Red River County

Red River County, Texas

Red River County, Texas

The Red River County Courthouse is housed in the city of Clarksville, which also serves as the county seat. Photograph by Michael Barera.
Red River County, Texas

Red River County, Texas

Map of Red River County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Red River County is separated from Oklahoma by the Red River and from Arkansas by Bowie County. Clarksville, the county seat and largest town, is sixty miles northwest of Texarkana. The county's center lies at 33°37' north latitude and 95°01' west longitude. Red River County occupies 1,054 square miles of the East Texas timberlands. The terrain is gently rolling with an elevation ranging from 300 to 500 feet above sea level. The county is drained by the Red River and the Sulphur River, which form its northern and southern boundaries. Most of the soils in the county are either loamy with a clayey subsoil or clayey. Mineral resources include oil, gas, clay, industrial sand, and chalk. Temperatures range from an average high of 94° F in July to an average low of 30° in January. Rainfall averages forty-six inches a year, and the growing season averages 234 days annually.

Archeological evidence indicates that portions of the county lands were occupied by Indians as early as the Late Archaic Period, around 1500 B.C. At the time of first European contact, the area was occupied by the Caddo Indians, an agricultural people with a highly developed culture. During the last decade of the eighteenth century, due to epidemics that decimated the tribe and problems with the Osages, the Caddos abandoned the villages they had occupied for centuries. During the early 1820s bands of Shawnee, Delaware, and Kickapoo Indians immigrated into what is now Red River County, settling along the banks of the creeks that still bear their names. Although Anglo settlement of the county had already begun, relations between Indians and settlers were relatively peaceful. During the mid-1830s the Indians abandoned their settlements. It may be that the first Europeans to enter the county were Frenchmen under the command of Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe during his expedition of 1718–19. Shortly thereafter, the French established Le Poste des Cadodaquious in the territory of present-day Bowie County. During the decades when small groups of French soldiers, hunters, trappers, and traders occupied the fort, they probably passed through Red River County on numerous occasions. An early account of the area stated that French hunters gave Pecan Point its name.

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Cecil Harper, Jr. | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Red River County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

260 ft – 560 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 1,036.6 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,056.7 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 30.8°F
July mean maximum: 91.9°F

Rainfall, 2019

48.8 inches

Population Count, 2019

12,023

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

4,836

Unemployment, 2019

7.5%

Property Values, 2019

$1,850,111,182 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$40,648 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$49,416,901 USD

Wages, 2019

$26,156,339 USD

Red River County

Highlighted:
  • Red River County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town 50 (2009) Yes
Town 31 (2009) Yes
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town 52 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 183 (2021) Yes
Town 426 (2021) Yes
Town 150 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 14 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,089 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town 3 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,790 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 116 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 551 (2021) Yes
Town 707 (2021) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 150 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 152 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 175 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 90 (2009) Yes
Town 50 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 109 (2009) Yes
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town 61 (2009) Yes
Town 185 (2009) Yes
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 175 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 136 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 50 (2009) Yes
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 24 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 90 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 128 (2009) Yes
Lake Yes
Town

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