Columns

Many of our younger generation probably may not have heard of the most famous person from DeSoto Parish and Mansfield, Joshua “Josh” Lockwood Logan, III. Josh Logan was actually born in Texarkana, Texas, son of Susan McHenry Nabors and Joshua Lockwood Logan II on October 5, 1908 and died July 12, 1988. He was a world renowned writer and director and producer of stage and screen.

In 1850 Josh’s Great-Great Grandfather moved to Kingston, La. from Oak Hill, AL. shortly after the death of his wife, Dorothea Lockwood. Their son Joshua L. Logan (2/10/30 to 1987) married Julia Martha Reeves. He became district Judge of DeSoto, Sabine, and Red River Parishes. Josh and his Sister Mary Lee Logan spent their early childhood in Mansfield with their Grandparents John M. and Mary Morris L. Nabors on Polk Street. Mr. McHenry owned a hotel and a sawmill on Logan Ave. in Mansfield, La.

“I Yam What I Yam!”

Ah, what subtle philosophy on Saturday morning cartoons that is also echoed in many other sources: “I am who I am” – God, Exodus 3:14 “By the grace of God, I am what I am” – John Newton, Cleric “I think, therefore I am” – Rene’ Descartes, Philosopher “I yam what I yam” – Popeye, Sailor Popeye also said, “I’m strong to the ‘finich’ ‘cause I eats me Spinach,” But that’s a whole other existential subject. And I just know that all my buds got their Mom to cook up some spinach but hated it . Ugh, it tastes metallic!

Besides what got me to thinking about all this in the first place were the fine baked Louisiana Yams I had the other night. I saw a big stack of them at the supermarket and decided to try some. In a few weeks I’ll be cooking my Grandma’s Sweet Potato casserole for Thanksgiving but few things say “Fall” better than the smell from the first yams when they are baking in the oven.

From time to time this writer has paid tribute to a former DeSoto Parish deceased resident that contributed greatly to our history. Today’s honoree is truly worthy of this tribute. Dr. Robert Trueheart Gibbs and all of the information gathered for this column is from this writer’s research.

Dr. Gibbs (1815-1884) was one of the early settlers of this Parish, moving here in 1849 with a group of families from Alabama and South Carolina. He was born in Madison County, Va., educated at the University of Virginia and received his doctors degree from Jefferson Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Everyone has a story to tell. Not just famous folks or those who’ve lived through grand adventures — every one of us carries a lifetime of moments, lessons, and memories worth sharing. The problem is, we often think our own stories are too ordinary to matter. But I’ve learned that it’s often the small, everyday details that become the most treasured over time.

Think back to the tales your grandparents told — maybe about walking to school, courting, or the way holidays used to be celebrated. Those stories probably didn’t involve world-changing events, but they stuck with you because they painted a picture of a life you could see and feel. In the same way, your own life holds details your children, grandchildren, or even strangers might one day cherish.

Arlington Cemetery has been in the news for the past few months without many of us knowing the tremendous history involved. As Paul Harvey said, “Here’s the rest of the story.”

George Washington’s adopted son — his wife Martha’s only son — bought the land know as Arlington in 1778 to be closer to his mother at their beloved Mount Vernon home. General Washington advised him on the purchase in correspondence from his winter camp at Valley Forge. However, three years later her son contracted fever at Yorktown and died leaving a six-month-old son. George and Martha raised the six month of boy whose name was George Washington Parke-Custis and nicknamed “Wash”. Wash became of age and inherited the Arlington land his real father had purchased but his lifelong mission became to honor his adopted father.

Caddo has always cast an integral influence on DeSoto Parish from 1843 starting when the northern half of DeSoto was taken from Caddo. Many important families of DeSoto have migrated and become important citizens of Shreveport. But nothing is more important to the economy than the movement of oil drilling southward after the first oil and gas wells were drilled in 1870 on Cross Bayou intended to be a water well for an ice factory. The first oil well known to have been drilled was by Edwin Drake in 1859 near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

We worry about a lot of things, how things will turn out, are we going to have enough at the end of the day or week? Are we going to make it? Is God going to be with us? It looks like we are about to lose everything!

“All Judah stood with their little ones, their wives before the Lord,” praying and worrying how they were going to do against a great enemy that came against them in 2 Chronicles 20. The forces of Moab, Ammon, and Mt. Seir came upon them to battle.

Let’s get shakin!!!

If you are from the south, you already know, if not, I’m ‘bout to tell you all about it.

Growing up you could open the fridge and there would be 4–5 plastic butter tubs. Did we like butter? Well yeah, who doesn’t BUT, you better open them all ‘cause you never know what you might find inside. That’s right with no shame at all, they were washed and repurposed.

It’s free Tupperware y’all. Now as a spoiled rotten kid this embarrassed me to no end. I thought it meant we were poor. Well, we weren’t but we were hardly affluent. Mom always said red (or tomato based) sauce like spaghetti, chili, sauce picante, etc. would stain her good Tupperware so leftovers went in the “southern” Tupperware. As an adult I’ve realized… she was right and NO she wasn’t just trying to embarrass me.

De S o to Parish has had a long and happy relationship with its sister parish to the south, Sabine Parish. DeSoto has shared citizens, politics and even land with Sabine. Sabine Parish was organized in 1843 only a couple of months before DeSoto. Actually DeSoto’s southern border was originally a creek but a short time later a land swap between the two parishes created a straight line that followed a state section line.

La. Rouge Rice

I was all ready to make fun of an article in Southern Living by Jessica Harris titled “The Roots of Red Rice”. I’ve know about Charleston and Savannah Red Rice but had never cooked any and Mrs. Harris’ article sounded like a lot of Mumbo-Jumbo about a West African dish called Thieboudienne — What?! Yeah, I’d never heard of it either.