The territory briefly served as a buffer zone between Spain and the United States following the Louisiana Purchase, thus the moniker "Neutral Strip" (No Man's Land). Spain and the U.S. were fighting over the border in Natchitoches at the time the United States bought the land from France. West Louisiana used to be a part of No Man's Land, a place where there was no ruler or nation and where daring pioneers, bandits, and outlaws lived. The stories are as epic as the settlers themselves!