FELSENTHAL NWR SEEKS MEMORIES

Tom Grider and Eloyd Johnson
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Did you ever go fishing on Wildcat Lake?  If you did, you remember the narrow road leading off the main highway to the Lake and not only the strings of fish you and your companions caught--or maybe didn't catch, but the good time you had attempting the endeavor was worth it all!

  The Crossett Historical Society is working with Visitor Services Specialist Amanda Wilkinson in the collection of facts and information of the area now occupied by Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. Historically speaking, references to this area and its land can be found by referencing the Choctaw Indians or the Hunter Dunbar Exploration but can our children search and find the name sake behind “Tom Grider Slough”.   The scope and intent of this project is to collect and then display these now historical facts in the Refuge Visitor Center.  The collection portion of the project will extend for an entire year and will include oral history interviews, photograph gathering, and story telling. “The area that is now Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge has always been a special place. “ Says Wilkinson. “ To many, this land holds wonderful memories and to not have these such things documented and remembered as a part of history would be a great loss for the generations to come.”

Wild Cat Camp
(Click on photo to see larger image.)

Areas of special interest include, but are not limited to :Parker Ridge, Bolding Bro.,Sand Prairie Trail, Cattle/Hog Free Range, Brown/Ely Camp, Dr. Rushing's Camp And Boat, Wildcat Lake, "The Boat", Marais Saline Landing And Warehouse, The "Missy D Boat", Jesse James Having Been In The Area, Filihol, Ballgames Played On Marais Saline Lake When It Was Dry, Market Hunters, Indian Tribes, "Old Beer Joint Road", The Building Of The Highway, The Old Bridge, And The Hunter/Dunbar Exploration Of The Ouachita River.

This is an ongoing project, and we invite anyone who would like to contribute photographs, stories, or other additional information about the refuge prior to 1975 to contact our Crossett Historical Society or by contacting Amanda Wilkinson at (870)364-1170.  Share your memories with others who cherish theirs of our special area of South Arkansas.