (29.0 m)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.

History

Both the town and parish were founded in 1869, with the parish named for President Ulysses S. Grant, and the town for his vice president.

The town is of historical importance because of the Colfax Riot of April 13, 1873. In this Reconstruction-era incident, three white men and some 150 black males were slain. An historical marker says that the massacre "marked the end of carpetbag misrule in the South." However, federal troops remained in Louisiana until 1877. Plans are underway for an interpretive center and an official commemoration of the Grant Parish Courthouse grounds as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the violence. Manie White Johnnson, in her dissertation "The Colfax Riot of April 1873", speculates that there may have been four hundred killed. Her study was published in booklet form in 1994 by Dogwood Press.

On December 20, 2007, three persons were killed in the explosion of a residence in Colfax. Dead were Mary E. Churchman (born 1918), a prominent community leader active in the annual Louisiana Pecan Festival held in Colfax the first weekend of November. Also killed were Churchman's son, Dave Kyern Churchman II (born 1944), and daughter-in-law, Sheila Achord Churchman (born 1946). Don Kyern Churchman, I (born 1970), the son of Dave, I, and Sheila Churchman, died eight days later in a New Orleans hospital of his injuries. His wife, Narminia Churchman has thus far survived. The blast was apparently caused by a natural gas leak. The tragedy was devastating to the small town at the Christmas season.^[5]

Notable persons

Allison Kolb (1915-1973), who served as Louisiana state auditor from 1952-1856, was born in Colfax. A Baton Rouge attorney, banker, and philanthropist, he ran for state treasurer in 1968, as a Democrat-turned-Republican.

Colfax native Rene J. Bienvenu (1923-1983) served as president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches from 1977-1982.

Demographics

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 1,659 people,^[2] 600 households, and 408 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,111.3 people per square mile (429.9/km²). There were 709 housing units at an average density of 474.9/sq mi (183.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 30.98% White, 67.81% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 600 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.3% were married couples living together, 32.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town of Colfax, the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $14,310 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,155. About 36.3% of families and 41.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.0% of those under age 18 and 25.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Grant Parish, Louisiana
Parish seat: Colfax
Towns	Colfax | Montgomery | Pollock
Villages	Dry Prong | Georgetown
Unincorporated communities	Bently | Packton | Rochelle | Selma | Verda