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Great Raft of the Red River

Great Raft of the Red River

Update: 2025-11-25
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Description

For over 1,000 years a massive, natural log jam covered great swaths of the Red River in Louisiana. Known as the Great Raft, it was integral part of the Caddo culture. Unfortunately, it also made the river unnavigable for ships. As such the United States government attempted to clear it, and only managed to do so thanks to the use of high explosives. But the process forever altered the course of the river thanks to extreme ecological damage. This is the story of the Great Raft of the Red River.






Sources




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Raft


https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=RE009


https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/042254248e6f471fa2a2cf1ec880ca08


Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photographic_Views_of_Red_River_Raft_25.jpg




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Great Raft of the Red River

Great Raft of the Red River

Matt and McKinley Breen