Jackie Sheckler Finch - Louisiana Off the Beaten Path(r): Discover Your Fun

Entering Louisiana at its northwest corner, a person can stand in three states at the same time. North of Rodessa, the Three States Marker shows where the borders of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas all converge. Shreveport and Bossier City, farther south, serve as the hub for a 200-mile radius known as the Ark-La-Tex. The ShreveportBossier area makes a convenient starting point for exploring other portions of Louisiana. From here you can either proceed eastward or you can angle south into the central section. Both regions provide plenty of off-the-beaten-path attractions.

Named for the Native Americans who once lived here, Caddo Parish was created in 1838. The Caddo (or Kadohadacho) Native Americans who occupied the surrounding forests sold one million acres to the United States government on July 1, 1835.

Afterward, with the discovery of oil, the area turned from happy hunting grounds to hootin and hollerin hysteria almost overnight. In one year land values jumped from 50 cents an acre to $500 an acre. Oil City sprang up to become the first wildcat town in the Ark-La-Tex. The resulting large red-light district and influx of rough characters gave the town an unsavory reputation.

AUTHORS FAVORITES IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA

American Rose Center, Shreveport

Ford Museum, Homer

Germantown Colony Museum, Minden

Kisatchie National Forest, Homer

Harrahs Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack, Bossier City

Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum, Oil City

Meadows Museum of Art, Shreveport

R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport

Sci-Port Discovery Center, Shreveport

When you enter todays Oil City via Route 1 from the states northwestern corner, youll find a small, quiet hamlet with few reminders of its brawling boomtown days. To learn more, head for the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum (318-995-6845; sos.la.gov/historicalresources/visitmuseums/louisianastateoilandgasmuseum) at 200 South Land Ave. (Oil Citys main street). Currently the complex consists of three buildings dating from the early 1900s plus a museum with galleries highlighting the culture and the role of oil and gas in the areas history.

Start your tour in the new 12,000-square-foot facility. Youll see an adjacent caboose and displays of early oil field equipment, railroad artifacts, old photographs, Native American relics, a collection of pearls found in mussels from Caddo Lake, and other items relating to the areas history.

A ten-minute video presentation acquaints you with North Caddo Parishs history. Take a self-guided tour to learn some of the regions colorful legends, such as the story of an Indian chief who divided his extensive land holdings between his twin sons. Each brave was told to walk for two and a half daysone toward the rising sun and the other toward the setting sun. The eastward-bound son received Louisianas Natchitoches area as his legacy, and the others inheritance was the region around Nacogdoches, Texas.

The museum is open Tues through Fri from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

After touring the museum, step outside to see the century-old bank and post office, which was moved from nearby Trees City. A security system now protects the small bank, although none was there when the bank did a booming cash business.

Perhaps the closest Oil City comes to its lively past occurs each spring when citizens celebrate the oil industry with their Gusher Days Festival (318-470-3446; gusherdaysfestival.com). On tap are such events as arts-and-crafts exhibits, street dancing, parades, and a beard contest. Previous festivals featured a spirited competition in which local businesspeople vied for the dubious distinction of being named Miss Slush Pit.

Not only was the first oil well in Northwest Louisiana drilled in this area, but the worlds first marine well was drilled in nearby Caddo Lake. Until May 1911, when this original offshore well was completed, underwater drilling remained in the realm of theory.

Water sports enthusiasts will appreciate Caddo Lake for other reasons. The large cypress-studded lake, which can be reached via Route 1, offers opportunities for boating, skiing, fishing, hunting, and camping. Consulting your map youll see that the lake also spills over into Texas.

Continue to 8012 Blanchard-Furrh Road, where youll find the Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park (318-929-2806)2.9 miles east of Longwood (Route 169) and 2.8 miles west of Blanchard (Route 173). Dedicated to natures preservation, the park invites those who want to use it for walking, hiking, photography, painting, writing, bird-watching, or simply the pure enjoyment of being outdoors.

At the interpretive building youll see an exhibit on predators and prey, coiled live snakes in glass cages, and a colony of bees in action. Other displays feature mounted specimens of native wildlife such as a Louisiana black bear, coyotes, and river otters. One of the buildings classrooms contains feel boxes, helpful for using a hands-on approach with students. Youngsters can reach inside a box, guess what object theyre touching, and then describe it for their classmates. This leads to follow-up discussions on different aspects of nature. (I was relieved that my box contained an antler instead of something squirmy.)

Trail and terrain maps are given to visitors who want to hike through the 160-acre park of pine, oak, and hickory forest. Markers identify natural features and animal habitats along the trails. Local woods are populated by deer, snakes, lizards, turtles, rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, armadillos, and other animals. Plant lovers will want to check out the medicinal and herb garden and the wildflower trail.

The park provides a picnic area with pavilion for people who want to pack a lunch and spend the day. Also two full-time and two part-time naturalists are available to arrange guided tours, present programs, teach sessions, and, in general, share expertise.

You can visit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed through Sat and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sun. The park is closed New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Admission is free. Check out caddo.org for more information.

Dont miss the American Rose Center (318-938-5402; rose.org) at 8877 Jefferson-Paige Road, Shreveport. Located just off I-20, the American Rose Center is 5 miles east of the Texas state line and about 10 miles west of downtown Shreveport. Take exit 5 and follow the signs.

Now Americas national flower (Congress made it official in 1986), the rose reigns supreme here at Americas largest rose garden. The American Rose Society, established in 1892, also makes its headquarters at the center. The center includes Klima Rose Hall, an education and visitors facility, as well as a gift shop with great items for your favorite gardener. You can stroll along pathways edged by split-rail fences to see more than sixty-five individual gardens spreading over the sites currently developed fifty-seven acres. You dont have to be a rose expert to appreciate the beauty of this place. A label next to each planting provides such pertinent information as the roses name, type, and heritage. Like the flowers themselves, the names are intriguing: White Masterpiece, New Year, Show Biz, French Lace, Angel Face, Touch of Class, Double Delight, and Sweet Surrender are among the rose varieties you can see here. While sampling this buffet of blossoms, be careful when you sniffbees like the roses, too.