Big Thicket Legacy. Campbell&Lynn Loughmiller

[Kingfisher]

I bought this book one summer in Galveston at a used book store. I haven't been able to locate it since I moved a few years ago and still have stuff " in storage." but I did locate a copy at the library. It's a wonderful read full of 2-3 page interviews with mostly older folks from the Big Thicket. Its a wealth of knowledge and insight from Cur dogs to coursing Bees! It was published in 1977 so it's not a new book. If you have a chance to read it I think you will enjoy it. I also picked up " Big Thicket People" Photographs of the Last Southern Frontier. It looks promising too.

 

[Caustic Burno]

A couple of excerpts from the book as I have it somewhere around here.
From Big Thicket People


A well-traveled outsider from North Texas, Larry Fisher had the perspective to recognize that he had arrived at one of the rare places across the South where wilderness, and the old lifeways based on wilderness, persisted. There were a few others beside the Big Thicket of Texas, almost equally unrecorded—parts of the Appalachian highlands, the "Scrub" of north Florida, the "Ten Thousand Islands" west of the Everglades, and other places.

In a ride of 150 miles through these two counties, [Hardin and Polk] there is one continuous dense growth of tall pines, oaks, magnolias, and numerous other forest trees. As far as the eye can see, it is the same; the tangled undergrowth and fallen trees block and interpose an almost impassable barrier in the way of any kind of vehicle. In many places we have to get down our hands and knees to crawl through the thick, close-knitted growth of baygall bushes and cane breaks. Not a human can be seen for miles.

 

[Jogeephus]

We have a few areas in Georgia that are still pretty desolate. West side of the Okeefenokee sounds similar. One county where my friend lives has two paved roads and the rest is just trails. Some of the roughest woods I've ever walked in.

 

[Bigfoot]

I always thought "Big Thicket" was the name of Caustic's spread. I didn't know it was a geographic area.

 

[Caustic Burno]

We have a few areas in Georgia that are still pretty desolate. West side of the Okeefenokee sounds similar. One county where my friend lives has two paved roads and the rest is just trails. Some of the roughest woods I've ever walked in.

I used to hunt the forks between the Angelina and Neches river in my younger days.
There are no roads it is only accessible by boat if you see boogers are scared of alligators and the dark in the woods,
this is not the place for you. If you can't read a compass and believe it you had better stay out as well.
You could burn a shotgun barrel down on wood ducks and mallards.
It is some of the finest hunting woods you ever walked through you could haul the squirrels out you wanted but had better not.
The GW was always running the river.

 

[Jogeephus]

If you can't read a compass and believe it you had better stay out as well

Funny you should say that. Not many will understand that but a long time ago I was with some guys in one of these "bad places" and we didn't believe the compass and it was almost a fatal mistake. We were a good 20 miles from nowhere and we made that mistake and almost didn't make it out. One of the scariest days of my life because we came real close to not making it out. You know its bad when its 100F and you stop sweating and begin to shiver with cold. That is a bad sign.

 

[Caustic Burno]

If you can't read a compass and believe it you had better stay out as well

Funny you should say that. Not many will understand that but a long time ago I was with some guys in one of these "bad places" and we didn't believe the compass and it was almost a fatal mistake. We were a good 20 miles from nowhere and we made that mistake and almost didn't make it out. One of the scariest days of my life because we came real close to not making it out. You know its bad when its 100F and you stop sweating and begin to shiver with cold. That is a bad sign.

The forks are scary in that a cell phone or a gps won't work in there.
Get hurt or sick in there it would be a long time before help came.
Never went in without supplies of food water and emergency blanket.
http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/townbl ... s_2013.pdf

 

[backhoeboogie]

I always thought "Big Thicket" was the name of Caustic's spread. I didn't know it was a geographic area.

The most dense forest in the U.S.

 

[ousoonerfan22]

CB did you kill any big bucks in that thicket?

 

[Caustic Burno]

CB did you kill any big bucks in that thicket?

A few through the years.
This one came out of my bottom last year.
He met Mr Browning 16 gauge loaded with double aught at 22 steps.

 

[ousoonerfan22]

Looks like a nice one!

 

[Caustic Burno]

Looks like a nice one!

That was a huge deer for this part of the world.
Typical of our racks high long tined and tight.
They brought in some deer out of Va or West Va years ago every now and then
the genetics get lined up and you get a big boy like him.
I have killed three over the years that weighed right at 200 on the hoof him being one of them.
Killed one in 1980, 1983 and last year so they don't come along size wise like him very often.
Had one a few years back crap in my pocket that was bigger never fired a shot. By the time
we seen each other he looked like some one was throwing a hatchet through the woods.
That boy was going through yaupons not over or around, I was on him the whole time it was just so thick
I was afraid I wouldn't down him in that saw briar patch we were in.
Our typical buck will weigh 140 to 150.

 

[Caustic Burno]

In one of the books if I remember correctly it talks about the market hunters killing in
excess of 20,000 deer up the forks of the river one year. I remember reading about it in one.
There are several others about the early life and settlers here as in any other region of the country.
Some of my people migrated in due to Micajah Autry one of the defenders of the Alamo from North Carolina by way
of Tennessee after the revolution.

Boogies people were here before mine.

 

[ousoonerfan22]

Since you have rattlers on your place then the thicket must be infested with them?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Since you have rattlers on your place then the thicket must be infested with them?

Areas are, mine being one of them.
We are infested with the dam things.
Never seen one in the forks of the rivers they like it were they have the rollings hills more.
I have a box full of rattles off the big ones.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I bought this book one summer in Galveston at a used book store. I haven't been able to locate it since I moved a few years ago and still have stuff " in storage." but I did locate a copy at the library. It's a wonderful read full of 2-3 page interviews with mostly older folks from the Big Thicket. Its a wealth of knowledge and insight from Cur dogs to coursing Bees! It was published in 1977 so it's not a new book. If you have a chance to read it I think you will enjoy it. I also picked up " Big Thicket People" Photographs of the Last Southern Frontier. It looks promising too.

Kingfisher you seem to like history read about the Jaybird-Woodpecker war of Texas.
It controlled politics in the state from reconstruction until the 1950's.