Added_Info

Added Info Page Two

The first Added Info Page was such a success I've decided to add another one as the first one was getting long. Remember, for the most part these are straight from emails that were written in a very relaxed, sometime humorous way, depicting accent, mood or whatever. Your guess is as good as mine. That said, they are stuff you will not find anywhere else. I bet.

When in h.s. my uncle had a deer camp which was an old school bus at Delta National Forest near Cary, Ms.It gets hellofa cold up there and I swear it got colder in that bus than it was outside...had to draw straws to see who would get up in the morn and light the heater which didn't do much good anyway...Was a relief to start hiking thru the woods to your stand and take a shot or two of 'Four Roses' whiskey to warm up. Only consolation was ..ole man Clyde Thomas would make a huge batch of the best homemade biscuits in the south every morning and uncle billy would fry up a doz. eggs and 2 lb. of bacon.....the aroma inside the bus was heavenly. I'm makin myself cold now, think I'll turn in early.

The first contribution on this page is from the first contributor on the last page, David. He recounts good times back in Mississippi. I am posting it because it reflects a bit of the culture of Mississippi and most of the South during the late Fall and Winter months and it goes well with my write on the "Camps".

Mike D.from Crowley added this about the old filling stations and other buildings in Crowley.

The blue building with red roof is an old service station. Some old fella has been cleaning up all the mess. It was disgusting. I'm not sure who is doing it, but somebody is trying to restore it. They hauled off about 20 abandoned cars and earlier this week I saw him scooping up trash on the driveway into a trailer. I think it would be cool if somebody restored the building and used it for something other than used parts like the other one in your pics. That was an old Conoco service station that had been in service up till a few years ago. <It was owned> by an old friend of mine that I played football with in high school. He went back to farming and then recently Paul opened his glass shop up in there. This building wasn't in as bad a shape as the blue one is. The old depot was fixed up real nice and I think they wanted to put the tourist thingy there, but it ended up out by the interstate.

Mike D. again, this time remarking on the Holiday Club in Mamou. I had sent out a note requesting information on it and asking if anyone had been in it.
Of course I did!!! hahaha! actually only once. 1967! I had a cousin that I saw Sunday for the first time in years (family reunion) who belonged to a rock and roll band in the late 60's and they had me drive them and their trailer over there and babysit them (bodyguard more like it)! They were all still minors, so they didn't go back after the first time to the Holiday! They then moved to the Sunset Drive-inn (I think that is what the name was) on Hwy 165 south out of Oakdale. Played in the sunken concession stand in the middle of the drive in. They were still showing movies at the same time. But back to the Holiday club. in those days, Hwy 13 ran into 104 and then turned to go into Mamou. Then it went out the north side of town and up to Redell. You can see the old road running parallel on the east side of the new highway. The Holiday Club was on the corner then and Hwy 13 was still partial gravel and the customers used it as part of the parking lot!! haha! That provoked some old memories!!

Ok, now it's time for some more Fagan. Read on. He submitted this essay when he was trying to get hired on by the magazine. He got hired.
For more, go to the Following Fagan rides. If ever there was a school house on 2 wheels, riding with him is it.

Salem Methodist Campground - Americus, MS
This a prelude to our first ride, I think.

Don't bother to look for Americus on a map. In 1837, the infamous outlaw James Copeland and his gang burned the courthouse at Americus to destroy evidence against Copeland in a pending trial. Americus was the first County Seat in Jackson County. There is nothing to indicated a town ever existed. Salem Campground was built near the town site a few years later. For one week each year the campground comes alive. The rest of the time it is like a ghost. I rode up there today and looked around. The pictures are from an earlier visit.

If you ever get to Newton, MS stop by the train depot. Grierson's Raid during the Civil War is still talked about as if was just last week. Grierson had entered Mississippi from Tennessee with the intention of cutting the railroad at Newton. He made it to Newtoan and suceeded in destroying a lot of railroad, burning the hospital, and generally being a nuisance. With the Rebs closing in fast, his only escape was to try to get to Baton Rouge which was in Yankee hands. He made it with almost half his men asleep on their horses. Later in the war Grierson was promoted to General based on his performance during the Newton raid. The railroad was repaired and back in operation within a few days .

See if the Davis Ferry weathered the storm. I'll shoot some pictures if it
is running. This is a two car ferry across the Alabama River north of
Claiborne Dam that connect two dirt roads.

Here are a couple of pictures from a ride this morning. I know you like
bridges, so I thought I would get a shot of this one back in the Pascagoula
River swamp. Decided not to try riding across it due to hurricane damage.
Had to backtrack five miles of two track woods road .

Tupelo.

The battle of Shiloh was fought as the Federals tried to gain control of the railroads that intersected in Tupelo. The place was a battleground throughout the war. The area reeks of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest's most famous victory, Brice's Crossroads, is just up the road. Corinth is just a bit farther north. Shiloh is just north of the stateline in Tenn.

After Shiloh, the wounded Rebels were loaded onto train cars and carried south toward Mobile. At every town along the way the train stopped and allotted the town as many wounded to care for as possible. Makeshift hospitals were in every town. The cemeteries are still there to show that the wounds were serious. Visiting them is a stirring reminder that all is not glory in war.

No doubt you have read Shelby Foote's books about the Civil War. If you haven't, shame on you. They are supposed to be the most correct on the subject, and are a great read, too.

It's a place I don't connect to the Confederacy so much as the "Old South".   That whole area from Port Gibson down to St. Francisville seems sad to me. The area's time came and went, but the people can't seem to move forward. It's almost as if they expect things will somehow return to the glory days.

How familiar are you with the history of The Delta? Most people consider the delta as being most anywhere in the old flood plain along both sides of the Mississippi River. Never mention that to anyone who was raised between Yazoo City and Tunica or you'll get a lecture on what constitutes the "real" Delta. Life is truly different the

Nab a copy of "Mississippi - Off the Beaten Path" by Marlo Carter Fitzpatrick.
By all means go to visit Windsor Ruins. It's a haunting place. A side trip to
Grand Gulf (on the river west of Port Gibson) is a great ride, too
http://www.mississippi.gov/frameset.jsp?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gomdot.com
http://tinyurl.com/45ldd

Here's Ray suggesting a less than accurate name for a picture he sent me of the Pascagoula Swamp.

I'm sure there is a lake name, but it's really just a small slough. Call it "Dead Hog Slough" and then nobody can go find it and tell you different. :-)
So that picture is listed as such. Now you know why you couldn't find it. There are others.
Now there was a site contribution. Just make up names, who knows?

Ray and I took a ride to Citronelle, AL (Following Fagan Number? You need to read them all.)
It was where General Richard Taylor (La.Theater) surrendered his forces.
Again, Ray either knows what happened or can direct you to where you can find it.

http://www.citronellechamber.com/chamber_of_commerce/history.htm
In the next lecture, on October 22, Donnie Barrett returned to deliver two segments. In “War’s End, 1865”, he detailed key events of the closing days of the Civil War which occurred just miles away - the siege of Spanish Fort, the Battle of Blakeley, the surrender at Citronelle, and Union occupation.

Moving on back to Louisiana. A resident of lower Grand Chenier reflects on the pictures of the marsh fire
that can be seen in the La.83 ride and in the Cypremort Point write. Trash burning had caused the fire I saw.

Living in Grand Chenier next to the marsh on La. 82, I have seen many marsh fires. Growing up in the 60's and 70's they were rather common before the parish began picking up trash. We would burn our trash in the edge of the marsh and occasionally it would get out of hand during the summer. Areas of the marsh that are used for grazing are also burned to promote fresh growth of the grass for cattle.

Here's an early note from Henry talking about Chatawa. Check the Chatawas Ride on the MS SITE.

Her grandparents were Bentz's and the town was Chatawa, just outside of Osyka. They still had the old wood burning range in the kitchen and an upright piano in the living room.

How many times have I been up to that place? My ex-wife's grandparents lived near Osyka and ran an old-time service station/grocery store during the "olden days". I sent her a link to the website so she could check it out and asked her to contribute anything she (Sandy) could remember.

One of the computer map programs I use is Delorme' Street Atlas. It has an interesting map feature that is a help when locating undocumented historical areas. It shows a little cross at every cemetery. The area you have been poking around lately has tons of them. There is another hot spot that I want to check out that is NE of Bassfield which is near Hattiesburg. The place is covered in them.
Here's your piece of little known Mississippi history for today:

During the Civil War, Jones County (Laurel) tried to succeed from the Confederacy. While it is true that there were few slaves there (the place was too poor), the main reason was that various outlaw bands, deserters, and other criminals had moved into the area and taken it over. They called it the Free State of Jones.

Just a few quick references
http://www.cw-book-news.com/release%20info/01-08/jones.html

and a followup from a discussion board.
http://www.ebicom.net/~moorer/scripts/wwwboard/messages/809.html

Lots more to be found if interested.

Did you read that Jason?

Ray D. reflecting on Melville and giving me a start on that little short story I wrote.

    The town had a siren that would go off every day at 12 noon or whenever there was a fire alarm, and people would call the fire station to find out where the fire was. Telephone Co. was local with a switchboard operator. Don't forget the Joy theater, last movie I saw there was Viva Las Vegas, which broke during the middle, and they ran it backwards, and nobody left the building. I slept through Jailhouse Rock on the front row. Town Drs. were E E Merse, and Doc Slater, and polish dentist Dr. Kochansky. Mr. Bill Morel ran the Rexall drug store where I bought a many a Batman/Superman comic book.
There was a train depot when we were living there, but it was torn down, date unknown. You could use those vehicles that are cars or trucks, only modified to run on the train tracks. They have an annual catfish festival but I don't think it was around New Years. There's always the people who live "on the river" or across the levee north of the railroad bridge, and there are a few bars there, too. And don't forget the constant infighting of the mayor, town council, fire and police. And K-Paul's factory.
Here's the newspaper report of the actual murder the story was based on.
"After failing a Federal Bureau of Investigation polygraph test late Wednesday afternoon, Randy Graham, 27, of Fordoche confessed Wednesday night to killing Juliet Collins, 24, of Jarreau, investigators said.
Graham told detectives he stabbed her to death during an argument, then drove to the Melville ferry landing and dumped her body into the river, Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Paul Raymond Smith said.
The Sheriff's Office helicopter searched the river 30 miles downstream from the landing without success Thursday morning, Smith said. Deputies in boats also scoured the river banks below the landing, he said.
"The way the current flows, it should keep her on our side," Smith said. Pointe Coupee deputies have notified all the parishes along the river to be on the lookout for Collins' body, he said.
Dogs specially trained to sniff out corpses arrived from St. Tammany Parish to help with the search, Smith said.
Collins' family began searching for her Sunday after she fought with her husband at Moon's Lounge in Livonia, then left the bar with Graham.
Collins and Graham drove south into Iberville Parish where they argued over money and he killed her in a sugar cane field, investigators said.

The paper's account continues, and you thought that my story was a little "wild". No, expect anything in Louisiana.

PLAQUEMINE - Two men fishing on the St. Martin Parish side of the Atchafalaya River near Butte Larose on Friday morning found the body of a woman killed and dumped in the river 30 miles upstream and more than five weeks ago.
Later Friday, Juliet Collins' mother, using tattoos, identified the body as that of her daughter, said Iberville Parish Sheriff's Of- fice Chief Deputy Brent Allain.
Randy Graham, 27, of Fordoche remains in the parish jail facing prosecution on a count of second-degree murder after he confessed to killing Collins, 24, of Jarreau, on Dec. 27.
Investigators said Graham told them he killed Collins during an argument over money in a cane field just south of the Iberville- Pointe Coupee Parish line. Earlier that day, Collins argued with her husband at Moon's Lounge in Liven and left the bar with Graham.
Family, friends and law enforcement officers searched for Collins for four days before Graham failed a polygraph test on New Years Eve and confessed to killing her, investigators said.
The search - this time with boats, divers and a helicopter - moved to the Atchafalaya River near the Melville ferry landing. But days of searching the cold swift river and its banks proved fruitless and officials eventually called it off

Ray D.on Swamp Pop, a project waiting in the wings.

The Triangle and The Pelican Cubs are old swamp pop hangouts. Texas tried to cut in with the Texas Pelican, but Vinton was the original. Bill's brother, Everett, last played with G. G. Shinn before he "retired," and the Boogie Kings earlier on. I think his current band is the "Hot Damn Band." Have you been to the Swamp Pop museum in Port Arthur? I haven't, but I've seen the billboards with Janis's picture on it. The gold top Les Paul was what Joe Walsh played, it was love at first sight. I pick a little, but play mostly chords, and by ear. It's supposed to be a collector's item, priced somewhere around $3000, but my last offer was a pocket knife and a cross eyed cat, so I still have it.

Ray, more on Melville or maybe it's from the Melville Site or maybe it's from Whitey, a forgotten souce.
It's to formal to be from Ray D.

The site of the former Comeaux's Cafe & Hotel on Church Street is now gone. It is now a hamburger stand. D. J. Comeaux's sister in Morganza, LA had a cafe also which was used in making the movie, "Easy Rider" which Peter Fonda and the David guy from Krotz Springs starred in. The ending was between Krotz Springs and Melville on Hwy 105.

Krotz Springs was founded in the early 1900's by Charles W. Krotz, a native of Ohio. When looking for oil, he struck an artesian well of terrific pressure. Krotz advertised the water as a cure for all kinds of ailments and the finest bathing water in the world.

He advertised Krotz Springs as the coming health resort of the south. Krotz Springs is a unique town in that it is one of only a few communities in the nation completely surrounded by a ring levee, built after the flood of 1927.

Entering KS from Opelousas many years ago, you had to stop at the Wiltz Burger Stand and get something to eat.

I can't believe this, I found Ray D.'s first note to TWL.
Priceless.

Ray connected with the "Easy Rider Road" ditty because he lived there. The movie was perhaps one of the more famous happenings in Melville since the town was passed up by Huey P. Long's north-south Louisiana Highway. (our only one for a while), which paralized the town. Ray had a few background facts to tell me and then the dam broke.
Ray wrote:

"Great site! I lived in Melville from 1954 to 1967. Did you know that either 1 or both men in the pickup truck that killed Easy Rider and Billy committed suicide? Thanks for the great pictures!

No I didn't know that. I wonder if the parts they played had anything to do with their mental state? I forgot to ask Ray if he knew.
Evidently according to Ray this is "urban legend", but he was concerned about legal ramifications. Evidently, there may still be lawyers involved. Aren't they always!

I wrote Ray back and told him about my good experiences with the area, especially that town constable in Melville that was more than kind at the time of the "pop festival" in 1970 or so. Ray replied that his Mom's cousin, Jessie Moreau was a deputy, then became Sheriff of Melville during that time. If it all fits, thanks Sheriff Moreau. The Festival of Life Pop Festival was in McCrea, just to the west of New California, across the Atchafalaya from him.   He replied:
.
    I was about 11 when I got my first Honda 50 {he later told me that it was the first of three Hondas His cousins "chauferred him on it until he learned to ride}.
I used to go riding to Simmsport, and to Lebeau. I remember going with my sister's family on the levee to see/hear the "Rock Festival".
More recollections follow and the puzzle comes together. I asked him to explain a ticket he had mentioned. Confessions follow:
The traffic ticket refers to me riding around Melville on a motorcycle at age 11-13 without a license. {whether this ticket was paid is still out there.} Then the shocker came. It seems that there was trouble brewing at an earlier age.

My dad got me a motorcycle because:
I used up all the playing cards and balloons on my bicycle tire spokes, or...
I had a battery powered "Vroom" by Mattel on the handlebars, to make the bicycle sound like a real engine.
Someone at Elementary school hot wired the "vroom", and I was pulled from class to "MAKE IT STOP!

We motorcycle riders don't climb out of the crib and jump on bikes (Maybe Andy and Ray F.did).There is a catalyst. Ray's catalyst follows:
I was at recess in elementary school one day when a Harley roared into Melville. It was a coworker of my dad's from Port Arthur, Texas, who hand delivered a Chihuahua puppy, who rode inside his leather jacket.
So there's the "rest of the story"

I have written quite a bit about the area around Old River. Ms. Poses wrote me after reading "Up the Mississippi".
It seems Old River Landing is very close to where she grew up. It is indeed a beautiful area with one scenic surprise after another. But, a story cannot be complete without human input. Thank you Ms. Posey for rounding out the story. These are her words, edited for her privacy.

"Hi, I thoroughly enjoyed your tour of Louisiana;
especially the part by Old River, in Pte. Coupee
Parish...That is where I was born and raised !! Just
about 5 miles from Old River, in a little community
called New California...between Batchelor and
McCrea..My Daddy was Hewitt S., Sr.; My oldest
brother was Jr; better known as Nephew or The Blue
Runner on the CB radio...He had a bike at one time;
and I loved riding with him...I live in Kansas now,
and just love it..You want a beautiful ride? Come to
the Chautauqua Hills in South east Ks. ..right now
the redbud and dogwood trees are in bloom and it is
just lovely...But I still love Louisiana; for
sure...My Grandfather gave the little town of Lottie
it's name ..Anyway; just wanted to say I really
enjoyed your site; and will visit again and
again..Sincerely, Posy "

I inquired about her grandfather's name which she was nice enough to supply.

"My grandfather's name was William Henry Smith...he had a store in Lottie when my father was young...My
grandmother's name was Florie Julia Wilson Smith. You may use my note if you wish; and I don't care if you use my name."

Now, can't you see Ms. Posey and Jr. running the levee road in the cool evening on his bike.

More from Ray:
And a side note. The Prickyourfingeralottas, mentioned in the "Leonville" article had another use.
The prickyoufingeralotta...my friends used to cut the stickers off of these on the levees and eat it like celery.

After doing an article on that lost area of La. below US 84 nestled in the bend of the Red River,
Billy wrote this:

hey Steve, didn't notice the name of the article
today, but it was great! This is the area where I had
family, 40-45 years ago.   I went there many times to
spend weekends.   Where they lived was Workman's
Bayou, or at least thats what everybody called it. I
guess the proper name is Workinger's Bayou.
Everywhere we went, once we got there, was by boat, to
the store or wherever and all the lakes and bayous
were connected.    It was great when neighbors would
visit by boat and I think the mailman came by boat
too. You have lit a fire under me now. I can't wait
for the weather to warm up so I can take a weekend to
explore the area again, but like you, by motorcycle
this time.   Good job!

Below from that link.
http://www.boatingamerica.com/states/louisiana/louisia.htm
Cocodrie Lake - Monterey.   Also known as “Horshoe Lake.” An “Ox Bow Lake” located in the central part of the state about 4 miles north of Monterey. It is approximately 1,160 acres in size and is about a .5 mile wide by 5.25 miles long. It is an open lake with practically no obstructions. There several access but no facilities. However, there is a commercial launch nearby on Workinger Bayou with fuel on the water.   Also accesses Workinger Bayou, Black River Lake [Monterey Lake], Bayou Cross Cocodrie, and Bayou Cocodrie.
http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Mesa/1056/LaJetSkiPlaces2.html

And, here's Barry on the Little River and more.
He always writes like that. Lurnt it at La.Tech.

Yowza! You went there already, and it turns out to be flooded. I shoulda thunk of that cuz I know the water rises on the Little River and there had been a lot of rain there recently. I am so sorry you went all that way to not make it to the end. I hope in the future you can finish the trip and literally make it to the end of the road. Excellent pictures and I know where you were when you took them. I see you also took in Stuart Lake near Pollock and that is a very pretty park that is seldom used.

You are right about the r/r bridge. It used to run into Selma, which is just south of Georgetown, but is now no more. Selma was a very large, thriving lumber town at the turn of the century with hotels, banks, stores, schools, etc. but is now overgrown and the only remnant is the concrete slabs of the lumber mills.There is a train spur in Georgetown that track connected to. Lots of history there disappearing. I dunno if the track you saw crossed the Little River or ran parallel to it. Had you continued over that r/r bridge, it would have taken you to the river but there is a private property at the end of the road that people avoid. There are a lot of reclusive people in those woods that want nothing to do with the outside world. Long time ago, I had a dirtbike in the back of my truck, bringing it back from being repaired, and decided to do some exploring. I ended up down some road that dead-ended at an enclosed camp and was turning around when I saw an old jeep up on blocks. Back then, that was like waving a hotdog in front of Rose O'Doughnut. I drove straight inside the camp to the jeep and was almost immediately met by an armed welcoming committee, and basically told to get the heck outta of Dodge or suffer the consequences, and that I missed a sign outside the gate saying NO BIKES (whether driven or hauled, I guess). Being the fool I am, I had a few parting questions about the jeep. Guess jeeps were more important than my well-being. I drove out of there in reverse figuring if I got shot, I'd want to see who was doing the shooting.

Where was I?
You da man. Work beckons but lemme add a recap to my other posts and also to your fine e-mail. Selma doesn't appear on many maps, if any, but it's a ghost with a past that is not there anymore. All that is left are the survivors from it's old glory days; there are houses back there and not much more save a hidden cemetary. The road does a loop there and is called Selma Loop. There used to be another lumber town 3 miles north of Georgetown on US 165 called Rochelle. It was big too and there is zilch there now, nada, nothing. Another project for you. It is right on the Little River, so being near water it should pique your curiousity. The tracks ran through Rochelle.

You were still in Grant Parish alright, land of no traffic signals. They must save a ton of money having no signals to worry about. Of course that fact provides a steady source of income for personal injury lawyers and the local hospitals, as well as tow trucks drivers and body shops. There, I let the secret out and I best stay out of LA for a while till they forget about me

Here's a map to the Little River WMA I told you about. Very pretty area, but small and really not too much to do once you get there. Where it is marked "Headquarters" on the map, it is really the location of a trash dumpster. Go figure. Just below that spot is Fish Creek, and you can see where the road crosses it. This is the location of Camp Hardtner and being as there are signs directing you to this camp, you cannot miss finding the correct road as you just continue on maybe a mile past the camp to where you turn right off this blacktop road onto a gravel road taking you to the Little River WMA. I don't recall seeing any signs at all for the LRWMA. Unless you are a local, most never know of the place.

That's it for a while, more later. Steve

I sent Ray F. David's account because I know Ray likes eggs and bacon. This is hunting story. I've got to find his pickup ride tale.

Actually, we did much the same as David when I was a kid. The men in the family would load us boys up and off to deer camp we would go. "Camp" was an old abandoned barn on an equally abandoned homestead that belonged to an uncle's in-law's that only the oldest men remembered. The men had nailed up some feed sacks and tar paper to keep out the worst of the wind. A wood burning stove was given the impossible task of keeping the place warm. Everyone slept on the dirt floor covered in blankets and quilts that probably had not been washed in twenty years. Lord, it could get cold in that place. Like David, my fondest memories of those trips was the biscuits. Those old guys could really cook some magnificent biscuits on a wood burning stove. After breakfast we all trooped out to the trucks where we were dropped off at regular spacing's along the country backroads. They called these drop off points "stands", though there was no structure there at all. I was convinced that the name was short for "stand there and freeze". The whole area was almost devoid of deer. If the men in the trucks spotted a set of deer tracks crossing the dirt roads, they would often pick up all of the kids and drive us down to look at those tracks. I suppose we did this for ten or twelve years before I became old enough to begin hunting on my own. In all of those early years I don't remember seeing a single live deer, saw darn few dead ones, either. Years later I realized that those gatherings had less to do with deer hunting than they did with just having all the guys together. Some of the stories they told will be with me until the day I die.

Andy sent me his recollection of the Mamou area and the La.10 and 13 inttersection.
The Holiday is at the intersection of La.13 and 104, adjacent to Mamou.
In remembrance of the Holiday Club at Mamou . North of there was Barbara Spur at the junction of 10 and 13, I think are the highways. There were a few clubs there also as well as down the road. Even a house of ladies for hire kinda west of Barber Spur on 10. This was all created to serve oil drilling in the area in the 60's and 70's just north of Barber Spur and on up towards Pine Prairie.
Pine Prairie brings up the memory of the Pine Cone, a restaurant there that had a can of beer from nearly every place in the world. I wonder what happen to that collection.
Also was a little bar North of Barber Spur back in the woods where in season you could order deer meat. Or even out of season.
ha ha ha.
We used to habitant lots of these places going back and forth to service our drilling rigs in the area back in my Fred Wilson days. The oil field was very wild back then. Work hard and Play hard.