Pearls harvested from these beds were gifted by Philip II of Spain to his wife Mary I of England.
Marine pearls were found in the Caribbean and waters along the coasts of Central and South America.
During colonial times, slaves were employed as pearl divers off the northern coasts of modern Colombia and Venezuela.
But those fortunate to discover a great pearl could sometimes purchase his freedom.
Caddo Lake is famous for its cypress forest, which is one of the largest in the United States.
One day, while preparing a mussel to use as catfish bait, Murata discovered a small pearl.
This was nothing new.
Occasionally, young men would find pearls inside mussels which they would gift to their heartthrobs.
Later that same day, or perhaps, a few days later, Murata discovered a second pearl.
Not much interest were attached to these casual finds, until Murata found a way to sell them.
Rumors flew that he sold the pearls to Tiffany & Co. in New York for $1,500 each.
Some brought their families with them.
Others came alone, and went back and forth to their homes.
A group of pearl hunters on Caddo Lake.
It was the most expensive pearl sold at the lake.
Another lucky fisherman, George Allen, received $500 for one pearl.
However, not everyone was lucky.
Some toiled for weeks without finding a single pearl, and left in disappointment.
Others, exaggerated their fortunes.
Some think as many as one million dollars worth of pearls were marketed.
The community got along surprisingly well with no fights or bickering or quarrelling.
This was because time was precious, and few pearl hunters wasted time in idle.
With no church to go to, they worked even during Sundays.
The pearl craze ended and the Caddo fishermen went back to fishing, while others returned to their homes.
Freshwater mussels still thrive in Caddo Lake, now a protected State Park, but no collecting is allowed.
