[2] Because of its scale, the Great Raft became incorporated in the mythology of the regional Caddo tribe, which had been in the area for thousands of years.

[4] Harrelson et al. describe the origins of the raft: This ecosystem of entangled logs, vegetation and sediments remained in place for almost two millennia, altering the flow regime of the Red River and causing a complete change in its geomorphic character from a single channel to a series of anastomosing channels.

The main contributors to the development of the Great Raft are believed to be the shifting geomorphic conditions in conjunction with extensive precipitation, river bank rotational slips and slab failure, rapid lateral migration, copious, rapidly growing riparian vegetation, exceeding a geomorphic threshold, a flashy hydrograph and a very heavy sediment load.

The raft blocked the mouth of Twelve Mile Bayou, impeding settlement in the area west of Shreveport.

Captain Shreve arrived at the toe of the Great Raft in April 1833 with four snag boats and a force of 159 men.

[2][6] When the log jams were removed, the water level in Caddo Lake and others dropped dramatically, reducing their navigability for riverboats.

In the 20th century, to maintain the Mississippi, the US Army Corps of Engineers built the multibillion-dollar Old River Control Structure.