| Caddo Lake | |
|---|---|
 Viewed from a point nearUncertain | |
  Caddo Lake Caddo Lake Show map of Louisiana Caddo Lake Caddo Lake (Texas) Show map of Texas Caddo Lake Caddo Lake (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Texas,Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 32°43′N94°01′W / 32.71°N 94.01°W /32.71; -94.01 |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 25,400 acres (10,300 ha) |
| Surface elevation | 161 ft (49 m) |
| Islands | Tar Island |
| Designated | 23 October 1993 |
| Reference no. | 633[1] |
Caddo Lake (French:Lac Caddo) is a 25,400-acre (10,300 ha)lake andbayou (wetland) on the border betweenTexas andLouisiana, in northernHarrison County and southernMarion County in Texas and westernCaddo Parish in Louisiana. The lake is named after theCaddoans orCaddo,Native Americans who lived in the area until their expulsion by the United States in the 19th century. The US forced most of them to move west toIndian Territory.
The lake and bayou comprise an internationally protected wetland under theRamsar Convention and includes one of the largest floodedcypress forests in the United States. Caddo is one of Texas's few non-oxbow natural lakes. It was artificially altered by the addition of a dam in the 1900s.[2]
According toCaddo legend, the lake was formed by the1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes. There may be some truth to the legend, asReelfoot Lake inTennessee has been documented as formed by thatearthquake.
But most geologists believe that the lake was formed earlier, either gradually or catastrophically, by the "Great Raft", a 100 miles (161 km)log jam on theRed River inLouisiana. This likely caused flooding of the existinglow-lying basin.[3] According to a 1913-1914 survey that dated timber there, the lake formed about 1770 to 1780.
Caddo Lake has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years, but substantial commercial development would only begin with invention of thesteamboat andUSannexation of Louisiana and Texas by treaty (Texas is the only State in the United States to have joined by treaty instead of annexation) in the 19th century. The cities of Port Caddo, Swanson's Landing, andJefferson in Texas, andMooringsport in Louisiana, had thrivingriverboat ports on the lake. Jefferson was the largest inland port in the United States during this period.
Gradually as the log jams were removed in the lake and on the Red River by CaptainHenry Miller Shreve and then by theArmy Corps of Engineers, the lake changed shape and eventually its water level dropped by more than 10 feet (3.0 m). This dramatically reduced navigability by riverboat and ended the success of theEast Texas ports.
A different industry came to Caddo Lake in the early 20th century with the discovery ofoil beneath it. The world's first over-wateroil platform was completed in Caddo Lake in 1911. TheFerry Lake No. 1 was erected byGulf Refining Company. The well bottomed at 2,185 feet (666 m) and produced 450 barrels per day (72 m3/d).[4]
Oil derricks were erected throughout the lake, further damaging the fragileecosystem. The oil industry left Caddo for richer fields atKilgore and other locations in Texas. Texas tried to preserve parts of Caddo in 1934 by establishing a 483-acre (2 km2)state park, with trails, cabins, and other facilities constructed by theWPA.
The Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant was built on the shores of Caddo in the mid-20th century, and its operationspolluted large portions of the surroundingwetlands until its closure in the 1990s. Most of the former plant site is now a federal wildlife refuge.[5][6]
In 1913 and 1914, ecologist Lionel Janes conducted a federal survey of Caddo Lake (called Ferry Lake at the time) for the Department of Interior. Based on an examination of cross sections of bald cypress and hardwood trees, and many dead stumps, he estimated that the lake formed sometime between 1770 and 1780.[7]
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Wildlife inhabiting Caddo Lake includes owls, snakes, frogs, waterfowl, bobcats, river otters, beavers, eagles, andalligators.[8]
In 1993 Caddo Lake preservation efforts were expanded. The Nature Conservancy had purchased 7,000 acres (2,833 ha) of the Caddo Lake area and announced an agreement to merge this property with the 483-acre (195 ha) Texas Caddo State Park, creating theCaddo Lake State Park and Wildlife Management Area. As a result of efforts by the Caddo Lake Institute (co-founded byDon Henley andDwight K. Shellman),[citation needed] in October 1993 Caddo Lake became one of thirteen areas in theUnited States protected by theRamsar Convention.[9] This is an international effort to protect important wetlands for sustainability. Among supporters advocating preservation of Caddo Lake has been rocker Don Henley, singer and songwriter forThe Eagles.
As of 2003, Caddo Lakeflora andfauna consisted of 189species oftrees andshrubs, 75grasses, 42woody vines, 216 kinds ofbirds, 90fish andreptiles, and 47mammals. TheCrataegus opaca, known as themayhaw, produces fruit that people use to make jelly. Forty-four of Caddo's native species were eitherendangered,threatened orrare.[citation needed]
From 2001 until 2003 Caddo Lake residents fought a legal battle with the City ofMarshall, Texas over water rights.[citation needed]
The lake is "under siege" by a fast-spreading, Velcro-like aquatic fern,Salvinia molesta, also known asgiant salvinia. Accidentally introduced to the lake by boaters, the noxious weed doubles in size every two to four days, rapidly killing off life below the surface. Most of the growth of the plant is on the Louisiana side. Officials have been focused on recovering from damage caused by HurricanesKatrina andRita in 2005.[10]
Efforts at removing the weed have included biological means via beetles that normally eat the weed, but these were unable to survive the Texas cold. Herbicide is also being used against the invasive fern. The Texas Water Resource Institute's Caddo Lake Salvinia Eradication Project is evaluating multiple methods of eradication.[11]
Since 1965 Texas's Caddo Lake has been the center of hundreds of allegedBigfoot sightings, according to the North American Wood Ape Conservancy (NAWAC). This was reported in theTravel Channel 2006 documentaryBigfoot.[citation needed]
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