Back in 1969 the roads in Oklahoma were considered some of the most primitive in the nation. There is still one road on Lake Keystone that goes underwater when the lake level is high and there are no warning lights or even street lights. You are just sailing along when 'boom', you are in the lake.

This could have been the same sort of thing, and lakes in that part of the state are reddish in color due to run off from the area fields. You cannot see more than one or two inches below the surface, so unless someone tripped over them they would just sit there.

There is even a type of country music known as Red Dirt music since it comes from that area.