Fighting Forest Fires in Bossier Parish

One of the great draws to Bossier Parish, and Louisiana writ large, is our natural landscapes present here in the state, as seen in our lovely Bayou Bodcau and Lake Bistineau. This also goes hand-in-hand with the large timber industry here in the region, one of the primary agricultural exports of Louisiana. However, as many readers will probably be aware, the Northwest Louisiana region is currently (as of the time of writing this article) experiencing drought and high winds, and as such this area is facing increased fire risk. These fires can be devastating to both the natural beauty and the economic output of the parish, so therefore, what better time to write history of fighting fires here in Bossier Parish.

Initially, under the Louisiana Forestry Commission (created in the 1940s with a mission, in part, of preventing and extinguishing forest fires) the state was divided into several different districts of which Bossier Parish fell into district four. This fire district also included Caddo, Webster, Red River, Bienville, and the northern half of Natchitoches Parishes, and was headquartered in Minden, Louisiana. The initial infrastructure revolved around the installation of lookout towers, telephone wires, and strategically placing fire teams in areas where the risk was elevated. A not insignificant amount of this infrastructure was assembled by the Civilian Conservation Corps, with over thirty fire watch towers and several thousand miles of telephone wire to their name in Louisiana alone.

There were three year-round operated fire watch towers (located near Plain Dealing, Bellevue, and atop Giddens Hill near Haughton), with a fourth operated in a six-month span (located near Bolinger, which was north of Plain Dealing). These towers were tall 100-foot-high steel structures, built to provide the fire watchers with clear sightlines across the parish to look for signs of fire. They did this first by watching for the aforementioned signs, such as smoke, and calling to the other towers within the parish to confirm they see it too. Once this was done, the watcher then aligned his ‘alidade’ (the name of the tool sitting atop a firewatcher’s map to determine the angle of the fire from the tower), and conferred with his fellow watchers to get the angle from their towers. Once this was done, it was a simple matter of triangulating the location of the fire using string, allowing the fire watchers to accurately pin-point the location of the incident. All that was left was to deploy the firefighting teams assigned to each tower. These teams, one at each of the three primary year-round towers, were three-man crews equipped with the best equipment of the time for fighting these forest fires. Indeed, according to the July 5, 1946, edition of The Plain Dealing Progress, Louisiana was the first state to acquire the wartime model Jeep as a tool for fighting these blazes.

 

However, the best firefighting method isn’t extinguishing the flame, but preventing it from being lit in the first place. Therefore, Louisiana instituted penalties for anyone found to be conducting arson or obstructing fighting forest fires, and these penalties range from fines to jail time depending on the severity of the crime. Sometimes, however, these fires are accidental or environment, and preventing these fires is a wider community effort. As such, refer to any pertinent burn-bans or weather warnings, and report smoke to the emergency services immediately.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. The History Center is currently closed until further notice, though staff remains available. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Fire Watch Tower in District 4 (The Shreveport Times, Mar, 2, 1947)
• Examples of Fire Fighting Equipment (The Shreveport Times, Mar, 2, 1947)
• How the Forestry Service Finds Fires (The Shreveport Times, Mar, 2, 1947)
• How the Forestry Service Finds Fires (The Shreveport Times, Mar, 2, 1947)
• Louisiana Fire Jeeps Put in Service (The Plain Dealing Progress, Jul 5, 1946)

Article by: Jonah Diagle

The Lifelines of the Nation

It’s nearly that time of year again, as travel season here in the United States begins in less than two months. Therefore, let’s take a look at one of the country’s most important pieces of infrastructure: The United States Interstate Highway System. Often shortened to just the Interstate or “I,” this system of crisscrossing road ways are the arteries of United States inter- and intrastate travel. With the interstates, what would otherwise be heavy traffic and constant stoplights is replaced with steady movement and high speeds. This and more are all thanks to the work put in nearly a century prior, in the wake of the Second World War.

The purpose of the U.S. Interstate Highways is to help bring about quick and easy interstate commerce, with the added benefit of allowing for the rapid transportation of men and material for National Defense purposes. The idea was initially championed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and indeed the Roosevelt government would pass the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, but the idea was never given real funding until the Eisenhower Presidency. Eisenhower’s reasoning behind his support for an interstate system dates to 1919, when he accompanied a military convoy across the country. Couple this with his developed appreciation for the German highway system known as the Autobahn, and the President was poised to create something similar here in the United States. From this would come about the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (more popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956), which would see the construction of the first of the ubiquitous interstate highways here in America.

The interstates themselves are managed and maintained by the states they are in, though they were built with federal aid. Here in Bossier Parish, there are two such national lifelines: Interstates 20 and 220. The reasoning for the numbering of the interstates goes back to the 1956 act, which according to the Federal Highway Administration, declared that “routes with odd numbers run north and south, while even numbered run east and west. For north-south routes, the lowest numbers begin in the west, while the lowest numbered east-west routes are in the south.” There is a similar numbering system for the auxiliary interstates, most of which have a prefix before referencing the original interstate. So, I-220 is named in reference due to its connection to I-20, with the two referencing its status with I-20 as its only spur within Louisiana.

Interstate 20 is the main throughfare, passing from Webster parish, through Bossier, and into Caddo, taking a similar route to the older Overland Dixie Highway (Highway 80). I-20 begins in eastern South Carolina, just west of the city of Florence, and ends in southwestern Texas after joining with I-10. Interstate 220 was built as a bypass for the Shreveport-Bossier metro area, allowing drivers to avoid the busy congestion inside the city limits.

For Interstate 20, construction began locally in the early 1960s, crossing through the parish quickly. By 1962, the construction of Red River Bridge had begun. The substructure would be finished by October of that same year, according to the October 31, 1962, issue of the Bossier Press. In 1966, the first part of I-20 in Bossier would be opened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

However, construction didn’t just stop in ‘66. As can be seen today, and has been seen for the past year, continuous improvements and repairs are done to the entire system to keep up with the demand and use of these vital roadways. Since our last look at the Interstate’s revitalization project here in Bossier, the project itself has been finished, with a ribbon cutting ceremony in June of this year, mirroring the original ceremony sixty years prior. In total, there are three-and-a-half miles of repaired roadway, which serve an estimated 100,000 vehicles per day according to the LaDOTD.

Looking to the future of the interstate system in Bossier Parish, a segment of the Interstate 69 is to be built in north Louisiana. I-69 begins near the border with Canada in Port Huron, Michigan and ends in Brownsville, Texas, at the Mexican border. Here in Bossier Parish, the local segment will begin after the interstate crosses into Bossier Parish from Webster north of Haughton, heading south to intersect with I-20, before exiting the Parish across the Red River near Elm Grove.

The U.S. interstates are as important as can be, both nationally and locally. These connective links pull together the various parts of the nation, and without them, the face of America would be radically different. From sea to shining sea, these highways are the lifelines of America.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

Bridge 605 & Foster Road Intersection, April 20, 1967 (Source: Louisiana Department of Highways (LaDOTD) - BPL History Center)

Barksdale Interchange at West End, looking east. April 20, 1967 (Source: Louisiana Department of Highways (LaDOTD) - BPL History

 Aerial view of Project Looking North, September 9, 1965 (Source: Louisiana Department of Highways (LaDOTD) - BPL History Center)

Aerial-looking E. from Barksdale Blvd., January 11, 1964 (Source: Louisiana Department of Highways (LaDOTD) - BPL History Center)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

An Age of Steam – Steamboats and the Red River

The Red River is the single most important geographical feature in Bossier Parish, broadly determining the Caddo-Bossier border. The Red, as is common knowledge, was once subject to the Great Raft, a great log jam that had built up over several centuries. In the wake of the American westward expansion, however, the American Government declared the necessity of clearing the Great Raft to facilitate river traffic. This decision would have lasting cultural and commercial effects, to this day, by allowing the transit of steamboats to the Red River above Alexandria, and into North Louisiana.

It is important to note that the Red River in Louisiana can broadly be divided into two distinct regions: above Alexandria (here-in the upper-Red River) and below Alexandira (here-in the lower-Red River). The falls at Alexandria, which give Rapides Parish its name, presented a major hurdle to river traffic during several months out of the year. Furthermore, the periodic times of lowered river levels for the Red River meant that the steamboats that did transit the Red River were forced to adapt their designs to have a shallower draft, helping to prevent getting caught in the dangerous areas of low water. This feature of the river meant that while river traffic on the Red was possible, it could carry risks either financial or physical. Nevertheless, the upper-Red River in Louisiana would develop a rich tradition of waterborne transit, particularly through the use of steamboats.

Shreve’s expedition, after the clearing of a large portion of the Great Raft, allowed for the building of Shreve Town, which would late become Shreveport in the future Caddo Parish. Bossier, at the time of Shreve Town’s founding, was still a part of Claiborne Parish. While much of the region’s economic activity would remain on the western bank of the Red River, the communities on the eastern developed ways to the river and beyond. For instance, Shed Road was purpose built to allow the transit of goods from the hilly and marshy interior of Bossier Parish to the Red River, wherein the goods would be shipped south towards New Orleans.

Shipping agricultural output was not the only use for steamboats in the region. Sometimes they were used in more interesting and exciting ways. For example, according to the July 1, 1954, edition of the Bossier Banner-Progress, in 1892 there was severe flooding in the region due to extended rainfall. This flooding left people fleeing for higher ground, and the roads and railroads became untraversable. Herein came Sam Willer, a prominent shop owner in the then-small town of Benton. At personal expense to himself, Willer navigated to the Red River and gained the attention of a passing steamboat. He chartered the captain to take him to Shreveport to acquire desperately needed supplies, before both Willer and the unnamed ship returned to Benton, sailing through the flooded lowlands of Bossier Parish to deliver relief. It was thanks to the particulars of steamboat construction that allowed the vessel to navigate the treacherous waters.

As mentioned earlier, however, the use of steamboats on the Red River came with potential risks, as both the river and the ships themselves were prone to causing incidents ranging from snags, fires, boiler explosions, or even collision between ships. One such incident is the tale of the Nat Dortch. The Nat Dortch was a steamboat built in 1889 in Jefferson, Indiana. After being purchased in 1984, the Nat Dortch began running a line between New Orleans and the Red River. Within a timespan of just over one year, the Nat Dortch sank twice along the Red River after hitting snags, with the second incident taking place at what is now Lake Ninock near the Lock and Dam #5. In total, there were 150 steamboat losses along the Red River, just between the city of Natchitoches and the Carolina Bluffs located in the northern part of Bossier Parish.

All great things, however, must come to an end. With the coming of the railroad as a function of the United States’ westward expansion, the widespread usage of steamboats on the Red River declined. That is not to say that they vanished entirely, as even today the image of steamships on the Red River persists in the local culture.

Of particular assistance in writing this article was a 1999 history prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District titled Steamboats on Red River: A History of Waterborne Commerce And An Assessment of Steamboat Losses Along the Red River, Louisiana and Arkansas. This source, and a variety of others, are available in the History Center’s Circulating and Reference collections. 

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. The History Center is currently closed until further notice, though staff remains available. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• River boat at a landing on the Red River - BPL HC (2001.005.003)
• Sam Willer on a horse - BPL HC (2002.034.003)
• Wrecked steamboat near a bridge on the Red River - BPL HC (2001.051.017E)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

Rainy Days Behind Us

 Whilst trawling through the older editions of the Bossier papers, there were two separate articles that caught my eye. At my time of writing, there was another in a series of recent heavy rains striking the region, inundating Bossier Parish and the surrounding area with more rain than anyone seems to want. Indeed, the clouds have reopened and rain once again makes its presence known as I continue. The first of these articles written for the Bossier Banner on June 16, 1898, details a great storm striking the region, bringing with it thunder, lightning, and more:

“Heavy rains fell at this place last Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The rain on Saturday was accompanied by a slight hail, and the downpour of Sunday morning was unusually heavy for this season of the year. The rain of Monday forenoon lasted about two hours, and was accompanied by frequent heavy peals of thunder and bursts of lightning. A bolt struck a post-oak shade tree within twenty feet of the residence of the editor of The Banner. [In 1898 the editor was W. H. Scanland.] The tree was struck at the height of about ten feet from the ground, ripping off the bark in a zig-zag direction from the south to the southwest, being an area of one-fourth of the surface of the tree, which is about two feet in diameter. The tree was split at the point of striking, the rift running in the same direction to the roots of the tree. It is about half an inch wide and extends perhaps half way through the tree. About ten feet from the ground is a hole an inch in diameter and an inch in depth, and near the base of the tree is a similar one, and the ground on the west side of the tree at the roots was torn into crevices. The shock was terrifying and the blaze was almost blinding in effect. There were two distinct reports and the tree was evidently struck by two bolts. This upsets the theory, or rather common belief that lightning never strikes twice in the same place.”

“At about the same moment a post-oak tree about fifty feet south of the dwelling house of Mr. H. M. Bailey, about two blocks distant, was also struck by a thunder bolt. The tree is two and a half feet in diameter, and was struck at a distance of ten feet from the ground, splitting it off from the shattered trunk, and stripping off the bark to the length of nearly 25 feet. Fragments of limbs and pieces of bark were thrown upon the house and for some distance about the premises.”

“This place was visited by another heavy rain and thunder storm Tuesday evening, continuing throughout the night and yesterday.”

Storms like these, and storms like those in the past week, led to the creation of the Bodcau Dam project and a series of levees in 1935 (which as an aside, these projects were part of the wider New Deal and the Works Progress Administration). This article, written in April 4, 1935, details the some of the various way that these works will assist the parish:

“The Banner and many citizens and officials throughout Bossier Parish were glad to learn late last week that the Army engineers had finally approved a group of Red River Valley improvements, including the Bodcau Dam and Canal Project, advocated by this publication for some years.”

“In addition to the Bodcau Project, levee work in North Bossier was also among the projects approved. It is understood that the total amount involved in the Red River program will exceed 40 million dollars.”

“The Bodcau dam would protect several thousand acres of land from overflow in this parish and would open up a very fertile section of alluvial land, south of Deans Point, the dam site, southward along Red Chute, for farming purposes. It will also protect low-lying sections of Barksdale Field from overflow.”

“The recommendations of the engineers must now go to Congress for final approval. It is understood that President Roosevelt has already placed his [okay] on the projects.”

“Work may get underway on one or more of these projects before the end of the current year some Bossier folk believe.”

“J. E. Murray, president of the Bossier Levee Board is taking an active part in trying to get these projects approved and work started with as little delay as possible. Various public and civic bodies in the parish have urged the adoption of this program, fostered by the Red River Valley Improvement Association.”

                  

It is improvements like these at Bayou Bodcau that help to ensure that when heavy rains come, like those in the past week or seen in the late 1800s, that Bossier Parish is not inundated with flood waters. Regardless, Heavy rain is not unfamiliar to our Parish and our region.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. The History Center is currently closed until July 2026, though staff remains available. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Plain Dealing 1914 Flood - (BPL HC - 1997.062.045)
• Barksdale Field 1933 Flood - (BPL HC - 2011.053.001-14)
• Barksdale Field 1933 Flood - (BPL HC - 2011.053.001-15)
• Plain Dealing 1957 Flood - (BPL HC - 1997.062.054)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

Service Across the Sea – N. B. Carstarphen and the A.E.F.

The First World War, The Great War, or the War to End All Wars was one of the most devastating conflicts ever conducted in human history. Beginning in 1914, the world would be ravaged by the new destructive forces devised for this new conflict. No longer were armies content to form orderly columns, as the Western Front especially devolved into a mess of tangled and conflicting trench lines, trading lives and war materiel for marginal changes in the positioning of armies. There were three motivating incidents that led the United States’ intervention into the Great War: German resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, the sinking of the RMS Lusitania (a British ship carrying American passengers) at the hands of said submarines, and finally the infamous Zimmerman telegram, the German attempt to lure Mexico into joining the Central Powers in exchange for portions of American land. These incidents resulted in the United States to officially join the Entente, commonly known as the Allies. To lead the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.), the United States’ contribution to the international coalition, General John J. “Blackjack” Pershing was selected. There, among his famously well-trained and talented staff at the General Headquarters, was a Plain Dealing native by the name of Newton Blanchard (N. B.) Carstarphen

                       

Mister Carstarphen was born January 28, 1894, in Plain Dealing Louisiana to Mr. Edward M. and Mrs. Sallie Wilson. N. B. attended Georgetown University in Washington, D. C., in the 1910s to study law before graduating in 1917. While in D. C., he served as the private secretary to Louisiana Senator Joseph E. Ransdell as well as a messenger for the Committee on Public Health and National Quarantine. After his graduation, Newton volunteered for the upcoming European war effort on July 13, 1917. Newton Carstarphen’s law degree landed him a position as an Army Field Clerk, assigned to the United States General Headquarters (G.H.Q.) as an adjunct. For a period of twenty-six months he served in the A.E.F., throughout both the American involvement in the Western Front offenses, as well as the drawdown of American soldiers in Europe post-armistice. For his service to General Headquarters, Mr. Carstarphen received commendation for exceptional and meritorious service. At least one source claims that Newton served as aide-de-camp and personal courier for General Pershing himself, trusted with carrying secret military movements to the intended recipients.

The A.E.F., at the insistence of General Pershing, maintained a mostly independent command structure from the French and British armies, under his insistence that the A.E.F. would fight more effectively beneath their own flag. On May 28, 1918, the United States saw its first major action in the closing months of the Great War, at the battle of Cantigny. It is important to note, however, that this battle did not occur in a vacuum. The German armies assigned to the Western Front had spent the past two months expending the very last of the Empire’s strength in the German Spring Offensive, partly to end the war before the fresh and invigorated American

Army could arrive upon the shores of France and Belgium. The British Expeditionary Forces, as well as the French Army, were both exhausted from the past four years of brutal conflict. Whilst the A.E.F. would serve with distinction, and come to be a major contributing factor in bringing an end to the Great War, it was only through the immense suffering of the Allies that gave the United States this opportunity.

The remainder of 1918 saw vicious fighting, with the German military being forced to come to terms with their eventual defeat as became increasingly clear when the Spring Offensive failed to materialize the promised victory. On the Eleventh Hour, of the Eleventh Day, of the Eleventh Month, the guns of the Western Front would fall silent, with the signing of the armistice that gave way to the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. For his efforts in leading the United States to victory in the Great War, General Pershing was elevated to a position of which he has only two equals: General of the Armies of the United States. As for Mr. Carstarphen, Newton returned to the United States and attended Loyola University for his Masters in Law, before joining the Louisiana Bar Association in 1921. His career was one as high-powered lawyer and high-ranking politico in Louisiana politics, before his death on June 10, 1983. The Great War was viewed as the War to End All War, and while this adage would ultimately prove false, it was not through a lack of effort or bravery on the part of the Allies, and the American Expeditionary Forces served their parts valiantly in that titanic struggle.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. The History Center is currently closed until July 2026, though staff remains available. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Newton Blanchard Carstarphen - Lilla McLure and J. Ed Howe, History of Shreveport and Shreveport Builders Vol. 1, Page 433.
• General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing - United States Library of Congress (LOC Control #: 2004672051)
• Plain Dealing High School, where N.B. Attended - BPL History Center (1997.031.040)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

J. H. James – Local Businessman and Car Manufacture

 It was the end of the 1910s, and an interesting newspaper article was published in the December 18, 1919, edition of the Bossier Banner: “Made in Plain Dealing.” In an unexpected announcement a Plain Dealing garage had assembled an automobile, boasting of bold claims of greater specifications than the Ford of the time. Now there may be some among you, the readers, who are asking just who exactly built and assembled such a feat. The answer: J. H. James of James’ Garage.

James’ Garage, the assembler of this trial car, was owned by a Mister J. H. James, son of Welsh immigrants to the United States. Mr. James was born in 1878 in Ohio before moving to Louisiana sometime before February 1913, when he moved from Dubach in Lincoln Parish to Benton. Regardless, by July of 1913, Mr. James was the proud owner of a sawmill one mile west of Benton, along the Arkansas road. This sawmill, operated under the company name of James Lumber Co., would burn down less than a year later due to fire starting in a wood shaving pile, though he would promise to rebuild it in the same area. However, while Mr. James declared his intention to rebuild the mill in the same area, he carried no insurance on the mill, and much of the material was declared unsalvageable, including the planer and some 30,000 feet of lumber. His straits were not all dire, as you will soon see, as J. H. James would make a business pivot into a different and much more interesting direction.

By 1915 Mr. James was operating a transit service for the residents of Benton, running a route between Shreveport and the Benton area for the price of one dollar round trip, and seventy-five cents one way. His transit service, which functioned via automobile, was forced to temporarily halt service to make a bevy of repairs to his vehicle, providing a hint of foreshadowing to the later life choices of Mr. James, and his eventual accomplishment. It would be in 1919, on the first of the year, when J. H. James would officially take ownership of the Plain Dealing Garage Company after moving into the town. Renamed to James’ Garage, the company would run with three mechanics plus himself, helping to manage the automobile needs of Plain Dealing. It was by the end of the year, in December, that Mr. James would build his great achievement. The Plain Dealing car, built during the days of the Ford Model T, was said to carry a gas tank double the size of the competition, with electric lights, a self-starter, and a body built to be suited to the area. March of 1920 would seemingly validate the claims of Mr. James, as he would make a trip across the wet country roads between Benton and Shreveport without accident or fear. The hope of the Bossier Banner writers was that J. H. James would become synonymous with names like Ford, and hundreds of cars would be produced in Plain Dealing.

Alas, Mr. James would not stay in Louisiana. Perhaps due to a lack of further local interest in a ‘Made in Plain Dealing Car’, Mr. J. H. James would exit the mechanic business by February 1921, returning to the lumber business in El Dorado Arkansas. Still, the achievement of a ‘Made in Plain Dealing Car’ stands as an example of the industrious spirit of Plain Dealing and Bossier Parish.

  

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. The History Center is currently closed until July 2026, though staff remains available. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• James' Garage Advertisement - Bossier Banner (Sep 25, 1919)
• James Lumber Co. Advertisement - Bossier Banner (Jul 3, 1913)
• Men standing cars behind Heifner's Hardware and the Bank of Plain Dealing, c.1910s-1920s - BPL History Center (1997.062.043)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

North Bossier Park – Twenty Years Strong

Late last year, in a pervious article written by Kevin Flowers, a fellow member of the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center, he wrote about the Bossier Racquet and Swim club, and how the city planned on potentially buying the ailing complex. Ultimately, however, they would decide against doing so and would instead seek to build their own recreation site. This caught my eye, as around this time last year I wrote an article on Mike Woods Park. Therefore, let’s take a look at another major Bossier Parish park, the North Bossier Park, and the associated Bossier Tennis Center.

The earliest mention to the park project itself was in late 2003, according to the Bossier Parish Police Jury minutes from both September 17 and October 15, when Police Juror Eddy Shell met with members of a committee made up of representatives from the City of Bossier City, Bossier Parish School Board, and of course the Bossier Parish Police Jury. After the events of this meeting, the jury agreed to draw up an action plan for the development of the North Bossier Recreation Park Complex. Late that month, funds for the project would be approved by Bossier City, with $1 million dollars approved by the City Council, drawing an equal mix of funding from gaming revenue and the sales tax capital improvement fund. A series of meetings would follow as 2003 ended, and 2004 began, and in April of 2004 a steering committee would be formally established for the purposes of coordination between the three bodies.

By the end of the year, ground would be broken on the project, with the initial estimates for the cost of the project being around $98,000, with an approved expense of $60,000 from the BPPJ to cover the cost of the labor. Work would continue apace through the fall of 2004, with the clearing of the site and the laying of the base infrastructure for the first phase of construction. In the December 1, 2004, meeting of the BPPJ, concerns were raised about the park being built as purely a tennis complex. Statements were made to reinforce that the park should be for everyone, not just tennis players, and it is here where the first discussion on playground equipment at the new park was had by the Police Jury. The next series of meetings for the Police Jury would include discussion of the potential playground equipment, and on February 2, 2005, the Police Jury would authorize the purchase of handicap accessible playground equipment in conjunction with Bossier City funding.

The construction of the tennis courts themselves, the underlying driving force for Bossier City’s contribution to the project, would begin in the summer of 2005, continuing into 2009. Finally, come early July 2006, the day would come: the North Bossier Park Tennis Center would have its ribbon cutting. Members of each of the three contributing bodies would participate in the grand opening, and the full park would be, officially, open to the public. The initial count for the tennis courts would be a ‘mere’ twelve, which would be later expanded to add another six in the coming years. The courts were built, in part, to encourage children and the greater community to develop an appreciation for tennis in the local area. Indeed, as part of the grand opening, there was an accompanying set of tennis scrambles open to the public.

From the lengthy walking trail to the eighteen tennis courts, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy. For the past twenty years, the North Bossier Park has been a mainstay of the community, servicing the area with free and easy access to the amenities therein.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Students at the Bossier Tennis Center – BPT (Jul 04, 2006) – Rachel Hayes
• Construction of the North Bossier Park Parking Lot – BPT (Sep 23, 2004) – Jennifer Ganey
•  Jim Pevier walking his dog at North Bossier Park – BPT (Dec 02, 2005) – Rachel Hayes

Article by: Johan Daigle

 

Big Hands and a Big Legacy – The Story of Gary Johnson

It is a busy time to be a fan of sports this time of year, with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and the NFL Super Bowl LX having just passed. Therefore, what better time to look back on one of Bossier Parish’s football legends, one Gary “Big Hands” Johnson.

Gary Johnson was born August 31, 1952, in Shreveport, Louisiana, though he would grow up in Bossier Parish. His iconic nickname, “Big Hands,” has a number of conflicting origins, with one standing out more than the others. According to the December 22, 1983, edition of the Shreveport Journal, Johnson was given the nickname at Bossier City’s Charlotte Mitchell High School after being told by Coach Riley Stewart during gym class to “Keep your big hands off my basketball!” Following desegregation, Johnson finished is high school career at Airline.

After high school, Gary Johnson went to Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana, having decided on the school long before any others that tried to recruit him. Johnson is said to have stated during his 1991 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction: “It would not have mattered if 100 schools contacted me, I was going to Grambling.” It was there at Grambling where he would really begin to shine, where he would letter all four years of his college career.

Now, some readers may be asking, which position did Gary Johnson play? The answer: Defensive Tackle (DT). Even in his early years of college football, Eddie Robinson (coach for Grambling State) was making the bold claim that Johnson was the best defensive lineman in college football at the time. For three years straight, he would be selected for the Associated Press Little All-American team, and in his senior year, he would make it to the All-American squad selected for the Newspaper Enterprise Association. All-American teams are a series of annual honors given to the best player in a position, as determined by various news organizations. The “Little” in Little American stands in for the size of the school, not the size of the player. For Johnson, who was attending Grambling State, this was a big honor. In his senior year alone, Johnson earned an impressive 136 tackles and 49 sacks, according to Jerry Byrd’s book “Louisiana Sports Legends.” Gary Johnson didn’t stop there though, as after graduating he would go on to join the National Football League.

In 1975, when Gary Johnson was drafted, it was to the San Diego Chargers in their first round (eighth overall) pick. While his career was comparatively quiet during his first years on the team, 1980 would see him earning the most sacks in the league for that year, at an impressive seventeen-and-a-half, leading the team’s impressive sixty sack record for the year. His time with the Chargers would be a long and storied nine years, but his career did not end with them. The same year he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers (1974), Gary Johnson would win the biggest game in the NFL, the Super Bowl. San Francisco would win Superbowl XIX with a score of 38-16 against the Miami dolphins, and Gary Johnson would get his ring

In 1975, when Gary Johnson was drafted, it was to the San Diego Chargers in their first round (eighth overall) pick. While his career was comparatively quiet during his first years on the team, 1980 would see him earning the most sacks in the league for that year, at an impressive seventeen-and-a-half, leading the team’s impressive sixty sack record for the year. His time with the Chargers would be a long and storied nine years, but his career did not end with them. The same year he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers (1974), Gary Johnson would win the biggest game in the NFL, the Super Bowl. San Francisco would win Superbowl XIX with a score of 38-16 against the Miami dolphins, and Gary Johnson would get his ring.

In 1991, Gary Johnson would be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, immortalizing his achievements alongside other legends from the state. In a story written for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) in 1991, Johnson reportedly stated that “’Just being there alongside Coach Robinson is a dream come true in itself.’”

Tragically, Gary Johnson would pass away in 2010 in his sleep. He left behind his wife Alice, son Gary II, daughter Morgan, two granddaughters, two sisters, and three brothers. Much of the information from this article comes from a combination of the work of Jerry Byrd, NFL stats recorded by the league, and his obituary.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Gary Johnson - The Shreveport Journal - 22 Nov 1972
• Gary Johnson in 1985 - The Daily Advertiser/Associated Press - 20 Jun 1991

Article by: Jonah Daigle 

A Blast From the Past – Snow Days in Bossier Parish

At the time of my writing of this article, the forecast is predicting several inches of snow this coming Saturday, January 24th. It seems as though every few years there is a bout of snowstorms that bring the region to a halt, and this time looks like it will be no different. As such, this has me thinking about some of the historical snowstorms here in Bossier Parish. 

                                                   

The first example we’ll be looking at today is the December 31, 2000, nicknamed the “Snow Bowl.” Across the river, during the twenty-fifth annual Independence Bowl, Texas A&M and Mississippi State played for the title on a field of white. The snow was so plentiful that plows were needed to tell where the endzone was, and many of the spectators in the stands left at half-time. According to the National Weather Service, much of Bossier Parish received three to six inches of snow during the storm. What shocked the NWS most, however, was not the winter storm itself, but that much of the precipitation was actually snow. Thus came a game for the history books, and Mississippi State took the victory over Texas A&M.

    

Another strong storm struck in mid-January of 1975, blanketing the region with roughly two-and-a-half inches of snow. This may not have been much in the grand scheme of yearly precipitation levels (after all Bossier Parish receives on average 51 inches of rain a year), but it was certainly enough to cover the parish. Parish residents even put the sculpting skills to the test, building sculptures like the dinosaur seen in the photo. This snowfall, however, is nothing compared to one of the greatest amounts of snowfall here in Bossier Parish. Nearly 100 years ago, during late 1929, the greatest amount of snowfall struck the ArkLaTex region, according to the National Weather Service. According to the Bossier Banner-Progress, the snow lasted much of December 21st, accumulating on average twelve inches of snow and as much as fifteen inches in some places. For reference, the February 2021 storm brought similar amounts of snow and sleet, though that was spread over several days’ worth of accumulation. This was the most snow accumulated since December of 1876, where in turn the region was struck with “14 inches on a dead level – some say 16 to 20 inches,” as reported by the Bossier Banner in the January 7, 1877, issue. The 1876 storm is interesting as while the Banner reported its existence, there is no mention in any of the NWS information I was able to get access to. Certainly, the 1929 storm struck the region, but the earlier instance of a foot-and-a-half seems lost to the wider historical audience. 

     

For Bossier Parish, snow might be an uncommon sight, but it is not unknown. Every few years a winter storm will strike the region and bring a new wave of cold and snow. Hopefully this time will be uneventful, giving us just enough for some winter fun.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/   

Images: 

Photo of Bossier City (Bossier Press – 16 Jan, 1975)

Photo Outside 2nd Air Force HQ (The Observer – 12 Jan, 1962)

Plain Dealing Street covered in Snow (BPL HC – 1997.062.116)

Plain Dealing Boys Building a Snowman (BPL HC – 1997.062.006)

Dinosaur Snow Sculpture (Bossier Tribune – 16 Jan, 1975)

Mailing in the New Year

 Happy New Year! To round out the end of 2025, let’s take a look at one of the oldest institutions in Bossier Parish: the Post Office. The Post Offices in the United States are managed by the United States Postal Service, under the direction of the executive branch of the United States government. Unlike many agencies, however, the USPS does not report to a particular cabinet secretary, instead functioning as an independent agency under the Postmaster General. The first Postmaster General was American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in July of 1775. Most Post Offices have their own Postmaster, who direct the local office and ensure the mail reaches its intended destinations. According to the “The United States Postal Service: An American History,” as the United States grew, so too did the Postal Service: “The number of Post Offices increased from 75 in 1790 to 28,498 in 1860. Post roads increased from 59,473 miles at the beginning of 1819 to 84,860 by the end of 1823. By the end of 1819, the Department served citizens in 22 states, including the newest states of Illinois and Alabama.” The Postal Service has also historically offered women potential careers, with many women serving as Postmasters, or Postmistresses, since the earliest days of the USPS. The USPS has worked to ensure that regardless of how rural a location may be, or how far west the boundaries moved, that the nation has remained connected. The growth of the United States of America and the growth of the United States Postal Service going hand-in-hand.

Here in Bossier Parish, the post office is younger than the parish itself. As some of you may know, and as a reminder for those who may not, Bossier Parish was not one of the original parishes in Louisiana. Carved from Claiborne Parish in 1843, Bossier Parish did not have a Post Office within its borders for roughly three years. In November of 1846, the first known Post Office in Bossier Parish was founded in the one-time community of Red Land. While the office would not be open long (closing for the first time in October 1853), the first Postmaster for Redland was Jerome B. Mading. Within the first two decades of the parish’s existence, the number of local Post Offices would fluctuate frequently. According to the July 1st, 1859, issue of the Bossier-Banner Progress, there were twelve operating Post Offices in the parish, with eleven Postmasters. By November 11th of the same year, the office in Bisteneau would be closed by order of the Postmaster General. The Red Land Post Office would be reopened after its initial closure in November of 1873, continuing until 1909 (albeit under a slightly altered name starting in 1895). The Redland office would be absorbed into the Plain Dealing Post Office, which persists to this day.

The Post Office that persists in the longest continuous stretch is in the parish seat of Benton. The Benton Post Office also had one of the first Postmistresses in Bossier. Mamie Edwards Stinson McKnight was the first acting Postmistress of Benton from July 1919 to April 1920. She, however, would not be the last. Of the several dozen Post Offices to have existed in Bossier Parish, only nine persist to this day (and only eight of which stand on the eastern side of the Red River). From north to south, the remaining Post Offices are as follows: Plain Dealing, Benton, Princeton, Haughton, Shreveport (Industrial), Bossier City, Barksdale AFB, Bossier City (Plantation Station), and Elm Grove. So, with the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, as well as the 250th anniversary of the United States, look back on one of the United States’ oldest institutions. It has sought to connect the nation, and our parish, throughout their storied histories.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Bossier Parish Rural Mail Carriers - BPL HC (1997.054.054)
• Plain Dealing Post Office and Mail Wagons - BPL HC (1997.062.167)
• BPL Benton Branch - Originally the Benton Post Office - BPL HC (0000.001.009)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

Bossier Parish Police Jury – Now and Then

 In Bossier Parish, the highest local authority is the Bossier Parish Police Jury (BPPJ), administrating the parish from the Parish Courthouse in Benton. For many people, local government has become something abstract and nebulous, lost in the sea of attention paid towards national affairs. However, local governments, like the BPPJ, will affect you more in your day-to-day life than anything on the national scale. In Louisiana, Police Juries hold similar authority to County Commissions in other states. Originally founded via a state legislative act in 1811, the powers of police juries were expanded to function as proper legislative-executive bodies after the granting of statehood to Louisiana. Parishes were divided into wards, with each ward electing a juror to that parish’s police jury as their local representative. Functionally, police juries are granted broad local powers by the Louisiana state constitution. Some of these powers include the levying of taxes and enacting/enforcing local ordinances and regulations. When it comes time to elect police jurors, the elections are held during odd years under an open primary system, ensuring that police jury races are not lost in the excitement surrounding larger national elections. Police juries elect a president and vice-president from amongst themselves, tasked with leading the body.

      

                              

The current twelve members of the BPPJ are President Glenn Benton, Vice-President Tom Salzer, Lynn Beaty, Phillip Rodgers, John Ed Jordon, Julianna Parks, Chris Marsiglia, Jimmy Cochran, Doug Rimmer, Pam Glorioso, Julian Darby, and Keith Sutton. The BPPJ is also joined by an administrative staff that works with the Police Jury to see to the implementation of the body’s agenda, advising the police jury as needed. The BPPJ administrative division is made up of the Parish Administrator, who is tasked with running the day-to-day organization of the Police Jury, the Parish Secretary, tasked with record keeping for the Police Jury and assisting with the agenda in a variety of ways, and the Parish Treasurer, who is tasked with managing the budget and assets of the BPPJ. There are a further twelve divisions under the BPPJ umbrella, all of which exist to ensure that the Parish government can serve the public. While some parishes, such as Caddo Parish, have moved away from the police jury system, Bossier Parish has maintained the BPPJ as its legislative-executive body.

The Bossier Parish Police Jury began with the parish in 1843. When the jurors first met on June 19, 1843, they did so in a small cabin located at what is today the Bayou Bodcau Reservoir, the Long/Durden house. While there is some confusion as to who was the first BPPJ president, the names of the jurors are known: William Crowley, William Burns, Isaac Lay, B. J. Williams, Joseph Graham, John C. Scott, Andrew J. Lampton, and J. A. W. Lowey. According to Parish Historian Clif Cardin’s 1993 book, “Bossier Parish History The first 150 years, 1843-1993,” William Crowley was the first police jury President. However, according to “History of Shreveport and Shreveport Builders, Volume Two,” which contains a section specifically about Bossier Parish, it was William Burns who first presided over the Jury. The eagle-eyed among you will notice there are only eight jurors, compared to the twelve of today. When the parish was initially founded, the population was obviously much lower than it is today, and as the parish grew, so too did the need for more members. Regardless, it was there at that little cabin that these first jurors would select the new parish seat of ‘Freedonia’, which would later become known as Bellevue. The initial courthouse, not the cabin where the police jury first met, was built sometime before 1845 as a wood structure, before being replaced with a brick courthouse in 1853. The parish would remain there until the late 1880s, when the vote was held to move the parish seat to the current home in Benton.

Today, located on Highway 157 in Bellevue, there is a historical marker commemorating the first Bossier Parish Police Jury meeting and the then town of Freedonia. While the seat and building may have changed, the Bossier Parish Police Jury has led Bossier Parish for over 182 years, here’s to 182 more.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• 1853 Map of Bossier Parish (BPL-HC Record 1997.008.001)
• Only known full photo of 2nd Bellevue Courthouse (BPL-HC Record 0000.004.114)
• Police Juror Henry Mitchell in-front of the Durden House during restorations (The Shreveport Times, Nov. 30, 1998, photo by Mathew Minnard)
• 1st Police Jury Meeting Historical Marker (The Bossier Press, May 06, 1964, photo by Bill McFarland)

Article by: Jonah Daigle

A Glimpse at the State Fairs of Old

 It’s October, which means that it’s Louisiana State Fair season. The fair, which began in 1906, will be coming to the Shreveport-Bossier area October 30th, and will last until the 16th of November. Throughout its lifespan, it has had numerous attractions, from rides, to events, and more. Take a ride through the past, with images and the following article. What follows is a showcase of the attractions in 1936, some eighty-nine years ago, as seen in the September 24, 1936 edition of The Bossier Banner.

1936 STATE FAIR ATTRACTIONS

The Bossier Banner described the attractions of the 1936 State Fair in its September 24, 1936 issue. “Bossier Parish readers will be interested to learn that a larger and greater State Fair will be presented to all fair visitors, when they visit Shreveport during the exposition, to be held from October 24th through November 2d.”

“Fair officials report, in late dispatches to this paper, that preparations have been underway for several months, in an effort to provide fair visitors with the most splendid educational and amusement program ever witnessed by fair goers in this section. All buildings are being thoroughly renovated so that the fair plant will be spic and span when the gates swing open on the 24th.”

“The agricultural building, always a mecca for Bossierites visiting the fair, will be one of the best decorated on the exposition grounds. New indirect lighting systems, being installed in most of the display booths, will enhance the beauty of the exhibits, and attract thousands of visitors to the agricultural show.”

“With poultry show experts hailing the building as an ideal layout for such an event, it is expected that renewed interest will be displayed in this fair department. Entries are already pouring in and fair officials are confident that the 1936 poultry show will be the best ever. This news will be well received by poultry breeders throughout Bossier Parish, some of whom will also be State Fair exhibitors, it is learned.”

“Judging from early entries, the livestock shows will be especially good this year. Competition in dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep and swine should be keen this fall, fair officials say. With the cattle tick eradicated in Bossier and other nearby parishes, it is believed by the fair management that the livestock exhibits, especially the cattle divisions, will do much to kindle interest in the possibilities for developing the livestock industry of this section of the state.”

“A record-breaking Broadway musical review, to be staged nightly, in front of the grandstand, tops a sensation list of amusement features booked for the State Fair says secretary-manager W. R. Hirsch. The title of the extravaganza is ‘Rise and Cheer, America.’ The show’s cast includes 125 chorus girls and a beavy [sic] of stage and screen stars. A fireworks display, always a much looked-for feature of the nightly grandstand shows, will top off the program each night of the fair.”

“Bossier Parish folk who thrill to the hum of racing automobiles will look forward to the two Sunday racing programs, booked for the 1936 exposition. It will be of interest to these enthusiasts to know that thrills and chills aplenty are in store for them, as most of America’s leading daredevils of the speedways have signified their intentions of entering the races.”

“Followers of the turf and amateurs who thrill at the sight of racing thoroughbred horses, and those who like to wager a mite on the races will have their innings each week-day of the fair, for an eight-day racing meet has been booked.”

“Football will again furnish amusement for followers of the pigskin sport. Opening day, October 24th, will see the annual clash of Louisiana State University and Arkansas State University. Saturday, October 31st, Centenary College’s Gentlemen will meet the Ole Miss eleven.”

“A new fair feature, a state-wide beauty contest, with about 150 towns and cities sending contestants, will take place in the Coliseum during three days, October 27th, 28th and 29th. Miss Louisiana, the title of the beauty pageant winner, will be given a trip to Atlantic City, N. J., to compete for the title of Miss America.”

“Other amusement features, to be of more than passing interest at the 1936 fair, will include a horse show, a basketball tournament, a dog show, a state junior band concert, a Boy Scout Jamboree, Four-H boys and girls conventions, Future Farmers’ get together and many others, which will be elaborated upon in later stories.”

Get ready for our Haunted Bossier Program, presented by Bossier Parish Libraries Historian Pam Carlisle! Hear the tales of haunted houses, ghosts, and more as we dive into the frightening folklore of Bossier Parish. Join us October 28, 10:00 A.M., at the Bossier Central Library.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

Images: 

• Ferris Wheel at Louisiana State Fair. C.1910s. - (BPL History Center - 1997.054.064)
• State Fair Midway showing signs for sideshows. C.1910s. - (BPL History Center - 1997.054.025)
• Photograph of the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in the 1920s-1930s, of a race car on the fairgrounds race track. - (BPL History Center - 2002.027.007)
• Color photo of the Shady Ladies Club helping with crafts (quilting) at the Louisiana State Fair 1988. - (BPL History Center - 2012.038.057A)

Article by: Jonah Daigle 

Tri-State Oil Tool Company - A Bossier Titan

There was once a company of international prominence headquartered right here in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tri-State Oil Tool Industries Inc., or Tri-State Oil Tool Company, was once the one of the largest employers here in Bossier Parish, and whose wide-reaching influence would see a dozen international locations and nearly three dozen local. What got them there, and where did they go?

Tri-State Oil Tool got its start right here in Bossier City just under sixty years ago, in December of 1945, and was founded by Gary H. Burnham Tri-State Oil Tool. Mister Burnham was then quickly joined by a co-owner by the name of Earl P. Sawyer. The company was founded with a small staff, just seven, with their company mascot Junior the fox terrier. Tri State Oil Tool Company, as the name suggests, was in the business of supplying the oil fields of the Ark-La-Tex and beyond with, according to a June 18th, 1951, Shreveport Times article, “a complete line of squeeze, acidizing and fishing tools, well testing tools, both formation and casting; all sizes of wash over pipes, and several types of drill pipe equipment with tool joints.” Six years after their founding, in 1951, Tri-State Oil Tool would move their headquarters to a larger newly built location on East Texas Street, not far from where the BPL Central Complex sits now. Indeed, there were several local locations, such as Lafayette or Magnolia, AR. Already, at the time of their office move, the company had begun reaching an international clientele, with service as far north as Canada, though this would not be the end of their international ambitions.

The 1970s were a busy time for the company, with a series of large international location openings in quick succession, as well as a major shakeup on the corporate side. In 1974, Tri-State Oil Tool would open in Aberdeen Scotland to serve the North Sea oil fields off the coast of the United Kingdom. In 1978, they would expand into Egypt, as many of their costumers did large amounts of work in the Suez oil fields. The following year, 1979, would see a location open in Singapore, to serve the oil fields there. Wherever their customers were, the Tri-State Oil Tool Company would expand to meet their needs. To better coordinate this worldwide, a new office complex was built at 2701 Village Lane in 1980, where the company would remain until its end. The new locations, however, were not made in a vacuum. In 1973, according to The Los Angeles Times, Baker Oil Tools Incorporated, an L.A. based company, acquired Tri-State Oil Tool Industries for an undisclosed number of shares in the Baker Oil Tools company, entwining the two forever. It would be in 1992 that Tri-State Oil Tool was folded entirely into Baker Oil, after moving their headquarters to the Houston area.

The legacy of Tri-State Oil Tool Industries is as a former industry leader, whose equipment was sought around the world. With their sixtieth anniversary just around the corner, think back to this former Bossier Parish titan.

If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/

• TSOT Home Office, Plant & Pipe Yard (History Center Collection - 2000.036.011)
• Early TSOT Store (History Center Collection - 2023.002.322)
• TSOT International Office Print (History Center Collection - 2023.002.278)
• TSOT Aberdeen, Scotland Staff (History Center Collection - 2023.002.274)
• Early TSOT Vehicle Fleet (History Center Collection - 2023.002.272)

Article by: Jonah Daigle