Red River Bridge War

At the beginning of America’s Great Depression, Texas andOklahoma armed up and went to war over a 75-cent toll bridgethat connected their states across the Red River. It was a twoweekaffair marked by the presence of National Guardsmen withfield artillery, Texas Rangers with itchy trigger fingers, angrymobs, Model T blockade runners, and even a costumed NativeAmerican peace delegation. Traffic backed up for miles, cutting offtravel between the states.This conflict entertained newspaper readers nationwide duringthe summer of 1931, but the Red River Bridge War was a deadlyserious affair for many rural Americans at a time when free bridgesand passable roads could mean the difference between survivaland starvation. The confrontation had national consequences,too: it marked an end to public acceptance of the privately ownedferries, toll bridges, and turnpikes that threatened to strangleAmerican transportation in the automobile age.The Red River Bridge War: How Texas and Oklahoma Armed Upand Went to War Over a Toll Bridge documents the day-to-dayskirmishes of this unlikely conflict between two sovereign states,each struggling to help citizens get goods to market at a time ofreduced tax revenue and little federal assistance. It also serves as a cautionary tale, providing historical context to the current trendof re-privatizing our nation’s highway infrastructure.