How Baton Rouge Get Its Name?

Louisiana's capital city, Baton Rouge, means “red stick” in French. The red stick refers to a blood-stained pole that French explorer Iberville found on the bank of the Mississippi River in 1699 at the city's present location.

Why is it called Baton Rouge?

How did Baton Rouge adopt its name? Over 300 years ago, in 1699, French explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville named Baton Rouge for the "red stick" along a Mississippi River bluff. It is from this "red stick" that Iberville christened our city "le Baton Rouge."

Why does Baton Rouge mean red stick?

In 1699 French visitors called the spot "red stick" baton rouge because of a boundary marker pole, stained with animal blood, standing on the river bluff. Members of the Houma tribe lived to the north of the red stick and Bayogoulas to the south.