Sabine Parish was created by the Louisiana legislature in the 1843 breakup of the large Natchitoches Parish. It's western boundary was the Sabine River, which was the international boundary of the Republic of Texas.

The area was first inhabited by the Adais tribe. It came under Spanish rule, then French, then Spanish again until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It was then contested territory as the US claimed the boundary to be the Sabine River, while the Spanish said was much farther east. The area became a neutral ground the Sabine Free State until 1819 when the Spanish gave up their claim. The are became home to outlaws and criminals.

Two main westward routes ran through the area, the San Antonio Trace, and the El Camino Real.

During the US Civil War, the battle of Pleasant Hill was the site of the last engagement in Louisiana in 1864 when the Confederate forces forced the US troops to abandon their effort to capture Shreveport and prevent Texas from continuing support for the Confederacy.

The parish was mainly agricultural until the railroads came in the 1890 period when timber became the primary industry.

In 1940, Sabine Parish was the scene of the largest military maneuvers in US history as the US prepared for World War II.