Dawn is approaching rapidly on this cold morning in May. I'm standing outside my truck on a lonely gravel road in Fannin County awaiting the rising sun. Ragged clouds flee south ahead of a late cold front. Rustling leaves and moaning branches break the morning stillness. As the sun clears the horizon, thirty-four volunteers scatter across this rural county in Northeast Texas as part of the annual Bobwhite quail census. Each of us drives a prescribed route, stops at designated points along the way, and counts the number and location of any distinctive “bob white” bird calls we hear. My route takes me through the heart of the Bois D’Arc Bottoms, a large tract of hardwood bottomland that follows Bois D’Arc Creek on its winding path east and north to the Red River.
Bobwhite quail were abundant in Fannin county until 30 years ago when the population began a steep decline. Most days you will find old timers nursing cups of coffee at the River Bend Café, remembering the simpler times and places of their youth. Often the conversation turns to the reasons for the quail decline. The general consensus amongst the men is that the decline is due to the imported red fire ant or urban expansion and subsequent habitat fragmentation. They surmise that fire ants prey on quail chicks, and they know quail need large tracts of unbroken land to establish a viable community. In truth there is no single reason. Local conservation officials’ last hope is that ongoing census efforts will shed some light on the decline. Despite the unfavorable weather, all 34 of us set out with high hopes of logging quail.
Thirty minutes later my truck tires crunch to a stop at a survey point where Bois D’Arc Creek crosses a major highway. The creek begins its life in eastern Grayson County in Northeast Texas near the town of Whitewright. Then it winds its way along a 68-mile muddy ribbon between the low rolling hills of Fannin County, draining some 425 square miles of North Texas, before entering the Red River. To some observers, Bois D’Arc Creek is just a muddy ditch, but others understand that it is noteworthy in many ways.
Bois d’Arc Creek is one of a handful of rivers and creeks that are unique in Texas because they do not flow directly to the Gulf of Mexico. Rather, the murky waters of Bois d’Arc Creek merge with the Red River and then the Mississippi River before spilling into the Gulf south of New Orleans. There black Texas mud enriches the vast Mississippi River Delta. Even more significantly, the hardwood forest of the Bois D’Arc Bottoms represents an ecosystem that is disappearing rapidly in the face of an ever-expanding urban population placing new demands on land and water resources throughout the region.
The Bottoms are home to a wide variety of wildlife species, both common and rare. Eagles, black buzzards, and turkey vultures soar high above the creek looking for their next meal. Whitetail deer, while less common in Fannin County, frequent the Bottoms where towering oaks and pecans rain manna from above and provide safety and shelter. Beaver, muskrat, and the occasional otter dance along the stream bank. And paddlefish, so named for their unique ability to negotiate the low water levels of summer, splash in the shallow pools. To the surprise of all, black bears have reappeared along the creek; having wandered into the area from the dense forests and weathered remains of the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma.
Along my way to my next stop I crest a small hill, slide down a muddy two-track path, and find myself in the heart of the Bottoms. Here towering trees shelter me from the cold wind whistling above. Through the trees I can see the remains of an abandoned farm: grey weathered wood of a collapsed barn, scattered bones of farm equipment stained rust-red by rain and wind, and pastures dotted with Cedar Elms, Cedars, and Bois D’Arc trees as they revert slowly to woodlands.
The Bottoms have been home to humans for millennia, drawn by abundant wildlife, year-round water, and rich soils. Historians and archeologists place the native Caddo people in the area as early as 4,000 years ago. While Bois D’Arc Creek was at the far western edge of their homeland, the Caddo frequently traversed the region seeking the sea of buffalo found on the Blackland and Grand prairies. The Caddo were a farming people and took advantage of the many natural meadows in the fertile bottoms to grow their crops. Archeologists believe when natural openings were not available the Caddo created their own by clearing trees with stone axes and the judicious use of fire. To this day burial mounds dot the landscape near the Red River, and hikers along the creek often find small remains of the Caddo culture, such as stone arrowheads and the rare pottery shard.
The first permanent European settlers came to the Bottoms in 1836, when Daniel Rowlett and six other families arrived on the banks of Bois D’ Arc Creek. Legend has it that pioneer Davy Crockett stopped near the present day town of Honey Grove on his way to San Antonio in the winter of 1836. Some even claim he gave the town its name. Before departing he is said to have written his wife in Tennessee about the richness of “Bodark Bayou” and his hopes of returning with his family one day. But first, Crockett and a small group of “Texian” volunteers vowed to face down the Mexican army at Mission San Antonio de Valero, otherwise known as the Alamo. History confirms that Davy Crockett would never return to Bois D’Arc Creek, and his name was enshrined forever in Texas lore. To this day, the town of Honey Grove celebrates “Davy Crockett Day” each October.
Throughout history the Bottoms have provided rich land for farming. The new settlers picked up where the Caddo left off; first farming the patches of open meadow that the Caddo had maintained for centuries, then expanding their farms until virtually all the native prairie and woods was converted to human purpose. Early in the 20th century the main crops were cotton and corn. Now the Bottoms primarily support small ranching operations. In retrospect, Fannin County peaked in the first two decades of the 20th century. Both cotton and corn production reached its highest level at that time as did the number of farms in operation. The population of Fannin County peaked in 1900 and has decreased steadily since. Still, many descendants of the original settlers continue to farm the Bottoms. Harold Witcher’s people came to the Bottoms from Virginia and began farming in 1859. Members of his family fought in the Civil War and are buried in a small cemetery in the Bottoms. Today Harold runs beef cattle on the rich pastures along the creek. Joe Carpenter is a relative newcomer to the Bottoms, having raised dairy cattle there for some 32 years. Stuart Richardson is a third generation rancher who grew up along the Creek and raised his two children in its rich lands. Stuart’s love of the land and sense of responsibility for its care runs deep. He had hoped his son would carry on the ranching tradition and raise his family on the family land in the Bottoms. But plans for the Lower Bois D’Arc Reservoir have put an end to his hopes for his son, and the arc of his family’s story will change forever.
My last stop of the day finds me near Lake Crockett, one of a chain of reservoirs along Bois D’Arc Creek. The Corps of Engineers built three small impoundments, lakes Crockett, Coffee Mill, and Bonham, in the 1930s for flood control, drinking water, and recreation. Each of the lakes is nestled in the hardwood forest of the Bottoms and frequented by wildlife. Thousands of waterfowl commonly cluster in and around the lakes during the fall migration season. The recreation areas around the reservoirs were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and are fine examples of CCC architecture. Nonetheless these three lakes will be overcome when a new reservoir fills, and the unique CCC architecture and intimacy of the existing lakes will be lost forever.
Around mid-day I complete my portion of the quail survey and head back to town to file my report. I did not hear any quail today. I believe, perhaps naively, that my failure is the result of poor weather conditions and not evidence of further quail decline. While I did not log any quail, I took the opportunity to take one last look at a unique ecosystem that soon will be lost forever. I often think of the Bottoms as the land that time forgot, replete with rolling hills, grazing cattle, neat farms, and forested creeks. Soon the Bottoms will exist only in memory. The 16,000 acre Lower Bois D’Arc reservoir, scheduled to begin construction in 2018, will cover the entire area to a depth of some 45 feet so that the thirsty Dallas Metroplex can continue its relentless expansion. Farms, ranches, homesteads, and cemeteries-- those places that bind people to the land--will disappear forever. Boosters claim that the new reservoir will bring financial opportunity to an economically disadvantaged area in the form of jobs, recreation venues, and expanded business. Those who accept reality acknowledge it will also bring urban development, boats and jet skis, crowds, traffic, and noise. Time is about to catch up with the Bois D’Arc Bottoms. And those things that make the Bottoms unique will be washed away. And all of our lives will be diminished because of it.
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