SHARKEY HUNTING CLUB

Madison Parish, Louisiana

by John Earl Martin

 

CONTENTS

Overview

Prehistoric Times

First Owners

Sales from the General Land Office

Twentieth Century

Mid-Century to Present

Lagniappe

The Black Wolf

Roads and Bridges

River Bends

Appendix

 

OVERVIEW

This writer has been in love with "Old Sharkey Plantation" since high school days in the early 1950's. When one was able to get use of dad's car, all the boys loved to drive Sharkey Road to the Sharkey Field (now Don Parkers) to look at the deer at night.

 

Later on, my brother "Boss" (James C Martin) was able to sublease the part of Sharkey south of Sharkey Road from Mr. Arthur Thomas. Membership dues were set at $60.00 per year, which in 1954 was a handsome fee to pay for hunting and this was among the first of the hunting clubs. We were still in the mindset of "going to the woods" as posted land was still a rarity. At this price a large number of members were required in order pay the lease and expenses which resulted in a tremendous toll being taken on antlered deer, as does were still jealously protected. This was a holdover from the devastation of the 1927 flood. As a result of this pressure, by the end of the 10 year lease in 1964 the harvest was almost completely spikes with a rare sprinkling of mature bucks.

In 1964 Martin was able to secure the original lease from Chicago Mill which had bought the property in 1954. This lease enabled us to drop the membership to twenty. Of course, this came with an increase in dues. Many of our best members in the period were veterans of the pre 1964 clubs.

 

With reduced pressure and harvest, improvement in the deer herd was noticeable almost immediately. Turkeys also flourished because of reduced traffic. An adequate system of reporting harvest records and problems encountered was also put into place.

 

During this time Sharkey had a total of sixty four different members, two of which were members during the whole twenty years, being W L Hines and J H Russell. A third, Roy Skipper[1] and son Frank kept their membership until their area was cleared in 1983.

 

The quality of the club was enhanced by club wardens, namely Henry Foster, Don Washam, Melvin Clark and Marvin Ingram. Their biggest task was patrolling the road front, as our south side was protected by the Madison Recreation Club which was led through this period by two fine gentlemen, Mr. L L Price of Monroe, Louisiana and Mr. Travis Walker of Crowville, Louisiana.

 

Our group of hunters was a fine group of sportsmen who respected game laws as well as the rights of others. I can remember only one exception. We also had an amiable relationship with our lessors and local law enforcement, perhaps aided by the fact that "Boss" was in law enforcement. As far as our lessors, we were fortunate to be able to deal primarily with local men on club business. Being head forester Mr. Ed Lewis was always a pleasant contact and later on during the Mid-South days Mr. Bob Horton's leadership helped ease the pain, even though we were in a very difficult set of circumstances.

 

Around 1981 land clearing began east of Sharkey and worked westward. In most cases our members kept their membership until clearing was in progress on their sites. Hunters on the west end were able to finish out the season in 1984 until their territory was taken into the refuge.

 

Those of us who are still around remember Sharkey with nostalgia, cherishing those memories each time we travel Sharkey Road, see an old photograph, are reminded of the giant pin oaks, the "slave levees" as we called them, the old drainage ditches and vast palmetto flats. We remain impressed as we realize that prior to the War Between the States and Reconstruction this land was inhabited by people like us who loved this land that nurtured them.

 

Their monuments still stand on the banks of the Tensas in the form of huge brick cisterns, occasional chimney remains and many brick foundations for grist mills and the like. Their existence reminds us of our past and brings to mind our obligation to the future.

 

PREHISTORIC TIMES

 

Sharkey's past is much deeper than the early settlements that left these monuments. Mr. Don Parker made a generous gift to me, being a copy of a letter from Joe Saunders regional archeologist and professor at Northeast Louisiana University. This letter concerned a visit to the 800 or so acres of the old Astoria tract to investigate some suspected Indian sites.

 

He examined an area on Sharkey Road at the east end of the Sharkey field that he named the Sharkey Plantation site. In historic times this had been the site of a dwelling house, a large farm and a livestock "lot" or corral. There are remains of two mounds on the site, one barely visible and the other completely flat. Examinations showed pre historic as well as historic pre-Civil War occupation with a brick cistern possibly associated with the Old Sharkey House. (Veracity is not proven)

 

The second site some mile westward, Saunders called the "Tupoowec" site which he described as "one of the nicest pre historic sites I have seen in Madison Parish". Evidence suggests that occupation began around 700 AD with a second occupation beginning around 1100 AD, as well as an early historic occupation which dated to pre-Civil War.[2]

 

With this being said, let us return to the early days shaping Astoria, or Sharkey Plantation, to get an idea of how it all came to be.

 

FIRST OWNERS

 

Maps I and II

 

SALES FROM GENERAL LAND OFFICE[3]

 

The Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803 and what we know as "Louisiana" was set aside as a state and in 1812 was admitted into the Union. The state adopted the term "parish" rather than "county" for its internal entities in deference to the Catholic influence emanating from New Orleans and early French and Spanish settlers.

 

Surveying the lands of Louisiana began in Madison Parish in 1814 and was completed in 1836. Prior to this the only landowners were recipients of French or Spanish Grants.

 

The first settlers in Madison Parish, of course, settled along the Mississippi River with a heavy influx beginning around 1830 and by 1840 had spread to smaller streams in the parish such as the Tensas, the Macon, Joe's Bayou, Roundaway Bayou and Alligator Bayou.

 

Some of these settlers were given land as a reward for Revolutionary War service or for service in the War of 1812. Others bought their land through the General Land Office in Washington, DC. This is where our story really begins - in 1841 when Robert R Sharkey of Claiborne County, Mississippi bought his first land from the General Land Office, the community that came to be known as the Sharkey Community.

 

These settlers, mostly from Mississippi, tended to settle in clusters near friends or relatives, but always along a stream for transportation. Some came up the River from New Orleans and some, from the frequent appearances of their names, were obviously speculators. Names like George Copley, William Rose, George Koontz, Levin Marshall and William Britton bought vast acreages of the new land. Robert Sharkey himself bought and sold much land as did Allen R Sharkey, who I presume to be Robert R. Sharkey's father.

 

Maps III and IV

 

Information on these and subsequent maps are taken from conveyance records in the Madison Parish Clerks Office in Tallulah, Louisiana recording land sales in the Sharkey area of the parish beginning in 1845. On these and following maps the larger and bolder number is the index number of the first purchase of the property — a smaller sized number, if present, is the index number of a later sale.

 

Robert Sharkey; who got a good start from the General Land Office, continued to buy and sell property in the area. Allen R Sharkey also bought and sold land in the area, primarily around and south of Waverly, Louisiana.

 

Benjamin Hinds enters the scene in 1851 and we will see him and Allen Hinds, who I presume to be his nephew, playing a large role in buying and selling property. Allen continued his role of leadership in Madison Parish on into the 1920s when he was serving as an elected member of the Madison Parish School Board. His daughter Hattie married Tom Jefferson and daughter Mary married George Townsend.

 

Charles Hamilton of Claiborne County, Mississippi bought into the area in 1854. He and his family acquired vast holdings in other parts of the parish as well as his Hamilton Tensas River Plantation. Civil War and Reconstruction were hard on the Hamilton family, as Charles evidently died in the late 1860's as his succession was in 1871. The property was involved in several tax sales against Mrs. Hamilton beginning in 1868 when the property was seized, sold and later redeemed. That same year, a kinsman, A W Hamilton appeared before the Court to take an oath of allegiance. The Hamilton property went through several tax sales through the years until purchased by ex-Union Army Officer F L Maxwell, who according to the 1891 map in the Madison Parish Clerk of Court's office owned Hamilton and Burns.

 

John Burns of Woodville, Mississippi joined in along the Tensas in 1856 and then again in 1857 from A C Holt. Not surprisingly this purchase centered around the conjunction of Tensas River, John's Bayou, Despair Bayou and Alligator Bayou. This was a sought after holding judging from how many times it changed hands over the years.

 

Burns had not long to enjoy his new location, for within six years the catastrophic War Between the States had spread even to the Tensas. Burris followed Hamilton in misfortune with his place going through several tax sales before also being acquired by F L Maxwell.

 

Also on Map IV we see William and Martha Withers of Carroll County, Mississippi selling ½ interest in almost 2700 acres just around the bend of Tensas in R10E to William J Britton (later of Britton & Koontz). Much of this acreage had been sold earlier in 1856 to Thomas Graves of Jackson, Mississippi who evidently defaulted.

 

Map IV also shows location of two small tracts in section 15 of T15NR10E of six and later nine acres that Allen Hinds bought from Douglas Alexander and Helen Hamilton Alexander of New York State in 1916 and 1917. In this transaction Helen relinquishes any right of dower or homestead. Why?? Was this Douglas Alexander the same Douglas Alexander who had three years earlier bought some 80,000 acres of Madison Parish timber land for Singer Manufacturing Company? And was Helen, who a contemporary New York newsman referred to as "elegant", a daughter or sister of Charles W Hamilton? Did Alexander come south to buy timberland and go home with a southern trophy?

 

Let's add to the speculation about these two tiny transactions by noting that Dick Sevier's 1875 ownership map shows the Hamilton Estate owning 460 acres of land in and around section 15. This tract adjoins the vast Frisby Estate. Was Allen still looking for the silver bell? It's good to know that the Hamilton Family retained ownership of some of their holdings as late as 1917.

 

Map V

 

We note Robert Sharkey selling Astoria or "Old Sharkey Place" to William and Martha Withers, 1866, previously referenced. The Sharkey, Hamilton, Hinds and Withers families had so many ties and lived in such close proximity, it is easy to speculate that these families were related. Martha signed her name Martha S Withers and we know that Allen Hinds' father, Dr Frank Hinds, married Mary Sharkey. Even as late as 1913 Allen Hinds registered the old Hamilton cattle brand as his own.

 

It is not known when William Withers died but as early as 1874 Martha Withers was personally sued for back taxes. This resulted in a tax sale to McFarland which was later redeemed. In 1888 it came up for tax sale again and was sold to Thomas Rigby and again redeemed.[4] William's succession was in 1899.

 

In 1902 Martha Withers sold Astoria to Allen Hinds and John Hude of Vicksburg, Mississippi. This exhausts what little I know about Martha Withers. However, she can certainly be admired if only for her resilience and resourcefulness. She kept Astoria Plantation going for almost forty of the harshest years in southern history. Perhaps someday someone will look deeper into Martha S Withers' life.

 

TWENTIETH CENTURY

 

This brings us to a point where ownership of our subject has passed from its original owners into the hands of John Hude and Allen Hinds with Astoria and F L Maxwell with Hamilton and Burris.

 

In the years of 1906 and 1907 Hude and Hinds sold Astoria to Joel Johnson, a Jackson, Mississippi speculator, and soon thereafter Mr. Maxwell sold Hamilton and Burris to the same buyer who was buying up Madison Parish land at a dizzying pace.

 

Map VI

 

By 1931 the Depression combined with the lasting effects of 15 years of war and foreign occupation, which had for some years worked to the advantage of Mr. Joel Johnson, evidently overtook him. That year Mr. Johnson transferred ownership of all his holdings in Madison and Tensas Parishes, some 14,885 acres, to a company fittingly named "Sharkey Land and Livestock Company" formed by Joel Johnson, James Alexander and T J Lampton all from Hinds County Mississippi. Johnson was named President and Alexander, who actually held mortgages on most of the property, was named secretary.

 

During a 1933 Board Meeting, Mr. Johnson explained their dire straits concerning taxes owed on property that they were unable to pay. They passed a resolution to sell to their note holder, Capital National Bank of Jackson, Mississippi, four plantations in Madison Parish-namely Spring Bayou, Foster, Richmond and Hapaca.[5] These four plantations are still with us with parts of Hapaca and Foster being in the refuge system. Others soon followed to the sellers block.

 

Map VII

 

In 1934, shortly after paying the tax debt that was due, Sharkey Land & Livestock began negotiations with William B Pearce, a Shreveport oilman who already owned property in the area. This deal was not consummated until 1937 when Sharkey Land & Livestock sold Astoria, 1676 A, Hamilton, 940 A, and Burris, 749 A to Mr. Pearce. One year later, in 1938, Pearce rented Cockran camp and 15 A from Singer with a "no hunting" clause.

 

Pearce immediately sold ⅓ undivided interest to Representative Henry C Sevier and Sheriff's Deputy T A Smith. Thirteen years later the same property was sold to Mr. Arthur E Thomas of Richland Parish with Pearce and Sevier each selling 50% ownership. Evidently Smith had liquidated his ⅓ interest during this time.

 

During this period of ownership Sharkey, as the whole unit had come to be called, had already acquired a stellar reputation as a prime hunting property. The principal guests were friends and associates of Mr. Sevier and Mr. Pearce. In the late 1940's a group of Shreveport businessmen were the principal guests and at that time and for several years thereafter the "white line" that separated the property from the old Singer Game Preserve was clearly marked.[6]

 

Also, in this period Sharkey became somewhat embroiled in Louisiana politics. This occurred when Senator James A Noe made a speech in opposition to a bond bill to shape and gravel the road from Highway 65 through Sharkey and on to "Chesterfield" on Bayou Macon. According to Rep. Henry Sevier the road had been a part of the Louisiana Highway System for a good many years and had been worked on as much as possible by the Madison Parish Police Jury.

 

This political difference may have been brought on by a meeting Governor Leche called probably in the fall of 1938. This two day meeting was held on Sharkey and consisted of political leaders from Madison, East Carroll and Tensas Parishes. According to Rep. Sevier this meeting was called to help put an end to a severe trespassing problem on the wildlife refuge in the two parishes, stemming in part to the Depression Era.[7]

 

The bond issue passed and the road was built, Tensas was bridged and (according to Don Parker (a local farmer) connected to La 577 in 1953. This has proved to be a valuable farm to market road.

 

MID CENTURY TO PRESENT

 

Maps VIII and IX

 

In 1950 Pearce and Sevier sold "Old Sharkey Plantation" to Arthur E Thomas. It is my belief that "Sharkey Hunting Club" was first used during these years. Mr. Thomas of Richland Parish sold the major portion of Sharkey in 1954 to Chicago Mill and Lumber Company of Greenville, Mississippi which already owned the surrounding property.

 

In this transaction Thomas retained ownership of the land in sections 16, 17, 20, 21 and 22 which he later sold to Don Parker. (See Maps IX and XI) Thomas also retained all hunting rights to the property for a period of ten years and after several years subleased the part south of Sharkey Road to James C "Boss" Martin, local lawman and sportsman.

 

Map X

 

At the expiration of Thomas' lease, Martin obtained the lease from Chicago Mill for the part of Sharkey south of Sharkey Road. Thomas retained the lease on the property north of Sharkey Road in section 11 and 12 until it was acquired by the Refuge.

 

Map XI

 

Arthur E. Thomas sold 856 acres comprising portions of sections 17, 20 (1973) and 21 (1974) to Don Parker.

 

Map XII

 

Martin kept his lease on Sharkey until 1984 when land clearing had taken roughly one half of the Club and the Refuge assumed control of the west half. The part that was cleared for agriculture was actually held by the Trust for Public Land for Protection and Security until the Refuge could secure appropriations in 2010.

 

Map XIII

 

There is another parcel of agricultural land that had been cleared in the 1980's lying to the east of the above referenced parcel that includes part of Sharkey on the east end. This parcel is scheduled to be taken into the Refuge in the near future.[8]

 

It is our sincere wish that people a few years hence will come to love Sharkey as so many of us have.

 

LAGNIAPPE

 

The Black Wolf[9]

 

By 1934 wolves in general, i.e. the Timber Wolf, the Red Wolf and in particular the Black Wolf, were becoming very scarce because of state and individual trapping due to livestock predation. This fact led game biologists to pursue a study of the rare Black Wolf that was reportedly on Sharkey and the Singer Game Preserve.

 

On October 6, 1934 a team from the Chicago Academy of Sciences arrived in Tallulah for this purpose. They were met and taken to the old "Cockran Camp"[10] on Sharkey Road at the juncture of Alligator Bayou. They were aided in their search by Refuge Wardens J J Kuhn (father of Edith Whitehead, now of Texas) and VWF Jefferson (father of Tom Jefferson now deceased).

 

They stayed 30 days at Cockran's camp and were very successful with their study, yielding valuable information and rare photographs of the Black Wolf in the wild. Their maps in the listed report show that their "trap" lines were principally north and south from Cockran's Camp on Singer and Sharkey Plantations. (Sharkey referred to as Johnson Place)

 

Roads and Bridges

 

Sharkey Road was extended from its end near Cockran's Camp to the Hunters Bend Crossing, probably in the late thirties, as noted earlier. What crossed Tensas at Hunter's Bend we are unsure of, but a modem bridge was built in 1948 (see photo). Jimmy Willhite in his remarkable book "My Family and the Tensas" written in 1997 says that "they came by the Hunters Bend Crossing" and that "it was near where the bridge is now" referring to an event occurring in 1939.

 

Also in Chapter 12 of Willhite's story he refers to Nick Lake as Locust Ridge Lake and that there was a small clearing, a boat landing built by "duck hunters from the Sharkey Clubhouse." Also, nearby was a structure they used to camp in called "The Singer Shack"[11]. Interestingly, Hinds Family oral tradition holds that the Frank Hinds family lived in Locust Ridge Plantation prior to and during the War Between the States.

 

River Bends

 

Most rivers have their bends named and our Tensas in southwest Madison Parish is no exception. Beginning at Flowers Landing just south of the Tensas Parish line and ascending we first have Ridge Lake Bend named for Ridge Lake; then McGill Bend named for an early settler; then Hunters Bend named for Milford Hunter, an 1847 settler; then Disharoon Bend for the Disharoon family (locals say Dishroom) which has on its border the Frisby Estate; then to Andrews Bend at the junction of Sharkey Road, Alligator Bayou and Tensas; from there north is Greenlea Bend. Madison Parish records list a landowner named Green Lea who married Elsie Harris in 1870 (again locals call this Greenleaf). The TRNWR visitor's center is located at this point, the area that Jim Tanner of Ivory Bill fame called "the gem of it all"[12]; north is Dunlap Bend, named for Dunlap Lake and Dunlap Plantation (I believe this was the home of VWF Jefferson). The next bend is Quebec Bend though this one is seldom noted on maps.

 

Also, not usually named on maps, is the bend at Tendal, Louisiana, then El Dorado Bend, the convoluted bends that end at the junction of Roundaway Bayou at the "Point", then on into East Carroll to Swan Lake, finally making its way to Lake Providence.

 

APPENDIX

                                                                                                Members of Sharkey Hunting Club 1964-1984

                                                                                                Copy of Lease from Chicago Mill and Lumber 1964-1984

                                                                                                Index Cards Identified as to Source in Madison Parish Clerks Office
                                                                                                Origins of Major Purchasers in the Sharkey Community

                                                                                                Early Listing of Sales by General Land Office, Washington, DC

                                                                                                Maps and Their Indexes

                                                                                                Photographs

 

Members of Sharkey Hunting Club 1964-1984

 

 

 

Copy of Lease from Chicago Mill & Lumber to Sharkey Hunting Club 1964-1984

MADISON PARISH. LOUISIANA   TOWNSHIP 15 NORTH - RANGE 11 EAST                               Section          Acreage      SE ¼ South and East of Road                                                                11                   50.42    South and East of Road; SW South and East of Road                                                                                      12                311.14 All South and East of River                                                        14                 524.95 All South and East of River                                                        15                95.20    SE¼ of SE¼ East of Road                                                           20                    1.59 All North_ of River and South and East of a line as follows: From a point on the section line between Sections 15 and 22 – Township 15 North -Range 11 East, being 58.29 chains from the Northwest corner of the NW¼ of NW¼ of Section 23 - Township 15 North - Range 11 East, run South 12° East 25.85 chains to a point; thence North 78° West 27.69 chains to a point on the Section line between Sections 21 and 22, being the point of beginning; thence North 78° West 76.09 chains to a point; thence South 10° West 19.95 chains to a point; thence due West 1.54 chains to -a point on -section line between Sections 20 and 21.                                                              21                510.32 NE¼; NW¼ South and East of a line beginning at a point on the section line between sections 15 and 22 - Township 15 North – Range 11 East, 58.29 chains from the Northwest corner of the NW¼of NW¼of Section 23 - Township 15 North - Range 11 East; thence South 120 East 25.85 chains to a point; thence North 78° West 27.69 chains to a point on the section line between Sections 21 and 22; and SW1/4                                       22                 432.05 NW¼ofNW¼                                                                       23                40.00 NW ¼ of SW ¼ East of River; W ½ of NW ¼                                   27                 118.14 All North and East of River (except 3.52 acres described in Book RR, page 481).                                                       28                   36.98   TOWNSHIP 15 NORTH_ RANGE 12 EAST     -    NW¼                                                                                                                                                                                                                               14                159.60 Grand Total                                                                                                  2,280.39

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDEX CARDS IDENTIFIED AS TO SOURCE IN MADISON PARISH CLERK'S OFFICE

 

ORIGINS OF MAJOR PURCHASERS IN THE SHARKEY COMMUNITY

 

 

 

Early Listing of Sales by General Land Office, Washington, DC
From Dick Sevier's

"Early Landowners of Madison Parish, LA"

 

Index for Maps I & II

 

MAPS

 

Map I

 

 

 

Map II

 

Map III

 

Map III Index

 

 

Map IV

 

Map IV Index

 

Map V

 

Map V Index

 

Map VI

 

Map VII

 

Map VIII

 

Map IX

 

Map X

 

Map XI

 

Map XII

 

Map XIII

 

Photographs