Hi, I have already answerred some of this today on another post. Will add some. Tell me if you don't find the other about the Ouachita Maintain Ridge Road from Mena, Ark. to west of Broken Bow, Oklahoma then across the Red River above Paris or Sulfur Springs, Texas. I would have dodged the Caddo lake and swamps around Texarkana if I was in a wagon . >From about 1830 to 1880- maybe longer the Red River had a massive log jam in the Zimmerman sawmill town or Baton Rouge area. It was 65 miles long. This raised the Caddo lake and surrounding swamps water level 4 to 6 feet and Natchitoches, La. on the Cane River was the seaport which downloaded to freight wagons or later the Railroad to send it to Nacodoches, Texas. Jefferson, Texas also became a river port. After the Civil war some engineers gatherred up surplus explosives from the military and blasted the log jam, draining some swamps and causing the Caddo lake at Jefferson, Texas to drop. Natchitoches was required to remove their monument to the good Black folk of the area. Plantations in this area were run by French who married black and at least one run by people of this heritage is open to thepublic with tour guides. North of I-20 is more Scotch- Irish and German . A German wagon train came from Lake Hico, La., Hico, and Arcadia to Hico, Texas and Duffau, Texas. Jefferson is now a bed and breakfast resort with old slave quarters turned int a motel . The lake has regular boat rides through the giant cypres trees , alligators and moss. Some claim the earthquake in 1700's which caused the Missippi to run backwards for a day or so in Arkansas area caused the Caddo lake to become deeper. If you cruise down I-20 you may see a green pasture in the trees. Don't step on it without testing- some of that is floating moss and slime with plants growing on top of the lake water. Take care, Charles Wyly