Columns

By Jase Graves

Snow in East Texas is only slightly less rare than a parade of CNN reporters wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps while singing "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in downtown Pyongyang. This year, though, the impossible happened, and East Texas was blanketed with a couple of inches of powder. Only this time, it wasn't the usual dunes of yellow pollen from a bunch of turned on pine trees that need to get a room.

For those unfamiliar with the experience of a snow day in the South, I offer a brief primer on the subject that will surely invoke such rigorous eye-rolling from readers north of Texarkana that they may blow a gasket in their optic nerves.

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By: Raymond Powell

DeSoto Parish and Mansfield have supplied their share of notable people over the years such as ex-presidents of large oil companies, generals, doctors, educators and etc. Today’s article will deal with financial institutional leaders of the past, especially of the Commercial National Bank of Shreveport.

The Commercial National bank of Shreveport was chartered in 1886 growing out of several earlier banks dating back to 1852. Its greatest growth resulted during the tenure of Capt. Peter Youree who served as president from 1892- 1914. Capt. Youree married Bettie Rose Scott from Scottsville just east of Marshall, Texas. Bettie Youree was very active in the U.D.C. and purchased three acres of land to start the Mansfield Battle Park Museum and worked closely with Lana Jenkins to erect three large monuments at the park.

By Tom Purcell

My back is sore from shoveling snow - and it's the federal government's fault.

Maybe I'd better explain. We've been getting lots of snow in Pittsburgh of late. When it snows, I need to clear two driveways: mine, which is 50 yards long, and my father's, which is almost as big.

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By: Raymond Powell

At the height of the Great Depression – June 23, 1933 – what was life like in Mansfield? Of course, most of the front page of the Mansfield Enterprise dealt with cotton acreage cut for the farmers and a few other discouraging things but there was a big front page article announcing 200 young people registering for the Epworth League held at the Mansfield Female College. The Epworth League was for young people 16 to 23 years of age. The program for the meeting at the three story building next to and adjoining the College Administration building was “Thy Kingdom Come”. This was one of the largest attendances for a League meeting.

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By Jerry Pierce

Legislators who have been pushing for a gasoline tax hike to provide funding for improvements to Louisiana roads and bridges have not abandoned those efforts, but this will be a difficult year to muster support for taxes and increased spending on infrastructure.

For one thing, the state will face a $1 billion revenue shortfall when a one-cent sales tax expires on June 30. Gov. John Bel Edwards and the legislature are likely to be scrambling in a special session before then just to replace that income.

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By: Raymond Powell

In an attempt to give a history of newspapers in DeSoto Parish various solid walls have been encountered and some newspapers could have been omitted. According to an article in an early edition of the Mansfield Enterprise Peter Shearer was reported to have published a paper in Logansport before 1843 which is the founding date of DeSoto Parish. Peter was born about 1820 in Berks Co., Penn. One of 11 children, Peter was descended from German and French Huguenot stock (most Huguenots became Methodist upon arrival in this area.) He studied law and led a pretty questionable life. His paper was called Newsboy which was moved to Grand Cane then to Mansfield and possibly became the Advertiser.

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It’s that time of year again when we honor those who played an important part in making our country great. We must always remember the pass but never let it control or hold you back. We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools. We must be thankful for what the Lord has done for us. I can remember growing up in South Mansfield on Albert Lewis Way times was hard in those days. But my mother and father and their seventeen kids made it from smoothing irons to electric irons, from meat grease to hand lotion, window fans to central air, outside toilet to inside restrooms and from newspaper to tissue. Now I would like to thank those who gave all they had for their country, Dr. Martin L. King, Rosa Parks, Emmitt Till, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B.

By: Raymond Powell

From time to time it is interesting to write about an outstanding person that helped to establish and contribute to the formation of DeSoto Parish. There are many but none surpassed John Wagner who served as the first President of the DeSoto Police Jury. John Wagner was a self-made man of high intellect and character. He was born in Pennsylvania on March 31, 1802 of Dutch/American parents. At the age of 16 he traveled by boat to New Orleans and then up to near Alexandria. There he learned cotton growing and found that he could get credit to purchase land from lenders in New Orleans. With this knowledge he patented land about three miles south of present Grand Cane. With his ability and work ethic he soon became a large land owner of some 60 sections.

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