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History in
a Pecan Shell
With a name like
Uncertain - it's appropriate that even the origin of the name is unclear.
Two stories are offered in the Handbook of Texas and one is as good
as the other. One is the "uncertainty" of the residents as to whether
they belonged to the U. S. or the Republic
of Texas since the boundary is formed by the
lake. The other story is said to come from riverboat crews who
never certain if their boats were firmly anchored. This story has
credit since the town was once known as "Uncertain Landing."
A third story claims that the difficulty of mapping the region left
surveyors "uncertain."
[See Naming of Uncertain]
The community has always had strong economic ties to the outdoor activities.
As early as 1900 a "rod and gun" club was in operation - known as
the Uncertain Club. The logging of cypress trees and the fishing kept
Uncertain's economy afloat through the 40s and tourism has been the
mainstay ever since.
In 1961 the town incorporated to allow the sale of alcohol. Most Uncertainites
operated tourist-related businesses. In 1988 the estimated population
was 189 which has declined to the figure above. |
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| Photo
courtesy Graceful Ghost Steamboat Co. |
Uncertain,
Texas Attractions:
Most of the Caddo
Lake shore resorts are within Uncertain city limits.
Caddo
Lake Swamps/Wildlife & Uncertain
Photographer's Note:
On Uncertain - "There have been quite a number of movies made
here, most of them by Walt Disney. Note that this area is known
world wide. At noon today I went to the Shady Glade Café in Uncertain
and had a sandwich. There were three photographers from England.
They were getting ready to take a boat tour of the area. The manger
at the Café had a register that visitors sign. He said people have
come from Japan, Russia, many countries in Europe. Shady Glade is
a unique place as it is a marina, a small motel and other items.
This is where the Paddle-Wheel boat operates out of." - Gerald
Massey, August 11, 2011
Caddo
Lake by Bob Bowman
"... If anyone ever asks me to pick the lake I like most, Caddo
Lake would be high on my list, largely because its mystical nature
is captivating... Caddo Lake is actually a state park with 2.5 miles
of hiking trails that wind around a handful of small communities,
including Uncertain...” more
The
Lake That Wasn't and Was and Wasn't and Is by C. F. Eckhardt
The story of Caddo Lake
Uncertain,
Texas, Caddo Lake and Cypress Trees by Nolan Maxie
A personal look at the region
Book Uncetain
area hotels : Marshall
Hotels
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Caddo Lake,
Swamps, Wildlife & Uncertain
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"The lake
is rich in wildlife. The lake’s alligators are shy, but if you look
closely you’ll find them swimming lazily between the cypress trees,
sometimes with birds riding on their backs. You’ll also find opossums,
all kind of snakes and scorpions, egrets, blue herons, beavers, deer,
raccoons, bobcats and coyotes. And in the trees, barred owls seem
to call out with a low-pitched sound that sounds like, “Who cooks
for you?" The cypress trees are home to a Spanish moss..."
- From Caddo Lake by Bob
Bowman |
Wood Stock in
flight among Cypress & Spanish Moss
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, April 2010 |
Little Blue
Heron ar rest
Photo
courtesy Gerald
Massey, July 2010
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Uncertain - Caddo
Lake Tourist Information
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, July 2009 |
Welcome to Uncertain
& Caddo Lake
Photo
courtesy Gerald
Massey, July 2009 |
Getting ready
for the "Annual Floating Christmas Parade"
First Sunday in December
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, 2010 |
Warholism in
East Texas
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, August 2011 |
Fly'N Fish, Beer
Smith's Caddo Lake Airport in Uncertain
Photo
courtesy Gerald
Massey, July 2009 |
Cover with
Uncertain, TX Postmark
Uncertain never had a full-fledged post office of its own, but for
a very short while (1962-1969) it operated what's called a rural station
(and then a rural branch) - pretty much like a station in larger cities
today but operated under the auspices of a nearby major post office,
in this case the "metropolis" of Karnack.
I'd bet dollars to donuts that it operated out of the little store
that's pictured in your article. -
John J. Germann, January 12, 2020 |
Uncertain,
Texas Forum:
Naming of
Uncertain, Texas
"The naming of Uncertain is a bit of dark history cleverly
concealed in the depths of the political morass know as the Texas
Legislature. Uncertain received it's name around 1963 +/- by the
legislature declaring liquor sales legal based on local option.
Several local people promptly founded the town, and erected, and
opened two liquor stores. During the process of this there was a
bill introduced that would overturn the local option law. Had that
bill passed the only reason for the town would have been removed,
and the town would not have survived. Thus the survival of Uncertain,
was...............uncertain.
I was there,
Bob Holloway,
Graduating Class 1965
Jefferson, TX
PS: We, all underage, bought a case of beer in Uncertain. Upon leaving
the town we were pursued by the Harrison County Sheriff's dept.
While driving at a high rate of speed we threw the case of beer
out of the window. Said case of beer landed directly in a large
flock of chickens feeding beside the road. The deputies pulled us
over, and found nothing. Shortly after that another deputy arrived,
and spotted the dead chickens as he was driving up. His comment
was, "You boys should be going to jail for murder, but none of the
chickens are willing to talk."
We spent a mosquito infested hour picking up dead chickens. We placed
the bodies in the trunk of Jerry's car, and departed for Jefferson.
This was in Sept. Do you have any idea how fast dead chickens decompose
in a Texas summer evening? Jerry's car was never the same after
that." - January 10, 2020
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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