DeRidder, Louisiana

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DeRidder is a city in and the parish seat of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States.

History
DeRidder was named for Ella de Ridder, the sister-in-law of a Dutch railroad financier. Her family originally came from the small town of Geldermalsen in the Netherlands, where she was one of 13 children. She ran away from home at an early age, and was presumed dead by her family who only recently discovered that she had traveled to the United States. The town was named for her by her brother-in-law, who brought the first railroad to that area of Louisiana.

Prior to that, the little town was known as Schovall. The first train line to serve DeRidder came in 1902. It was the Pittsburgh &amp; Gulf Railroad - later called the Kansas City Southern.

Libraries

 * Beauregard Parish Library - Genealogy

Newspapers

 * Beauregard Daily News

Websites

 * City of DeRidder