The 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.