History of Toledo Bend Lake

In 1960, Louisiana legislators navigated a small flotilla of boats down the Sabine River, across the Gulf of Mexico, up the Atchafalaya River and finally up the Mississippi River with their destination in sight –Governor Jimmie Davis at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. A Toledo Bend supporter handed the governor a jug of Sabine River Water bearing the words “Let’s Build Toledo Bend” just as a newspaper photographer snapped a photo. The image appeared on the front page of the newspaper the next morning, which in these times, made it impossible for Davis to disown the project.

The idea of creating the world’s largest man-made body of water in the South began as a concept for water conservation and economic development in 1949. It had the buy-in of people in both Louisiana and Texas, and finally, eleven years later, support from the highest official in the state. The result is a 185,000-acre reservoir which extends 65 miles upriver to Logansport, Louisiana and inundates land in Sabine and DeSoto Parishes in Louisiana and Sabine, Shelby, Panola, and Newton Counties in Texas. It produces environmentally friendly hydroelectricity while also becoming a trophy fishery that annually attracts thousands of anglers from across the country, recreational boaters, bird watchers and families in search of a high-quality, yet affordable respite from the day-to-day stresses of everyday life.

The move from a good fishery to the nation’s number one fishery began in 1990 when the Sabine River Authority, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Toledo Bend Lake Association began pumping more than 280-million Florida strain largemouth bass into the massive reservoir. To date there have been more than 15 million placed in Toledo Bend. And the goal of being the number one lake in the nation was achieved when Bassmaster named Toledo Bend Lake number one lake two years in a row in 2015 and 2016.

The area, rich in history, began under Spanish rule and was shuffled between Spain, France and England until Napoleon sold it to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The Sabine River acts as a border between Louisiana and Texas and heavy steamboat traffic created a thriving agriculture-based community in the 1800’s. The Parish was the site of a famous Civil War battle and the largest WWII military maneuvers ever held in the United States. The steamboat gave way to railroad traffic which brought in lumbermen who set up sawmills to convert the trees that blanketed the state into a thriving lumber business which is still in existence today. To keep it vibrant, a large-scale reforestation project created Hodges Gardens in the 1950’s which was the first tourist destination in the Parish. The area now boasts two beautiful state parks, a state historic site, championship golf, family adventure park, a full-service resort and conference center, and a host of hotels, cabins, lodges and RV sites and on the water, scenic byways and trails, free festivals and events, and unique dining and shopping opportunities.