Red River To Cane River Lake

Although the Red River has always changed its course to suit the easiest
possible route to the South, it was not until the removal of what
is known as the Great Red River Raft that the river completely
bypassed Natchitoches.

The Raft was a log jam created by many decades of erosion.
While navigation was blocked for over a hundred miles north,
the raft consisted of many pockets of debris strung along the river
with open water left in stretches along the way.


These pockets accumulated on an average of four-fifths
of a mile each year on the upper end,
with the lower end washing itself downstream
at about the same rate.


At the time of St. Denis' arrival the most southern
pocket was located at the mouth of what would later
be called Bayou Amulet, possibly named for a Paul Muller
who owned the high land adjacent to,
and drained by, the bayou.


By the time of the Louisiana Purchase, navigation was possible
farther north to the Grand Ecore and Campti communities.

The Red River Raft was the second largest jam in North America,
the first having been on the Ohio River.
Captain Henry Miller Shreve had designed "snag-boats" to
dismantle the jam on the Ohio and it was he who received
the contract to clear the Red.


Beginning in the mid 1830s, Shreve's progress was very slow
until the invention of dynamite gave him the power
to clean the river completely.


The first change in the course of the Red occurred
in the 1760's when the river moved away from what
is now Chaplin's Lake and Old River.


By 1840 the new current, formed by large stretches of open water
created by Shreve, sought an easier avenue through Rigelot de Bon Dieu
and completely by-passed Natchitoches.


The oldest port west of the Mississippi was now land locked,
except during high water times of the year.


In the spring of 1915, an appeal was made to the Natchitoches
Parish Police Jury to construct two dirt dykes or dams across
Cane River for beautification purposes.


One dam to be located at or near the upper mouth
of Cane River in Ward One, and the other dam to be located
in Ward Nine above and near the mouth of Old River.

The ordinance was opposed by property owners along the Red River
as far south as Colfax and did not pass.

But, in a special call meeting of the Police Jury, October 28, 1915,
an ordinance was passed authorizing a bond issue of $20,000
f or the purpose of building two earth "bridges" over Cane River.

Even with this rewording of the ordinance, the newly formed
Cane River Lake came into jeopardy just six months
after the completion of the "bridges."

In April of 1916, Police Jurior Cockerham
made a motion that the dams across
Cane River be cut because said dams were
"causing damage to property holders on Red River."

The motion failed on a vote of four yeas and five nays,
leaving the beautiful constant level lake we enjoy today.

Sources: J.E. Guardia, "Some results of the Log Jam in Red River,"
The Bulletin of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia 31
(July 1933): 103/Sompayrac Willard,
Introduction to Fort St. Jean Baptist des Natchitoches (1981)/Richard Seale,
From French Village to American Town:
The Development of Natchitoches, Louisiana,
1788-1818/Opinion number 48,529,
Tenth Judicial District Court by Judge R.B. Williams