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Explore the World of The Boatman's Daughter

Text by Andy Davidson
Illustrations by Paige Vickers

Header: Visit Nash County

Folks around here like to say the hand of the good Lord is at work in every bend and bough of the Prosper River.

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From the merchants and missionaries ensconced along the shores, to the wildlife thriving in these verdant swamps, our land positively teems with mystery and wonder.

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Come, friends, and see for yourselves the miracles of Nash County!

THE PROSPER RIVER

This muddy tributary of the Red River flows south from Lake Whitman, Texas, forming the southwestern border of Nash County, Arkansas. Here, waterways and bayous run for miles into rich, uncharted bottomlands, which teem with wildlife, making the Prosper an ideal destination for fishermen and wild game hunters the world over!

Prosper River

Crabtree Landing Illustration

CRABTREE LANDING

Owned and operated by Hiram Crabtree and his family, Crabtree Landing has served sportsmen along the Prosper for over twenty years! If you’re looking for bait and tackle, picnic supplies, or a qualified boatman to guide you to the best fishing holes, look no further than this well-stocked mercantile at the end of Crabtree Lane.

SABBATH HOUSE

Founded in 1956 by charismatic duo Billy and Lena Cotton, this former slave plantation along the Prosper now serves as the international headquarters of Sabbath Christian Ministries. Here, at Holy Day Church, the Cottons shepherd the lost and hungry youth of America. Consider yourself invited to Sunday services.

Sabbath House Illustration

TX-AS Border Illustration

THE TEXAS-ARKANSAS BORDER

Six miles below Lake Whitman, in a lonely corner of Nash County, the Prosper River assumes its distinct, crooked shape, as Texas gives way to the wilds of the Arkansas swamp. History suggests this remote corner of land was once a haven for Civil War gun-runners. Today, it’s a perfect spot to put in a boat and begin your own bottomland adventure!

THE BOTTOMLANDS

Follow the twisted arteries that run like snakes off the Prosper and you might just find yourself drawn into the swamp’s green and beating heart: a lonely island where, according to local legends, an old witch dwells, midwife to devils and mother to demons! There, fishermen swear, among creaking pines wrapped in silver mist, great footfalls sound like thunder in the darkest hours of the night.

Bottomlands Illustration

Nash County Map


The Boatman's Daughter book cover

The Boatman's Daughter

MCD × FSGO, 2020

"Go read Andy Davidson’s lush nightmare, The Boatman’s Daughter. It put an arrow through my head and heart.” —Paul Tremblay, author of Growing Things

"Ample bloodshed is offset by beautiful prose . . . A stunning supernatural Southern Gothic." —Kirkus (starred)

Ever since her father was killed when she was just a child, Miranda Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying contraband for a mad preacher and his declining band of followers to make ends meet and to protect an old witch...

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