Speaking of the Red River flooding -- does any one know or have access to information on flooding of the Red River. I'd like to know if there is recorded any information of flooding between 1855 to 1865. Any particular stories? Perhaps you can point me to the right books? Maybe the historical society? Linda

That particular time period would only be covered in journals/diaries and newspapers that are still around in the newspaper project at the State library in Austin. You would have to find what issues were available for the years you are interested in . The newspapers before the 1880's and 90's are missing a lot of years and issues so its hit or miss. The Clarksville Newspapers survived pretty well but are missing some decades and issues all through it. I have seen some of theirs in the 1840's on microfilm . The sherman library has a fine Vertical File ,including info on the floods and the dam being built. It is hundreds of bits of newspapers and articles though. The majority of the info on the last 120 yrs. Flooding was very very common on the Red River and then they would have a larger flood every few years. It always amazes me of how far down the water is and how very deep the gorge of it is , yet it almost everyear would back up and overflow up through all the creek beds. In the 1850's and 60's many people died just taking wagons across in a normal flow, it is full of holes and horse and wagon could go under any time. Those were not the settlers already here unless they died helping someone. They knew to move up and away from the river if it rained enough or was rising. Shoot there is an entire train in the river bed at a crossing above denison! Lost to a flood. It was a common thing. The Red River is a shadow of what it used to be , because of so much flood control. Originally too until 1874 there was a 'great Red River Raft' which basically was a log jam thousands of years old near Louisana, it slowed the water down and cause water to back up everywhere even more so. So a flood was bad enough but it drained slowly. Caddo Lake which is the only real lake in all of Texas drained when the raft was removed. It had to get water artifically dammed in order to keep water in it at all. Once the raft was removed the water built upf fast in a flood and then drained fast , which meant people got into more trouble because they would live where they had not before because it didn't flood every year only in big big rain backups and then it would be a disaster that would shock folks. Kind of like people living on a fault and you wonder why they do. But if they had small earthquakes every year and they were all the same magnitude and period of time, then it would be predictable and you could find a way to easily live with them. The natural raft was still in place when you are wanting a flood and floods were a probably 30 times more frequent than the late 1870's. But caused less flood damage because everyone stayed out of the worst areas. But if they traveled or were caught unaware of the area's quirks it would be horrible. That is why Honey Grove was such a populated place it was in a very good spot early on. Kentuckytown over in Grayson the same. Pilot Grove was in some places but still had a raging creek at times. The actual watershed of the Red river valley is in a line about 6 or 7 miles south of the town of Whitewright, all water to the south drain into the Trinity watershed and all water north of that line drains to the Red River If viewing a map the line on the west side of Fannin Co. is about 2 miles north of the Bethel Church (Bethel community) on hwy 160. You can look at the topographical maps online in 1827 and see the drain locations. The town of whitewright flooded quite a few times all downtown due to the Red River flooding before the Denison Dam was built during WWII. Usually I become aware of a flood time when This is about the river but not the flood history. I cannot find anything online except about the later flood times. http://www.rra.dst.tx.us/c_t/Rivers/RED%20RIVER.cfm linda & greg hoffman wrote: > > Speaking of the Red River flooding -- does any one know or have access to > information on flooding of the Red River. I'd like to know if there is > recorded any information of flooding between 1855 to 1865. Any particular > stories? Perhaps you can point me to the right books? Maybe the historical > society? > Linda > > ==== TXFANNIN Mailing List ==== > Threaded Archives > Search List by subject line in a time period > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/