The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. A store was built a few years later the only settlement between Monroe, Louisiana and the settlements of the Black River was formed. The harbor became a busy port for shipping cotton by steamboats and Packet boats until the arrival of the railroad. In February 1864 Columbia was the location of a skirmish between Federal and Confederate troops during the Civil War and there are several plantations in the area.
Geography
Columbia is located just east of the center of Caldwell Parish at , on the southwest bank of the Ouachita River. U.S. Route 165 passes through the center of town and bridges the river, leading north to Monroe and south to Alexandria. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 1.75%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 477 people, 184 households, and 101 families residing in the town. The population density was 629.9 people per square mile. There were 237 housing units at an average density of 312.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 70.02% White, 27.25% African American, 0.63% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population. There were 184 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $33,523. Males had a median income of $33,000 versus $18,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,999. About 19.0% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 32.0% of those age 65 or over.
John J. McKeithen, governor of Louisiana ; Louisiana Public Service Commissioner ; state representative ; U.S. Army combat officer having received two Bronze Stars in the battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima
