In this episode, Susan speaks with Robin Cole-Jett, a native of the Red River Valley who is known as "The Red River Historian." For nearly twenty years, Robin has been introducing readers and tourists to the history of this unique region of the United States "where the South meets the West." As she explains to Susan, tracing the Red River has taken Robin on a 1,300 mile journey from the old plantation system of Louisiana and Arkansas to the ranches of Texas and Oklahoma. Along the way, she has documented everything from ghost towns to a historic jail cell that once housed Bonnie Parker. She has also noted the cultural and environmental impacts of major changes in infrastructure, such as the development of railroads and highways. Robin discusses all of these topics with Susan and shares her plans to resume offering tours once the pandemic is behind us.
To learn more about Robin's work, visit https://redriverhistorian.com/.
To learn more about OLLI at UNT, visit https://olli.unt.edu or email olli@unt.edu.
