Los Adaes Today Closing the Fort and Mission The Adaeseños Departure of the Caddo Excavations at Los Adaes Visiting Los Adaes LOS ADAES TODAY Today, the site of the presidio and mission of Los Adaes is owned by the State of Louisiana and is preserved and protected by the Louisiana Office of State Parks as Los Adaes State Historic Site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Over the years, many people worked to share the site with the public. The Natchitoches Parish Police Jury (County Board) bought the presidio area in 1931 from the Welch family with money donated by the Daughters of the American Colonists. Robert Welch was the first president of the Los Adaes Foundation, which was started in 1972. The foundation promotes Los Adaes, and it led the state to buy the property in 1979. Images Archaeologists use technologies like ground-penetrating radar to "look" beneath the surface of a site like Los Adaes.