The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 63, July 1959 - April, 1960 Page: 85
684 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Great Pearl Hunt at Caddo Lake
Cameron, of the Messenger, was helpful in finding some mention
of the pearl hunt, as she often picks up interesting items of the
past for a feature column. The most vivid and entertaining in-
formation, however, was obtained from talking to Mr. and Mrs.
Howard Howlett, while visiting the site of the famous pearl hunt
at Potter's Point on Caddo Lake. Fortunately for the historian,
the memories of old people seem to be stronger in recalling past
events than in remembering more recent ones, and the Howletts
talked convincingly and pleasantly of their experiences during
those amazing summers. The Howletts, parents of four children,
were in their early thirties during the time of the pearl hunt.
Their youngest child was born in Kildare near Caddo in 191o,
but Mrs. Howlett was fortunately able to leave her baby with a
friend for part of the time and to take part in the excitement. At
that time Howlett was one of the fishermen who made a livelihood
selling fish to buyers who came from Shreveport. The Howletts
have lived at their fishing camp and home at Potter's Point for
fifty years.
Caddo Lake is in the northeastern part of Texas on the border
of Louisiana. The Louisiana-Texas state line just about bisects
the lake. It is north of Marshall, and Potter's Point is about fifteen
miles from Jefferson. Caddo Lake, which is about twenty-five
miles long, is one of the largest in the South, and has been called
the Queen of the Southwest's freshwater lakes. It is the largest
natural body of fresh water in the state of Texas, and has been a
favorite fishing and vacation spot for citizens of that section of
the country for many years.
Bob Brister in Caddo Guide says:
Caddo is an incongruous combination of characters and customs,
"coonjines" and contrasts. She is the new and the very old, part wil-
derness, part tourist city. Pulsing with new life, yet in her inner
reaches still sleeping in the moss shrouded oblivion of centuries ago.
Caddo blends together the people, customs, and wildlife of two worlds.
She is the dividing line between the Old South and the New West,
between the changing future and a colorful past.2
'Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Howlett to Katherine Williams, signed statement, March
28, 1959 (Archives, University of Texas Library).
2Quoted in Welcome to Jefferson, Texas (Marion County Chamber of Commerce
brochure, Jefferson, n. d.).
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 63, July 1959 - April, 1960, periodical, 1960; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101186/m1/113/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.