Your Guide: Robin Jett!

The Red River Historian is a labor of love - a love of history,
geography, and especially, a love of the Southwest. To
introduce you to the wonders of this corner of the world, Robin
Jett wants to help you learn and appreciate the whole story,
and that is the mission of this website.

Why the Red River?
The Red River is the geographical boundary between Texas
and Oklahoma and a physical as well as a cultural link to the
Mississippi River. The towns, landscapes, and people that
surround the river from beginning to end help to create a
"snapshot" of disparate yet interrelated regional and national
histories.

What history?
The states that claim the river have a very interesting historical
relationship to one another. Before the Civil War, the Red River
served as a kind of beacon of freedom for slaves who
managed to run away from the plantations to seek refuge in
Union-controlled Indian Territory (this was a false beacon,
however, as many runaway slaves were caught and sold in
Indian Territory under the Fugitive Slave Acts). Southeastern
Native Americans found new homes along its watersheds.
Anglo American settlers took advantage of the fertile
opportunities in the uncontrolled lands around the river. And
the last vestiges of the South - the plantations, cotton fields,
and the antebellum way of life - could be found along the river
before the Wild West claimed a completely different lifestyle.
The Red River is truly where the American West begins.

What's up with the Southwest?
The term "southwest" is hard to define geographically - some
camps believe the Southwest is New Mexico, Arizona, and
Colorado. Though I agree that the term "southwest" extends to
those states as well, I am mostly interested in Texas,
Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, where the South met the
West.

Who's Robin Jett?
Glad you asked! I'm a born and bred Texan from Paris, TX who
has made my home in Lewisville. My whole family claims their
homes along the Red River - Valliant, Ok; Clarksville, TX; Plain
Dealing and Shreveport, LA. I'm also a trained historian, with a
Master of Education from the University of North Texas and a
Master of Arts in history  from Texas Woman's University.
Articles about my neck of the woods have appeared in Texas
Escapes, Texas Highways, Suburban Parent, and the
Lewisville Leader.

Robin's Historical Philosophy
I LOVE history.  Studying the past, dissecting motives and
events, and interpreting and questioning sources is one of my
main passions in life. My research focus for my Master's (and
maybe my Doctorate!) is the American Southwest, specifically
the impact of the Chisholm Trail on the Plains Indians, and this
website proves an ideal vehicle to share what I discover!

Who would like Red River Historian?
This website is geared towards those who want to travel
through, and learn more about, Southwestern history - what's
there to see, to do, and to experience! Also, for anyone who
has ties to the region, this site offers helpful genealogical
information. Schools also benefit from learning about this
fascinating area. Newcomers to the region who are curious
about their newfound homes will get lots of food for thought
while perusing the Red River Historian.

Let's Go Exploring!
Old Carpenter Bluff's bridge over the
Red River, Oklahoma side
Capps Corner,
somewhere in Cooke
or Montague County.
I bet you're just DYING to
see my current projects.

Okay, maybe not. But
because owning a
website is above all else
a testament to
self-indulgence, you
might as well learn even
MORE about me than
you've ever wanted to
know.

To see all the things I'm
working on (and future
things, too!) click here!
I took a photo of the
great neon of the
abandoned Circle Inn
off of Northwest Highway
in Dallas, and a month
later the whole complex
was torn down.
Red River Guide
Traveler's Hotel,
Denison Texas
Sculpture at Ardmore's
Greater Southwest
Museum
If you'd like to read up
on my nefarious plans
of internet domination
(no, not really), come
visit my Blog!