Another example of entertainment for local residents back in the day. (Recall the previously mentioned Mooringsport Clubhouse.) Imagine taking an evening cruise on Caddo Lake, including a dance, on board the "Queen of Cypress." No picture has been found so far, but various articles from the time referred to it as a steamer, a pleasure craft, and "floating dance pavilion" operating out of Jefferson, Texas.
It's not known if this was a permanent or temporary relocation to Mooringsport. The vessel sunk sometime before 1934, per an article that year about the destruction by fire of the F. I. Clark, said to be the last tugboat to operate on the lake.
In A History Of Navigation On Cypress Bayou And The Lakes by Jacques D. Bagur (2001, University of North Texas Press, P. 699), the Queen was described as having once been a barge used to haul logs from Jefferson to Clark & Boice Lumber Company. A second story, railings, and other appointments were added to make it resemble a steamboat, but without its own power. It served as a party boat that was towed around by the Clark, that had also gone by earlier names "Senator Sheppard" and "Irby Grey."
Per the advertisement below, a re-floated or possibly reconstructed Queen reopened for business in 1939. What became of it is not known. Note there was later a small unrelated paddle boat named the "Cypress Queen" that operated in the 1960s.
I've often wondered if some sort of excursion operation could be successful on Caddo Lake. Imagine a late afternoon sunset cruise from Mooringsport to, for example, Big Pines Lodge in Karnack, Texas for dinner, then a nighttime return with some form of entertainment. Present-day Coast Guard regulations and insurance premiums would probably make it cost prohibitive though.
