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Shreveport is named for Captain Henry Miller Shreve, a steamboat captain, who in the 1830's cleared the "Great Raft" log jam that stretched 165 miles along the Red River. This accomplishment opened the area to commerce, marking the beginning of growth and leading to the incorporation of the city of Shreveport in 1839 on property obtained from the Caddo Indians. Agriculture and the lumber industry were the mainstays of the economy until the 1900's when the oil boom served as the impetus for industrial and commercial expansion. Bossier City, Shreveport's sister city across the Red River, was incorporated in 1907. The establishment of Barksdale Air Force Base in 1933 triggered expansion, and since that time Bossier City has been one of the fastest growing cities in the region. Today, Shreveport-Bossier serves as the trade and culture center of the 200 mile radius extending into Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.
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