Doctor Hunt, in the early 20th century willed the land, which he had owned for years and kept in pristine condition, to the Boy Scouts on his death. In the 30s the CCC built cabins, an amphitheatre and a swimming pool with native stone and logs. The forest was diverse and had a thriving wildlife population. This land was on the highest ridge in the county but had a small stream, whose headwaters rose on the property, that cut down through sandy gravel soils which supported a wide variety of plant species.

Fast forward to the 1980s: the Caddo Council board decided they wanted to build a “lake” on the property so the scouts could go canoeing. Over the years, the board had sold off some of the Preston Hunt land. Only about 100 acres of the original deed remained. The decision was made to construct an earthen dam square in the center of the property. So far as I know there was no consultation with the Army Corps. The most diverse portion of the forest was right where the reservoir was built and, you guessed it, the board sold off all the timber and “constructed” an access road through the woods and down the hill to the damsite (it is still eroding to this day).

So they built this “lake” that has banks so steep that the scouts are prohibited from going to the water’s edge for fear that they’ll fall in and not be able to climb up and out of the slick, clayey hillside. The dam has never effectively reseeded and is slowly eroding into the streambed below, filling it with silt. In the center of the small reservoir (I estimate it’s about 1.5 acres in size) a 12″-diameter corrugated steel pipe sticks up and serves as the spillway. Water falls over the lip and down the pipe where it roars and echoes constantly when the water’s high. It’s so loud you can hear it up at the CCC cabins. Here’s the real bite: the lake is way too small to canoe on, and there is virtually no way to even get a canoe up there except to clamber up the erosive bank with a boat in tow.

If you manage to get a boat in the water, the only thing you can do is paddle around and around the steel spillway pipe. Interestingly, this is the scout council that Ross Perot was a member of when he was a boy. Somewhere in the 70s or 80s Ross gave some money to the council to build a small office building. He conditioned the gift on the proviso that his scout uniform from the 1930s be put on permanent display in a glass case in the entryway to the building. If you’re ever in Texarkana, be sure to stop by the Caddo Area Council office and take a look. It’s still there! –David Orr — david_orr@mac.com