The Presidio Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Los Adais has a very unique history, it stood guarding a frontier against another nation and among the Indians, who were at that time, considered savages, for nearly fifty years, yet this fort never had to defend itself against any hostile demonstration.
Carte des Natchitoches
J.F. BREUTIN. 1722.
Pierre Largen was trading among the Peticaddos and the Caddoquopois.
La Petit was among the Peticaddos on Caddo Lake near Shreveport, he had the year previously established a trading post there.
Jean Lagross, who had also married an Ais maiden, had a trading post among the Ais Indians on the Angelena River near the present town of San Augustine, Texas. He was not molested by the Spanish because of the marriage he was considered a member of the Caddos of which the Ais was a tribe.
In 1723 St. Denis sent Lieutenant Antoine Layassard to establish Post Du Rapides near present Alexandria. The year previously LaPerrier and his two daughters had been assassinated at the rapids portage by a band of roving Indians, and Post Du Rapides was established to protect travelers en-route to Post des Natchitoches.
In this same year, 1723 St. Denis received reinforcements, Doctor Alexander, Lt. Basset, Lt. Renault de Hautrive and Paul Muller. Michael Robin, a Notary for the Company of the West was also in the group.
Augayo, tiring of the frontier, left for the interior of Mexico. He appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Los Adais, Lieutenant of the King, Almazon, who immediately set up a new trade restriction, forbidding fraternalization and trading of any sort with the French. It was during the tenure of Almazon that a land grant was issued to Juan Sanchez comprising one square league of land (the grant was an area now consisting of high ground astraddle Toplecot Creek in the Allen area between Robeline and Powhattan, Louisiana). Almazon allotted land to Cadet Chacon. There was also land allotted for the support of the Adais mission called Rancho Bano. Manuel Guiterez, who had wed Maria Garcia, also received an allotted land grant. The last three allotments of land were in the immediate Robeline township area.
St. Denis could see permanence in this establishment of farms in the Adais area. The presidio there now had a fighting force of one hundred men-at-arms, many of which were well-mounted and excellent cavalry men. He could to a certain extent visualize a self supporting Spanish frontier if the farmers’ production of crops were successful. The Spanish would need only slight assistance from the Indian farmers with the sale of their produce to the Spanish.