Excuse Me! (Ahem) Where Do I Sign Up?

Due to a high-producing oil well on club property, instead of paying dues, members of the Jeems Bayou Hunting & Fishing Club received royalty income. The well, drilled by the Producers Oil Company, flowed at the rate of 9,500 barrels per day. For their share, each of the 56 members received $422 per month, the equivalent of $10,138 today. The club was originally called the Ananias Hunting & Fishing Club and its name was taken for the train stop on the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks that ultimately became the town of Oil City.

Among the members, comprised of Shreveport and Texarkana citizens is former Louisiana Governor Newton Crain Blanchard.

Source: Coffeyville (KS) Daily Journal 08-Apr-1912, Page 3

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Colonel James Daniel Anders (1916-1986)

Anders, James Daniel (1916-1986) Colonel, U. S. Army 1942-1971

Source: Baton Rouge State Times 11-Aug-1965, Page 79 (13-F)

Among the colonel's accomplishments:

• Entered U.S. Army as buck private in 1942 and retired 28 years later as a full colonel.
• Awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star medals during World War II; and also served in Korea, and Vietnam
• Acted as technical consultant for film, "Teresa" that included actors Rod Steiger, Lee Marvin, and Robert Wagner among its cast
• Testified before a U. S. Senate Subcommittee that included several notable senators of the day; in a hearing also attended by future Attorney General, U. S. Senator, and Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy.
• Served as chief-of-staff at Fort Polk, LA where he built a replica Vietnamese village to prepare soldiers entering that conflict. 

Early Life

Born 09-May-1916 to the Reverend Dan Frank, a Methodist minister, and Lucy Moffet Anders. His obituary states Oil City as his birthplace, however in a newspaper article about his military career, Minden, LA is mentioned as his place of birth. Rev. Anders pastored at several Louisiana churches over his career, including nearby Ida, LA in the early 1920s. The family moved from Jena in 1936, and Rev. Anders served as Oil City pastor until 1938.

Source: Monroe News Star 16-Dec-1936, Page 2


In 1940, James was still living in Oil City, boarding in the home of Henry H. and Maggie Smith Warren, with the occupation of oil pipeline clerk.

Source: 1940 U.S. Census


He married the former Annie Lee Waldron, a long-time resident of Oil City; who is shown below as a student at Louisiana State Normal College, now Northwestern State University.

Source: 1940 LSN Potpourri (yearbook), Page 64


World War II

James enlisted into the U. S. Army on 04-Aug-1942, shown then to be resident of Jefferson, TX.

During WWI, he served in 91st Infantry Division and was awarded the Silver Star.

Source: The 91st Infantry Division in World War II, P398


He rose quickly through the ranks. Starting as a private, he became a second lieutenant only eight months later, and made first lieutenant a year after that.

Source: U.S. Army Register, 1948


Later Military Career

In 1950, then Captain Anders served as a technical consultant for the film "Teresa" Part of the fictional story was set in some of the same areas the captain had traversed during the war. Listed among its cast were actors Rod Steiger, Lee Marvin, and Robert Wagner.

1951 Movie Poster

The original trailer is linked here.

Source: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 04-May-1950, Page 22 (6-B)

Senate Subcommittee Hearings 

In March 1955, Lt. Colonel Anders was called to speak before the U. S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations regarding the handling of the promotion and discharge of Irving Peress, an army dentist suspected of communist leanings during the "Red Scare" era of the early-to-mid 1950s. This was a continuation of subcommittee activities begun earlier under then chairman, Joseph M. McCarthy, senator from Wisconsin. While  no longer chair, McCarthy was still a member of the the committee.

Service history contained in the official record of his testimony.

Source: Hearings Before The Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations Of The Committee On Government Operations, United States Senate, Eighty-Fourth Congress, First Session, Part 1, March 15, 1955, Page 54

The hearing in which Colonel Anders testified was held 16-Mar-1955. Subcommittee members in attendance included: McClellan, John L. (Chairman) Bender, George H. Ervin, Sam J., Jr. Jackson, Henry M. McCarthy, Joseph R. Mundt, Karl E. Symington, Stuart Also in attendance was General Counsel, Robert F. Kennedy.

Hearings Before The Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations Of The Committee On Government Operations, United States Senate, Eighty-Fourth Congress, First Session, Part 1, March 16, 1955, Page 75 His full testimony is linked here. By 1964, he had been elevated to full colonel.

Source: U.S. Army Register, 1966

The picture below is from a 1965 article about francolins, an asian game bird, being introduced to the greater Fort Polk property for eventual hunting. (Author's observation: It's not mentioned if consideration was given to the potential impact on native species and the local environment.)

Source: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 21-Nov-1964 Page 45 (10-C) (Anders with francolin)


Among the colonel's accomplishments while at Fort Polk is the creation of a Vietnamese village (shown below) in order to prepare soldiers about to enter that conflict.

Source: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 28-Feb-1966, Page 20 (6-B)

In 1971, he retired from Ft. Polk chief of staff. recaps career, known as "Mr. Ft. Polk."

Source: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 08-Aug-1971, Page 32 (8-B)

Civilian Contributions Per his obituary, his civic roles included:

• Past president of Leesville-Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce 
• Member of the First United Methodist Church of Leesville, where he served on the Administrative Board for 20 years and was a member of the Chancel Choir
• Member of the Leesville Lions Club, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars

Colonel Anders passed away 02-Jun-1986 and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Leesville, LA.

Return to Remembering OC's Veterans.

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Woman's International Union Label League

Though not working in the oilfields themselves or participating directly in related oil worker union activities, women provided support to their men through participation in the Woman's Label League, a nationwide organization described thusly:

Organized March 11, 1907 under the auspices of the Central Trades and Labor Council, the Woman's Union Label League encouraged the purchase and use of union label goods. Ladies belonging to the organization;were predominately wives of the union members. The first president was;Mrs. W. T. Ecks. 

Source: LSU-Shreveport Archives Collections

The following objectives appeared at the front of their official publication.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal Feb-1919, Page 2


Excerpt of a list of organizations using labels on their respective manufactured products.

Examples of advertisements supporting the purchase of union-made products.

Though some union men questioned the value of the label league, it was promoted to add cohesion to the overall labor movement, in this case giving women a way to participate.

Source: Shoe Workers Journal, May-1917, Page 20

Mrs C. A. Hunter (first name not known), identified below as president of the Shreveport chapter of the Women's Labor league, is noted as the only woman attendee to a 1917 state labor convention. Her husband, C. A. Hunter, appears in publications at different times representing the oil workers union from Oil City and Mooringsport.

New Orleans States 02-Apr-1917, Page 7

Charters were issued in Dec-1917 for Oil City and Vivian, its neighbor community in the Pine Island District. This was during the time of the oil workers strike that occurred in the southwest from Louisiana to California. For more on that subject, read An Advocate for Local Workers and Occupied.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal Jun-1918, Page 5 

An early secretary of the OC local was Mrs. Emma Tippett. Note a Vivian contact was not listed.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal Jun-1918, Page 5

The 1920 U.S. Census shows Emma Tippett (age 22) living in Caddo Parish, LA Ward 2 (that includes Oil City) with husband William Robert (29) and daughter Marguerite (one month old).


In the Aug-1918 edition, the OC local was shown to be led by Mrs. Susie Smith.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal Aug-1918, Page 15

Emma Louise Strickland Tippett
 (1888-1949) - photo by Lisa Quigley
 Veitch (great grand-daughter)

By Feb-1919, the local secretary was Mrs. Leonora Odom.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal Feb-1919, Page 15


In 1918, Mrs. Hunter filed the following report to the convention regarding the activities of her organization.

Louisiana State Federation of Labor. 6th-7th 1918-1919, Page 48


The following is a letter submitted by Mrs. Odom (name misspelled below) on the status of the Oil City local.

Source: The Woman's Label League Journal 20-May-1921, Page 10

Leonora's tie to Oil City is verified by her husband William T. Odom's World War I draft registration, Interestingly "in parish jail" is his listed occupation. Whether union-related or because of simple criminal activities is not known.

No subsequent information on the union or local chapter has been found.


Information about the early women's movement is available at this link.

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