Caddo Lake: Home To The Largest Cypress Forest In The World Is Located Between Texas And Louisiana

Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com – According to Caddo Indian legend, the Caddo lake was formed by a giant flood. Other theories attribute the lake’s origin to an earthquake.

Scientists believe the lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into the Cypress Bayou watershed, forming the lake.

This fascinating maze of waterways, sloughs, islands,  bayous, channels, and cypress thickets dripping with Spanish moss, was named after the Native Americans called Caddo Indians or Caddoans.

Caddo Lake is the largest natural lake in the south, and the only natural lake in Texas, more exactly located on the border between Texas and Louisiana; the area of the lake extends over a distance of about 106 sq. km.

It is fed by Big Cypress Bayou, Little Cypress Bayou, Black Cypress Bayou and Jeems Bayou. Thick bald cypress and a tangle of aquatic plants thrive in the waters at Caddo Lake State Park.

Yet another wonderful legend of Caddo Indian tribe is related to this wonderful place:

‘Once upon a time, a young beautiful girl met a guy and they fell in love. Lovers made a decision to live together and go away from the trib. They lived very happily, walking along lake shores and enjoying its beauty until the woman died of illness. The distressed man buried his beloved but cut off her hair in memory.

He walked along the banks and hung dead girlfriend’s braids on the tree branches. Over time, they turned gray, but still hang on the branches of cypress trees, preserving the memory of immortal love between two people….’

See also:

Fly Ranch Geyser: Nevada’s Marvellous And Unique Oddity

The Hoodoos Of The Towers Of Silence – Mother Nature’s Wonder Work In Southwest, USA

Garden Of The Gods In Colorado Reveals Secrets Of Ancient Environments

Today Caddo Lake is a sprawling maze of bayous and sloughs covering, 26,810 acres of cypress swamp. The average depth of the lake is 8′-10′ with the deep water in the bayou averaging about 20. It contains 71 species of fish. There are also cypress trees, American lotus, and lily pads, waterfowl, alligators, turtles, frogs, snakes, raccoons, minks, nutrias, beavers, squirrels, armadillos, and white-tailed deer.

In the late 18th or early 19th century, Caddo Indians settled on this rich land, where according to tribal legend, ‘water thrown up into the drift along the shore by a wind’ formed Tso’to (Sodo) Lake. Legends tell of the formation of the lake and Sha’childi’ni (Timber Hill), the first and last known Caddo village in this area.

People have lived in this area for at least 12,000 years. For centuries, they hunted and gathered among the wetlands, forests and broad floodplains. Then they began to settle in permanent villages and farmed corn, beans, and squash. They built ceremonial centers and maintained far-reaching trade routes.

In 1835 the land of and around present-day Caddo Lake was purchased from the Indians for $80,000 by the U.S. government, and within a year the Caddo Indians were removed from this region.

Written by Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer

Copyright © MessageToEagle.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of MessageToEagle.com