The Founding of Baton Rouge
The name Baton Rouge comes from the Indian word "Istrouma," meaning Red Stick.
Earliest written records about Baton Rouge were provided by members of Iberville's expedition on March 17, 1699:
"From there (Bayou Manchac) we ascended five leagues farther, where we found very high banks, which in that country were called bluffs, and in the Indian tongue Istrouma which means Baton Rouge, because there is at this place a pole painted red, which the Indians had erected to mark the dividing line of the lands of the two nations, to wit: that of the Bayougoulas whence we had come, from another 30 leagues above Baton Rouge called the Oumas (Houmas)."
This red stick was erected on May 13, 1967, during the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Baton Rouge.