The Northup Trail allows visitors to follow the path of Solomon Northup during his 12 years as a slave in Central Louisiana.
Solomon arrived in Alexandria on the steamer Rodolf in 1841. From there, he took the train south to Lamourie where he disembarked and walked to William Prince Ford’s plantation by foot. So his journey began in central Louisiana. The trail follows his path through Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes and visits sites such as the Red River landing where Northup disembarked the Rodolf, the Epps House, the Bunkie Depot, and the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse.
In addition to the trail stops, you will also see historic sites, Registered Historic houses, Indian mounds, museums, churches and cemeteries, farms, shops, eateries and accommodations along the route.
Twelve Years a Slave, the story of Solomon Northup that took place in Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes, was made into a movie in 2013. In the movie, Northup, originally from New York, was kidnapped into slavery and was enslaved for 12 years before being freed (in Northup’s words) at “the Marksville Courthouse” in the 1850s.
Learn More at the Louisiana Trails & Byways website.