78R4814 MMS-D

By:  Telford                                                    H.C.R. No. 171



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, Caddo Lake, the "ethereal," hauntingly beautiful 
body of water that has played such a crucial role in the life of 
Northeast Texas, constitutes one of the state's most precious 
natural assets; and
	WHEREAS, Caddo Lake was formed about 1800 when the Great 
Raft, a massive logjam on the Red River above Shreveport, caused 
waters to back up and overflow; today the shallow lake, with its 
bayous, sloughs, and open water, covers roughly 30,000 square 
acres; approximately one-third of the lake is composed of cypress 
swamps, where trees 250 to 400 years old stand draped in Spanish 
moss; and
	WHEREAS, Before it was dammed in the early 1900s, Caddo Lake 
was the only natural lake in Texas, and it is believed to be the 
largest lake in the South; during the mid-19th century, before 
Texas experienced its great boom in railroad building, Caddo Lake 
was indispensable to the settlement and commercial development of a 
large section of the state; straddling the Texas-Louisiana border, 
it formed one of the links in a chain of natural waterways that 
connected Northeast Texas to the Mississippi River and so to the 
great urban centers of St. Louis and New Orleans; and
	WHEREAS, Caddo Lake is rich in historical associations; its 
shores have been home to an Alabama Indian village and the last 
Caddo Indian village; Robert Potter, a signer of the Texas 
Declaration of Independence and a legislator and cabinet member 
during the period of the republic, also established his residence 
there; and
	WHEREAS, Other significant sites on the lake included, in the 
mid-1800s, Port Caddo and Swanson's Landing, two thriving ports of 
entry; by the late 1840s, however, these communities had been 
surpassed in importance by the town of Jefferson, a few miles 
upstream from Caddo Lake; the westernmost port on the Red River 
system, Jefferson was for some 30 years the chief river port in 
Texas, and by 1870 it ranked second only to Galveston in volume of 
commerce; and
	WHEREAS, When the Great Raft was finally cleared in the 
1870s, the level of Caddo Lake fell, bringing an end to its role as a 
major conduit of people and goods; the lowering of the water level 
exposed mussel beds, though, and for a time the lake became the 
scene of a booming freshwater pearl industry; pearling, too, 
however, passed into history after the lake was dammed in 1914; and
	WHEREAS, The next industry to develop at Caddo Lake was oil, 
and the lake became the site of the first off-shore drilling in the 
United States; today oil continues to be pumped from beneath the 
lake's waters; and
	WHEREAS, Blessed with great biological diversity and 
providing a critical habitat for resident and migratory wildlife, 
Caddo Lake is one of only a handful of sites across the country to be 
included on the Ramsar Convention's List of Wetlands of 
International Importance; the Ramsar Convention, adopted in 1971, 
is the only international accord dedicated to the worldwide 
protection of wetland ecosystems; and
	WHEREAS, Caddo Lake draws researchers from around the world 
and serves as a living laboratory for area teachers and students, 
who use the lake to study subjects ranging from wetland ecology, 
ornithology, and habitat analysis to history and archeology; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to its ecological importance, Caddo Lake 
contributes significantly to the area economy; supporting more than 
70 species of fish and situated on a major flyway, its waters offer 
exceptional fishing and birdwatching, together with hunting and 
boating amid some of the state's most unique scenic beauty; some 
7,000 acres of the lake are owned by the State of Texas and 
preserved as a wildlife management area, while another 7,200 acres 
have been set aside as a national wildlife refuge; and
	WHEREAS, A natural jewel, Caddo Lake has long been an 
integral part of the life of Northeast Texas, and its 
environmental, historical, and economic importance is indeed 
deserving of legislative recognition; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby designate Caddo Lake as the First Lake of Texas.