Oil City Businesses Past and Present

A look at businesses that once existed or still do in some cases. If you happen to see this, you are getting a bonus preview, as it is currently under construction and therefore incomplete. More names will be added, as well as additional information about the ones currently listed as it becomes available.

W. F. Abney & Sons Drilling Company

Acorn Rig and Construction Company

Shreveport Times 05-Jul-1953, Page 7-C


Derrick construction.

Shop and employees

Source: Elsie Densmore Rathbun

Shreveport Times 20-Jul-1953, Page 3-B


W. C. "Dub" Allen & Sons

Currently in business for over 60 years.

Shreveport Times 20-Oct-1956, Page 7-C

Anderson Gulf Service Station

The area's deputy sheriff for many years, William H. "Bill" Anderson (189?-1969) was also in the real estate business.

Shreveport Times 22-Oct-1969, Page 12-A

Shreveport Times 22-Feb-1947, Page 14


Apothecary Shop

Owned by Ben Humphrey.


G. M. Bagley, Teaming and Trucking Contractor


Barnett's Grocery/Tiger Mart/Gusher Mart

Mr. ? Keen owned Tiger Mart.

Joe & Gloria Asbell owned Gusher Mart.

Bateman Pump & Supply Company


Bartley Joe Batts, Entrepreneur

Bartley Joe (1944-2018) was the son of Dennis and Nellie Tolbert Batts. He attended Oil City Jr. High and North Caddo High School.

Per son, Roger Batts : "Mom (wife Shirley Broome Batts) thinks the gas station Dad had that was across from where PBE is, and where Uncle Rusty had the Rusty Bucket, was a Citgo. She doesn’t remember what he called it. It would have been either Bartley’s Citgo, BJ’s Citgo, or Oil City Citgo. That would have been late 60’s, early 70’s. He also sold used cars at the house (Bartley’s Auto Sales) when we lived next door to Oil City UPC until he opened North Highlands Amoco, which later became BJ’s Quick Stop at North Market and Ravendale (Now the location of Valvoline Instant Oil Change). He was there from around 1978 to 1985.

January, 1986, he opened BJ’s Texaco in Vivian next to where The Tobacco House is currently. We moved up the street next to the driver’s license office in 1988 where The Station is now. In 1991, he sold the Texaco station, and purchased his first dump truck to start BJ Batts Dump Truck Service, which he ran until his health started failing in 2017. Mom and Dad also had the Oil City Restaurant for a couple of years during that time."

Bartley passed away 12-Sep-2018 and is buried in Lakeview Memorial Gardens; Oil City, LA.

Boyter's Garage

Was on the corner of Highway 1 and Weaver Loop.

L-R: Dood (Boyd Leslie Boyter, Sr.), Buck (Clarence Ottis Boyter, Dood's half-brother),
John McKinney,  Buster (Gyron Marvin Gant, Jr.)

Picture Source: Michael Boyter, Names per Ellen Dawn Stevens

The man at the far right is identified as "Buster" in the picture, and a Boyter family member stated it was Gyron M. "Buster" Gant. However, upon comparing with a photo of Henry Hughes (at right), who worked for the Boyters at the garage around that time, it appears to be him. he did not go by "Buster" however.

Brumley's Barber Shop


Buckelew's Grocery

Butler & Sons

Shreveport Times 01-Dec-1952, Page 10


Caddo Oil Company

Around 1945 or 1946 D. A. Raymond, Jr. bought two oil leases, along with some equipment and buildings from a Mr. C.W. Brown and started Caddo Oil Co. In the late 1940s he acquired more leases and also equipment and buildings from Davis and Hart. This was the warehouse and office located at "The Camp" on the Belcher Road, northeast of Oil City. In the following years Mr. Raymond continued to expand the company until by the early 70s it included three separate "yards" or buildings and land for storing pipe and other supplies and equipment in the Oil City area. The company also operated leases near El Dorado, Arkansas, Victoria, Texas, Tullos, Louisiana, and the Grogan field south of Shreveport.

In the mid 70s, the company split and part of the leases, equipment and buildings became part of a new company, Seagull Operating Co. Caddo Oil Company continued to operate the remaining leases and was eventually bought by Three Sisters Petroleum of Oil City sometime in the late 70s or 80s.

Source: Les Baker, son of former Caddo Field Superintendent L. E. Baker, Sr.

Below: A meeting of Caddo Oil Company employees, possibly at their Christmas Party, and sometime in the late 1960s (*).

Identified below as numbered, with job title:

1 - F. M. Parker (pumper)
2 - Abner Wilkins, Jr. (gang pusher)
3 - Roger Batts
4 - John Gryder (pumper)
5 - J. B. McKnight (gang foreman)
6 - Versie Owens
7 - Carroll Holland (pumper)
8 - Arch Henderson (roustabout)
9 - William Barlow
10 - Leon Moore (heavy equipment operator)
11 - Vance Boyd
12 - Jake Moses
13 - Herbert Lloyd (treasurer)
14 - Marvin R. Moses (production foreman)
15 - Elmer Hawks (pumper)
16 - L. E. Baker, Sr. (field superintendent)
17 - Bobby Joe Henry (pumper)
18 - Albert Lee "Shorty" Dickson (pumper)
19 - Dick Lott (gang pusher)
20 - J. W. "Buddy" Dupree (shop - welder, mechanic, etc.)
21 - Unknown
22 - George Moore (shop foreman)
23 - Dudley Henderson (roustabout)
24 - Bill Herring (gang pusher)
25 - Unknown
26 - E. W. Todd (roustabout)
27 - Carl Nutt (roustabout)
28 - Paul Hagens (vice-president)
29 - D. A. Raymond, Jr. (president)

* Per Les Baker, based on persons shown and when they retired.

C & C Oilfield Servicing Company

Shreveport Times 11-Nov-1963, Page 7-B

Cagle's Grocery


Caldwell's Cementing Service Company

Below the company was featured on the Shreveport Times "Facts Worth Knowing" page, that highlighted area businesses weekly,  Times in October 1952.

Times 06-Oct-1952, Page 8

Dixie Mercantile/Oil City Department Store/Cash & Carry Grocery Store


Bill Driskell Electric Company

Shreveport Times 08-Nov-1954, Page 3-B


Drouet's Drug Store


Eggleston's Grocery


Ella Mae's (McKnight) Beauty Shop Fina Service Station


Herman Fields Pump and Supply Company

Shreveport Times 10-Oct-1966, Page 2-D


Leonard R. Fitzgerald, Independent Oil Producer

Shreveport Times 26-Jan-1986, Page 4-B


Ford Automobile Dealership (Various Owners)

A Harrington Motor Company advertisement from 1922. Mention of the dealership was also found in the year prior.

Shreveport Times 27-Jul-1922, Page 11

An October 1926 article about merchants rebuilding after a recent major town fire mentions a Keith Motor Company having formerly occupied a building then put to use. The location described approximates that where the long-standing Ford dealership would reside.

Shreveport Times 02-Oct-1926, Page 13

The above was the only mention found of this business in Oil City, possibly and even likely a satellite operation of the W. D. Keith Motors Company in Shreveport.

Shreveport Times 22-Sep-1920, Page 3

An unndated picture of "Oil City Motor Company." The man is unidentified.

Town of Oil City website

In 1929 and again in 1935, Oil City Motor Company was listed in the newspaper, in both cases included among a group of dealers participating in a promotion. However, in neither case was the owner identified. By 1942, Austin Glynn Lee was listed in a similar advertisement. 

Oil City Motors loaned a car to nearby Vivian High School for use in drivers education.

VHS teacher and coach John Prudhomme instructs driving students

1950 Vivian High School Warrior (yearbook), Page 23

Another group promotion advertisement listed Mr. Lee as owner and manager.

Shreveport Times 31-Mar-1951, Page 9


A. G. Lee, shown below in 1959.

Shreveport Times 19-Apr-1959, Page 1-E

Buster Gant took over ownership around 1960. Three years earlier, he was listed as a partner in Courtesy Auto Service, located on North Market Street in Shreveport.

Source: Nona Wooldridge


Afterward, it became Charles Anthony Ford.  In 1987, and after a 65-plus year run, Oil City's local Ford dealership closed its doors.

.
Shreveport Times 22-Jan-1987, Page 17


Four Star Oil Company


Fred's/Tinny's Barbecue/ Melody Shop

Fred Bennett and wife Tinny (Pourteau) operated a malt shop at the northwest corner of the intersection of Highway 1 and Savage Street. This is the current location of the Guaranty Bank.

Later it was operated by the Paris family under the "Melody Shop" name.
 
Frosty Freeze/Rusty Bucket


Furlong's Truck Stop and Motel



Bill Gary Production - Contract Drilling

Gibson Oil Well Cementing Company


Grantham & King Drilling Contractors


Gulf Service Station

Operated by Marvin  Fulgium, and later Gene Self.

Shreveport Times 10-Jun-2008, Page 5-B

Shreveport Times 13-Dec-2009, Page 6-B


Guinn Brothers

Road and bridge construction

Nick George's Grocery Store


H & H Oil Well Service (Harry (Sr.) and Harry (Jr.) Hill)

F. E. Hargraves & Sons 

Shreveport Times 24-Aug-1959 Page 8-C


Fred E. Hargraves.

Shreveport Times 14-Jun-1964, Page 9-D


Humphries Insurance Agency


Ike's Barbeque

Owners Isaac Rawls, Sr, and Hestella Mosely Rawls

Source: Jacqueline Rawls Courtney (granddaughter)

Per Jacqueline: "My grandmother was a great cook and had a lunch menu Mon-Fri and if you did not like what she had that day you could always get a burger or good old BBQ of all kinds in sandwich form or a plate with potato salad, vegetable and bread. She made some of the best pies and cakes."

"My dad tells a story of one of her customers that loved her pies and ate them every day at lunch till one day he came and her oven was broke. He said he could not have this, found the part and fixed it for her cause he needed his pie. He did not want money, he only wanted her to make him one of her pies."

Some of the many comments of former customers remember Ike's:

Patricia Allen: "Pat Allen enjoyed their food regularly, Ike insisted he come on chittling day, Ike had a good laugh because Pat couldn't get past the odor. His bar be que was wonderful, Estella was a wonderful pie baker, her veggies and corn bread were a treat. Some of Oil City's best food ever."

Rusty Batts: "He had the Best BarBQ and Turnip Greens, Cornbread, Just the Smell was awesome, They were both very sweet. Good clean cafe."

Susan Deaton: "Great pic of two wonderful people. I thought so much of them, & they both had a GOD given talent cooking, anything I ever ate there was amazing, I would love to have some of his barbeque one more time, he definitely brought a lot of smiles to Oil City residents with his great personality & amazing BAR B Q, loved these two."

Nita Rogers Jacobs: "Ate there when working at Gant Ford. Best pies ever!!"

Dickie Martin: "Just as I remembered. Ate lunch with them almost every day for several years."

Jerri Rathbun: "I all ways loved Ike's Bar-B-Q. He and Estella were very good people.I knew them when I was a small child."

JoAnn Poindexter Rourk: "I loved to go an watch her make those pies an smell all that good food cooking."

Relda Whatley Sibley: "Every town should be so blessed to have an 'Ikes BBQ'! Wonderful people, incredible food!"

Sandra Dean Sullivan: "Best barbeque in this country... Wonderful people... I remember them with lots of love..."

Friends of Oil City, Louisiana Facebook Group

Irene's Cafe


Jewell's Bait Shop


Jobe's Tin Shop


Bobby Johnson Equipment Company, Inc.

Current business. See website.


Jones'/ Ferry Lake Grocery


E. B. King Bulldozer Work

Kool Point Lodge

Once a night club and resort; and later a restaurant.

 See Kool Point, A "Cool" Place On Caddo Lake.

Donald Lavine (1905-1970), Attorney

A native of Cleveland, Ohio; and graduate of the University of Michigan and Louisiana State University Law School, he was sworn in as a new lawyer in 1937.

1930 University of Michigan Michiganensian (yearbook), Page 383

New Orleans Times-Picayune 06-Mar-1937, Page 3


Served as Oil City postmaster, and was town mayor (shown below) from 1948-1964.

Donald Lavine

Town of Oil City website

Per Donald's obituary, he was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Rotary Club, and the Caddo-Pine Island Oil & Historical Society. He is buried in Centuries Memorial Park; Shreveport, LA.

Harry Sylvester Lavine (1879-1961) Inventor and businessman

Operated in diverse fields - electric power, oil, real estate, movie theaters (Star, Dixie, and Strand), and coin-operated amusements such as jukeboxes (was co-inventor of an early version) and pinball machines. Father of Donald Lavine.

Harry S. Lavine in the 1950s

See Harry Lavine, the "Daddy of the Jukebox"

Lee's Dry Cleaners


Lee's Grocery


Little's Barber Shop


Lynn Motel

Operated by the Mandinas (see following) and named for daughter Frances Lynn.


Mandina's Grocery

Owners Anthony (1904-1954) and Frances (Cascio) Mandina (1914-2010).

Shreveport Times 24-Oct-1954, Page 8

Shreveport Times 12-Sep-1947, Page 15


Marie's (Burton) Beauty Shop


Matthews Trucking Company


McCauley's Service Station


Monty's Electric

Lamonte G. "Monty" Teutsch (1914-1988), proprietor

A native of Rusk County, Texas; Monty and family moved to Oil City in 1957.

Rusk (TX) Cherokeean 11-Apr-1957, Page 11


Photo and profile from an unsuccessful run for Caddo Parish police juror in 1967.

Times 29-Oct-1967, Page 3-C


Interment: Lakeview Memorial Gardens; Oil City, LA


Mooneyham's Grocery Store


C. L. Morris Company

Shreveport Times 05-Oct-1980, Page 5-H


C.L Morris in 1967.

Shreveport Times 02-Apr-1967, Page 5-B



Nathan's Discount & Dollar Store

Pictures of the store appearing in the 1970s horror flick "Creature From Black Lake" that was filmed locally.

Nathan's is the brown building, across the railroad tracks.

Wife Freida years earlier in a picture from their wedding announcement.

Newt's Burger Shack


Norman Hotel/Cheshier Hotel

Owner J. K. Norman, pictured as an alderman of newly incorporated Oil City in 1940.

Times 14-Sep-1940, Page 11


Oil City Bank

Town of Oil City website

O. B. Roberts, Bank President

Oil City Furniture


Oil City Hardware & Supply

Shown in an advertisement commemorating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of oil in Caddo Parish.

Shreveport Times 10-Oct-1955, Page 6-C


Owner Alvin Johnson.

Shreveport Times 06-Nov-1961, Page 1-C

Selected parts of a half-page advertisement in a special section the Shreveport Times dedicated to the area's oil and gas industry.

Shreveport Times 24-Aug-1959, Page 2-C


The business was later acquired and operated by Butler & Sons.

Shreveport Times 19-Feb-1961, Page 7-D


Oil City Welding Works

Owned and operated by N. A. Blizzard, who offered industrial welding services as well as automotive repair. The shop stood on the south side of Furman Street in the vicinity of what is now a housing project at South Dickey Avenue.

Oil City Welding Works (Billie Blizzard Ridge in foreground) 

Ridge Collection

N. A. Blizzard (1964)

Shreveport Times 14-Jun-1964, Page 9-D

Per Noah "Buddy" Blizzard (son): "The shop was a furniture repair/upholstery shop at one time before Dad got it. I can only guess it was the late forties, early fifties that he started the business. Normal staffing was three to five men - at his peak time was seven to ten. He built some of the complex things there. You would think he had a degree in engineering instead he had two degrees..one in logic and one in common sense. He had customers from as far as south Louisiana and Texas. He had as many as six trucks to do field work. Johnny Shafer was his partner at one time...He sold it to James Barber before I left to go in the air force in 1959. James was working for dad around that time." 

Oil Well Acidizers

Founded by Jacky Rivers who, with wife Zelma (Brumley), were named king and queen respectively of the 1998 Gusher Days celebration.

 Times 16-May-1998, Page 8B


Olde Fashion Restaurant


Cleveland Hendrick Pardue, M.D. (1884-1974)

After retiring from his medical practice in nearby Vivian, Dr. Pardue "temporarily" (he thought) set up shop in the back of Warren's Drug Store and treated patients for 21 more years.

Shreveport Times 07-Jul-1968, Page 14-F


Patrick's Garage


Penny-A-Minute Grocery Store

Located in the old Weaver Cafe, run by Hollis Otwell.


Pinckard & Weaver Building Contractors

Pontiac Automobile Dealership

Oil City briefly had a Pontiac dealership, though it is not known if this was a separate business competing with the "Ford Place" or a rebranding of same for some period of time. This advertisement is from the Shreveport Times 12-Aug-1928, Page 32.

George Dewey Bunkley (1898-1972) was listed as an Oil City resident in the 1930 census, along with wife Rosie and children Edwin and Nellie. His occupation was listed as "automobile salesman." Based on known neighbors listed on the census page as well as a property transaction record found, they lived on what is now Hwy 538 a bit north of the school; in the general area across the tracks from where Museum Street intersects Land Avenue.

A native of Cass County, Texas and earlier a Vivian resident; he later moved to Houston where he died in 1972.

Pope Brothers Oilfield Steam Cleaning

Potter's Garage


Pourteau's Cafe

An early version of the cafe under construction. Alex Pourteau, a native of France, is the man standing on the first level wearing a white shirt and hat.

Cafe interior. Mr. Pourteau is the man behind counter in white shirt.

Source: Barbara Thomas-Pourteau

Alex's son, Bertrand Alfred Pourteau (1904-1975), owned and managed a later incarnation of the establishment, renamed the Oil City Cafe. He also served as the town's fire chief for several years.

Shreveport Times 24-Mar-1975, Page 12-A

Town of Oil City website


Reed's Grocery


G. A. Ridge (1888-1936)

George Arthur "Curly" Ridge (came to Oil City as a "muleskinner" (handler of mule teams) and operated a well servicing business from the 1920s until his death.

On a well site around 1930, Curly (center in light shirt and hat) with wife Marie and workers

Ridge Collection

Robin's Pool Hall

John Robin (1897-1974) operated a pool hall next to the Oil City Cafe. He was a half-brother of owner Bertrand Pourteau; both being sons of Zepheline Pourteau (1876-1969).

Former OC resident Darrell McCauley remembered:

"There was a hole in the wall between the pool hall & the cafe with a bell hanging from the top of the hole, when you rang the bell someone would come and take your order ,when they brought it back they would ring the bell and you pay for your order."

Shady Rest Fish Camp


B. F. Snowden


Split Nickel Grocery

1963 North Caddo High Rebel (yearbook), Page 172


James C. Steelman, Electrical Contractor


Strand Theater

From the 1910s to the 1960s, there was at least one walk-in movie theater in Oil City.

Source: Ron Newton

See Oil City's Last Picture Show.


Texaco Service Station

Over the years, this station located north of the Ford Dealership had multiple owners, including (?) Emfinger and the Pope Brothers. The Craig brothers, Jerry and (?) operated it from approximately 1959-1962.

1961 Oil City Junior High School Bengal (yearbook)

Town and Country Beauty Shop - Murriel Langford, Owner

Trees Well Service (I. W. "Bill" McKnight)

Warren's Drug Store


Weaver's Cafe and Service Station (Cities Service/Citgo)


Wenk Electric


Western Auto


White's Hardware


Return to Encyclopedia Oleum Civitas.

Oil City Patriotism, Service, And Sacrifice In The Great War

On 06-Apr-1917 the United State entered World War I (then referred to as The Great War) on the side of Great Britain and France. Like citizens across the country, residents of Oil City were deeply affected; be it in everyday life at home, or if called to serve abroad. The discourse to follow tells their story - organized along the following topics (click on each heading to view):

PART I: ON THE HOME FRONT

• Patriotism On Display
• Liberty Loan Bond Drive
• Red Cross Fundraising
• Other Ways To Support The Cause
• In Other News Of The Day
• Peace Celebration In Shreveport

PART II: ANSWERING THEIR NATION'S CALL

• Those Who Served

PART III: DISSENTERS, DRAFT DODGERS, AND DESERTERS


PART IV: APPENDIX

• List of draftees ordered to report

Give Me That Old-Time Oil City Religion

A look at the churches of early Oil City. Prior to 1911, no record of a church of any denomination existing in the communities making up present day Oil City (Ananias, Caddo City, and Surry) has been so far found. As with most of my blog pages, this will be a continuous work-in-progress.

Click on the links below to access the individual church histories. The dates in parentheses are the periods covered to date

Baptist (African-American) (1942)

Baptist, Ferry Lake (future)

Baptist, First (1915-1940)

Catholic (1916-1940)

Christian (Disciples of Christ) (1916-1940)

Church Of Christ (future)

Methodist Episcopal (African-American) (1915-1916)

Methodist, First (1911-1930)

Methodist Protestant (1917-1929)

Nazarene, Church Of The (future)

Pentecostal, United

America's Pastime In The Caddo Oilfield

In the early 1900s, baseball was America's Pastime, and certainly popular with residents of the north Caddo Parish oilfields - both as a spectator and participatory sport. Newspaper articles at various times mentioned teams representing the communities of Lewis, Mooringsport, Myrtis (also listed as Myrtistown), Oil City, Rodessa, Trees City, and Vivian.

The subject is worthy of deeper review but for now focus will be placed on a specific season (1912), team (Oil City), and "controversy"surrounding its crowning as the area champion.

[As an aside, for information about other forms of local entertainment in this bygone era, also check out Gentlemanly Arts - Boxing And Wrestling in Oil City, and Entertainment In The Early Days.]

The following article appeared in the sports section of the Shreveport Times 30-Sep-1912, Page 6:

However the loser's manager immediately claimed his team to be the true champion, stating his case days later in the Times. Rebuttal by Oil City management led to the decision for the teams to play again in order to determine one true champion in a game about which it was said "it will be for blood!" But how did events reach this level of hostility? The  tale unfolds below.

Background

In 1911, an "Oil League" had been founded in northern Caddo Parish that included Myrtistown (also known simply as Myrtis), Oil City, Rodessa, and Trees City.

Shreveport Times 23-Jul-1911, Page 9


A new expanded organization was announced in February of the following year, to be comprised of teams representing communities along the Kansas City Southern Railways line anchored by Texarkana to the north, Shreveport to the south, and in between: Mooringsport, Oil City, Vivian, and Rodessa, and Trees City.

Shreveport Times 26-Feb-1912, Page 6


An article previewing one of the games against Trees City mentioned Oil City's intent to build a new park with a grandstand and improved field.

Shreveport Times 28-Apr-1912, Page 11


The Team

In Jun-1912, the Shreveport Times reported the Oil City club to be one of the better teams in the league. It was noted the team was the playing in the new ball park. The lineup at that time included:


Boston (first base)
Boylston (second base)
Davidson (pitcher)
Fowler (left field)
Fowler (right field)
(Ed) Grimsinger (third base)
Shaw (catcher)
Wagner (short stop)
(Tom) Zagst (center field)

It's not known if there were two Fowlers, or if this is a reporting error. It's possible that one of the (or only if the case) Fowlers was young local dentist Dr. Sanders Fowler, who had played college ball just a few years earlier at Louisiana Industrial Institute (now Louisiana Tech University). Boylston may have been W. H. Boylston, then a cashier at the Oil City Bank.

Shreveport Times 25-Jun-1912, Page 9

Ed Grimsinger

Tom Zagst

Source: 1913 Oil City Baseball Team photo contributed by Ron Newton


An August article mentioned that a Mack Boring played second base in a game witnessed by the reporter.

Teams were commonly sponsored by a company and while listed as amateur, were "semi-professional" in that playing on a team may have been a condition of, or at least incentive for employment. This would of course mean team affiliation changed with said employment. A review of game results reveals last names shown with one team appearing on another; notably Jack Rumsey, who left Oil City for Marshall, Texas in mid-season, only to appear later in the year pitching for Trees City. By 1913 he was back with OC. Abb Peddy (pictured further down), a pitching sensation for Vivian, was listed  as playing for Oil City in a couple of instances. 

Center fielder Tom Zagst and (likely business, not field) manager Gustave A. Morse were the vice-president and secretary/treasurer respectively of  Monarch Lumber Company, formed in March 1912. Given their connection and the "M" appearing on the players' caps, it's likely Monarch was the team sponsor.

The Season

No overall schedule/results have been found, however after the "first" championship game, their record was reported to have been 19 wins, 8 losses (70.3%). The following scores were gleaned from newspaper accounts, while others may not have ever been reported to the press:

14-Apr - Trees 4, OC 1

23-Apr - S. O. Co. (Trees City) 3, OC 0)

05-May - OC 3, Vivian 1

13-May - OC 7, Mooringsport 1

19-May - Trees City 5, OC 2

26-May - OC 3, Trees City 0

13-May - OC 7, Mooringsport 1  Notably, Oil City pitcher Jack Rumsey struck out 18 batters. He left shortly afterward to play for Marshall, Texas (but would later return in 1913).

Jack Rumsey

Source: Ron Newton


22-Jul - OC 5, Trees City 0

04-Aug - Vivian 11, OC 4

11-Aug - OC 12, Trees City 2 (as originally reported in newspaper)

11-Aug Trees City 4, OC 2 (per Trees fan later writing in to Shreveport Times)

12-Aug - Mooringsport 8, OC 3

15-Sep - Trees City 11, OC 0  Sy (sic) Watson was noted to have pitched (not very well) for OC. Make note of the name as this person played a part in supposed later intrigue regarding the championship..

24-Sep - OC 5, Shreveport 4


The "First" Championship Game 

Though no standings ever appeared to support, and no other methodology was disclosed to determine a champion, the OC club claimed the Oil League championship in light of its 4-3 victory over Vivian.

Shreveport Times 30-Sep-1912, Page 6

Not so fast, said Jonathan Byrd, Vivian manager, who disputed OC's claim in a letter to the Shreveport Times, claiming to have beaten beaten them eight times in 10 games played.

Shreveport Times 04-Oct-1912, Page 9

Bird's comments infuriated OC manager Morse who responded regarding the controversy, advising another game would be played to settle the matter. As he put it, "The game Sunday will be the deciding game and it will be for blood!" He contended the teams had played six times with each taking two wins, and two were called off due to "squabbles."

Shreveport Times 05-Oct-1912, Page 7


Championship Redux

For a second time, Oil City defeated Vivian, this time 4-1, to become undisputed champ, led by the pitching of Watson, hitting of Richardson, and fielding of Osborne.

Shreveport Times 07-Oct-1912, Page 8

Sam Richardson

Forrest Osborne

Source: Ron Newton

For reasons unknown, Vivian's star pitcher, Hugh Ashby Peddy (AKA, Abner or "Abb" Peddy), who was identified as likely starter for the first, apparently did not play in either of the championship games. Earlier mentioned as Texas League material, Manager Bird convinced the Cleveland Naps (later renamed Indians) of the American League to sign him for the 1913 season, bypassing the minors, at least initially. Below he was touted to Cleveland fans as an upcoming sensation.

He was shortly sent to the minors where he had a spotted career, though he did briefly return to Cleveland for spring training a few years later before being sent down again.

Read Hugh Peddy's career stats at Baseball-Reference.com


Post Game Comments

Bird sarcastically acknowledged Oil City as champs and expressed a desire to play again. This was certainly intended as a "trap" as, should Vivian win that subsequent game, would he not claim they were the rightful champions? Of note is apparent acknowledgement of the use of "leaguers"  by OC, a factor in the later story, while not claiming the practice to be foul. Perhaps he regretted not thinking of it himself.

Shreveport Times 19-Oct-1912, Page 7


Morse responded, crowing a bit, and stating Oil City would play no more games against Vivian that year.

Shreveport Times 20-Oct-1912, Page 11


Say It Ain't So, Roscoe!

Did Oil City management take some "creative"  measures in order to earn the crown of the oilfield?

First it must be pointed out that the name in the headline below is wrong. The reporter must have assumed Cyrus must have been the player's first name, as he went by the nickname "Cy" (also appearing occasionally as "Sy" or "Sie"), but his real name was in fact Roscoe Pearl Watson.

A 1913 newspaper article about Cy Watson mentions his coaxing Oil City management to hire to additional former pros - Rube Gardner and Prince Gaskell, to beef up team strength. It's possible the heretofore unmentioned Caldwell who hit two home runs and a double in the first championship may well have been Gardner playing under another name.

Shreveport Times 06-May-1913, Page 9 (republished from the Houston Chronicle)

All three were certainly available for duty as they were in the area with careers either over (Watson), in limbo (Gaskell), or transitioning between teams (Gardner). Earlier in 1912 it was mentioned both Gardner and Gaskell were among professionals living in Shreveport in the offseason.

Who Were These Ringers?

Details about these "ringers" are as follows:

Roscoe Pearl "Cy" Watson (1882-1954) The Watson listed as pitching in both championship wins was "Cy" Watson, a journeyman minor league player who had helped lead Houston to the 1910 Texas League championship. His baseball career waning, he had come to work in the Caddo oilfields.

Houston Post 07-Jun-1912, Page 3


Read Cy Watson's full stats at Baseball-Reference.com

A 1915 article mentions Watson attending a Shreveport Gassers game.

Shreveport Times 21-Jun-1915, Page 7

Later, while still living in Oil City, he became active in the oilfield labor movement, writing a letter to a Mesquite, Texas newspaper in support of the striking workers in November 1917.

Per his obituary, he remained in the oil business in later years, and passed away in 1954.

Galveston (TX) Daily news 23-Feb-1954, Page 5

Luther Curtis "Rube" Gardner (1883-1953) From Huntington, Tennessee, Rube played with several southern baseball clubs over his career, including the one in Shreveport. For the 1912 season, he as a member of the Topeka Kaws.

Topeka (KS) Daily Capital 01-Oct-1912, Page 2


Shortly after the Oil League championship games, he was drafted by the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. The following is an excerpt from his obituary:

Fresno (CA) Bee 09-Mar-1953, Page 7-B

Read Rube Gardner's full stats on Baseball-Reference.com

Prince Douglas Gaskell (1885-1966) - Note his name is more often misspelled as Gaskill. Originally from Texas, Prince Gaskell began his professional career playing for Houston in the South Texas League before joining the Shreveport Pirates in 1907.

Prince Gaskell is shown middle row, second from left

Shreveport Times 05-Apr-1959, Page 5-D


He later pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts where he once gave up a home runt "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who was playing for rival Savannah in the South Atlantic League. He additionally played for several teams in the northeast and midwest, as well as 

Below Prince is shown in 1909 while at Chattanooga....

Macon (GA) Telegraph 22-Dec-1909, Page 6


....and with the Denver Bears in 1914.

Denver Post 02-Oct-1914, Page 15

Rocky Mountain news 17-Dec-1914, Page 11

He finished his career in 1917, playing briefly for San Antonio before wrapping up in his longtime off-season home, Shreveport.

Read Prince Gaskell's full stats on Baseball-Reference.com

After baseball, Prince worked as a warehouseman for Gulf Oil Company in Mooringsport, Louisiana where he and wife Eula lived for approximately five years. They later returned to Shreveport in 1924 where he became a car salesman, eventually retiring from Roundtree Oldsmobile-Cadillac auto dealership as sales manager and vice-president.


Other Oilfield Pros

Other former pros came to work in the oilfields over the years, as it was said that they could make more money working and playing ball than in the Texas League.

These included journeyman minor leaguer Almond B. "Sis" Hopkins and Hyder "Scotty" Barr; once a member of the Philadelphia (now Oakland) Athletics.

Detroit Free Press 08-Feb-1903, Page 8

Hyder "Scotty" Barr with Philadelphia