Jefferson is known as the “Old Time Metropolis of East Texas,” and there is something pathetic about Jefferson’s history. In the days following the Civil War Jefferson had a population of 25,000. It was the trading point of East Texas, and all roads led to Jefferson. A natural barrier in Red River backed water into Cypress Bayou to an extent that navigation was possible as far as Jefferson. Steamboats landed in Jefferson from New Orleans, La. and points on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. River traffic in Jefferson goes back as early as 1845. The city of Shreveport, La., was long considered the head of navigation on Red River and was for many years the depot of trade for the large scope of country tributary to Jefferson. About the year 1850 it became known that steamboats could ascend farther into the interior and finally the extreme terminus of navigation was fixed at Jefferson and a large portion of the shipping was diverted from Shreveport. No other inland town of the State ever attained the importance in river shipping that came to Jefferson in the late 60’s and early 70’s. As the extreme terminus of navigation on the waters of Cypress Bayou, Jefferson ranked among the established cities of the State, being second only to Galveston. Some of the most palatial steamboats on the western rivers, and there were palatial steamers in those days, plied between Jefferson and New Orleans. Among them were: The Danube, Bessie Warren, Red Cloud, Iron Cities, Koontz, John T. Moore and Lizzie Hopkins. The cabins were elegantly furnished and the furnishings surpassed those of the best hotels of the country. Each steamer carried an Italian band which played at the landings, during meals, for balls in the evening, or whenever wanted for the waltz or schottische. People dressed most elaborately in those days, both men and women. They carried immense trunks, with two or three compartments for hats alone. Suit cases were unknown. In the early days, large oil lamps with reflectors were used as headlights on the boats and pine knots supplied the illumination for the negro deckhands to see how to work. All boats carried signal lights in the smoke stacks, which could be seen from all directions. A red light on the left, a green light on the right, they were known as “Larboard” and “Starboard.” The deckhands could not read and in order to distribute freight a playing card was placed over the name of the towns, for instance, Marshall, Texas, was known as “King of Diamonds,” Longview, Texas, as “Ace of Hearts” and Jefferson as “King of Spades.” The deckhands were told the freight went to “King of Spades,” etc., and a piece of freight was never known to get into the wrong place. The most troublesome of all freight to handle was mules.