SHREVEPORT, La. - Cross Lake is one of Shreveport's defining landmarks used for fishing, boating and clean drinking water. Nearly a century ago, the lake did not exist.
The creation of Cross Lake in 1926 transformed Northwest Louisiana and secured Shreveport's drinking water supply for generations.
According to LSU Shreveport Professor Emeritus Gary Joiner, much of what sits beneath the lake today was once dry land, and there are many treasures in the lakebed.
"In the 1920's, there were farms all across the bed of Cross Lake. We did a mapping project in the early 2000's with our side scan sonar and found fences, collapsed houses and barns, wells and automobiles. They are all still there," said Joiner.
Before those farms existed, Northwest Louisiana's landscape was shaped by the Great Raft.
The massive log jam clogged the Red River for hundreds of miles, backing water into low lying areas across Caddo Parish.
When Henry Miller Shreve cleared the Great Raft during the 1800's, much of that water drained away, leaving behind fertile farmland.
"Henry Shreve comes with the contract to remove the Great Raft and it's like opening the plug on a bathtub. What's left is the very ancient Caddo Lake, and Cross Lake turns into farms," said Joiner.
By the early 20th century, Shreveport's growing population needed a reliable source of clean drinking water. City leaders chose to dam Cross Bayou and create a reservoir.
The spillway gates closed in December 1926, and the lake filled rapidly.
"The lake fills up really in nine days," said Joiner.
City leaders took steps to protect the new water supply by drawing Shreveport's city limits around the shoreline. Several islands within the lake were left outside the city limits and fell into Caddo Parish.
In 1860, the owner of Buzzard Island attempted to secede from Louisiana and establish the Free Independent Republic of Buzzard Island. The effort did not last long.
"Apparently there was no military conquest. He just simply gave up. But he did put ads in the local paper that he hereby announced his secession," said Joiner.
Cross Lake also played a small role in preparing the United States for World War II.
During the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941, troops under Gen. George Patton conducted military exercises across the region. One crew operating a Stuart tank accidentally drove into the lake.
"Patton is using a 1940 Texaco road map. Cross Bayou was a little blue line on the map. He knew right where he was, but his map just wasn't that accurate. They did not check out the area, and the crew was told to batten down the hatches. They drive at a pretty high rate of speed and the Stuart goes straight into the water and becomes the Army's first submarine. Unlike a submarine, he did not come back up. As soon as water started coming in, pressure equalized and they popped all the hatches and the crew got out. They left it there," said Joiner.
Another wartime mishap happened when a B-26 bomber made an accidental landing in the lake when training exercises were happening at Barksdale Air Force Base with the Free French.
"They would take off to the south and do a big loop around, just like we see the B-52's today, except this one crew got too far west. They lined up on what they thought was the Barksdale runway. Concrete looks light against black ground, right? But they were looking at the moon shining on the water in Cross Lake. They made a beautiful landing right in the lake," said Joiner.
The aircraft sank, but its tail was seen floating in the water. No records exist of it being recovered.
Today, Cross Lake serves as both Shreveport's primary water source and a center for recreation.
Hundreds of residents participate in the annual Cross Lake Floatilla, a tradition that has brought boaters together for 35 years.
As the reservoir approaches its 100th anniversary, Cross Lake remains a place where history lies beneath the surface while new generations continue to make memories on the water.