RED RIVER, a large river of the United States, the southernmost of the great tributa ries of the Mississippi River. Its headwaters are in the northwestern part of Texas, on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado, and it flows east-southeast, forming the boundary be tween Texas and the Indian Territory and the northeastern boundary of Texas, entering Ar kansas at the southwest corner of the State. After entering Arkansas it turns south and piirsues an exceedingly irregular course to Shreveport, La., where it again takes a south east course to Avoyelles County, making a large northern curve in crossing this county, and entering the Mississippi River opposite the southwest corner of the State of Mississippi. The mouth of the Red River is about 340 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The whole course is nearly 2,000 miles. The chief tributaries are the Washita, which joins it in Louisiana; and the False Washita and the Kiamich, both of which it receives in the Indian Territory. Much of its course is through rich prairies, with red soil which colors the water. About 100 miles above Natchitoches, which lies 100 miles above the mouth of the stream, com mences a swampy expansion of the river called the Raft, 70 miles long and 20 miles to 30 miles wide, produced by the river dividing into a number of channels, sometimes shallow, which have been obstructed by fallen trees and other matter brought down by the stream. At great expense this obstruction has been cleared away so far as to admit the passage of steamboats. About four miles above Natchitoches the va rious channels again unite, soon, however, again to separate into numerous creeks and bayous. Above Shreveport was another such Raft, about 32 miles in length. In 1873 a channel was cut through, making this part of the river navigable, but constant care is exercised in removing the floating timber so as to keep the stream open. In the upper part of its course it flows through lofty cafions whose perpendicular sides are i from 300 to 800 feet in height. After leaving
the canons it enters the sandy lands, where the waters extend out to a shallow stream from 500 to 3,000 feet in width. Then as it enters the wooded country the stream becomes slug gish and spreads out for miles.
A peculiarity of the lower course of the river is the bayous which it sends out. Some of the bayous return to the main stream and others flow directly to the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya River originally left the Mis sissippi at a great bend below the mouth of the Red River; but the Mississippi has cut across the bend, forming Turnbull Island, and here the Red occupies the channel once the Mississippi, and flows south of the island, so that the head of the Atchafalaya is now in the Red River, from which it flows south to the Gulf. The Mississippi receives the flood much earlier than the Red River, and at that time, the Mississippi floodwaters flow back past Turnbull Island and down the Atchafalaya. The floodplain of the Red River in Louisiana ex tends along the river until it is merged into the floodplain of the Mississippi at the mouth of the Black River. This plain is from 10 to 20 miles wide and is known as the Red River bottoms The plain is below the level of the river and is protected by levees. The river bed above Natchitoches has changed. Many years ago the river left the old bed and cut a • new way for itself, a channel about 20 miles long. The new channel is called Bon Dieu River and the old channel is called Cane River, The gov ernment is improving the navigation of the Red River and engineers have worked to force all tile waters of the Red River into the Mississippi; thus cutting off Atchafalaya. The river is navigable for nearly 1,300 miles and with its tributaries, over 2,000 miles. Small steamers can ascend almost to the Texas boundary at high water and to Shreveport at all seasons except when the water is very low. Consult Marcy, (Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana.)