| Where the South Meets the West |
| The Red River begins in Palo Duro Canyon, just south of Amarillo, Texas. It forms the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma, then makes a bend in the southwestern region of Arkansas and enters Louisiana. The remains of the Great Raft are still visible. The river becomes navigable south of Shreveport and, after a series of locks and dams, merges with the mighty Mississippi. The landscapes, counties, parishes, towns, cities, and parks around the Red River are filled with important and tangible history that mirror European westward migration. From Louisiana through Eastern Texas and Southeastern Oklahoma, a distinct "southern" flair is evident in the towns, homes, and people. Further west up the river, open prairies and plains, bisected by the forbidding Cross Timbers, became the domain of cowboys, the Plains Indians, and military forts. The Red River truly reflects the historical and geographical region where the South met the West. Two distinct eco-systems converge along the Red River Valley: the open plains of the west gradually give way to the piney woods of the east. This topographical change is reflected in the history of the valley, where large cattle ranches upriver are the descendants of the antebellum cotton plantations downriver. |
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| Questions or comments? E-mail me: robin@redriverhistorian.com |
| The Red River travels through the following counties in Texas on its journey from west to east: Armstrong, Briscoe, Hall, Childress, Hardeman, Wilbarger, Wichita, Clay, Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Lamar, Red River, and Bowie. Counties surrounding the Red River are also included in this website... where there's interesting history, RRH will mention it! |
| The Red River travels through the following counties in Oklahoma (old Indian Territory) on its journey from west to east:Harmon, Greer, Kiowa, Jackson, Tillman, Cotton, Jefferson, Love, Marshall, Bryan, Choctaw, and McCurtain. Counties surrounding the Red River counties are also covered by RRH! |
| The Red River makes its southward "great bend" in Arkansas and no longer acts as a state boundary (though for a while, it was the boundary between the United States and New Spain). These are the counties that have the Red River in Arkansas: Little River, Hempstead, Miller, and Lafayette. Other counties near the river and its environs are covered, too! |
| In Louisiana, the Red River cuts through the center of the state, from north to south. It used to empty into the Mississippi River, but due to flood and erosion controls implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers, the river now mixes with the Atchafalaya River to join into the Mississippi. The following parishes are lucky enough to have the Red River in their boundaries: Caddo, Bossier, Red River, De Soto, Natchitoches, Grant, Rapides, Concordia, Avoyelles, and Point Coupee. Other parishes that surround the Red River parishes are also included, too! |