The site of Columbia was chosen primarily for being at the natural crossing of the Ouachita River by the major trail crossing the parish. This made it the logical location for a riverport for cotton and timber. Columbia was a major provider of staves in the 1800s. The Blanks family became the largest steamboat operator on the Ouachita. In the middle of the steamboat era came the Civil War. Caldwell Parish was generally not in favor of secession but soon sent most of its young men to military service in the Confederacy, evidenced by confederate tombstones throughout the parish. The aftermath of the war resulted in an impoverished parish. The steamboat era continued strong into the early 1900s but the competition from the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, built in 1888 eventually overtook the steamboat.