Red River of the South facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red River |
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Red River looking east, north of Bonham, Texas: Texas is to the right, Oklahoma is on the left, and the border between the two states runs along the south (right) bank of the river.
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Map of the Red River watershed
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| Native name | Bah'hatteno |
| Other name(s) | Rivière Rouge (former French name), Río Colorado (former Spanish name) |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Harmon County, Oklahoma 1,535 ft (468 m) 34°34′35″N 99°57′54″W / 34.57639°N 99.96500°W |
| River mouth | Atchafalaya River 30 ft (9.1 m) 31°01′10″N 91°44′52″W / 31.01944°N 91.74778°W |
| Length | 1,360 mi (2,190 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 65,595 sq mi (169,890 km2) |
The Red River is a very important river in the United States. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. This means it is a smaller river that flows into a larger one. The Red River starts in Texas. It then flows through Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Finally, it joins the Mississippi River in Louisiana.
The river gets its name from the red clay found along its banks. This clay gives the water a reddish color. The Red River is about 1,320 mi (2,120 km) long.
Dams and Water Flow
The biggest dam on the Red River is called Denison Dam. It was built in 1943. This dam created a large body of water known as Lake Texoma. Lake Texoma is huge, covering about 89,000 acres (360 square kilometers).
There are also other dams on the smaller rivers that flow into the Red River. At the end of its journey, where it meets the Mississippi River, the Red River carries a lot of water. It can have a flow of 7,000 cubic feet (200 cubic meters) of water every second. In early 2009, the river experienced some very large floods.
Images for kids
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State Highway No. 78 Bridge at the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas, photographed on the Oklahoma side
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Crossing the Red River at the Texas–Oklahoma border from I-35
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The Red River took a new channel near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and left behind Cane River Lake.
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Salt beds in the Red River
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Crossing the North Fork of the Red River near Granite, Oklahoma, 1921.
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Red River, Texas
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Red River LA 2 Bridge, not the Jimmie Davis Bridge, atop the Red River between Bossier and Caddo parishes near Shreveport
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Popular pedestrian walkway along the Red River in Alexandria, Louisiana
See also
In Spanish: Río Rojo (Misisipi) para niños
