|
| "Tri-States
is known by some as Three Corners, the place where three state lines
meet. The larger region known as the Ark-La-Tex includes Three Corners
and as the name suggests, portions of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas."
|
Stories
of the Ark-La-Tex
|
Columns
The
Million Dollar Nag 5-1-11
The Ark-La-Tex has many things of great worth. This story of a valuable
horse caught my eye several years back...
Food
for the family in tough times..... And the tools to use 3-1-11
We grew many various kinds of vegetables in the garden; onions;
cabage; lettuce; carrots; radishes; turnips; beans; peas; squash;
orka; cellery and others. You can do it yourself, too!
Gone
With the Wine 2-1-11
Sometimes during the mid 1960's in far northeast Texas an auto accident
occurred late one Friday evening.
Straightening
Used and Bent Nails 1-1-2011
Long ago we learned to recycle...
“Dollars
Worth of Gas. Please” 12-1-10
Corn
Cob Fights at the Barn 11-1-10
Mahoney,
Texas 10-1-10
Samuel
Bell Maxey 9-1-10
United States Senator and Confederate General
On
The Way To Texas and Stopping off a time or two 8-1-10
Midwife
to Livestock, Heavy Labor Defined 7-1-10
From
Daylight to Dark in Thirty Minutes 6-1-10
Black
Walnuts and Leeches 5-1-10
Half
Way to Insanity 4-1-10
Death
on the Highway 3-1-10
“Save
Your Money and Watch Your Friends” 2-5-10
The
Big Waukesha Engine 1-1-10
Survivalist
Attitudes: Risk vs Reward 12-1-09
Texas
or Illinois - Youthful Rebellion is No Different 11-1-09
The
Yo-Yo 10-1-09
In my area of the Ark-La-Tex in NE Texas, the yo-yo was a manual
labor work tool. Labor intensive!
Dixie
from Burke 9-1-09
Chinkapins:
Country Kids Love'em 8-1-09
Does anyone know what a chinkapin is? I’m sure a lot of people don’t
know. The burley little nut actually resembles a small chestnut,
and rightly so, it is of the chestnut family...
Broken
Chain: Mended Heart 7-1-09
From
The Frying Pan Into The Fire 6-1-09
Riding
the Walking Beam 5-1-09
If any oilfield brats were ever caught riding the walking beams
they could expect a serious reprimand...
“And
His Mama Cries” 4-1-09
“And His Mama Cries” is words in the lyrics of a popular song titled
“In The Ghettos” sung by Elvis Presley...
“Hippies”
Include Cows 3-2-09
The Bovine...is a cow called “Hippie”....
Mother’s
Wash Day Monday on the Farm 2-1-09
A
Wild Childhood in the Woods 1-1-09
Christmas
Trees in the Oil Patch 12-13-08
Dropping
Off 12-1-08
US
90 and US 67; Merging Highways 10-1-08
Alpine, Texas; and The Marfa Lights
AWOL
and Out of Gas 9-1-08
A
Serious View of Important Things 8-1-08
"Watermelons
Fresh and Fine. Watermelons Right off the Vine." 7-3-08
Cheap
Gasoline; Oil and Gas 6-1-08
Patching
Pot Holes in the Dirt Road 5-1-08
Cultural
Shock Then. Cultural Shock Now 4-1-08
Ever
See a Cat Fish? Crawfish and Cats. 3-3-08
The
Rare Bird: A Modern Day Civil War Grandson 2-3-08
Running
Down A Road Hog 1-1-08
Holly
Isn’t Just For Christmas Anymore 12-1-07
“I
Now Thee Wed”, Half a Century Later…. 11-1-07
Uncle
Lee's Got the 'coon and Gone On. Gone On! 10-1-07
Errant
City Letter Brings Grave Concern 9-1-07
Hot
Rabbit Sets the Woods on Fire 8-1-07
Swimming
With Water Moccasins 6-30-07
Piddlin'
Acres, Rambo and the Ark-La-Tex 6-1-07
"I
Ain't Lying Officer" 5-1-07
Bull
Dogs and Strays 3-28-07
"Don't
Shoot the Bull" 2-1-07
Moving
Up To The Main Road 1-1-07
Preacher
and the Squirrel Hunt 12-1-06
"Get
the Epsom Salt. This Kids Got Dew Poisoning" 11-1-06
Strong
Teenage Desire to Make Money 10-1-06
Fine
Fishing on Frazier's Creek 9-14-06
Hurricane
Winds Stripped Decal From Patrol Car Door 9-1-06
Deadly
Explosion in the Oilfield 8-17-06
A
Country Kid's Thorn in the Flesh 8-1-06
Growing
up Wasn't Easy in the '40's and '50's…… And it Still Isn't Today
7-15-06
"Miss
$1.98" 7-1-06
Goodnight
Paw. Did You Turn the Rooster 'round? 6-15-06
Remembering
Uncle Jay Ransom 6-1-06
Don't
go Near the Water, Son, Until You Learn to Swim 5-15-06
Coalie
and the Speeding School Teacher 5-1-06
Kerosene
Stops Severe Bleeding 4-15-06
Lost
Maples Found 4-1-06
Encountering
an East Texas Mad Dog 3-14-06
The
Farmer's Daughters Picking Peas 3-1-06
A
Lady's Major Security Concern 2-14-06
Hatching
Green Head Mallard Eggs 2-1-06
Firewood,
Loaded or Unloaded 1-15-06
"Shadow's
In the Moonlight" 1-1-06
Mayo,
Leo and Cleo Clark, and the Polly Parrot 12-15-05
Roughnecks
and Rednecks 11-15-05
Life in the oil-field in McCleod
The
Left Handed Twist-tie 11-1-05
The
Preacher's Kid and a Post Office Burglary 10-15-05
"Oh,
The Class of '57 Had Its Dreams."
McLeod High School Longhorns....... 10-1-05
The
Unforgettable Lightening Bolt 9-15-05
Is
Your Mule for Sale? 9-1-05
"This little story came to me straight from the mouth of an
elderly and very prominent Ark-La-Tex area Baptist preacher..."
On
Moss's Mill Pond - Who Owned It? 8-15-05
A
Midnight Gasoline Credit Card 8-1-05
Interstate
Oblivion - An Arrogant Speeding Motorist 7-15-05
"High
Pockets" and a Near Death Experience 7-1-05
"Playboy"
Burns A Railroad Bridge 6-15-05
"Well,
I Should've Gotten up and Moved" 6-1-05
"Mules"
5-14-05
Snaking Logs in East Texas
Attention
All Officers, All Stations: WANTED FOR MURDER.........." 5-1-05
Uncertain, Texas, Caddo Lake and Cypress Trees 4-20-05
Rambo,
Texas 3-9-05
"... It was, for a long time, a totally Black community..."
The
Ark-La-Tex and Bogus Springs, Texas 2-1-05
The
Day Kennedy was Shot 1-16-05
My
Night at Bessy and Bud's House 1-1-05
© Nolan Maxie
More Columns
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Nolan Maxie
Autobiography
Ramblin'
Ray was born in the Ark-La-Tex not too long after the beginning of
the Great Depression there in Deep Northeast Texas. He says it has
often brought both its blessings and its curses. The depression was
still in full swing for his family when he was born and continued
long thereafter. It taught people, especially in east Texas, many
things like discipline, frugality, patience and a great sense of family
unity. He says that they were so poor, they looked up to people on
welfare. And not ever knowing much prosperity or that better things
abound, they never really realized they were in a depression. There
are people in areas of that region today still in status-quo. Some
have never fully recovered and never will. They are very complacent,
finding solace in knowing that "home is where the heart is."
During the several years after completing high school really came
the toughest times. Ray unsuccessfully tried out for athletic scholarships
at a couple of Texas and Louisiana colleges. Many of his peers had
to leave that area to find employment. He worked three years for a
homebuilder in Shreveport, Louisiana, while attending the Louisiana
Trades School. There he gained valuable knowledge and experience in
the building trades, marking time until becoming of age to apply for
other jobs. He also spent one year in Houston at a couple of other
minuscule jobs. There he had a significant experience in "cultural
shock". Big Metropolitan Houston had it for a young, greenhand, farm-fresh
country boy from Deep Northeast Texas. He couldn't take that for long.
Remember, "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't
take the country out of the boy."
In 1960, Ray was one of only two applicants accepted from about 250
others at Tyler, Texas, for the Texas DPS Academy in Austin. After
successfully completing the very challenging academy, he worked ardently
for them for several years and became known as "Ramblin' Ray"; the
chaparral bird. Later on he accepted an assignment as Special Texas
Ranger. In that capacity his work took him throughout Texas, Louisiana,
Arkansas and often, Missouri and Illinois, doing loss prevention and
claims investigations for Texas railroads. It was also during those
years that he attended East Texas State University and night school
at the University of Houston. Up until retirement, he maintained status
as an actively certified Texas peace officer.
Ray found railroad work to be the most interesting and challenging.
It involved a great deal of travel, both by rail and by air. Working
once in a "super" severe winter ice and snow storm along the Mississippi
River. It was a long assignment at the gigantic rail yard in East
St. Louis, IL. He also worked on location at scenes of large train
derailments and crossing accidents. Often Ray worked long hours during
extensive railroad labor disputes in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Later on, he spent several years as Transportation Officer with the
Texas Prison System.
Ramblin' Ray and wife, Jean, have two grown sons and three baby grands.
Jean was Ray's high school sweetheart and they both are from the "Class
of '57". Both are long time "public servants", now retired and enjoy
volunteering most any place, writing, public speaking, family (grandchildren)
and friends. They find pleasure in pets, especially in "Dixie" the
Molly mule and "Turbo" and "Robin" the Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys.
Ray is a long time dedicated blood donor, now at 140 donations, totaling
18 gallons. He still donates regularly. It all started helping an
injured friend in 1962 and over the years, he hopes that his blood
donations have helped many injured and ill people recover and regain
a normal life.
Texas Escapes, John and Kate were discovered by Ray in a most unusual
and rewarding fashion. While researching Sanderson, Texas, and planning
a train trip there, John was most helpful and congenial. They are
a God send. Hats off to John and Kate, and their enormous project.
Nolan Maxie
January 17, 2005
Nolan Maxie's articles have appeared in:
Ezines:
USA Deep South - Ms.
Muscadine Lines - A Southern Journal - Tn.
Open Minds Quarterly - Sudbury, ON. Canada
The Forward Press - UK
Pen-point View - WVa.
Newspapers:
Conroe Courier - Tx.
Atlanta Citizens Journal - Tx.
There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you.
- Madeline Bridges {Mary Ainge De Vere} |
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