Author: Jacques D. Bagur

Works Published by UNT Press

Captain W. W. Withenbury's 1838–1842 "Red River Reminiscences"

Published: March, 2014  Pages: 352  Features: 10 maps. Notes. Index.

W. W. Withenbury was a famous river boat captain during the mid-1800s. In retirement, he wrote a series of letters for the Cincinnati Commercial, under the title “Red River Reminiscences.” Jacques Bagur has selected and annotated 39 letters describing three steamboat voyages on the upper Red River from 1838 to 1842. more... about Captain W. W. Withenbury's 1838–1842 "Red River Reminiscences"

Antebellum Jefferson, Texas: Everyday Life in an East Texas Town

Published: February, 2012  Pages: 640  Features: 92 illus. Bib essay. Index.

Founded in 1845 as a steamboat port at the entryway to western markets from the Red River, Jefferson was a thriving center of trade until the steamboat traffic dried up in the 1870s. During its heyday, the town monopolized the shipping of cotton from all points west for 150 miles. Jefferson was the unofficial capital of East Texas, but it was also typical of boom towns in general. more... about Antebellum Jefferson, Texas: Everyday Life in an East Texas Town

A History of Navigation on Cypress Bayou and the Lakes

Published: April, 2001  Pages: 752  Features: 136 photos. 73 illus and maps.

A History of Navigation on Cypress Bayou and the Lakes examines water transportation and the natural and socioeconomic factors that affected it in Northwest Louisiana, East Texas, and the Red River. Jacques Bagur explains how the natural logjam called The Great Raft, a unique phenomenon on the Red River, formed a continuous waterbody west of Shreveport. In the 1800s, enterprising steamboat captains traveled east on the route—known as Cypress Bayou and the Lakes—and developed a system of ports and landings. Jefferson became the most important of these, tapping market areas to the north, south, and far to the west. more... about A History of Navigation on Cypress Bayou and the Lakes