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According to Caddo legend, the lake was formed by the 1811 New Madrid Earthquake. There may be some truth to the legend, as Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee was formed by that earthquake, but most geologists now feel that Caddo Lake was formed gradually rather than catastrophically. The lake was formed, either gradually or catastrophically, by the " Great Raft" a 100 mile (160 km) log jam on the Red River in Louisiana.

Caddo was first seen by Europeans in the 16th century15th century 16th century 17th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. Events Beginning of the " Little Ice Age" a cooling period that resulted in lower crop yi, but substantial development would only begin with invention of the steamboatpaddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. Right: detail of a steamer PS Waverley leaving Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde. A steamboat or steamship sometimes called a steamer is a boat or vessel that is propelled by steam power driving a prope and USThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in annexationAnnexation is the legal merging of some territory into another body. A city might annex unincorporated areas or a country might annex other disputed territories. Sometimes also used to refer to mergers of countries. Examples of Annexation Pacific Northwes of both Louisiana and Texas in the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended. The cities of Port Caddo, Swanson's Landing and JeffersonJefferson is a city located in Marion County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,024. It is the county seat of Marion County 6, and is situated in East Texas. Geography Jefferson is located at 32°45'40" North, 94°20'58" Wes in Texas had thriving riverboat ports on the lake. Gradually as the log jams where removed in and the Red River by Captain Henry Miller ShreveHenry Miller Shreve ( October 21, 1785 1854) was an American inventor and steamboat captain and the man who opened up the Mississippi, Ohio and Red Rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreve was also instrumental in breaking the Fulton-Livingston monopoly on and then by the Army Corps of Engineers, the lake changed shape and eventually fell over ten feet destroying the East Texas ports and their riverboat industry.

Industry once again came to Caddo Lake with the discovery of oil beneath it. The world's first over water oil well was completed in Caddo Lake in 1911. The Ferry Lake No. 1 was erected by Gulf Refining Company . The well bottomed at 2,185 feet and produced 450 barrels per day.

Oil derricks sprang up throughout the lake, around the turn of the 20th century, further damaging the fragile ecosystem. The oil industry left Caddo for richer fields at Kilgore and other locations in Texas. Texas tried to preserve parts of Caddo in 1934 by establishing a State Park, constructed by the WPA. The establishment of the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant on the shores of Caddo, in the mid 20th century, polluted large portions of the surrounding wetlands until its closure in the 1990s.

In 1993 Caddo Lake preservation entered a renaissance, with the announcement that 7,000 acres (28 km²) of Caddo purchased by the Nature Conservancy were to be merged with the 483 acre (2 km²) Texas Caddo Lake State Park to be become the Caddo Lake State Park and Wildlife Management Area . In October 1993 Caddo Lake became one of thirteen areas in the United States protected by the Ramsar Treaty . As of 2003 Caddo Lake flora and fauna consisted of: 189 species of trees and shrubs, 75 grasses, 42 woody vines , 216 kinds of birds, 90 fish and reptiles, and 47 mammals. One of these species, Crataegus opaca or mayhaw fruit is collected from the water to make a jelly that is considered one of the finest in the world. Forty four of Caddo's native species were either endangered, threatened or rare . From 2001 until 2003 Caddo Lake residents fought a legal battle with the City of Marshall, Texas over water rights.