The Dixie Overland Highway (An American History Tidbit)

When I'm down in the minutiae of researching someone's life, it's easy to miss the bigger picture. The history around them, even though it most definitely shaped them to some degree. I have to make a conscious effort to widen the lens -- work to put meat on the bones, so to speak.

Other times, little things just jump right out. Hop in the car with me. 🚗 

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In May of 1930, Oscar Lee Pike, son of Alma Rosalie Lincecum Pike, was living just two doors down from his future sister-in-law, Ella Mae McGuire. Both families were in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, and both families were residing along the Dixie Overland Highway.

The Dixie Overland Highway was conceived in 1914 by the Automobile Club of Savannah, Georgia, with the goal of charting a path through the southern States "for the purpose of connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific."

Following from the March 1917 Better Roads and Streets magazine:

An association was formed, officers elected, and a plan of operation agreed upon. The object of the association being to promote the construction and use of a highway through the States of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

...It was then developed that the Dixie Overland Highway when constructed will be the shortest, straightest, and only year round, ocean to ocean highway, in the United States. All highways east of the Mississippi and the most of those west of the river, are laid out for north and south travel. The Dixie Overland connects them all, is a trunk line through the heart of the 'black belt,' crossing the rivers at the head of navigation, and forming what the promoters believe to be the most useful and important highway in the South.

[Source]

In 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials designated and unveiled the official description of U.S. Route 80, which largely followed the Dixie Overland Highway. The entire route was 2,726 miles, with the following being the portion through Louisiana:

Beginning at the Mississippi-Louisiana State line at Delta via Tallulah, Royville, Monroe, Ruston, Arcadia, Minden, Shreveport to the Louisiana-Texas State line east of Waskom.

Here is a present-day map of the Dixie Overland Highway / U.S. 80 through Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, where Oscar Lee Pike and Ella Mae McGuire resided in 1930.

It didn't take long for tourism to be promoted along these auto trails and highway routes. Even today, Louisiana's Historic US 80 Byway is said to be where "drivers...can drink in vistas of verdant farms and forested landscapes."

Alma Rosalie Lincecum Pike (1874-1926) and Family

Alma Rosalie "Rose" Lincecum was born 12 July 1874 in Grant Parish, Louisiana to Harmon R. Lincecum and Margaret Frances "Fanny" Turnley (b. 1843). There was an age difference of about twenty years between Alma's parents, and it's quite possible her father died when she was very young.

On 16 September 1894 in Grant Parish, when Alma was twenty, she married Georgia native Luther F. Pike (d. 1944). He was a son of James D. and Malinda A. Pike.

The 1900 federal census taker visited Luther F. Pike's household just fifteen days after Alma gave birth to twins. By that time, though, Alma had already given birth to five children with only the twins still living. All told, Alma gave birth to at least eight children. Four died in infancy, and four survived to adulthood. The latter were twins Oscar Lee and Luther Franklin, son Johnnie Reynolds, and daughter Carrie M.

Alma and Luther raised their children primarily in the north-central part of Louisiana. Aside from being a fireman on a log train once, Luther was usually occupied with farming.

Oscar Lee Pike was born 5 June 1900 in Selma, Grant Parish, Louisiana. For his 1918 World War I draft registration, Oscar was described as slender, with blue eyes and light hair. Like his father, Oscar spent most of his time in the business of farming.

About 1927, Oscar married Ora Belle, daughter of Oscar and Carrie Belle Goodwin. The young couple had at least three children. Two were a son, Oliver Cortez "Pete" Pike (1927-2015), and a daughter Joyce E. (1940-1990).

Oscar Lee Pike died 1 November 1951 in Simsboro, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. Burial was in Oak Grove Cemetery.

Luther Franklin Pike was born 5 June 1900 in Selma, Grant Parish, Louisiana. For his 1918 World War I draft registration, Luther was described as slender, with blue eyes and sandy hair. An interesting addition to his 1942 World War II draft registration was the notation that Luther had a scar on his right temple and a scar on his right wrist.

It seems Luther did spend time in California from the late 1950s to at least the mid-1960s. He might've even gotten married there during that time. However, I am still determining since I have found no mention of a wife after the supposed marriage.

Luther died 3 February 1971 in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. Burial was in Oak Grove Cemetery.

Johnnie Reynolds Pike was born 9 April 1903 in Grant Parish, Louisiana. He married Ella Mae (1910-1984), daughter of Willie and Hattie McGuire.

Johnnie and Ella had at least three children: Harold Lloyd (1934-2010), Claude Edward (1936-2010), and Johny Reynolds Jr. (1937-2003).

Johnnie Reynolds Pike, Sr. died in January 1981, aged 77 years.

Carrie M. Pike was born 15 November 1907 in Selma, Grant Parish, Louisiana. About 1926, she married Joseph C. Madere (1895-1977), and the couple had at least two children. One was a son, Joseph C. Madere, Jr. (1926-1996).

Joseph and Carrie spent some time residing in the port city of New Orleans, where Joseph worked as a machine feeder for a lumber company. He also was an employee of Lane Cotton Mills.

The couple returned to central Louisiana before Carrie died in Alexandria, Rapides Parish on 3 June 1966. Burial was at Liberty Chapel Cemetery in Grant Parish.

Original image by lcgates (2021) via FindAGrave.
Permission for use granted in bio.

Alma Rosalie Lincecum Pike was just 52 years old when she died on 26 December 1926 in Rochelle, Grant Parish, Louisiana. Burial was at Lincecum Cemetery.

Individual Report for Allen L. Lincecum (d. 2015)

Allen L. Lincecum was born in Louisiana on July 29th. The year was 1928 or 1929 (I have three sources for each). For what it's worth, 1928 is the birth year on his gravestone.

Allen was one of at least six children born to Daniel Peachlyn/Peachland "Dan" Lincecum (1904-1990) and Noda Belle Nugent (1910-1998). His siblings include Dan P. Jr. (1927-1984), Madge Elaine (1933-2015), and Mildred Faye (1943-1998).

At about age 20, Allen married 17-year-old Wanda Glee Davis (d. 2023). She was a daughter of Amos Davis and Helen Duncan. Wanda's sister, Marie, married Perry O. Lincecum (1925-1979), first cousin to Allen.

Allen and Wanda would have at least five children together before they presumably divorced. One was a son, Dennis Allen Lincecum (1951-2007).

Allen spent the bulk of his life residing in Grant Parish, Louisiana. More specific place names include Selma, Georgetown, and Pollock. Although I found his surname spelled as Lincicum once, that was likely an anomaly. Especially given Grant Parish is home to Lincecum Cemetery, Lincecum Baptist Church, and Lincecum Village Road. 😉

Allen L. Lincecum died on 14 May 2015 at a hospital in Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. He was laid to rest in Big Creek Cemetery at Pollock. A paragraph from his obituary in the 16 May 2015 Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana):

Allen proudly served his country in the United States Navy and during his working life was a Locomotive Engineer for Union Pacific Railroad for 35 years. He was a member of the Pentacostals of Alexandria for 21 years and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and great great-grandfather who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Those whom we never cease to love we never lose.

(OTL) From Missouri to California: a Trio of Roberts Men Go West for Work in Oil

 Rather than an exhaustive report, this is more of a brief note of historical context.🤓

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"Foreign immigration is a hot topic these days, but the movement of people from one state to another can have an even bigger influence on the United States' economy, politics and culture. Americans have already seen this with the Western expansion, the movement of Southern blacks to Northern cities and the migration from the Rust Belt." -- New York Times article Where We Came From and Where We Went, State by State dated 19 August 2014.

One by one, three of the eldest sons born to Justus Roberts and Martha Barks went west to California from their native Missouri. Did they make a pact and all go together? I'm not sure, but with the records I can access, here is when they each arrived in the Golden State:

• William Eppie Roberts was born 1884 in Bollinger County, Missouri. According to an obituary, he was a Coalinga, Fresno County, California resident by 1910.
• Milas Sylvestor Roberts was born 1886 in Bollinger County, Missouri. He married Mary Wood (d. 1974) on Christmas Eve 1910 in Fresno County, California.
• Linus H. Roberts was born 1890 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. According to an obituary, he was a Fresno County, California resident by 1916.

A job opportunity in the oil industry may have lured these young men west. William was an oil well pumper. Milas held the occupations of driller, rotary helper, and gauger. And Linus was an oil field teamster and general "oil worker." William spent several years with the Union Oil Company. And on each of their 1942 World War II draft registrations, both Milas and Linus list "Standard Oil Co." as their employer.

"The 19th century was a period of great change and rapid industrialization. The iron and steel industry spawned new construction material, the railroads connected the country and the discovery of oil provided a new source of fuel. The discovery of the Spindletop geyser in 1901 drove huge growth in the oil industry. Within a year, more than 1,500 oil companies had been chartered, and oil became the dominant fuel of the 20th century and an integral part of the American economy.

...When Standard [Oil Company] entered California in 1900, seven integrated oil companies already flourished there. The Union Oil Company was the most important of these." [Source]

In 1903, according to Wikipedia, "California became the leading oil-producing state in the US, and traded the number one position back-and-forth with Oklahoma through the year 1930."

"The Golden State got its nickname from the Sierra Nevada gold that lured so many miners and settlers to the West, but California has earned much more wealth from so-called 'black gold' than from metallic gold. The San Joaquin Valley has been the principal source for most of the petroleum produced in the State during the past 145 years." -- A Brief History of Oil and Gas Exploration in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California

Image by Wikipedia user Antandrus. License for use: CC BY-SA 3.0

The Coalinga Oil Field is located in western Fresno County, California, surrounding the town of Coalinga. It was discovered in the late 19th century and became active around 1890. Each of the Roberts brothers named above spent at least some time residing in Fresno County, part of the San Joaquin Valley, and even specifically the town of Coalinga. Saying they worked at the Coalinga Oil Field at some point in their lives seems hardly a stretch.

Per Wikipedia, "A dramatic oil gusher erupted in Sept. 1909 at the 'Silver Tip' well [in Coalinga], producing 20,000 barrels a day, the biggest gusher in California until then. This was an event of such excitement that [the] Los Angeles Stock Exchange closed down for a day so that its members could come by train to view it." Given the timing, I wonder if that gusher guided the Roberts brothers to the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno County, and Coalinga.

Via Wikipedia. Digitization of unique historic image.
Author unknown.

Other places on the map above where the Roberts brothers lived include the cities of Fresno and Atascadero. Additionally, upon their deaths, Linus was buried in Fresno's Mountain View Cemetery and William was buried in Atascadero Pine Mountain Cemetery. 🪦

The fact that all three brothers stayed in California for the rest of their days hopefully means they deemed their moves worthy and successful.

[These three brothers were part of a family of eleven children. To learn more about the additional eight siblings, go here.]

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BOOK #AD: American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California

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