View Obscura

 Written By Ken Hulsey Last night, while in Shreveport, I found myself craving something for dinner but couldn't decide what exactly I wanted. Seeking inspiration, I turned to the internet to see which local eateries had received favorable reviews. Mexican food was an option, but I have that often. Chinese food was a possibility, but my wife likes it, and I didn't want to go without her. Then I remembered Indian food - something I hadn't had in a long time.

 Yesterday my buddy Preston and I made the two hour trek up to Shreveport to see the Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 Steam Locomotive #2816 known affectionately as 'The Empress'. We arrived at the CPKC facilities at a little after three, which I thought may have been two early, and found that there was already a large crowd and the parking lot was almost already full to capacity. 

 Last July I stumbled upon Ford Park and its many relics from Shreveport's transportation history while driving around Cross Lake looking for place to take some photographs. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted an old steam locomotive at the entrance of the park and my attention quickly shifted from wanting to capture some images of the water to getting images of the locomotive. What I didn't know at the time was that Ford Park was full of mysteries as well as historical relics both neglected and sadly forgotten. This past week I revisited Ford Park to capture more, and hopefully better images, of the steam locomotive, fire truck and trolly bus that most people in Louisiana don't even know exist.

 Back in May I took a little trip up to Shreveport and discovered some old railroad equipment behind the old Central Railroad Station. I was really surprised to find the abandoned rail cars just sitting there under the freeway and thought that they would be the perfect subject matter for a series of photographs.  

Traveling around Louisiana I have discovered a lot of abandoned things ranging from buildings to boats but I never thought that I would find an abandoned section of road in the middle of a city. Lost Shreveport: Vanishing Scenes from the Red River Valley Hardcover Book - $21.99 @ Amazon.com Back in June of 2022 the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development closed Linwood Street between Texas and Dalzell Street because they determined that the bridge over the Kansas City Southern railroad tracks was no longer structurally sound enough to support daily traffic.  A couple of weeks back I took the chance that the bridge would be sound enough to support my 200 pound body and ventured out over the deserted road to take photos of any trains that may perhaps pass underneath.  I have to admit that it is kinda surreal to walk down the middle of a four lane road without any fear of being run over by a truck load of Amazon purchases. It was quiet, calm and surprisingly i...

I often visit the northern Louisiana city of Shreveport on business and I thought that I knew the area pretty well. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there was an enormous and beautiful man-made lake just minutes from the city's old abandoned downtown district.  Shreveport is one of the few places in the nation where you can leave your office or home in minutes later be casing in placid green waters for large mouth black bass or skimming across broad expanses of open water in a sail boat or motor boat. Shreveport Louisiana LA Map T-Shirt - $14.99 @ Amazon.com Making it all possible is beautiful Cross Lake, source of Shreveport’s water supply, with its 8,960 acres located within the city limits. Its 14 square miles and 56.4 miles of shore line dotted with lovely homes offer to residents one of the finest recreational facilities to be found anywhere. Cross Lake was created as Shreveport’s water supply in 1926 by construction of a concrete dam on the right of way of the Kansas ...

Thornhill House From the historic marker: Built circ 1856 by Aaron B. Levisee for wife Persia Willis. Named for her family home in Alabama. Surrounding estate was subdivided in 1874 giving name to neighborhood and street. Later home to Foster and Harvey families. Builder Levisee was noted jurist, author and statesman. Bliss-Hoyer House From the historic marker: Built 1912 for planter Abel Bliss and wife Nettie. Later home to the Hoyer family. Ewald Max Hoyer was first Mayor of Bossier City (1907) but resided in Shreveport afterward. Hugo Hoyer established Centuries Memorial Park. The house was later the residence of livestock breeder John Kennedy. Check Out: Louisiana Through My Lens - C&C Mercantile in Shreveport Abandoned Louisiana - A Warm Spring Day at Texas Avenue in Shreveport Louisiana Through My Lens - The Chicago Theatre in Downtown Shreveport Louisiana Through My Lens - A Walk Through Shreveport Riverview Park Louisiana Through My Lens - Impressions Of Downtown Shreveport

This past Wednesday I spent a good amount of time exploring a section of abandoned buildings along Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport. One of the buildings that caught my attention when I had driven through the area a week prior was a blue building with an old car inside. Since the buildings that surrounded it were all but abandoned I assumed that this structure was as well. I made it a point to search out this particular location simply because I thought it would be interesting to photograph an old building with a classic car inside. What I failed to notice when I drove by the first time was that C&C Mercantile wasn't an old abandoned store at all, but a flourishing antique store and art studio. It's actually the kind of place that my wife and I used to visit when we lived back in Southern California. It's a establishment where you can find everything from a stuffed bobcat to pink samurai armor and even a pop art portrait of Hugh Hefner. Someplace that is truly uniqu...

Last September I spent some time walking around downtown Shreveport taking photos . One of the areas that I found most interesting centered around a group of abandoned buildings on Texas Avenue. Today I traveled further down that road and I discovered an all but forgotten and mostly abandoned part of the city.  If you cross over the Red River from Bossier City on old Highway 79 you will find yourself on Texas Street in the busy section of downtown Shreveport. If you take that street through downtown you will eventually find yourself smack dab in front of the majestic First United Methodist Church with the option of turning left or right on Common. You will need to take a left and then an immediate jog to the right and you will now find yourself on Texas Avenue. This is when the landscape quickly changes from preserved historical buildings to an area that is mostly forgotten and abandoned. It is very apparent that at one time this section of old Highway 79 (Texas Ave) was a very pro...