Austin to Caddo Lake on Interstate 35, U.S. 79, and Texas Highway 43

African Masks, two old steam locomotives, Lady Bird's childhood home-and miniature donkeys.

by Michael Hall

May 2002

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Beware: Many counties in East Texas are dry, including Rusk County, home to our next stop, Henderson. So we drove the eighteen miles to Kilgore for a six-pack and then drove back to Henderson to whoop it up at a Holiday Inn Express (the local motels were pretty run-down). The next morning, we visited the pretty, old downtown, where we found Brenda's, a fragrant store selling hip, brightly colored "shabby chic" clothes, as well as cappuccino and espresso. Then we went back down Main Street, turned left at High Street, and drove three blocks to the well-thought-out Depot Museum, which shows the history of the area, from the Indians through the thirties oil boom.

From Henderson, take 43 north to Marshall. Tune the radio to 1470 KWRD-AM, another old country station. (A little Hank Williams is better than none at all, even if you get a lot of Kenny Rogers.) As we crossed over Interstate 20, I thought how those people speeding to Dallas or Shreveport couldn't imagine taking their time on these little roads, just as now, poking along, I couldn't conceive of zooming down the interstate. We were, as John Anderson sang, "Swingin'."

The first stop in Marshall, which was a Confederate power center in the Civil War, is Wiley College, the oldest black university west of the Mississippi (it was established in 1873). As you pull into town, take a left on Rosborough Road and go about a mile to the small campus of red-brick buildings. Back on 43, take a right on Texas Highway 31 and go east three miles to Marshall Pottery, the largest potterymaker in the country. Outside are thousands of red-clay terra-cotta pots and garden trinkets—all inexpensive—and the warehouse has probably a million more.

Return to 43 and go left on East Houston Street to see the beautiful domed courthouse. A block north of the square is perhaps the most out-of-place museum in Texas, the Michelson Museum of Art, a serene little oasis of Impressionism, Expressionism, and just plain great art. Leo Michelson was born in Latvia in 1887 and learned to paint in Berlin and Paris in the time of Cézanne and Picasso; at his death, in 1978, he was world renowned. His wife, Janine, looking for a small town to locate his collection, heard about Marshall from Dallas collector Wendy Reves. The Michelson was eventually established in 1985 with a collection of more than one thousand pieces. It also features paintings and sculptures from the massive Kronenberg Collection as well as African masks donated by Jay Ward, the creator of The Bullwinkle Show.

For the last leg of the trip, we left 43 and went the way of the stagecoach: the old sunken road to Karnack. On the northeastern outskirts of Marshall, take Loop 390 north for a mile and take a right on County Road 2116 (Harris Lake Road). In two miles the pavement ends and the road becomes dirt, narrow and deeply worn into the earth. Soon you're driving fifteen feet down, with pine trees above you and red clay and tree roots alongside. It's easy to imagine robbers and vagabonds hiding in the woods, but we didn't see a soul for the whole seven miles. Toward the end, you take the right fork and come out on 43. About half a mile up the road, look on your right for a large white house with a big lawn and a sign that reads "No Cameras Beyond This Point." Lady Bird Johnson (née Claudia Taylor) was born here, but the current residents don't abide visitors.

Five miles down the road is Caddo Lake, the only natural lake in Texas, a swampy, moss-covered, darkly beautiful place full of rednecks, urban refugees, and swamp rats living on their own terms. In other words, it's like Terlingua with alligators. But be certain to stop in Uncertain before you get there. You can go to the Caddo Lake State Park, 480 acres of hiking trails, cabins, and boat ramps. Stop at Caddo Grocery and talk to Betty Holder, who also happens to be Uncertain's mayor. She'll set you up with a tour of the lake. You won't get finer catfish—or jalapeño hushpuppies—than at the Big Pines Lodge, in Karnack, one mile past the state park. Bayou Landing serves Cajun fare, including alligator and crawfish.

There are a bunch of bed-and-breakfasts and lodges in the area, and you should make reservations before arriving—Caddo Lake is getting popular. The oldest B&B is Selah Timberwild, a mile from the park, a clean, cozy cabin surrounded by woods and run by Pete and Dorothy Grant, who will gladly share the local lore. If you want to stay by the water, call True and Lady Margaret Redd, whose Cypress Moon cottage is within alligator distance of the lake. True, a former Dallas photographer, gives photo workshops out of his home, the front yard of which can be seen in the movie Southern Comfort. Drifting off to sleep under the tall cypress trees, you'll realize just how deep in the South you really are.

Directory:

Anthony's, 515 US 79 South, Jewett; 903-626-6606

Bayou Landing, 300 Cypress Dr, Uncertain; 903-789-3394; closed Mon and Tues

Big Pines Lodge, 747 Pine Island Rd, Karnack; 903-679-3466; closed Mon and Tues

Brenda's, 110 E Main, Henderson; 903-657-9659; closed Sun

Caddo Grocery and Lake Tours, 318 Cypress Dr, Uncertain; 903-789-3495

Caddo Lake State Park, on FM 2198 off Texas Hwy 43, Karnack; 903-679-3351; $2, children under 13 free

Cypress Moon, 560 Private Rd 2422, Uncertain; 903-679-3154; double room $110

Depot Museum, 514 N High, Henderson; 903-657-4303; closed Sun; $2, children under 12 free

Holiday Inn Express, 905 US 79 North, Henderson; 903-657-8789; double room $79

Louie Mueller's, 206 W Second, Taylor; 512-352-6206; closed Sun

Marshall Pottery, 4901 Elysian Fields, Marshall; 903-927-5400

Michelson Museum of Art, 216 N Bolivar, Marshall; 903-935-9480; closed Mon

No Teeth Barbecue, 1012 W Cameron Ave, Rockdale; 512-446-7024

Sadler's, 221 S Main, Jacksonville; 903-589-0866; closed Mon

Sandi's Book Nook, 2406 US 79, Buffalo; 903-322-1207; closed Sun and Mon

Selah Timberwild, 17670 Farm Rd 134, Karnack; 903-679-3988; $100 a night; no credit cards

7K Bar Ranch, 12231 US 79 East, Gause; 979-279-2528

Taylor Café, 101 N Main, Taylor; 512-352-8475

Texas State Railroad, Texas State Railroad State Park, on Texas Park Rd 70 off US 84, Palestine; 903-683-2561; round-trip $15, children under 13 $9

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