Caney Lakes Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with another Caney Lake at Jimmie Davis State Park southwest of Chatham
in Jackson Parish
, Louisiana
Caney Lakes Recreation Area, located the Kisatchie National Forest
north of Minden
in Webster Parish
in northwestern Louisiana
, offers opportunities for bicycling, hiking
, picnicking, camping
, swimming, boating
, water skiing
, fishing
, and hunting
. A triathlon
is held annually in August. Surrounded by wooded hills, the shoreline is easily accessed, and the landscape and water are scenic.
There are two lakes: Upper Caney and Lower Caney, the larger and more visited unit closer to the main entrance. The Sugar Cane National Recreation Trail winds its way about Lower Caney. The trail is named for the sugar cane that once grew in the area. Cotton
was also grown there. The lakes total 350 acres (150 hectares).
-era Resettlement Administration
. The site for the lakes was chosen in a low area that contained the three tributaries: Caney Creek (which crosses the Lewisville Road), Cow Creek, and Butler Creek. The dredging of the lakes was undertaken by primitive methods, with trees leveled by cross-cut saws. Plow mules were used to remove the dirt. The soil was placed on dirt sleds as the mules slowly pulled away the debris.
Hugh Garland Dunn, Sr. (1900-1986), a planer mill operator, cut the timber used to build the twenty-five cabins and the bridges at the lakes. Dunn remained after the construction of the facilities, employed in maintenance by the United States Soil Conservation Service. By the time of his retirement in 1965, he was the lakes supervisor under the United States Forest Service
.
Having first been run by the Soil Conservation Service, the lakes opened in 1938, and the Webster Parish Farm Bureau held a picnic there, one of the first events inside the grounds. In 1958, the Webster Parish Police Jury, under its president Leland G. Mims
, proposed that a "permanent Forest Service operation" be established for Caney Lakes.
In 1948, Julius C. Salmon (1898-1970), formerly the manager of the local Chamber of Commerce
office, was named the concessionaire, based on his competitive bid. Salmon held two ten-year leases, the second of which expired in 1967. Salmon handled the renting of the cabins, paddle boats, and swimming access. He and his wife, Ruby W. Salmon (1904-1968), a teacher at E.S. Richardson Elementary School
in Minden, lived in a house at the lake. In November 1959 the United States Forest Service assumed the permanent custodianship of the lake.
In 1952, a Boy Scouts of America
facility, Camp Yatasi, was opened at Caney Lake, and Governor-elect Robert F. Kennon
, a Webster Parish native, spoke at the formal dedication. The name "Yatasi" was chosen in a contest. The camp, still in operation, initially cost $75,000.Various churches also operate youth camps at the lakes.
In 1960, local musician and singer David Harlon Bailey (born 1940) recorded through the defunct Banner Records the instrumental entitled "Caney," dedicated to Caney Lakes. Bailey's former choir director at Minden High School
, Benjamin Earle Cooke, Jr. (1923-2001), did the arrangement. Bailey spent a lot of time on the lakes when he was growing up, belonged to a skiing club, and was a lifeguard there.
were again engulfed by the non-native Giant Salvinia fern, which chokes up the water and reduces its level. The state has struggled to find a solution to the problem.
The Student Conservation Association
in the summer of 2009 organized the clearing of the hiking trail, which had become overgrown by weeds. The trail is used mostly by bicyclists.
Fees are assessed by the Forest Service under the United States Department of Agriculture
. Day-use rates are $3 per vehicle, and additional fees are levied for camping. The entrance is a self-service operation.
Chatham, Louisiana
Chatham is a town in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 623 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.Southwest of Chatham is Caney Lake and the Jimmie Davis State Park.'-Geography:...
in Jackson Parish
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Jackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Caney Lakes Recreation Area, located the Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, USA, is located in the state's old growth piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It totals more than of public lands....
north of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
in Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
in northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, offers opportunities for bicycling, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, picnicking, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, swimming, boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
. A triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
is held annually in August. Surrounded by wooded hills, the shoreline is easily accessed, and the landscape and water are scenic.
There are two lakes: Upper Caney and Lower Caney, the larger and more visited unit closer to the main entrance. The Sugar Cane National Recreation Trail winds its way about Lower Caney. The trail is named for the sugar cane that once grew in the area. Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
was also grown there. The lakes total 350 acres (150 hectares).
History
Land for the lakes was acquired in 1934 and 1935 through the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
. The site for the lakes was chosen in a low area that contained the three tributaries: Caney Creek (which crosses the Lewisville Road), Cow Creek, and Butler Creek. The dredging of the lakes was undertaken by primitive methods, with trees leveled by cross-cut saws. Plow mules were used to remove the dirt. The soil was placed on dirt sleds as the mules slowly pulled away the debris.
Hugh Garland Dunn, Sr. (1900-1986), a planer mill operator, cut the timber used to build the twenty-five cabins and the bridges at the lakes. Dunn remained after the construction of the facilities, employed in maintenance by the United States Soil Conservation Service. By the time of his retirement in 1965, he was the lakes supervisor under the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
.
Having first been run by the Soil Conservation Service, the lakes opened in 1938, and the Webster Parish Farm Bureau held a picnic there, one of the first events inside the grounds. In 1958, the Webster Parish Police Jury, under its president Leland G. Mims
Leland G. Mims
Leland Garland Mims was a Minden, Louisiana, businessman and civic leader who served as a member of the Webster Parish Police Jury from 1953–1976 and as president of the body from 1956-1973...
, proposed that a "permanent Forest Service operation" be established for Caney Lakes.
In 1948, Julius C. Salmon (1898-1970), formerly the manager of the local Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
office, was named the concessionaire, based on his competitive bid. Salmon held two ten-year leases, the second of which expired in 1967. Salmon handled the renting of the cabins, paddle boats, and swimming access. He and his wife, Ruby W. Salmon (1904-1968), a teacher at E.S. Richardson Elementary School
E.S. Richardson Elementary School
E.S. Richardson Elementary School is a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade campus which serves parts of the eastern section of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The school opened in the 1949-1950 academic year, with Wayne Wynn Williams, Sr. , as the...
in Minden, lived in a house at the lake. In November 1959 the United States Forest Service assumed the permanent custodianship of the lake.
In 1952, a Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
facility, Camp Yatasi, was opened at Caney Lake, and Governor-elect Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
, a Webster Parish native, spoke at the formal dedication. The name "Yatasi" was chosen in a contest. The camp, still in operation, initially cost $75,000.Various churches also operate youth camps at the lakes.
In 1960, local musician and singer David Harlon Bailey (born 1940) recorded through the defunct Banner Records the instrumental entitled "Caney," dedicated to Caney Lakes. Bailey's former choir director at Minden High School
Minden High School (Minden, Louisiana)
Minden High School is the public secondary educational institution in Minden, a small city of 13,000 and the seat of Webster Parish located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana...
, Benjamin Earle Cooke, Jr. (1923-2001), did the arrangement. Bailey spent a lot of time on the lakes when he was growing up, belonged to a skiing club, and was a lifeguard there.
The lakes today
In 2009, Caney Lakes and neighboring Lake BistineauLake Bistineau
250px|right|thumb|Lake Bistineau south of [[Doyline, Louisiana|Doyline]], [[Louisiana]]Lake Bistineau is a long, narrow waterway of , wide and long located in Webster, Bossier, and Bienville parishes in northwestern Louisiana. The lake is fed by Dorcheat Bayou, Clark’s Bayou, and other smaller...
were again engulfed by the non-native Giant Salvinia fern, which chokes up the water and reduces its level. The state has struggled to find a solution to the problem.
The Student Conservation Association
Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association is a non-profit group in the United States whose mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of our environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land through service...
in the summer of 2009 organized the clearing of the hiking trail, which had become overgrown by weeds. The trail is used mostly by bicyclists.
Fees are assessed by the Forest Service under the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
. Day-use rates are $3 per vehicle, and additional fees are levied for camping. The entrance is a self-service operation.