History of the Red River Shared by the Red River Waterway Commission
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, settlers flooded the Red River Valley. River transportation at that time was primarily keelboats, flatboats, pirogues, rafts and bateaus. Navigating the river was complicated by log jams, or “raft.” The most famous of these was “The Great Raft” extending from Natchitoches to Shreveport. It was impassable even to the Indians.
Recognizing the growth potential for the river, a well-known inventor and engineer, Captain Henry Miller Shreve, offered the U.S. government a plan to clear the river in 1824. With a steam snag boat of his own design, Shreve eliminated the raft at a cost of $300,000, less than 10% of previous estimates. Thus, the Red River became navigable from its mouth north for several hundred miles. But despite the success, efforts to keep the river clear ended with the outbreak of the Civil War.
It wasn’t until the River and Harbors Act of 1968, that the 90th Congress authorized construction of the Red River Waterway project. Since completion of the 5 locks & dams in 1994, it has served as a year-round waterway connecting ports north and south for businesses the world over.
Grand Ecore Visitors Center on the Red River
The Red River Visitor Center is located at Grand Ecore, a small community about four miles north of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and commands a panoramic view from a bluff 80 feet above the Red River. The Visitor Center displays exhibits which educates and informs the public about the Water and the Corps of Engineers’ role in development, preservation, and enhancement of the water resources in the region, as well as the geology, paleontology, and Native American cultures of the region. The Corps of Engineers and the Red River Waterway Commission have partnered to manage the 230 mile section of the Red River between the J. Bennet Johnston Dam and Shreveport. The Grand Ecore Visitors Center is a special and surprising place to find in rural Louisiana
Fishing the Red River
The Red River offers excellent fishing, known for species like largemouth bass, catfish and white bass, with popular spots including the backwater areas and the main river during summer. The water is a reddish color and is made up of five pools, all of which contain plenty of bass in the 3-to-8-pound range.
Boat Launches
Grand Ecore RV Park and Boat Launch north of downtown Natchitoches
Red River Recreation Park & Boat Launch 8 miles south of Natchitoches on Hampton Road
Red Bayou Boat Launch near Cloutierville in southern Natchitoches Parish.
Camping
