Caddo
Lake is impounded by Caddo Dam in the Cypress Creek basin in
Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and extends into Harrison and Marion
counties, Texas; the center of the lake is located twenty-nine
miles northeast
of Marshall (at 30°42' N, 97°20' W.) The lake, named for
the Caddo Indians, was one of the largest natural lakes in the
South prior to the construction of the dam. According to Caddo
legend the lake was formed by an earthquake caused by a Caddo
chief's failure to obey the Great Spirit. The more prosaic
explanation of the lake's origin is that it was formed behind a
log jam in the Red River. In
1874 the United States government destroyed the log jam, or Red
River Raft, as it was called.
Along
the shores of Caddo Lake and Cypress
Creek
are to be found many towns and ghost towns dating back
to the days of the Republic of Texas. Swanson's Landing on Broad
Lake was near the place of the burning
of the steamer Mittie Stevens in 1869, when some sixty
persons were burned to death
at night, not realizing that the shore was so close or the water
so shallow. Farther up the bayou were Port Caddo, the port of entry for the Republic of Texas in the
northeast, and Benton, from which much of the river freight was
distributed to other parts of Texas before Jefferson became the
head of
navigation. A short distance inland from Port Caddo is the site of
Macon, called the "Lost Colony" after its settlers moved
to Port Caddo. Another point of historical interest is the
government ditch that was dredged upstream toward Jefferson so
that cotton could be shipped from Texas to New Orleans on the Red
River.
The
Caddo continued to live in this part of Northeast Texas until as
late as 1842. The last Caddo Indian Village in the Caddo Lake area
was settled about 1800, and this village is thought to have been
situated on James Bayou. The Caddo peoples were removed to the
Brazos River area by the U. S. Government and the Republic of
Texas in the 1840s-1850s, and then they were removed again to
Oklahoma in 1859.
Caddo
Lake waterway -- courtesy of John Winn
The
Martha McCraw Chapter was organized in Jefferson on February 22,
1955 during the term of Loretta Grim Thomas, Texas State Regent,
1952-1955. Twenty eligible women became charter members.
The chapter has more than doubled in size and draws members from
the East Texas area.
Contact us for
information on membership or meetings.
Martha
McCraw was born Martha Lumpkin, granddaughter of a captain in
the Army of Virginia, who married William McCraw, an immigrant
from Scotland, who served in the Revolutionary Army. She was
both a granddaughter and a wife of a soldier in the American
Revolution.
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Last update June 10, 2018
Creek
are to be found many towns and ghost towns dating back
to the days of the Republic of Texas. Swanson's Landing on Broad
Lake was near the place of the burning
of the steamer Mittie Stevens in 1869, when some sixty
persons were burned to death
at night, not realizing that the shore was so close or the water
so shallow. Farther up the bayou were Port Caddo, the port of entry for the Republic of Texas in the
northeast, and Benton, from which much of the river freight was
distributed to other parts of Texas before Jefferson became the
head of
navigation. A short distance inland from Port Caddo is the site of
Macon, called the "Lost Colony" after its settlers moved
to Port Caddo. Another point of historical interest is the
government ditch that was dredged upstream toward Jefferson so
that cotton could be shipped from Texas to New Orleans on the Red
River.
The
Caddo continued to live in this part of Northeast Texas until as
late as 1842. The last Caddo Indian Village in the Caddo Lake area
was settled about 1800, and this village is thought to have been
situated on James Bayou. The Caddo peoples were removed to the
Brazos River area by the U. S. Government and the Republic of
Texas in the 1840s-1850s, and then they were removed again to
Oklahoma in 1859.