| Your Guide: Robin Cole 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, I (Robin Cole Jett) would like 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 Cole 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. I teach history at a junior college and work as an educational director at a train museum, where I also arrange its paper collection. 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! |
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| Old Carpenter Bluff's bridge over the Red River, Oklahoma side |
| Sculpture at Ardmore's Greater Southwest Museum |
| Capps Corner, somewhere in Cooke or Montague County. |
