(wind blowing, water flowing)
>> DON'T EVER UNDERESTIMATE
RED RIVER.
YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT IT'S
GONNA DO.
YOU CAN'T PREDICT WHAT
RED RIVER'S GONNA DO.
WHATEVER THE LORD DECIDES TO DO
WITH IT IS WHAT IT'S GONNA DO.
(music)
>> ALONG THE NORTHERN EDGE OF
TEXAS, THERE IS A FORCE WHICH
CONSTANTLY REDEFINES THE
STATE'S BOUNDARY.
WE'LL TRAVEL DOWN THIS RIVER TO
SEE HOW IT HAS SHAPED THE LAND,
THE TOWNS, AND PEOPLE'S LIVES
ALONG THE WAY.
THE RED RIVER DEVELOPS FROM A
COLLECTION OF SMALL CREEKS AT
THE EASTERN EDGE OF NEW MEXICO.
THE CREEKS GATHER IN THE
CANYONLANDS OF THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE.
IT IS HERE THAT THE PRAIRIE DOG
TOWN FORK OF THE RED RIVER
BEGINS.
(sound of raindrops)
>> IN PALO DURO CANYON,
MELTING SNOW AND RAINFALL CARRY
SEDIMENT TO THE RIVER ADDING
NATURAL SALTS AND RED CLAY
PARTICLES TO THE WATER.
TRIBUTARIES LIKE THE LITTLE
RED, WHICH RUNS OUT OF CAPROCK
CANYONS, ALSO SUPPORT THE
PRAIRIE DOG TOWN FORK.
BUT HERE, DRY SPELLS CAN TURN
THE RIVER BED WHITE FROM GYPSUM
AND OTHER MINERAL DEPOSITS
FOUND IN THE WATER.
AT THE HARDEMAN COUNTY LINE,
THE PRAIRIE DOG TOWN FORK TAKES
THE SOLE NAME OF RED RIVER AND
SEPARATES TEXAS FROM OKLAHOMA.
OUR JOURNEY DOWN THE RED
BEGINS IN QUANAH.
(sound of passing cars, horn honks)
>> AS THE SEAT OF HARDEMAN
COUNTY, THE TOWN WAS NAMED
AFTER QUANAH PARKER, THE LAST
GREAT COMANCHE CHIEF.
AN AREA ONCE ROAMED BY THE
KIOWA AND COMANCHE INDIANS,
ROLLING PLAINS AND SANDY LOAM
SOILS MADE FARMING AND RANCHING
BIG BUSINESS HERE.
>> AT ONE TIME THERE WERE LIKE
10 DIFFERENT OIL COMPANIES IN
HERE THAT HAD OFFICES.
EVERYTHING WAS ON A BOOM,
WHEN THE BOTTOM FELL OUT ON
THE OIL PRICE AND EVERYTHING
WELL THEY JUST MOVED OUT.
AND THEN IT REALLY DID,
IT HURT EVERYTHING DOWNTOWN
AND IT HURT OUR COMMUNITY WHEN
THE OIL INDUSTRY WENT DOWN,
BUT IT'S PICKED BACK.
>> TRAVELING DOWNSTREAM PAST
THE CITY OF WICHITA FALLS,
WE ENTER MONTAGUE COUNTY,
AT THE SITE OF RED RIVER STATION
AND THE TOWN OF SPANISH FORT.
(music)
>> IT WAS NEAR THIS MARKER THAT
COWBOYS HERDED THOUSANDS OF
CATTLE ACROSS THE RED RIVER
ON THE HISTORIC CHISOLM TRAIL.
FOR DRIVES HEADING NORTH,
RED RIVER STATION WAS THEIR
LAST CHANCE FOR SUPPLIES BEFORE
REACHING ABILENE, KANSAS.
WHEN THE RIVER WAS UP,
SOME CATTLE DRIVES WOULD CAMP
HERE FOR SEVERAL DAYS, WAITING
FOR THE WATER TO SUBSIDE.
LESS PATIENT DRIVERS USUALLY
LOST CATTLE, AND SOMETIMES
THEIR OWN LIVES TO THE
SWIFT CURRENT.
>> OF COURSE I LIKE THE RED
RIVER CAUSE I FISH IN IT
ALL THE TIME.
BUT THE RED RIVER HAS, IT'S HAD
A GREAT IMPACT, IT'S SOME OF
THE MOST FERTILE LAND IN TEXAS
IS ALONG THE RED RIVER.
>> THE TOWN OF SPANISH FORT WAS
SO NAMED IN 1854 WHEN PIONEERS
THOUGHT THEY FOUND RUINS OF A
SPANISH PRESIDIO HERE.
BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY THE SITE
OF A TAOVAYAN INDIAN VILLAGE.
THE TAOVAYAS WERE INDUSTRIOUS
PEOPLE.
LIVING IN GRASS HUTS,
THEY FARMED IN FENCED AREAS
AND STORED THEIR CROPS.
BUT THEIR VILLAGE ON THE RED
RIVER MADE HISTORY IN 1759.
WITH THE AID OF FRENCH GUNS
AND AMMUNITION, THE TAOVAYAS
DEFEATED A SPANISH ARMY COLUMN
SENT TO SEEK REVENGE FOR AN
INDIAN RAID ON THE SAN SABA
MISSION.
SOME SAY THIS VERY BATTLE
STOPPED THE SPANIARDS
NORTHERN MIGRATION.
>> CONTINUING DOWN THE RED,
OUR JOURNEY BRINGS US TO LAKE
TEXOMA AND DENISON DAM.
>> THE LAKE HAD TWO MAJOR
PROJECT PURPOSES.
FLOOD CONTROL AND HYDRO-POWER
PRODUCTION, AND TO THOSE ENDS
THEY'VE MET THEIR OBJECTIVES,
THEY HAVE INDEED CONTROLLED
FLOODING AND PRODUCES A LOT OF
HYDROPOWER, SO, IT'S DOING
THAT.
AND RECREATION, MY GOSH, JUST
FISHING ALONE HERE ON TEXOMA,
THE DIRECT INCOME IS ABOUT 25
MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
THAT'S JUST FROM FISHING.
SO IT'S AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE
RIGHT HERE.
(crow calling)
>> ELEVEN MILES DOWNSTREAM
FROM DENISON DAM, THE RED RIVER
FLOWS UNDER A ONE LANE BRIDGE
AT CARPENTER'S BLUFF.
>> THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A
CONTROVERSY AS TO WHETHER THE
RIVER RUNS EAST OR WEST, AS FAR
AS I'M CONCERNED, AND I'M 67
YEARS OLD AND STILL DON'T KNOW
WHETHER IT RUNS EAST OR WEST
AND I WAS BORN DOWN THERE.
BUT I HAVE SEEN THE WATER COME
UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE.
MANY TIMES, MANY TIMES I'VE
SEEN THAT.
>> CONSTRUCTED IN 1908 AS A
RAILROAD BRIDGE, IT ALSO
ALLOWED HORSE-DRAWN VEHICLES
TO CROSS.
THE BRIDGE GAVE COMMUNITIES
EASIER ACCESS TO MARKETS WHEN
FERRY BOATS WERE THE ONLY OTHER
CROSSINGS NEARBY.
(car sounds)
>> IF IT WASN'T FOR THE BRIDGE,
AND IF IT WASN'T FOR THE
DENISON DAM, THIS PART OF EAST
GRAYSON COUNTY WOULD JUST BE
ISOLATED FROM EVERYTHING OVER
IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF
OKLAHOMA.
(truck passes)
>> OUR LAST STOP ALONG THE RED
LIES 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF
PARIS.
JOINED BY THE KIAMICHI RIVER
FROM OKLAHOMA, THE RED MAKES A
BEND, AT HISTORIC JONESBORO.
THE ORIGINAL "GATEWAY TO TEXAS."
>> OH THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY
HERE.
THEY SAY DAVY CROCKETT
AND SAM HOUSTON CROSSED THE
RIVER IN THIS AREA.
>> ELIZABETH POOL NOW LIVES
ON THE SITE ONCE KNOWN
AS JONESBORO.
A TOWN THAT BEGAN ITS
DEVELOPMENT IN 1814 AND WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST ANGLO-AMERICAN
SETTLEMENTS IN TEXAS.
>> THERE WAS A COURTHOUSE,
A HOTEL, A JAIL, AND THREE
STORES, GENERAL STORES
UP THERE AT THAT TIME.
WELL THAT RIVER IS UP ISN'T IT?
AND LOOK AT THOSE CRACKS.
THAT'S GONNA GO.
>> THE RED'S CHANGING COURSE
AND THE ECONOMY MADE JONESBORO
A GHOST TOWN BY THE MID 1800'S.
TODAY THE RIVER CONTINUES TO
REDEFINE ITS PATH.
OVER THE YEARS MS. POOL HAS
SEEN HER PROPERTY GRADUALLY
DISAPPEAR.
>> I GUESS THE LORD TAKETH,
THE LORD GIVETH.
(music)
>> THE RED RIVER STILL SHAPES
THE LAND AND LIFE ALONG ITS
BANKS, AS IT HAS FOR CENTURIES.
ITS COURSE HAS BEEN ALTERED BY
MAN, BUT IT LARGELY REMAINS
UNCONTROLLED.
AND SO IT IS THAT THIS RIVER
ON THE BORDER ROLLS ON.
(sound of lapping water)