60
creaky spirit bridge is not enough,
there is the food.
Fresh beignets, sweet crepes,
succulent crawfish, and other bayou
favorites are readily available, as are
recognizable Texas standards like
chicken fried steak and barbecue.
A perfect start to your day explor-
ing Jefferson is a hearty breakfast
at The Bakery. There is no wrong
choice from the morning menu, but
you will be sorry if you miss the
chance to taste French toast made
from fresh homemade cinnamon
raisin bread.
If, later in the day, your sweet
tooth needs attention, return to The
Bakery for a turnover, strudel or its
famous Sinful Brownie.
After breakfast, stroll down to
the Chamber of Commerce and take
inventory of your choices of activi-
ties for the day. There are museums,
tours, carriage rides, classic car
displays, and, depending on the time
of your visit, plays and concerts.
Chamber staffers are helpful and
knowledgeable of most of the enter-
tainment options.
History buffs might make plans to
be around for one of five performanc-
es of the “Diamond Bessie” Murder
Trial or the Battle of Port Jefferson
Civil War reenactment in May, or
April’s cemetery tours, similar to
Weatherford’s Talking Tombstone
Tours.
According to the Handbook of
Texas Online, “Diamond Bessie”
Moore arrived in Jefferson early in
1877. “When a well-dressed man
and woman calling themselves ‘A.
Monroe and wife’ got off the train
and registered at the Brooks House in
Jefferson on January 19, 1877, events
were set in motion that led to the first
big-name trial in Texas.”
Monroe was actually Abraham
Rothschild, the son of Meyer
Rothschild, a Cincinnati jeweler and
a traveling salesman for his father’s
jewelry business. He had met Bessie
Moore at a brothel in Hot Springs,
Ark., several years before.
On the Sunday morning after
their arrival, Rothschild bought two
lunches for a picnic and the couple
was seen disappearing into the fog as
they crossed the footbridge over Big
Cypress Creek.
Upon the discovery of Bessie’s
body, which now rests in Jefferson’s
Oakwood Cemetery, Rothschild was
found and tried in what turned into a
national media event.
The play is scheduled for May
5-8. Tickets are required, but are free.
Visit riverportambassadors.com or
jefferson-texas.com for more informa-
tion on any of the city’s events.
After a morning of history, it’s
time to eat.
For a quick midday repast, stop by
Auntie Skinner’s Riverboat Club for
a fresh-fried catfish sandwich and a
frosty libation. Fresh ingredients and
fast, friendly service get you satisfied
and back to your vacation quickly
and inexpensively.
For the afternoon, book a tour on
Caddo Lake. One highly regarded
trek is offered by Caddo Outback
Backwater Tours, which operates
small boats and personal tours. It’s
fun to tour by day and even better by
night.
Outback’s owner John Winn has
lived on Lake Caddo most of his life,
and his knowledge of the lake and its
twisting, turning water trails through
cypress thickets and tattered Spanish
moss is respected in the area.
“If you don’t know the lake, you
can get lost really easily,” Winn said,
guiding a flat-bottom boat through
the shallows of a thick cypress bog.
“I have sheriff’s deputies and game
wardens who call me to come find
lost boaters in these bogs. Most of the
time, it’s in places they don’t want to
go.”
Winn is a source of knowledge for
all things pertaining to the lake.
“There are a series of boat roads,”
he said, pointing to a sign as he
maneuvers his tiny craft past a beaver
lodge. “As long as you stay on those
you really shouldn’t get lost. But, I
want to take people deeper into the
lake, to the places I like to see.”