Caddo Lake in Oil City is one of our favorite places to visit when hubby gets a few days downtime in-between jobs.
It’s located in North Lousiana near two of my daughters and 7 of our grandkids.
Largest Lake in South
The lake is on the border between Louisiana and Texas and has many miles of shoreline. Caddo Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the South and is an internationally protected wetland, due in part to a project spearheaded by Don Henley, formerly of the rock band The Eagles.
Caddo Lake is home to the largest bald cypress forest in the country. The trees grow in the water and there is much wildlife that call the lake home such as frogs, waterfowl, bobcats, river otters, beavers, eagles, and alligators.
Oil
The first overwater oil platform was built in Caddo Lake in 1911 when oil was discovered under the lake. Soon oil derricks sprang up all over the lake. It was this technology that led to the offshore production of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil wells can be seen all over the area near the lake and still pump oil today.
Oil City is a small town on Caddo Lake that was named for the oil that was discovered there.
Bigfoot
There have been hundreds of alleged Bigfoot sitings around Caddo Lake over the years. Most of the sitings have been on the Texas side of Caddo Lake.
There have been so many sitings that the Travel Channel did a documentary in 2006 called Bigfoot.
Earl K Williamson Park
When we visit the area, we always stay at the Earl K Williamson Park. The park is located on the east side of the lake in Louisiana, near Oil City.
The park has many places to fish, including a long floating fishing pier. You can fish from the banks and also in a small canal that feeds from the lake.
The lake is shallow but fishing is still great! The grandbabies had a blast catching alligator gars. I prefered bluegill fishing and we caught plenty of those too!
There is also a beach area for swimming. The lake has a sandy bottom and is relatively shallow with an average depth of 8-10 feet. The deepest point in the lake is 20 feet The shallowness of the lake makes it a perfect place for grandbabies to play in the water. The water is only waist deep on these two, way out where those trees are! There are shaded picnic tables that look over the swimming area.
Rest and Relaxation?
Caddo Lake is beautiful and peaceful, and a wonderful place to chill from the rest of the world’s hustle and bustle. That is of course unless you have 9 grandbabies within a couple of hours from there! But we wouldn’t have it any other way! We love the chance to spend quality time with all of them, and Caddo Lake helps us do that!
To see where I party click here
.
15 Comments
Leave your reply.