Come and Take It

Today, Jefferson is a quiet little vacation community in the forests of East Texas. But not so long ago, it was the sort of rowdy saloon and riverboat town where Mark Twain would feel right at home. Cotton was king and this city—hundreds of miles from the coast—gained a reputation as a miniature New Orleans. This lasted until the Army Corps of Engineers opened up the Red River and turned what was once a thriving port city into just another out-of-the-way town. A classic boomtown, Jefferson went from nothing to a thriving metropolis to a near ghost town in less than 40 years.

Before we begin… What’s your favorite country that’s smaller than the state of Texas?

• Visit historic Jefferson, TX, and see many of the sites we talked about!

• The official site of the city of Jefferson and Marion County Chamber of Commerce

• For 67 years the Excelsior House Hotel in Jefferson has been sponsoring historic events, tours, and pilgramages to famous sites in Jefferson.

• The history of the Great Raft, on which Jefferson’s economy depended.

• For those with some time on your hands…an Army Corps of Engineers research report about the Great Raft.

• A really great article about the murder of Diamond Bessie, the crime of the century, which occured in Jefferson!

• Yup, leave it to the Lion’s Club to reenact Jefferson’s most famous murder trial!