Grassland Information
The Caddo National Grassland (of the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson
National Grasslands) is located in northeast Texas and covers
17,784 acres. There are five developed campgrounds, three of
which meet the selection criteria.
Northwest of Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, south of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma and stretching along the Red River, is the Caddo
National Grassland. This was once the home of great herds of
bison, antelope, deer, elk and the Caddo Indians. They were the
largest Indian culture in northeast Texas and first cultivators
of the land. They were forced out around the mid-1700s by the
more aggressive Apache and Comanche people. The European
settlers, primarily stockmen, moved into the area in the 1800s
with the farmers following in the early 1900s. The land has seen
great cattle drives, an estimated ten million head, and the
arrival of barbed wire. Cattle, barbed wire, and farming brought
major change to the land.
The areas now designated as "grasslands" were settled in the
1800s under a variety of "Homestead Acts" which opened the land
to people, generally farmers, and helped to settle the west. A
prolonged period of drought in the late 1920s into the 1930s
caused some homesteads on sub-marginal farmland (a location
receiving 15 or fewer inches of annual moisture) to literally dry
up and blow away. During this time, Congress established the Land
Utilization Program (LUP) which bought homesteads from bankrupt
private owners and returned it to public land status. The
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped to stabilize the eroding
soil by re-seeding it and applying other conservation techniques.
In the 1950s, the LUP holdings were assigned to the USDA Forest
Service that was tasked with management of these sub-marginal
lands. Over the years the Forest Service has established some
twenty National Grasslands. "The designation of the area as
National Grassland is not a description of the area as much as a
statement of policy and effort to restore the area to a multiple
of uses and benefits."
The Caddo National Grassland has three sections: Ladonia, Bois
d'Arc and Lake Fannin. Ladonia is the least developed but offers
visitors a good opportunity to see the native "Blackland
prairie." Blackland prairie is a special mixture of soil and
mineral deposits giving the freshly plowed soil its distinctive
black color. The highly productive soil can support a great
variety of plant and animal species but overgrazing and poor
farming practices reduced the land's health.
In 1935, under the authority of the National Recovery Act, the
initial purchases by the federal government of land that contain
the Caddo, were the Bois d'Arc and Lake Fannin sections. It was
called the Northeast Texas Grazing, Game and Recreation Project.
The objective was to promote better land utilization, provide
work for the local citizens and develop water-oriented recreation
facilities. Construction on the 388-acre Lake Crockett began soon
after the land was available; the lake continues to attract people
for a variety of recreation opportunities. Anglers come for the
Largemouth bass and a various panfish. Campers enjoy the small
adjacent campground with its sites tucked
in among grand old oak trees. Photographers and bird-watchers
come to enjoy the unique sights of the grassland.
West of Lake Crockett and south of the small community of
Telephone is a pleasant campground designed for equestrian
campers. The Bois D'Arc Trailhead campground is near the Bois d'Arc
trailhead that offers riders a network of more then 26 miles of
trails in and around Coffee Mill Lake, a much smaller version of
Crockett Lake. Just a few miles on the trail, visitors are
likely to think the term "grasslands" is misleading. Most of the
trail is through groves of large trees. These trees, mostly oak
and hickory, provide shade for riders and hikers and habitat for
a great variety of birds and animals. It is not surprising to
see wildlife along the trail, next to a road, or anywhere in the
Caddo.
One interesting geological feature found in Caddo, between Davy
Crockett Lake and Honey Grove, Texas, are the "mina mounds."
Also called "pimple mounds" or "prairie blisters," no one knows
the real reason for these two-foot high rounded hillocks.
The Lake Fannin section is unique from both the Ladonia and Bois
d'Arc sections. Lake Fannin Park was the focus of a higher level of
development back in the 1930s and 1940s. In an effort to bring
the best and most progressive recreation opportunities to the
area, a lodge, numerous cabins, and swim beach with bathhouse
were built along the shores of Lake Fannin. Today, the Lodge is
available for special events and there is talk of making a few of
the cabins available for rent by the public. A recently added
feature to the Lake Fannin section is a four-mile mountain
bike trail that loops around the Lake (it's getting good
reviews). The Lodge may be old but a feature of the Lodge, aside
from the fantastic workmanship and gorgeous woods used inside, is
the view of Oklahoma from the back patio. There is only
dispersed tent camping available in this section but it is well-
worth a day trip to see what the Caddo National Grassland offered
years ago.
In the Spring, all through the Caddo, visitors can enjoy the
spectacular experience of viewing migratory neo-tropical birds
from Central and South America. The display of these winged
visitors to the Caddo compete with the Springtime show of
wildflowers. Photographers and nature-lovers agree, Spring in
Caddo is magnificent.
Wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, small mammals, coyotes,
bobcats, red fox, bobwhite quail, turkey, waterfowl, and
songbirds, abound in the Caddo National Grassland. Visitors may
not see all these critters during each trip and the wildflowers
may not be at their spectacular best but their presence is a
testament to the success of the Forest Service efforts. Any time
of year, come and see how well the Caddo National Grassland is
doing.
ADDRESSES
SUPERVISOR ADDRESS
415 S. First Street
Suite 110
Lufkin, Texas 75901
936-639-8501
RANGER DISTRICT ADDRESSES
Caddo-LBJ
1400 US Hwy. 81/287
POB 507
Decatur, TX 76234
940-627-5475 |
