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| Wreck on the Red The West was won not only by brave cattle drivers and fearless pioneers. It was also won (or lost - depending on how you view it) by the simple act of commerce. Before the railroads cut swaths through the landscape to bring goods to settlers, steamboats on the Red River supplied everything from coffee to ammunition. And one of the oldest of steamboats - a 140 foot long side wheeler - is now a notable wreck in the Red River. Located in the middle of the stream a few miles down from Ft. Towson, the wreck was first discovered by local landowners in 1991, after flooding exposed it. But it was only in 1999 when someone decided to notify the Oklahoma Historical Society. The OHS realized right away what a significant find this was. Not only is the wreck the first recorded Oklahoma shipwreck, it is also the earliest known wreck in western rivers. Soon, OHS, along with the Texas A&M Nautical Archeology Department, conducted an extensive survey on the site. According to Fort Towson records, the ship, built in the 1830s, probably sunk in the 1840s. Although none of the historians or archeologists know what the name of the boat was (although they have a few hunches), they're pretty sure it probably hit a tree stump obscured in the river before it sank. The Red River Wreck is a well-known archeological site and is protected as such. Since all land surrounding the wreck is private, you can't readily access it unless by boat - and then, as we all know, the river is still treacherous. Therefore, it's best just to live vicariously through the photographs of others, found on this website: http://ina.tamu.edu/redriver/index.html |
Now why's this river called Red?
Wreck on the Red
