city, Morehouse parish, northeastern Louisiana, U.S., 24 miles (38 km) northeast of Monroe. Settlement of the area began after a Dutch nobleman, Baron de Bastrop, was given a large land grant by the Spanish in 1796. The baron subsequently sold much of his land to Abram Morehouse, a settler from Kentucky. Bastrop was founded in 1846 as the parish seat. It experienced an industrial boom after 1916, when natural gas was discovered in the area.

The city has a diversified economy based on manufacturing and services. Manufactures include paper, wood products, carbon black, and chemicals. Bastrop is also an agricultural centre (cattle, cotton, corn 【maize】, rice, and soybeans) and the site of the North Louisiana Cotton Festival and Fair, held annually in October. Nearby are Chemin-A-Haut State Park and Bussey Brake Reservoir. Inc. town, 1852; city, 1952. Pop. (1990) 13,916; (2000) 12,988.