Caddo Lake

“There’s a place in East Texas where time stops.

Off the shores of Uncertain, where the Big Cypress Bayou flows into Caddo Lake and the water is lined by moss-draped bald cypress trees, modernity has no place.

The lake’s surface is dotted with lily pads and coated with duckweed.

All around, brilliant water hyacinth blossoms. Along the shoreline a dense forest of hickory, ash, oak, pine and sweet gum trees grows.

Within the water and surrounding woods a menagerie of wildlife — including some endangered and threatened species — flourishes. Alligators and panthers add to the wild, remote ambience.”

Kelley Reese

North Texan Online

Photographing bald cypress trees has long been a dream of mine. My first introduction to these ancient giants came early in my journey with infrared photography, during a Saturday swamp walk led by Clyde Butcher. At the time, I was a student assistant to a photography professor at a local college in Tampa. That day changed everything—it was love at first photograph. The towering cypress, their reflections shimmering in the still waters, stirred something deep within me.

Fast forward to this past November, when I received an unexpected invitation to photograph the cypress at Caddo Lake. I had recently met a fellow photographer, Katherine, during a trip to Maine, and she invited me to join her in Uncertain, Texas to explore the otherworldly beauty of the lake. It was an impromptu decision, but just a few weeks after returning from Acadia, I found myself driving through the dark stillness of East Texas, arriving late at night in this mysterious cypress world.

Before dawn the next morning, we met our guide, Mike Griffis—a local with deep roots in the region and a deep understanding of both the lake and light. Mike knew where the sun would break through, how the fog would settle, and the perfect vantage points to capture the haunting silhouettes of the trees at both dawn and dusk. He generously shared his favorite spots, making it possible for us to witness the quiet majesty of the sun rising and setting over these ancient waters. It was nothing short of a gift—both the experience and the images that emerged from it.

The Musician Connection

Long ago I read about Don Henley’s work to preserve an area in the East Texas wetlands, and also remember his video “Taking You Home,” which was partially filmed at Caddo Lake. In a “Texas Heritage For Living” article, by Peter Simek, he writes…

“Caddo Lake’s most famous protector is none other than the Eagles drummer and front man Don Henley. Henley grew up near the lake in Linden. When he was a boy, his father brought him to Caddo Lake and taught the future rock star how to fish. Those experiences helped instill in Henley a deep connection to Caddo Lake’s mysterious beauty.

Henley has continued to return to the lake throughout his life, bringing his own children to Caddo and teaching them to fish there, too. He has called Caddo Lake his church, a place where natural beauty and peaceful seclusion provide a refuge from the world and a site of spiritual nourishment. In the 1990s, Henley founded the Caddo Lake Institute to study the lake’s delicate ecosystem and help foster its conservation.” https://texasheritageforliving.com/texas-travel/caddo-lake/

Indigenous History

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, “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. The Caddo hunted wild game with bows and arrows, fished, and farmed corn, beans and squash. They built ceremonial centers and maintained far-reaching trade routes.”

The rest of the story: 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. Via Indian Country Today

Someday soon, I will return to visit these hauntingly beautiful cypress, as they have so enchanted me.