﻿THE 
  SHREVEPORT 
  AREA 
  

  

  Introduction 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  work 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  present 
  incomplete 
  report 
  is 
  

   based 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  November 
  and 
  December, 
  

   1898. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  largely 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  soil 
  map 
  of 
  

   the 
  bottoms 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  decided 
  to 
  turn 
  over 
  all 
  soil 
  

   work 
  to 
  a 
  division 
  devoted 
  exclusively 
  to 
  that 
  subject 
  it 
  has 
  

   seemed 
  best 
  to 
  publish 
  the 
  information 
  collected. 
  

  

  Thanks 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  many 
  Red 
  river 
  planters 
  for 
  their 
  kindness 
  

   and 
  courtesy. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  region 
  above 
  Shreveport 
  is 
  possibly 
  unique 
  in 
  the 
  

   respect 
  that 
  changes, 
  which 
  usuallj^ 
  occupy 
  great 
  periods 
  of 
  

   time, 
  and 
  whose 
  full 
  story 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  learned 
  by 
  deduction, 
  have 
  

   taken 
  place 
  here 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  3'ears. 
  Lakes 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  

   and 
  destroyed 
  ; 
  stream 
  beds 
  formed 
  and 
  abandoned 
  ; 
  waterfalls 
  

   produced 
  to 
  destroy 
  themselves 
  ; 
  new 
  streams 
  formed 
  out 
  of 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  old 
  ones 
  ; 
  and 
  temporary 
  reversals 
  of 
  the 
  

   drainage 
  systems 
  have 
  been 
  effected. 
  

  

  Present 
  Topography 
  and 
  Drainage 
  

   Red 
  River 
  

  

  Locatio7i 
  of 
  area. 
  — 
  The 
  main 
  region 
  under 
  discussion 
  is 
  an 
  

   irregular 
  area 
  lying 
  in 
  the 
  Red 
  river 
  valley 
  between 
  Shreveport 
  

   and 
  the 
  line 
  between 
  I,ouisiana 
  and 
  Arkansas. 
  Red 
  river 
  valley 
  

   in 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  from 
  four 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  to 
  eight 
  miles 
  wide. 
  

  

  Slope 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  — 
  As 
  in 
  other 
  alluvial 
  flood 
  plains 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  elevation 
  is 
  along 
  the 
  present 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

   From 
  this 
  line 
  the 
  plain 
  slopes 
  both 
  ways 
  to 
  the 
  bounding 
  hills. 
  

   The 
  amount 
  of 
  this 
  slope 
  varies 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plain. 
  

   The 
  levels 
  run 
  by 
  I^ieut. 
  E. 
  A. 
  Woodruff, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Eng., 
  in 
  1871- 
  

   72, 
  as 
  plotted 
  on 
  a 
  map 
  in 
  the 
  archives 
  of 
  the 
  War 
  Department, 
  

   show 
  the 
  following 
  slopes 
  : 
  

  

  