Red River

Formed January 8, 1836 (13^th county)

Red River County (11,588), Clarksville (2,854)                

The tower of the tan limestone Renaissance Revival and Second Empire courthouse stands out on the square at Cedar and Madison streets.  The site is two blocks north of the intersection of United States Highway 82 and Texas State Highway 37 (Cedar Street).  It was built in 1884 from the designs of William H. Wilson.  The building was restored in 2002.  An Annex was built in 1910.  After its January 8, 1836 organizing, Jonesboro and La Grange (now named Madras) each had a courthouse.  Clarksville assumed this role in 1852 where the last two courthouses have been.  The county is one of the original 23 in Texas (13^th county.)  Red River County is obviously named for the river.  Clarksville gets its name from James Clark, an early settler. 

Red River County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Red River, Fannin, and Lamar counties, One District Court Judge serves Red River and Bowie counties, and One County Court Judge serves Red River County.  The county is located on the northern edge of the East Texas pines and along the Red River, which serves as its northern border with Oklahoma.  Texarkana, Texas is east and Dallas, Texas is southwest of the county.  The county center is in Clarksville .4 miles West-Northwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Oklahoma and Bowie, Morris, Titus, Franklin, Delta, and Lamar counties.  The county is relatively flat and wide with river borders on the north and south.  The Sulfur River serves as the southern border. 

The area of the county is 1050 square miles.  It is 65 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 157 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 11.0 persons per square mile making it 163 out of 254 in the state.  Red River County has 45.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 82 transits from east to west, Bowie County to Lamar County.  United States Highway 271 cuts diagonally from Lamar County on the west into the northeast tip of Franklin County on the south.  The county is a rectangle with bulges on the north and indents on the south from the rivers.  Clarksville is slightly south of the county center.  Clarksville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 24.6% of the county population.