Certainly not all that have taken place over the years, but accounts of long ago Christmas events found in newspapers. Different names and faces, but notice how similar the programs and activities are to what one might observe today.
1917
Troops of the 155th Infantry regiment of the Mississippi National Guard were stationed throughout the Caddo oilfields to keep the peace during a strike that occurred in late 1917/early 1918 across the southwestern United States. Area residents displayed warm hospitality to these "soldier boys," with records from the time reporting that citizens of Mooringsport and Vivian served Thanksgiving dinner to those stationed within their midst.
These acts of kindness continued at Christmas, as celebratory activities were held for the troops in north Caddo Parish communities Caddo (Oil City), Mooringsport, Trees, and Vivian; as well as at the state fairgrounds where the regiment was headquartered, and in the DeSoto Parish communities of Mansfield and Naborton. Note that "Caddo" was Caddo City (now part of Oil City) and Mrs. W. H Murray mentioned below was an OC resident.
Seven year-old Francis Charles Radaz, Jr.; son of Francis, Sr. and Pearle (Bates), wrote a letter to Santa Claus in 1920. The "Boy" was possibly a misreading (due to a child's handwriting) of his younger brother's name, William Malloy, who went by the latter. Though there were no cell phones or tablets then, Francis was still interested in the latest technology; which a "moving picture machine" certainly would have been.
The family was originally from there, and several family members lived there at the time. The elder Francis worked for the Texas Company and the family resided at what is now 106 Pine Street, across from the Oil City school, and next door to the old Mandina home.
The photo below is of Francis several years later as a graduating engineering student at Louisiana Tech.
An inter-denominational Christmas celebration held at the Methodist Episcopal Church that also included participation by the local Christian and Baptist churches. Mrs. R. T. Alexander was likely Mrs. Typhena Ellen (Benson) Alexander, wife of Dr. P. T. Alexander. (Hattie) Ruth Vaughn was an Oil City school teacher of that time.
Reverend Tinnin shown in college a couple of years earlier. Note what is now the First Baptist Church was called the Central Baptist Church in the 1920s.
A local Goodfellows Club was formed. The organization provided for poor children at Christmas, those "afraid Santa Claus will overlook them." By the way, the Harrington mentioned in the article owned the Ford dealership at that time.
Howard Fortson Post No. 138 and auxiliary of the American Legion held a Christmas party and welcomed 33 returning veterans of World War II. 200 guests attended the affair, called to order by post commander, Dick Robison.
Among those recognized was Navy Seabee Ervin Fedd, whose birthday happened to be that day.
1954
On 09-Dec-1954, Mayor Donald Lavine opened the Christmas Season by turning on the lights of a 26 foot Christmas tree set under a lighted derrick, the idea of oilmen R. D. Wilson and Bill Bailey.
Mrs. Lois Thompson's third grade Christmas program, December 1960.
L-R: (Standing) Gayle King, Sharilyn Herndon, Shirley Allborty, Billy Wingo,
Garvin Fike, Addie Tubbs, Peggy Fowler, Jimmy Thacker, Marian Tarver;
(Seated) Jimmy Wingo, Gil Beck
L-R: Santa, John Ridge, Wayne Hall, Jerry Green, Pat Weaver
L-R: Ronnie Thomas, Johnny Head, Bill Stevens, David Stanfield,
Kathy Hargrove
L-R: (Back) Diane Robison, Charles Hicks, Angie Wendell, Kenneth Spoon,
Roger Sanders; (Middle) Don Vaughn, Tommie Maxwell, Judy Marcus,
Terry Elmore; (Front) Darlene Batts, Janet Latham, Roy Easley
Not pictured: Arley Holliman, Jenny Poindexter, Ann Smith, Rodney Walker
1960 Oil City Junior High School Bengal (yearbook)
The old downtown clinic was demolished a few years ago. Fortunately; through the magic of Google Street View, it is still visible for the time being and with this blog post, possibly for posterity. While out of use for many years and not architecturally significant, it represented a special commitment to the community by a select group of concerned individuals that is worthy of our remembrance.
Oil City Clinic sometime in early 2010s
During its early boomtown days, Oil City had as many as three physicians practicing locally. However by 1950, the town had not had a full-time doctor for approximately 12 years. To address this need, members of the Oil City Rotary Club formed a non-profit corporation that issued $30,000 of stock, the vast majority of which was purchased by members. This organization was led by the following officers:
Lewis W. Watts, president
O. B. Roberts, vice-president
Tilman W. "T.W." Greer, secretary
Lewis Watts, Sr.
T. W. Greer
Additional board members were:
J. K. Butler, Sr.
Alvin Johnson
E. D. Markham
Using the capital raised, a two-story brick medical clinic was constructed containing the following amenities:
Medical offices for white and black patients. In that day of racially-segregated accommodations, the facilities were said to have been of "equal" quality.
Doctor's private office
Treatment room
Emergency operating room
Pharmacy
The second floor was designed with intent to eventually accommodate eight hospital rooms. However, until demand warranted, the rooms were rented out as office space. The enterprise being non-profit, investors only received compensation for original investment after retirement of associated debt. This essentially interest-free loan showed their unselfish commitment to the betterment of the community.
A March 1952 Shreveport Times article featuring Oil City, touted the new clinic as evidence of the community's growth. The attached bronze plaque stated its purpose "Dedicated to the Relief of Suffering Humanity."
Shreveport Times 11-Mar-1952, Page 8
Billy Wayne Floyd, MD(1933-2001) practiced at the clinic from July 1960 through May 1961.
He graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and medical school (presumably at LSU or Tulane), and became a newly licensed physician in 1959..
In June 1961, it was announced he was joining Dr. John F. Hall, Jr., MD at the Sunset Clinic in Shreveport. After Dr. Floyd's departure, the lone tenant of the building for many was the pharmacy of eventual ownerT. W. Greer (1898-1980), where he filled prescriptions while wife Addine worked the shop comprised of sundries and gift items (cards, candy, etc.) out front. Mr. Greer served as Oil City Mayor from 1964-1968.
Here is a view of the place on the building where the aforementioned plaque was once attached, followed by a picture of the plaque.
Local medical services are currently provided by Dr. Karen S. Walker, M.D. at the Willis-Knighton clinic located on Hwy 1. Time passes and things change. But let this page pay tribute to those who in their time were committed to serving the needs of the community in the best way possible.
Several miles south of where I live (Austin, Texas) is Gruene Hall, one of the last Texas dance halls still in operation. However, at one time the landscape was dotted with such "honky tonks" that supported a vibrant live music scene of local musicians and traveling bands.
You may not be aware, but there was once such place at Kool Point, a site on the bank of Caddo Lake west of Oil City, where several nights a week there was live entertainment. Its heyday coincided largely with that of the Louisiana Hayride, as several notable performers made their way out to play at the venue. The night club/dance hall Kool Point burned in 1955 and was later replaced by a popular catfish restaurant that also burned in the late 1970s. Today there is only a faded sign to hint at what once was.
Google Maps view of Kool Point site
Below we recap the history, people, and events associated with the once lively, but now tranquil, shady spot on the shore of Caddo Lake.
Pre-1920s
The area around the Kool Point site has been a place for recreation going back to the late 1890s, when the Ananias Hunting and Fishing Club located nearby. A social column in the Shreveport Times identifies S H. Marshall taking charge of its operations in 1896.
Ananias Station, a flag stop on the railroad later to become Oil City, was created to allow members to reach their resort. The fishing was apparently so bountiful they were planning to add a side spur and obtain refrigerator cars in order to preserve their take for the return home.
On 20-May-1927 Howard Fortson Post No. 138 of the American Legion hosted a fish fry attended by the state commander and other officials, as well as members of the Vivian, LA post.
Later that year the local post hosted a huge Independence Day celebration, attended by prominent dignitaries including former Louisiana governor Ruffin Pleasant and Shreveport mayor L. E. Thomas; with music, activities, and free food provided for attendees.
The earliest instance found of the "Kool" Point spelling appeared in this April 1932 advertisement, noting among amenities provided - dining and dancing..
Another example of the site hosting a recreational outing - this time for a Shreveport professional women's group. The site is incorrectly stated to have been on Cross Lake.
Bert Benton and his Original Night Hawkswere advertised to be playing there on 19-May-1934 per that day's Shreveport Journal. The accompanying photo of the group, taken in 1929, was published in the Journal in 1983. This was when Kool Point was operated byKatie Cheshier,who later owned the Cheshier Hotel in OC (between the Ford place and Eggleston's), which had previously been the Hotel Norman.
Here it is again listed as "Cool Point." That spelling recurs occasionally in advertisements as late as the 1950s, possibly "corrected" by unwitting typesetters.
The night club had a shady reputation to some. Here is an example, where a 21 year-old man was fined for disturbing the peace at a high school function held at the dance pavilion..
In 1946 Willie Hendricks and sister Winnie Deemer publicized the opening of their new night club - in Longview, Texas where they had operated another venue, the Club LaJolla.....
The "Oklahoma Cowboys" was a name used by several musical groups around the country in the 1940s, most notably the backing band for country singer Cowboy Copas. This version appears to have been a local group, as notices of performances were limited to this one at Kool Point, and a few more at a nightspot north of Shreveport called the "Ira-Ann Club."
It remained owned/operated by Willie and Winnie however until sometime after 1950.
Odis "Pop" Echols and his Melody Ranch Boys headed a day-long Fourth-Of-July celebration at Kool Point in 1947. Pop had been an original member of gospel group, the Stamps Quartet. He was an employee of KWKH in the 1940s where he had a radio program, and performed on the Red River Valley Roundup, a Louisiana Hayride predecessor, as well as on the Hayride; of which he was one of the original owners. He later purchased a radio station in Clovis, New Mexico and relocated to there. Of note, he co-wrote the song "Sugartime" (Sugar in the morning, Sugar in the evening, Sugar at suppertime).
Melody Ranch Boy member Jack Ford later performed as a solo artist on the Hayride.
What a hoppin' place Kool Point must have once been! Yet another dance advertisement. A. M. "Pappy" Covington had a radio program on KWKH and was a performer on the very first Louisiana Hayride show, that took place a couple of months later. He was the Hayride's booking agent and instrumental in bringing Elvis Presley to the Hayride, and for getting breaks for later performers including David Houston, Claude King, Nat Stuckey, and others.
One of the men charged, Edgar Hardin, and wife Hilda (who went by Pete & Peaches respectively) played in and/or operated several Shreveport-Bossier nightclubs back in the 1950s-1960s including the House Of Blue Lights, Skyway Club, and (aptly named) Pete & Peaches Club. Pete is pictured below in a 1967 ad for their club. Peaches is shown later in life when commenting about a Bossier growth issue to the Times.
In what is likely the high watermark of entertainment featured at Kool Point, a day long event was held 02-Jul-1950, with three shows and a dance later that evening.
Headliner Paul Howard and his Arkansas Cotton Pickers played on the Grand Ole Opry for several years, where Paul had given starts to the careers of Grady Martin (played guitar on Marty Robbins' "El Paso") and Hank Garland ("Sugarfoot Rag"). He was also the first to use drums at the Opry. He later relocated to Shreveport where his Western Swing style was better accepted. Below he's shown at the Grand Ole Opry.
Paul Howard and his Arkansas Cottonpickers
A recording of his song "Oklahoma City."
Webb Pierce, billed second, was a singer later inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Originally from West Monroe, LA; Webb Pierce moved to Shreveport after being discharged from the army. In 1947, he began appearing on local radio as a duet with his then wife Betty Jane, while working in the men's department at Sears and Roebuck. The couple divorced around the time of this Kool Point performance, as his solo career took off. He appeared on the Louisiana Hayride until moving to Nashville in early 1952. He eventually replaced Hank Williams on the Grand Ole Opry and by the mid-1950s was arguably country music's biggest star. He was known for wearing flashy suits, as were also popular with other artists such Porter Wagoner. Here's a longer bio.
Webb Pierce
Here he sings one of his early hits "In The Jailhouse Now," aided by another country music legend Red Sovine who, according to local guitarist Jack Green, had also played at Kool Point.
George "Sleepy" Jeffers and the Davis Twins (siblings Honey and Sonny) were from West Virginia, but migrated to Shreveport where Sleepy had a radio program. Honey was actually Mrs. Jeffers. Later Sleepy hosted a local television show back in their home state. Here are links to more information on them:
. George "Sleepy" Jeffers
Sleepy and the Davis Twins singing "Pretending Is A Game."
The Blue Sky Boys were Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride veterans who played a mixture of folk, country, and gospel. Around this time they had a morning radio show in Shreveport. Read more about them here.
The Blue Sky Boys
Here the Boys perform Woody Guthrie's "Greenback Dollar."
Fourth on the bill, though second only (or now comparable) to Webb Pierce in name recognition, is Slim Whitman. According to the memoir of Horace Logan, one of the founders of the Louisiana Hayride, Slim once made an appearance in Vivian, LA (10 miles north of Oil City) that netted 75 cents after expenses. Two years later he would have a million-selling record in "Indian Love Call."
Some may remember playing that song was used to destroy the Martians in the 1990 film "Mars Attacks." Known for his yodeling, being able to hit extremely high notes, he was called "America's Favorite Folk Singer." Actually though, over his career he had greater fame in Europe and particularly the UK.
The Tri-State Quartet (pictured below) was a gospel group, and the aforementioned Blue Sky Boys included gospel numbers in their repertoire, so at least the daytime portion was likely more family friendly.
No recording of the Tri-State group has been found, however it was noted that the quartet won first prize at a singing contest held at Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium.
Silly Willie - All that has been found is that Willie was a comedian shown to have toured around the country with Sleepy Jeffers and the Davis Twins. He may have actually been Sleepy's alter ego as in the 1970s, Sleepy hosted a country music show in West Virginia as "Uncle Willie," with funny hat and blacked out teeth - a typical hick character type included on most country music programs of the day.
Former Oil City resident Darrell McCauley recalls attending a Faron Young performance at Kool Point sometime in the early 1950s. This was likely 1950 or 1951 because Young, already a rising star as teenager, moved to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry in 1952,
Per two independent sources, the "King of Western Swing" Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performed at Kool Point on at least one, possibly two occasions. Wills passed through the area five times during the nightclub era (1947-1955), and based on the age of the sources this was likely in 1950, 1951, or 1952. The pic shown is from an advertisement appearing in an Austin newspaper from that general time period.
In June 1952, Winnie Deemer sold Kool Point (name misspelled and incomplete in article) to Henry and Della Treece.
On 20-Dec-1952, saxophonist Bill Rolland and orchestra performed. Though not advertised as such, given the proximity to the holiday, there must surely have been decorations and possibly a tree on display; and a few Christmas songs played. Note "Rowland" was a common misspelling. He was a regular on the nightclub scene in Shreveport/Bossier from the 1930s to 1960s and twice served as president of the musicians union local.
Tex Dean and his Carefree Cowboys appeared at Kool Point in Jan-1953. It's not clear who was owner at the time as this was around the time N. J. "Jimmy" King acquired it, but between Jimmy and Winnie some people named Treese owned it. Tex appeared on KWKH about this time and various ads show him performing around the country in Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Note capacity is billed as seating 300 persons.
Here is Tex's recording of Naponee, a song similar in theme and melody to Bob Will's hit, Cherokee Maiden.
In February 1953 KTBS, now a television but then a radio station, announced a weekly live broadcast direct from Kool Point. Performing were Ray Belcher and his Echo Valley Boys. That group had come to Shreveport years earlier with Red Sovine who had by this time moved on to Nashville. Ray (1928-1990) was born in Arkansas and grew up in Shreveport where his day job was being a policeman. He and several other officers later performed as the "Singing Policemen."
Ray appeared on the Louisiana Hayride and additionally had his own radio program on KTBS. Around the time of this scheduled broadcast, the attached picture with caption of Nita Lynn (Parrish) stated she was the featured singer of the group.
Jack "Guitar" Davis was the stage name of Johnnie Clarence "Jack" Pistole (1909-1988). He had been a professional musician since at least the early 1930s, once having a radio programs on KWKH and later KENT, and for a time was a member of Jimmie Davis's band.
He received billing on a "Hillbilly Jamboree" show at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, headed by William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd in 1943,andwas once described the "cityfied synthetic hillbilly" and performed around the area with his group the Westernaires; and twice hosted radio shows. I can't confirm for certain but it appears he may have played with Jimmie Davis (now verified, per son) in the 1930s. A Jack Davis is listed as playing steel guitar on some of Davis's songs from that time.
Later in life, Jack took up banjo and performed at the Shakey's Pizza Parlor near Shreve City. Somewhat eccentric, he wore long hair in a ponytail and had a beard long before Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and the later "Outlaw Country" movement.
By April 1953, Jimmy King was advertised as owner.
Mr. King had earlier owned King's Grill at 623 Milam Street in Shreveport. Here's an advertisement for its grand opening when relocated in 1949 from 701 Milam. Click on the picture to see a larger version,
Below are two of the Bayou Boys - Don Holt (left) and Jack Green (right), from Vivian and Oil City respectively.
Don Holt, Jack Green
Below Don sings "My Baby Still Loves Me" backed by the Ranch Boys, that included Jack on guitar.
During his professional career, Jack, who grew up in the nearby Ferry Lake community, played with several notable artists; including Webb Pierce and Red Sovine. Below Jack (sitting left) is shown performing in Austin, Texas with another member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Floyd Tillman (sitting right).
Left to Right: Jack Green, Hub Sutter, Johnny Bush,
Tiny Smith, Floyd Tillman (seated)
According to Jack, the following singers performed at Kool Point:
Claude King
Webb Pierce
Red Sovine
Bob Wills
Johnny Horton
Faron Young
In fact it was after playing there one night that Red Sovine stopped at the nearby American Legion hall to check out a square dance in progress. Jack's father Harvey Green called the dances while Jack was in the band. Sovine offered Jack a job on the spot, and he began his professional career playing with Red on the Louisiana Hayride. The property was again put up for sale in April 1954.
Appearing again at "Cool" Point in January 1955 was Al Hobson, joined by "T Tommy" Cutrer. Al (1924-2003) was an area musician and bandleader who appeared around Shreveport and Bossier at places such as the now long-gone Skyway Club and Club Coronado.
T Tommy moved to Nashville and in addition to deejaying and television hosting, eventually became announcer for the Grand Ole Opry. He was also CMA disc jockey of the year in 1957. Also a singer of country and gospel music, and a drum-playing band leader; T Tommy returned to Shreveport to headline the Louisiana Hayride.
Additionally of note, he ran for U. S. Congress in 1976, losing to Al Gore, Jr. (later U. S. Vice President and inventor of the internet). He was elected to the Tennessee state senate in 1978 where he served one term.
Here is his bio on the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Page. A more detailed bio is here.
In this video from 1961, Tommy introduces singer Ernest Tubb on the Grand Ole Opry television program, and chats briefly after the country music legend sings.
BTW, the "Paul Jones" was a type of mixer dance popular in the early 1900s,where people changed partners at various intervals.
In subsequent years, there has been little mention of Kool Point in the press, save for the occasional listing as point-of-reference for nearby properties appearing in the public notice section of the newspaper.
Red dirt/Americana singer/songwriterKevin Gordon mentions Kool Point in his song "Oil City Girl," written in tribute to his grandmother, Willie Mae Craig who moved there from Oklahoma as a child with her family. There are several versions on Youtube but in this one he provides that background before singing. He said he based the song on stories his grandfather told him while fishing on Caddo Lake.
Today, all that remains to hint at what once was is a faded sign on Ferry Lake Road.....
....and perhaps any matchbook covers some may have kept as souvenirs.
EPILOGUE - Kool Point Green Tomato Relish
Though the restaurant is long gone, you can still experience a taste (literally) of what it was like, though you or someone you know will have to prepare it
For the information of readers from other parts of the country, areas of the south typically have a requisite side dish to go with their fried catfish. In Mississippi, it may be turnip greens or in Georgia, grits. But in North Caddo Parish, Louisiana, it’s green tomato relish.For many years Kool Point Lodge was a popular, if not the most popular area restaurant to get one’s catfish fix. Served alongside would be a bowl of the tangy mixture of pickled green tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Here is the link to a recipe for Kool Point Relish. According to the blogger (Becky ?), her grandparents got the recipe from the restaurant’s owners (I presume the Kings).
Now for a sad ending to this story. Becky noted that her grandfather had been town mayor, so I was going to write to find out who and invite her to join Friends of Oil City, Louisiana, a Facebook page for current and former OC residents and friends to reconnect and reminisce.
However upon studying her blog further, I discovered the last post to be an open letter to her from her husband of many years. Seems she passed away less than a year after posting the recipe due to a long illness.
Do read Becky's blog, as it has more detailed instructions along with pictures; as well as other recipes. It’s nice that though she is gone, she left behind something for others to enjoy. Note I could not find a last name for her or her grandfather. Perhaps someone reading this will have known either or both of them and can advise
To help ensure it is preserved, I'll post the basic recipe here:
Kool Point Relish
1/2 gallon chopped green tomatoes (8 cups)
1 cup chopped hot green peppers
3 cups chopped onions
1 Tbsp plain salt
1 cup vinegar
3/4 pound sugar
Drain juice from vegetables and mix all ingredients. Cook till tomatoes lose colour, but do not boil. Pack immediately into scalded jars and seal. Using a boiling water bath canner, process pints for 10 minutes, 1 1/2 pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes. Remove from canner and set on tea towel to seal and cool.
