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2 unusual facts about Red River Valley


Roy P. Johnson

He captured moments in frontier history at a time when oral history and personal reminiscence could still fill in the blank spaces left by official histories and biographies, producing what remains one of the primary sources for Red River Valley history.

In addition to his interest in the Red River Valley, Mr. Johnson had a consuming interest in the events surrounding the defeat of General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.


Clint, Texas

Clint, Texas, was also mentioned in Johnny Cash's 1966 song "Red River Valley" from the album Everybody Loves a Nut, in which Cash repeatedly states that he bought his first harmonica for $2.98 in Clint.

Hillside Beach, Manitoba

During the fur trading expeditions of the Voyageurs and Coureur des bois the lagoon was part of a portage for traveling between the Winnipeg River and Lake Winnipeg en route from French eastern Canada to the Red River Valley, avoiding the long often choppy route around Elk Island.

Johnny and the Hurricanes

Johnny and the Hurricanes followed with "Red River Rock", an instrumental version of "Red River Valley", on Warwick Records, that became a Top Ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic (No. 5 in the U.S., No. 3 in the UK), and sold over a million copies.

Treaty of Old Crossing

By the Treaty of Old Crossing (1863) and the Treaty of Old Crossing (1864), the Pembina and Red Lake bands of the Ojibwe, then known as Chippewa Indians, purportedly ceded to the United States all of their rights to the Red River Valley.


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