As the Freeman-Custis party continued north along the Red River from Natchitoches, it became clear that the expedition was going to face two major obstacles. The first obstacle was the Great Raft, a logjam that stretched from a spot just north of Natchitoches to near the Arkansas-Louisiana state line. Built up over centuries, this logjam forced the explorers to travel east or west through a series of small streams and lakes. To their west lay their second obstacle: hostile Spanish soldiers shadowing the expedition to enforce Spanish claims to the Red River valley. So, the Americans traveled east around the Raft through Lake Bistineau. Finally, the American and Spanish groups met near present-day New Boston, Texas, in one of the most dramatic scenes of the entire expedition. Following Jefferson’s instructions, Freeman and Custis made the difficult decision to return to Natchitoches, preserving the lives of their men and the scientific knowledge they had gathered.
Shreveport & Bossier City | Minden & Webster Parish | Texarkana, AR | Texarkana, TX | New Boston
↑ Connections (to Hot Springs) | → Cane River & Rapides
Native Nations, Native Landscapes (Caddo Lake & Tecumseh’s Eclipse)
Borders Then and Now: Texarkana at the Crossroads
Outdoor Recreation
Henry Shreve, the Great Raft, and Today’s Landscape
Black History in the Great Raft and Great Bend area (Freeman’s Slave, Slavery in Spanish Texas)
Spanish Bluff & Richard Ellis
Shreveport & Bossier City | Minden & Webster Parish | Texarkana, AR | Texarkana, TX | New Boston
↑ Connections (to Hot Springs) | → Cane River & Rapides