Shreveport/Bossier History Threatened
 

Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. I am working on a film project revolving around events in Shreveport's history. Many of these events have not been recorded in either texts or on film and need to be. SO, if you have a story to tell about Shreveport's past, I'd like you to tell it here. I will be collecting these over the next few months for inclusion in a docu-drama. Here are some specific incidents that I'm interested in just to get you going, but go ahead and tell me your recollections whether or not the subject is included in the list. Let's face it, I don't know everything that has gone on in the area since the 1920s, just a few stories that I've heard. If you have any film footage or photos of any event I'd love to hear from you.

1920s - 30s era Clubs on Fanin St and the musicians that played them.

1930s the Woodlawn Club in Cedar Grove

1950s the Louisiana Hayride, KWKH Radio

1960s George D'artois stand off with the Caddo Sheriff's Department/State Police at a black high school

1960s the fish market and clubs under the Texas Street Bridge

1960s the Cave on the riverfront, Monseur's on Texas Street

1960s KEEL radio

1960s - 70s Paula Records - Frankie Vallie - Lakeside School of Music - The Progressive Men's Club

1970s mass-arrest of people in Columbia Park, the resulting protests, and/or the class action suit against the city of Shreveport that followed

1970s The Afro American Scene (a nightclub) - the Fleur de Lis

1970s D'artois standoff with police - trial - death and funeral

1970s The Other Voice - The Daily Planet - Thoughts

1970s integration of Bird High School

1970s Sun Ray and the first Hard Rock programming on radio in Shreveport

1970s Shreve Square

1988 riots in Cedar Grove

OR perhaps you have a story to tell about some of these people: Sam Bolin, Henry Walker, Mills McCauley, Al Childs, George Carlin, Webb Pierce, Elvis Presley, Robie Odom, Dan Garner, Danny Johnson, Jay Davis, Pat McCoy, Sherman Gorton, Robert Riser, Mike Love, Mike Stark, Johnny "Slim" Campbell, Dominique Cangalosi, Barry Shipp, Wendy Wingate, Mjr. John Hoppie, Don "Wild Bill" Brady, Bob Jones, Bill May, Chickie Johnson, Robbie Johnson, Lynn Hendrix, Dana and Greg Wicks, Jeffery Pomeroy, Diane Moore, Mr. John, Pat Goins, Geneva Wyatt, Hair Shapers, The Attic, Keith Cox, Ann Matkin, Johnny Winter and the Green Men, Terry Bradshaw, Joe McNeiley, Tim and David Demment, Tom Caperton, Jeff Dale, Lora Long, Nina Horton, Ginger Brazzell, Graham Rogers, Sandy Barke, Dennis Kronledge, Tag Graves, Richard and Robert Barham, Mike Todd, Dale Hawkins, Tommy Dorsey, Rudie Valle, David Baird, Stan Lewis, Phil Sage, Bobby Kolb, Danny Dotson, Mike Coker, Wade DeLaun, Allen Stein, Donna Fertitta, Larry Androse, Debbie Kincaid, Virginia Mizel, Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, Bubble Puppy, Graveyard, Parker Turner

OR these places: The Train Station Downtown, The Bossier Strip, Kickapoo, The Stork Club, Shindig, Woodlawn Club, Rusty Nail, Saks Whisk-A-Go-Go, Blue Hole, Ford Park Zoo, Satori House, Shire House, Crossroads, Leatherhead, Byrd High School, Centenary College, Betty Virginia Park, Columbia Park, Highland Park, United Pentecostal Church of Bossier City, Plantation Park Elementary, Highland Terrace, Airline High School, Bossier High School, Schumpert 8th Floor, Ft. Humbug, The Municipal Auditorium, Stan's Record Shop, Illusions, The Other Who (a teen nightclub), The State Fair, White Leopard Kung Fu School

All comments are welcome. Have a person or place that you think should be included? Just go ahead and post your comments. There are lots of interesting stories out there and I'd like to hear yours.

Wow this sounds like a great project. Good Luck with it and I'll try to dig up some info to help ya out.... I'll have to do a bit of research though.

Yeah, good post.. see what old stories the 'old folks' can remember. :)

I was a student at Middle Magnet during the riots and my mom made me go to school the next day because the idiot school board didn't close it. I remember sitting on the floor of the bus and sleeping through two group classes (about 3 teachers and maybe 40 students showed up so we all sat in the cafeteria) before my friend's mom checked me out.

Riots - 1988?
 

So you are referring to the 1988 riots in Cedar Grove?

Was there any rioting near the school? Did you see or hear any of the rioters? Did you or your parents participate in any way? What was the mood in the school? Were teachers afraid? Did you have any worries about your safety?

===================================

I was at Byrd High School in the 70s when it was integrated and while there weren't riots students staged a walk-out, not exactly sure why. I use to have a photo of the students gathered around the entrance of the building and what looked like the entire Shreveport Police Dept. across the street waiting to see if there was going to be any violence. Eventually everyone went back to class and the police left, but the tensions in the school remained high. There were many incidents where a group of students (black or white) would corner someone of the other race alone in a bathroom and either harass them or beat them up. Eventually that all subsided also.

>Was there any rioting near the school?

Yes, right next to the school. Most took place a few block away, though, right next to Eden Gardens Elementary

>Did you see or hear any of the rioters?

No, they didn't occur during school hours

>Did you or your parents participate in any way?

I personally shot and killed four people. My mom was one of the crack dealers that was present at the start of the riot

>What was the mood in the school?

"Why the hell is the school open today?"

>Were teachers afraid?

The few that showed up were.

>Did you have any worries about your safety?

Yes, I rode on the floor of the bus.

My sister and her husband live in Spring Lake. One rumor was that random drive-by shootings were to occur during those "riots" which made national news if I recall.. So their children slept in the back rooms on the floor far from windows in the front of the house. I didn't have any kids until later and lived across town so I didn't pay much attention to the Cedar Grove riots.

LMAO, that was funny. We need a :sarcasm: tag on this site, not that joe would ever use one.

No sarcasm joe is the man :mad:

I would laugh, but considering so of the stuff I've done in my life I think I'll pass :cool:

I was a Junior @ Parkway during the riots, and 2 friends and I tried to go "check it out" during the night- but all we could see were cop cars everywhere.:(
The whole thing was BS anyway, very small in scale....I think the word of the day was: " HOT BISCUIT" :laugh::laugh:

I graduated Byrd in 1975. I’m trying to remember if this was at Byrd or Broadmoor (or both) but does anyone recall how each course was "phased"? "Phases" was the term used - it was school or parish policy/dictate of some kind. So English - for example- had a phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, and phase 4. I don't recall the order of the phases but phase 4 would denote accelerated and phase 1 remedial (or the other way around). Phase 1 =below par, less educated for example. So there would be a phase 1-2 English class and then there would be a phase 3-4 English class. There may have been a class for each of the four phases, I don’t recall. The justification was that the lower phase would not drag down the learning of the higher phases since they would be in separate classes. The de facto result was sub integration more or less. The lower phases were usually black and lower class white. The upper phases were mostly white and some better educated black kids. I somehow took some elective that put me in a phase 1-2 class and it was a real eye-opener. I never felt unsafe or anything but welcome but the folks there made me realize what different worlds we occupied. Greasers like a throwback to the 50s, Black kids that didn’t seem to care or knew there was nothing for them in school; or some that were trying anyway and talked to me like I was Einstein. I never had the feeling of any kind of racial tension overall – maybe just oblivious.

[I hate talking in terms of Black/White but using it to try to define the experience] My first experience with a black teacher was 7th grade at Broadmoor for English. But we started getting graded tests back where the corrections were obviously wrong –basic correct grammar or correct words were labeled as wrong. There were other issues like that sometimes happening in class where it was obvious she was not qualified to be there and if we tried to appeal some obvious point she would get hostile. She would state something that we as 7th graders could not reconcile as correct usage. I can’t imagine the pressures on this young teacher – think about it. Something happened soon enough (parent intervention involved) and she was replaced (she was no longer at the school after that. No explanation, we just came to school one day and had a new teacher).

>1960s the Cave on the riverfront, Monseur's on Texas Street

My mamma used to go to Monsieur’s to buy Oysters on the half shell for Oyster’s Rockafeller for her parties. I recall going downtown around 10 years old and watching the process. The dude behind the counter would put the oyster on a wavy piece of lead to hold it steady. LEAD? Yeah well, he would pry open the oyster and save the juice and set the beauty down on a tray. Not much too it…

>1960s KEEL radio

Dunno, but I’m pretty sure Tom Pace was there! ;) :duck:


>1970s mass-arrest of people in Columbia Park, the resulting protests, and/or the class action suit against the city of Shreveport that followed

Hmmm.. I think I remember that. Also during that time was a big bust of a massive field party at Wallace Lake Damn..


>1970s D'artois standoff with police - trial - death and funeral

I partied with D’Artois’ daughter in high school, but she wasn’t my girlfriend of anything… They lived in Spring Lake. Not much to tell..


>1970s Sun Ray and the first Hard Rock programming on radio in Shreveport

I really miss KROK… and also The Buzz decades later… ;)

>1970s Shreve Square

I should be an expert on Shreve Square but I can hardly remember those days… Sorry, the square consumed a lot of brain cells….


>Al Childs

Was one of the investors in building the original Shreve City as I recall..…

>Robie Odom, Dan Garner, Danny Johnson, Jay Davis, Pat McCoy, Sherman Gorton, Robert Riser, Mike Love, Mike Stark, Johnny "Slim" Campbell, Dominique Cangalosi, Barry Shipp, Wendy Wingate, Mjr. John Hoppie, Don "Wild Bill" Brady, Bob Jones, Bill May, Chickie Johnson, Robbie Johnson, Lynn Hendrix, Dana and Greg Wicks, Jeffery Pomeroy, Diane Moore, Mr. John, Pat Goins, Geneva Wyatt, Hair Shapers, The Attic, Keith Cox, Ann Matkin, Johnny Winter and the Green Men, Terry Bradshaw, Joe McNeiley, Tim and David Demment, Tom Caperton, Jeff Dale, Lora Long, Nina Horton, Ginger Brazzell, Graham Rogers, Sandy Barke, Dennis Kronledge, Tag Graves, Richard and Robert Barham, Mike Todd, Dale Hawkins, Tommy Dorsey, Rudie Valle, David Baird, Stan Lewis, Phil Sage, Bobby Kolb, Danny Dotson, Mike Coker, Wade DeLaun, Allen Stein, Donna Fertitta, Larry Androse, Debbie Kincaid, Virginia Mizel, Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, Bubble Puppy, Graveyard, Parker Turner

Stan Lewis is one of the more notable in the list… but other names come to mind like Fertitta (Home of the Muffy). Larry Androse is a message therapist … but Bubble Puppy is new to me…

>, Kickapoo,

Sold to Craig Corrente who built a pet shop called “Tropical Paradise”.

Rusty Nail, Saks Whisk-A-Go-Go

Dang haven’t heard those names in years….

>Blue Hole

There was “blue hole” and “green hole” where we used to party on the last day of school…..I never went swimmin’ though… :D

>Crossroads..

I remember the “ghost tracks”…. (Mt Pleasant road?)

>Schumpert 8th Floor

Was that the mental ward? I thought that was the 11th floor

>The Municipal Auditorium

Saw Van Halen there. With David Lee Roth, not that other dude.. ;)

>Stan's Record Shop

Whoo boy I mowed many a lawn for that dude… ;)

>Have a person or place that you think should be included?

Abe’s Restaurant, Picadilly Italian Restaurant, Brocato’s Restaurant, Don’s Theater, Capri Theater, Broadmoore Theater, Bosco’s Hobby Shop, Shaky’s Pizza, Herby K’s, Officer Hagan, Don’s Restaurant, Cook’s Hobby, Naramore’s, Hearne’s, Rubenstein’s, Selbers, Lo-Mart,.. more l8r..

1960s(70s) KEEL radio = Lovable Larry Ryan

rhertz: "1970s Shreve Square

I should be an expert on Shreve Square but I can hardly remember those days… Sorry, the square consumed a lot of brain cells…."

LMAO. yep... A-train and Killer Beez (sp?) at Humphries, Sportspage -precurser to sports bars with all the screens playing football games.

Rusty Nail = ( I have it in my head that this used to be "Tape City USA" where'd you'd get your 8-tracks); Trout fishing in America played there a lot.

“ghost tracks”…. did that once,

Stan's Record Shop. Stan and the history of the song "Susie Q"

in all.. listen to rhertz and joepoole and Isaac-Saxxon and a few others and u'll do good.

edit:

"Hair Shapers" -was that the place next to Byrd on Line Ave? There was a hair place next to Byrd - I think that was the first boutique hair cutting place in Shreveport. They retained a regular barber too - got my hair cut there for a while. It was close to the art gallery.

Leatherhead? There was this leather shop run by a hippie just off of...? Kings Highway near Centenary/Gilbert - somewhere around there. Just a small building kind of sat by itself. He made belts and other such leathercraft.

Yeah now I remember. I used to go into Tape City and pick out an 8track and they would dup it right there in front of you! That took balls. I think ASCAP/BMI authorities cracked down and/or shut down the place after a while.


LOL, now he's in trouble for sure... ;)

Bosco's Hobby Shop - Shreve City: That was a boyhood hangout of mine. I use to go in and marvel at the remote control airplanes. I bought my first .049 model airplane engine and balsa wood plane kit there. He was a great guy. I know he got sick of me hanging around always asking questions, but he was always courteous and smiling, even when you could tell he had had enough. I loved that guy, thanks for reminding me of him.

Dons Restaurant - Kings Highway: My family use to go there for lunch on Sundays after church. At the time it seemed like the fanciest restaurant in the world. First place I ever had cajun cookin.

The Don Theater was the first theater I ever attended alone. My dad worked at the Slattery Building for Arkla Gas and when I would go to work with him he would give me a couple of bucks and tell me to "go see that movie you were talking about."

The first time I went I was scared to death. I think it was about a three or four block walk from his office to the theater, but I was afraid that every person walking on the street was going to try to kidnap me. Not exactly sure where that came from, probably my mom. I was so relieved to finally get to the box office.

I sort of remember going to see Saturday matinée double-features at the Don but maybe that was at the strand. Does anyone remember a movie where the actors appeared to come off of the screen and then played out a scene in the audience before returning to the film?

I do remember Shakey's Pizza Parlor as well as Pizza King - that was many a beer ago.

There was a Naramore's drug store in what became the Heart of Bossier shopping center. That's where my mom would go to get all her prescriptions filled. I sort of remember a medicine-like odor every time we went in, can't exactly describe it. My mom would buy greeting cards there too.

I seem to recall that Bealls (which was a couple of doors down) had one of those X-ray shoe sizing machines.

Actually he just looked like a hippie. His name was Robie Odom and from what I've heard he was kind of an uber-athlete at Byrd High School in the late sixties. He moved to Dallas and became a graphic artist/computer graphics guru.

SOOTO Records - Something Out of the Ordinary.

Loved going into that place.. as a young lad, who listened to some pretty eclectic music, didn't care for the top 40 stuff.. I could go into Sooto's and find some excellent stuff.. I believe several if not all of the A-Train records were released on the Sooto's label.

Yeah I can still picture the place now. I love a small hobby shop that is small yet packed full of stuff. Mr. Bosco knew exactly where to pull out the box he was looking for, sorta like that wand salesman on Harry Potter. I hung out there a lot. He was a little more friendly than Tom Dobins over in Bossier. But Tom was OK too. I started out on plastic models and moved up to balsa wood planes. After I built and flew half a dozen control line planes, I started on a remote control plane around the age of 14.. It cost a lot and took me forever. I was afraid to fly it and for good reason. I crashed it in mere seconds on the first so-called flight.

Years later as an adult, I got back into R/C planes and got really good at it. (both building and flying) I flew at Sharks field almost every day before the SuperWalmart was built. Then my kids were born and now I spend all my money on bills.. :(

SOOTO RECORDS....now Theres a blast from the past! Bought many Albums and tapes in there- I sure miss record stores like that, and Stans......

Yup.. I went to Sootos for Records and a few cassettes. But Stan the Record man.. I still have a box of old 8-tracks.. just about everyone has that Stan records sticker on the back.

Where was Sharks field? History needs to know :) Cotton field on Youree?
My dad would take us to a place... must have been Bossier area, where they had a little cement/blacktop landing strip and everything.

Sharks field is where the Wal-mart on Airline is now.

OK -thx ;) that's probably the spot.

Sharks field was right where the parking lot of Super Walmart on Airline. Around 1993, they had to move a few miles north somewhere. I think they are still going today. I think they had as location before the airline (walmart) location but I'm not sure. But that was the real hay day. We had lots of fun for years. Other common places to fly were LSUS and Slack Industrial park but those were iffy. I flew gliders at Walace lake dam. And Bodcau With the uplift off the huge levees, we flew for hours without ever touching the ground.

I saw someone flying just south of Bass Pro Shops the other day but they weren't very good so I don't think that is a hotspot or anything.

More to think about
 

I don't recall Hair Shapers ever being next to Byrd, I think that was Illusions run by Doug Yelverton and Bev? weird lady with wild hair. Hair Shapers was one of the, if not THE first, salon to locate in a mall (St. Vincent's Mall). They were on the East side just outside of Sears. Owned by Claude and Sue Burch who I believe purchased Pat Goin's beauty school on Youree Drive.

Anyone know what happened to Dale Hawkins?

Cuban Missle Crisis - Barksdale
 

I vaguely remember bombers being scrambled and the base being shut down, does anyone else have any recollections of what was going on out there (or anywhere else in the city for that matter)?

And while we're at it - Where were you when JFK was assassinated?

I recall "sonic booms" all the time in Shreveport. Also civil warning sirens would go off every Saturday at noon. They were up on poles at schools. The one closest one to my house was at Broadmoor Junor High. It used to drive all dogs nuts! Especially hounds. First the sirens, then the hounds...Finally the sirens would stop but the dogs just keep on going. I forget when they stopped all that. Must have been in the mid or late 70's


I was 4 years old when JFK was shot and I mean to tell you, it sucked for a 4 year old. No cartoons, no tv shows, no nothing for 3 or 4 days. Finally some programming resumed... I had little understanding of what was going on. I just knew everyone was sad...

We lived in Tallulah then and I was sitting in my 4th grade classroom. The intercom came on and the principal made an announcement that the president had been shot. Lots of kids went home from school early.

My aunt had taken my younger brother and sister to Dallas to see the motorcade so they were on the scene. They were both really young and don't really remember what happened.

It's been a while
 

Well this has sort of gotten put on the back burner but I still think it is worth while. I will get back to it at some point.

Does anyone remember Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs playing in the Shreve-City parking lot?

Or, Parker Turner and the White Leopard Kung Fu School? Or Johnny Lee the main instructor? I believe they put on some sort of Kung Fu Demonstration at the civic center, Kung Fu masters from around the world sort of thing.

Murrells restaurant? Dobbs House on Line Ave? Robert Riser, Sherman Gorton?

I Really am Working On This
 

Hello everyone. This has certainly been a long and drawn out process, but after many hours pouring over info on the internet and several trips to gather information from old timers I'm finally starting to write what I hope will be the companion book to the documentary.

Please if you have any stories about the Bossier Strip I would really love to hear them. If you know anyone that used to work on the strip I would really love to talk with them.

There is virtually nothing online or in print about the Bossier Strip or what it used to be. I hope that this work may serve to inform and entertain future generations about the rich musical heritage that is theirs.

If you would like to speak to me I can be contacted at 469-441-8771

Thanks again for all the input.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Van Voorhees

Those Followig This Thread
 

I am making progress on the book portion of this project. The Skyway Club was a club on the Bossier Strip between 1936 and 1966. It was host to some of the biggest names in country music in it's day. Hank Williams played there, Elvis Presley, Webb Pierce, Slim Whitman, Faron Young, Johnny Horton, and many others got their start as professional musicians there. There was even a radio broadcast from the club that went out over KWKH the same station that broadcast the Louisiana Hayride.

I am looking for stories about the SKYWAY CLUB, or anyone that ever visited the Skyway Club. No detail is too small to be worth mentioning. If you know anything or know anyone that knows anything about the club, the people who patronized the club, performers who played the club or any legends, fables, myths about the club I would like to hear them.

Please contact me at 469-441-8771 or by email at jdvanvoorhees@aim.com

Thanks to everyone who has commented.

I'm Still Working on This
 

Just wanted to let anyone who visits that as of April 28, 2014 I am still working on this project.

I have made fairly good progress on information about the Skyway Club and other area venues and I am currently seeking any information you may recall about the Columbia Park raid in 1971 or the underground newspapers that promoted the rallies at Betty Virginia Park. I have located the class action law suit that came out of the bust but it doesn't really give a lot of detail about the events surrounding or leading up to the bust.

http://leagle.com/decision/197116413...20D'ARTOIS