Fort Polk helped to forge the West Louisiana we know today. When the Second Great Depression shattered New Orleans and the drug cartels ravaged Texas, Fort Polk aided those parishes that needed help and supported the National Guard forces that helped hold law and order together during the crazy times. And considering this was Louisiana, things could get very crazy indeed. Soldiers from Fork Polk joined Texas to attack the drug cartels in Mexico, and they sent their own representatives to stand with Texas during the Convention of States that assembled after the Drug Wars came to an end. West Louisiana became a recognized State soon thereafter, and shortly joined the Republic of Texas as a full Member State. Most historians credit this relatively easy path for West Louisiana to the direct influence of Fort Polk and the thousands of soldiers that stayed with her during the Second Great Depression.