Armed with the supposed rail route on the bike's GPS, I headed to the area below Lake Cocodrie which was, as my Maps of Louisiana showed, laced with old rail beds left from the hay day of steam engine enabled forestry. The evidence was clear to a believer as I stopped at each intersection of gravel road and dotted line depicting an old route. Amazingly, the map still displayed what I would consider "dummy lines", what I thought were very temporary intrusions into the soon to be leveled forest. The "virgin" forest must have been extremely thick.
Getting exited to see the pictures?
Not quite yet.
As every foray into History Land requires, I did more internet searches trying to find additional information about Peason, the Red River and Gulf Railroad, and by using a new term, "Christie and Eastern Railroad" , gleamed, again, from that roadside display in Peason.
This was last night's catch:
OLD PEASON http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/fhs/peason.htm
"Peason was established in 1918 by a long time logger, Mr. A.J. Peavy. Later, he met Mr. R.J. Wilson, a lumberman, and a mill manager. Together they started the Peavy-Wilson Lumber Company. Peason was a major logging town known to everyone in the area as, "The Peavy-Wilson Lumber Company." It had a movie theater, hotel, saloon, and a main street that was lined with sycamores. The town was located on Peason Ridge, ten miles west of Florien; Peason was at the end of the Christie and Eastern Railroad. People in the Peason Community were farmers before the mill came. After the mill came all the people started working there for better money. When the mill closed down in 1935 in the middle of the great depression, the people either had to go back to farming or they moved to Florida to try to make a living.
In 1894, the "Pine Grove Baptist Church" was established in Peason. In the early 1900's and late 1800's the Peason High School was established. The last class graduated in 1934. During the years between 1918 and 1929, there were 1,500 to 2,000 people living in Peason.
By 1934 trees were getting scarce. The last trees that ran through the mill were cut off the top of Eagle Hill. Later on Peavy Wilson donated all this land to the Peason Community. Then, the Peason Community donated the land to the United States Government for the military bombing range. The range is the most important thing in Peason now, since the mill is gone except for the people that still live there. People from all over the United States come to practice for war at Peason Ridge.
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Mr. Otis Westfall, who is now 97 years of age and happens to be Tyler’s great-grandfather, remembers Peason during the booming days. He used to work for the sawmill that was located in Peason. Mr. Westfall and his family also lived there. As a teenage boy he recalls that trains moved the timber into the sawmill town. The trains would carry several hundred trees, called "virgin timber" into the mill. Then the men and young teenagers would unload it and cut it up for lumber. Mr. Westfall, tells that everything that was needed was located in this town. After everyone got paid at the end of the week they would all go to the commissary and spend all their money. The commissary had a long, wooden porch where people would get together and visit each other while they bought their supplies. Mr. Westfall said, "all the money stayed in this town." The men would buy several pounds of supplies that the families needed at home. If other supplies and clothes were needed, they could also buy it there. Everything the people needed was available in the sawmill town. Mr. Westfall also tells that at the Peason Sawmill town he first got a glimpse of his future sweetheart whom later became his wife, Mrs. Sylvia Simmons Westfall. He said, "she wouldn’t pay attention to me at first" but later on they became husband and wife.
Mr. Otis Westfall shared this with our family before he went into the nursing home. He still remembers lots of things that happened in this area. He has always lived in Peason until recently.
Old Peason remembered by Mrs. Exie McInnis, as told to Willie Jones:
The school sat on the front street. Peason School only went to the eleventh grade. The school had many sports including boys and girls basketball. Mrs. Ruby Nicholson was the first principal that Mrs. Exie knew of. Some of the teachers included Mrs. Ivey Jordan, Helen Wiggens who married the postmaster, Mr. Dallas Allen. The primary teacher was Hedi Gardner. The second principal was R.V. Tuck who came from Kentucky and stayed for two years until he moved on. Mrs. Cooper was principal in 1902. Another teacher was Lucy Bolen she taught English. The school also had a home economics class. Mrs. Exie taught sixth grade in 1927-28.
The commissary was a very busy place. It had a long front porch on the front of it. It housed the doctor’s office, drug store, furniture store, butcher’s shop, post office, dry goods and a grocery store. Behind it sat the icehouse. The front street was lined with sycamore trees. There were houses on both sides of the railroad tracks. At one time Peason was the largest town in Sabine Parish. The mill was located by the log pond on the west side of Peason. The mill and town took up about 60 acres. The old pond is still there today; it is located about 13 miles from Florien on Hwy. 118. The large pond covered about five to six acres, it was used to float the logs into the mill. Some of the trees are still standing and if you look close you can even tell where the streets and railroad tracks used to be.
Mrs. Exie continues her discussion about Peason with the following information that was personally handwritten on two sheets of paper. "The first thing Peason had to have was a name so they took the first three letters of Mr. Peavy’s name ‘Pea’ and the last three letters ‘son’ of Wilson and put them together and named it Peason. The company also had an officer that lived in the top store of the pay office to keep order and I’ve forgotten his name but he kept good order. Peason was a quite town.
Peason also gave his people plenty of entertainment. They built a theater for movies every night except Sunday night for the grown ups and a skating rink for the younger set.
It seemed like it was hard to keep a doctor. The first Dr. was E.C. Dillion but he was gone pretty soon nobody knew why. I do not know all their names, but I’ll give you the names I do remember, Dr. Alford, Dr. Ellzey, and Dr. Franklin from Anacoco and he stayed as long as Peason stayed there. Mr. John D. Whittington was the second man to run the drug store and he stayed until they cut out. The railroad called Christie and Eastern is the railroad from Peason to the K.C.S. at what is called Sandel now, but was called Christie before Peason. The motor car was driven twice a day from Peason to Christie to get the mail.
When Peason moved away there was a man and his family Henry Sharp came to sell the houses, railroad steel, and all the things left behind. When the motor car stopped going after the mail Mr. Mack Duggan extended his route and brought Peason mail out to the Peason place until the mail was not very much so they did away with Peason post office and Mr. Duggan had a longer route.
I forgot to tell you that Peason run their railroad from Peason to Kurthwood below Kisatchie so they could ship lumber two ways."
As quoted from a personal letter addressed to Willie on September 17, 1998 by Mrs. Exie McInnis. She also provided a newspaper clipping with additional information.
Information gathered by:
Tyler, Josh, Willie and Cody
[Obviously school kids, way to go, M.History Teacher]
[Ok, a little history and geography of the area]
Florien & The Neutral Strip
"The Village of Florien is located in Sabine Parish in scenic west central Louisiana near Toledo Bend Reservoir. Florien was founded in 1897 and was named for Mr. Florien Giauque. In 1997, the residents of Florien celebrated the centennial of this picturesque village. Florien is the home of the Sabine Free State Festival and beautiful Hodges Gardens. The festival is celebrated every November and commemorates the great historical events leading to the establishment and termination of the "neutral ground" between the territory of the United States and the territory of Spain, west of the Mississippi River.
Events leading to the territorial dispute resulting in the "neutral ground" agreement really began with the French establishment of its westernmost settlement and fort in Louisiana at Natchitoches and the eastern boundary of El Camino Real (San Antonio Trace) at Los Adaes, just east of present day Robeline. In 1803, the United States bought Louisiana from France. This vast territory known as the Louisiana Purchase, included all the land drained by the Mississippi River. When the Americans asked the French about the western boundary of this land, the French were very vague. A definite boundary of Louisiana had not been determined. The Spaniards in Texas considered it to be the Red River. The Americans claimed it to be the Sabine River. Finally, a neutral strip was created in 1806 when no decision could be made. General James Wilkinson, representing the United States, met with the Spanish commander at Los Adaes, the first settlement in the Neutral Strip, to make this agreement.
From 1806-1820, this area was often referred to as "The Neutral Strip" or "No Man's Land". During this time, this strip of land between the Sabine River on the west and the Arroyo Hondo and the Calcasieu River on the east, soon attracted people of all kinds. Outlaws often came to take advantage of a land without law enforcement. In 1810, a joint expedition of Spanish and Americans drove them out. Lawlessness continued until 1822, when Colonel Zachary Taylor built Fort Jesup and brought order to the lawless region. The Florida Treaty of 1819 fixed the western boundary of the Territory of Orleans, among others, but not until 1826 did the so-called "Free State of Sabine" really become part of Louisiana."
The Dover House
[NOT IN PEASON, but it is a bridge from Peason to the extended forestry based communities that I am finding so interesting, Florien and Fisher. I'm either not doing something right in my searches or there is a scant information about this society. What I can find will be posted, back to the Dover House.]
The Joe and Elizabeth Dover family home was built soon after the World War I armistice was signed on November 18, 1917. The family moved into the home during the spring of 1920.
The house is built entirely of "heart" lumber that was purchased from the Peavy- Wilson Lumber Company located near Peason, Louisiana. Many of the other materials had to be shipped to Florien pursuant to special orders. These included the outside columns, the beveled oval glass doors, kitchen sink, electric light fixtures and bathroom fixtures.
The house contains three bedrooms, one bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and pantry.
Exterior features that were unique to Florien in 1920 remain intact today. These include the columns across the front, brick flower planters located on either side of the front steps, a covered car port at the side entrance, porches around three sides and a woodshed containing a workbench and covered clotheslines. There was also an outdoor privy, chicken coop and a large henhouse. There was, at one time, a frame house adjoining the "back" pasture that was built for Willie Ed Porter, a handyman employed by the Dovers. Porter was a colorful individual and was every entertaining with his "jig" dances and other antics. Porter remained with the Dovers from 1920 till his death in 1950.
The house was originally heated with a wood stove which was also the cook stove but in 1940 this was replaced by the second gas system to be installed in the village of Florien (the first was installed next door in the home of Marguerite Dover Dupree).
Originally, the plans for the family home included a provision for adding a second floor to the one story building. To accommodate these plans there is a high beamed ceiling and completely floored attic. Today the Joe and Elizabeth Dover home remains in its original state. Family members have kept the home intact however, in the fall of 1997 family members donated the Dover house to the Village of Florien and the Sabine Freestate.
Information gathered by A. Lee.
Thanks to Ms. K. Arthur for her contribution."
Now for the ride through the forest in search for of train beds.
Sorry, that will be on the next page. I have domestica to attend to.
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