The twelve  military installations* in the Red River Valley - five in Louisiana, three in Oklahoma, and four in
Texas - show above any other cultural feature how closely history is linked between the three states. Spanning
five wars - the French Indian War, the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American, Civil, and Indian Wars - the forts
not only record the progress of the southwestern frontier, but also what has been lost in the American quest for
Manifest Destiny.

Below is a map of the Red River Valley and the locations of the eleven governmental (not private) forts,
numbered in order of their establishment. Click on the fort's names to learn about each one.
Red River Fort Tour
Fort 1 - St. Jean Baptiste, in Natchitoches, Louisiana (1716)

Fort 2 - Los Adaes, by Robeline, Louisiana (1729)

Fort 3 - Fort Claiborne, in Natchitoches, Louisiana (1804)

Fort 4 - Fort Jesup, between Robeline and Many, Louisiana (1822)

Fort 5 - Fort Towson, between Idabel and Hugo, Oklahoma (1824)

Fort 6 - Fort Washita, between Durant and Tishomingo, Oklahoma. (1847)

Fort 7 - Fort Belknap, between Graham and Throckmorton, Texas (1851)

Fort 8 - Fort Phantom Hill, north of Abilene, Texas (1852)

Fort 9 - Forts Buhlow and Fort Randolph in Pineville, Louisiana (1864)

Fort 10 - Fort Griffin, between Throckmorton and Albany, Texas (1867)

Fort 11 - Fort Richardson, between Jacksboro and Graham, Texas (1868)

Fort 12 - Fort Sill, active fort in Lawton, Oklahoma (1869)

* Many forts  - some private, some federal, some Confederate, some French - existed all along the Red River
Valley. The twelve forts listed here are those that can still be visited/viewed and were governmental, not private,
installations.
Questions or comments? E-mail me: robin@redriverhistorian.com