{"product_id":"the-red-river-bridge-war-rusty-williams-9781623494056","title":"The Red River Bridge War: A Texas-Oklahoma Border Battle","description":"Winner, 2017 Oklahoma Book Award, sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Winner, 2016 Outstanding Book on Oklahoma History, sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At the beginning of America's Great Depression, Texas and Oklahoma armed up and went to war over a 75-cent toll bridge that connected their states across the Red River. It was a two-week affair marked by the presence of National Guardsmen with field artillery, Texas Rangers with itchy trigger fingers, angry mobs, Model T blockade runners, and even a costumed Native American peace delegation. Traffic backed up for miles, cutting off travel between the states.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This conflict entertained newspaper readers nationwide during the summer of 1931, but the Red River Bridge War was a deadly serious affair for many rural Americans at a time when free bridges and passable roads could mean the difference between survival and starvation. The confrontation had national consequences, too: it marked an end to public acceptance of the privately owned ferries, toll bridges, and turnpikes that threatened to strangle American transportation in the automobile age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Red River Bridge War: A Texas-Oklahoma Border Battle\u003c\/i\u003e documents the day-to-day skirmishes of this unlikely conflict between two sovereign states, each struggling to help citizens get goods to market at a time of reduced tax revenue and little federal assistance. It also serves as a cautionary tale, providing historical context to the current trend of re-privatizing our nation's highway infrastructure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rusty Williams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1623494052\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781623494056\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Texas A\u0026amp;M University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/20\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 330\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.50w x 0.90d","brand":"Rusty Williams","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43939319906559,"sku":"9781623494056","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_f4e76de3-344f-4b9a-bd6d-511e9fc16e83.jpg?v=1681440800","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-red-river-bridge-war-rusty-williams-9781623494056","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}