For the edification of our
younger family members, Black Lake is a good-sized fresh water lake in
west-central Louisiana, near the small town of Campti, and not far from the
larger town of Natchitoches, which is famous for its Christmas festival and for
being the set of the movie Steel Magnolias.
It was a place for family
gatherings, vacations and recreation, and therefore it is fondly remembered by
many of us, so this issue includes several articles provided by the family. We
trust that all will enjoy our shared memories of the lake.
Mary Lou Manning Belcher
remembers “Dad, (editor’s note: Olon Manning) got started going to Black Lake
because of a friend, Big Boy Clements telling him about it.
When they first started
going to Black Lake, they camped out under tents at Sandy Point. They slept on
cots and had mosquito nets. Then, as they were able, they began to rent cabins.
Olon Manning bought the first cabin. It had a screened-in front porch and a tin
roof. The Cain family members would meet at the lake on holidays or vacations.
They would bring the makings for a fish dinner, minus the fish, so somebody had
to catch fish! Mary Lou remembers Etta and Henry coming to the lake a few times
when Peggy and Karl were young.
Karl remembers coming to the
lake and Olon taking him fishing even though he was just a kid. He got to catch
some big white perch and had good eating because of Olon and Ruth's
kindness. He mentioned the big cabin with the screened in porch.
Jon Barker remembers: I also
have many fond memories of summers and vacations spent at Black Lake. What happy
times those were. One of my fondest memories of Black Lake occurred during the
hot summer months when many aunts, uncles, and cousins were usually staying at
Uncle Olon and Aunt Ruth's cabin at that time. Almost every evening before dark,
a few grownups would escort us kids on a walk down to Sandy Point for an
afternoon swim, wade, or jump off logs as the case may be. Sandy Point, of
course, had a nice sandy beach and was shallow enough for the little ones to
wade and look for muscle shells. On one such walk down the shore to get to Sandy
Point, I remember stepping on a water snake about 3 feet long. I jumped about 3
feet in the air and yelled SNAKE! The snake was just as scared as I was and he
slithered off into the water and I think my mother almost had a heart attack.
When Donny (Donald Hilburn), Dick (Richard Jones), and I were a little older, we
built some diving platforms on the cyprus trees there at Sandy Point.
Another memory that I have,
actually isn't my memory but I remember it being told many times. This episode
involved my dad, Carl Barker, and my Uncle Olon Manning. When these two got
together you could always count on a good laugh. From time to time, my dad and
Uncle Olon would engage in some illegal catfishing using funnel traps. On this
occasion, they were building these traps down in the woods in some secluded
place near the lake. They heard some voices and noise in the woods coming toward
them. They just knew it was the game warden coming to get them so they picked up
the traps and took off running through the woods to get away. I believe they
laid over several trees in the process. I can just imagine those two running
through the woods. I think they found out later that it was not the game warden
but old Ben Jones and one of his friends coming to see them.
Another memory that I have
involved my cousin Donald Hilburn and I. It wasn't so funny at the time but now
seems rather humorous. I believe that Donny and I had borrowed our Uncle Elmer
Ward's boat and motor to go bass fishing. We hadn't had much luck as I recall,
so on the way back at the mouth of the canal we spotted this humongous black
wasp nest. We thought we would have a little fun so we went to shore and picked
up several nice rocks. Then we went back out into the lake to pick up some speed
to zoom past the big wasp nest and throw the rocks to try and knock it down. As
luck would have it, as we passed the nest with throttle full open, we threw the
rocks and immediately hit a submerged stump with the motor. The motor lifted up
off the boat and immediately sank in about 6 feet of water. I can still see the
bubbles rising from the motor as it was still running when it went under the
water. Now the wasps were really mad as we had made some lucky throws and they
were hitting the trees and water all around us. We both dove to the bottom of
the boat and laid there until the air had cleared of the little varmints. Then
one of us dove down to the motor and tied a rope on it so we could haul it back
to the boat. We were afraid at this point that we had ruined Uncle Elmer's motor
and were in serious trouble. We paddled in and began cranking on the motor and
hoping that we hadn't ruined it. We finally got it to start but was running very
rough so we had no choice but to tell Uncle Elmer what had happened. Uncle Elmer
wasn't too upset about it and I think we got off pretty easy except for some
badly bruised egos.
Donny and I had so many good
times on and around Black Lake but it truly is a wonder that we survived without
seriously injuring ourselves or someone else. I just think the good Lord must
have been watching out for us.
Donald Hilburn remembers: I
have so many fond memories of Black Lake! The lake was a meeting place for huge
family vacations during the holidays and during summer vacations. Having no
accommodation at the lake, our family was lucky to have close relatives willing
to share their lake camps with us and with other family. The Christmas holidays
were the times of the biggest get-togethers as I remember it during my early
years. Way back then, Olon and Ruth Manning had the only camp; that cabin got
really crowded with folks sleeping on the floor on “pallets” which were nothing
more than a blanket or quilt on the floor. And the source of heat as I remember
was a fireplace that heated the entire cabin. Summertime presented the opposite
problem – cooling was provided by a huge fan on the front-screened porch, which
“blasted” a huge volume of hot air into the cabin, but we were glad to get the
movement of air! And for entertainment, there were tables of Rook going on with
some ferocious competition -- no TV although Olon had his radio that was likely
tuned to a baseball game during summer evenings as he was a big fan. But mostly
our entertainment was just being a kid, getting into trouble by harassing the
younger kids (Randy Belcher and Becky Dupree Hirasaki were two favorite targets,
but almost anyone else were fair game too) and no doubt pestering some of the
older ones. Eventually Elmer and May Cain Ward bought a cabin near the
Manning’s, followed by Carl and Ada Cain Barker building a cabin just a little
further down the road. They too were so giving and shared their facilities with
the extended family.
My most vivid and fondest
memories are related to time spent with Jon Barker. Jon and I are the same age
and because of our closeness, the Barkers kindly included me in their summer
vacation plans at the lake. On summer afternoons we were almost always treated
to a trip to Chandlers Camp in the Barker’s old pickup to get us a Popsicle or
some other cool delicacy to help us beat the summer afternoon’s heat. As we
aged, Jon and I nurtured a fondness for fishing and hunting and even developed
some skills for bass angling as well as fishing for catfish using yoyos and
trot-lines. One fish story stands out in my memories. During a break from
fishing, Jon and I were out with our .22 rifles one day when one of us shot a
huge owl. We had earlier spotted some similar aged boys on the lake and although
I can’t remember the circumstances, we had somehow “gotten cross-wise” with
them. As a prank we decided to take our kill and “hooked” it on their trotline,
then waited nearby whenever we expected them to come check for fish. It was
worth the wait -- I can still hear one of the boys saying, “It’s a hawk or an
eagle come down from the sky” whenever they got to the hooked owl! We had a good
series of knee slaps and belly laughs over that!
Another fun time was when I
brought a small hydroplane to the lake. An old high school classmate of mine had
started the hydroplane construction project in his back yard. One day I was at
his house and I noticed the boat and as it looked promising for some fun I
pinged him about finishing the project. However he had lost interest, and in
fact the boat was not in good condition, but one thing led to another and I
ended up with the thing. I did just enough work to get it lake-worthy, and Black
Lake here we come! The only motor I had to power it with was the old 5-HP
Johnson, and while fun, Jon and I decided to put their 10-HP Evinrude on it --
bigger is better after all. However, use of the Evinrude presented a problem
because it had an external gasoline tank for which there really wasn’t a good
place, due to the size of the boat. More on this later. The only place on the
lake where there was sufficient open water to use the full capabilities of the
hydroplane was the channel. So we went out there, taking turns racing it as fast
as we could run it -- while the other waited his turn hanging out on a platform,
(which was most likely a duck blind platform although I don’t remember for
sure). Well, that combination of boat and motor was incredibly fast as the boat
itself was only about six feet long and maybe three feet wide and drew hardly
any water! I can remember we swamped the thing at least once, which commenced a
wild scramble to bail it out before it sunk! I can also remember once that when
I gassed it, it almost threw me out of the boat because the external fuel tank’s
weight combined with the G-forces of acceleration were trying to push me out
while I struggled to remain aboard. I barely managed to hang on until I could
regain a semblance of control; I also remember my feet and legs being totally
out the stern and I was busy imagining my limbs in the propeller -- ouch! It
also seems like Jon was nearby howling with laughter! Sometimes I wonder how Jon
and I survived those crazy juvenile times.
Other great memories was the
interaction between Doc and Cuz, AKA Olon Manning and Carl Barker. They must
have been role models for Jon and I because they really enjoyed acting crazy
together. Jessie says she believes there favorite target for harassment was Ada,
but as I recall they had such a good time it didn’t really matter to them who
took the brunt of their merriment. They tried to out-do one another with the
biggest fish story or any other type story for that matter; they would just
laugh and carry on until you were forced to slap your knee and join in the
mirth. Olon in particular was a troublemaker with the almost constant gleam in
his eye. You could see him set up someone for trouble unless you were the
unsuspecting victim as I was on occasion. In particular, Olon had me convinced
that a good fishing boat would be stable enough that one should be able to walk
all the way around the boat on top of the hull without capsizing the boat or
even losing your balance. Well as a young, trusting sort, I decided to perform
this test once. Yep – you guessed it I ended up in the drink with Olon there to
enjoy all he had wrought!
Another Olon story I was
told, although I did not witness, was his schooling his grandson Randy Belcher
in the finer points of duck hunting. The story was that Olon and Randy were out
on a duck blind for Randy’s first hunt. When the first flight of ducks came near
enough to shoot, Olon told Randy when to shoot, and as Randy fired a shot, Olon
standing behind Randy quickly fired two or three more shots just straight up
into the air – not at the ducks. Randy was said to have turned to Olon eyes wide
in amazement and said “Daddy Pop, this gun just kept on shooting”.
Then there was the story of
the great bee tree robbery. Someone had spotted a large hollow “bee-tree” across
the lake and Olon and Carl decided to rob the honey. This was milestone event in
my life as I had never seen that done. So a whole group of us kids formed up and
headed to watch the spectacle -- I don’t recall the entire group but it seems
the following went along: Jon, Becky, Linda, Nathan, Margaret Ruth, and Randy.
We kids stood at a distance we felt was safe whilst Olon and Carl cut the tree.
When the tree hit the ground it pretty much split open and bees hit the woods
like I couldn’t believe! Our safe distance turned out to not be too safe though,
and we turned and ran a bit as the woods were filled with angry honeybees. After
things settled down somewhat, Carl went about robbing the honey. I can still
remember in absolute amazement the way he stuck his hand and arm up into that
tree, all the way to the elbow, without a stitch of protective clothing on, just
his usual overalls and denim work shirt. His explanation was that bees can
detect if a person has fear and will attack; but if you are not afraid they will
not sting. As I recall he was stung only in his fingers where he mashed bees
while working his hand up into the tree trunk. The honey pickins'’ were very
modest, but what an experience for youngsters regardless.
One last memory to share is
Jon and I started night fishing for catfish on set hooks and trotlines, as the
other evening entertainment was pretty slim. So we’d head out with our smelly
bait and bait up the hooks, then hang around nearby drinking a Pepsi, or just
laying on our backs in the bottom of the boat waiting for the yoyos to make
noise. What was memorable about those spectacularly insignificant events, was
the last time I can remember going night fishing, there must have been some type
of solar activity underway, because we saw countless “shooting stars” in a
spectacular display. It was almost like watching fireworks! On another occasion
we were “attacked” by bats, which I suppose were attracted to the insects
“buzzing around” our flashlight or lantern. I remember thinking that we were
about to be bit by rabid bats, and there was considerable evasive action taken
as the bats dived into the fur ball!
When my generation “grew up”
which I’ll define as reaching college age, it seems our trips to the lake grew
increasingly infrequent, until I didn’t go to the lake at all, but I still have
those memories!
Viola "Jackie" Manning
Williamson writes about Black Lake. We are rich in wonderful memories. There
were five Cain sisters, Mom (Ruth Manning), May Ward, Jessie Hilburn, Bessie
Longstreath, Ada Barker, and all of their families which made a fair-sized
crowd. They were a close knit family and gathered at Black Lake every holiday,
long week-end or vacation. Dad (Olon) had the only motor at that time and
sometimes he would pull two or three boats behind his. (Jessie adds: Sometimes
the last one would get slammed up against a tree despite his careful towing. It
sounds like she knew from experience!)
The older kids took care of
the younger kids while the parents went fishing. When they came in from off the
lake, they would give us a nickel to go to the store and get a drink. (The store
was just a short distance down the road from Ruth's cabin.) Those were the good
ole days — Ha!.
Every family would bring
their special dishes and food that they were known to make. May would bring a
cake for James. It had fresh orange slices between the layers. She also would
bring me a special one, but I have forgotten what kind mine was. Ruth usually
made pies; her caramel pie stands out as being particularly tasty! She also
would make a 9 layer cake which was really good.
A funny thing happened and,
of course, I was the brunt of the joke. Beek (Bessie) was going around the
table, looking everything over, trying to decide what she wanted to eat. I was
trying to help her, so I told her, "Now this cake is so good and you just have
to get some. It is perfect, it is just right, it isn't too sweet, but sweet
enough! After I raved on about it, she said, "Who brought that cake?" I said "I
don't know, but it is really good". After a little bit, Beek said, "I cooked
it". I almost went through the floor. I was telling Mary Lou about it and said
that it scared me to death! She said, "Why that is a complement!". I said, "I
know, but what if I had not liked it and told Beek that!" You know, If I live
long enough, maybe I'll learn to keep my mouth shut!!!
God has been so good to us. I
can't tell you how many miracles, blessing and healings that the Lord has given
to the Cain Family. We have different names, but are all one family. I am so
thankful to Jesus for giving me my family. I love Him and all of my family.
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