From the Annals of Twin Cities – In 1873,Texarkana was established.  Texarkana, Texas that is.  There are of course two Texarkanas in Texas and Arkansas.  Texarkana (site of a former Caddo Indian village) was strategically located on the Great Southwest Trail which for centuries was the primary route from Indian villages of the Mississippi River country to those in Texas and further west.  Its importance as a crossroads continued when in 1874, the Cairo and Fulton Railroad connected to the Texas and Pacific Railroad at Texarkana.

And despite what the song says there is no place in Louisiana that is “just about a mile from Texarkana.”