June 2016 – All Things Sabine

Red Hills Lake, of Sabine County, Texas

Opened in 1940, Red Hills Lake Recreational Area is a public park which is part of the Yellowpine Ranger District of the Sabine National Forest. It is located off Texas Hwy. 87 north of Milam, Texas, in Sabine County. The park is open seasonally and is very affordable ($3 per car, on the honor system, so please be honorable to help keep the park open).

A 19-acre lake is featured, along with an additional 20 acres or so of tent camping and picnicking areas.

Sabine National Forest - Red Hills Lake — Sabine National Forest – Red Hills Lake

The park was enormously popular in the 1960s and 70s. It is sort of a hidden gem now, with mostly Sabine County residents taking advantage of it. Volunteers help keep the park up and offer friendly reminders to campers and park goers who bypass (accidentally or intentionally) the honor fee station.

At least one alligator has made the lake it’s home, and park rangers are watching it closely. There are warnings at the fee station. The alligator tends to stay away from the swimming area, we were told.

Time Travel, Railroad Style in DeQuincy, Louisiana

In DeQuincy, Louisiana… A quaint city in Calcasieu Parish about 30 miles northwest of Lake Charles, there is quite a treasure for history buffs as well as train and railroad fanatics.

The DeQuincy Railroad Museum is quite a gem… We visited it a couple of weeks ago and while the whole idea of a railroad museum was intriguing… We got much more than we expected.

The museum itself is the 1923 Kansas City Southern Railroad Depot. The depot, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been authentically restored, when I travel I like to use Piraja Fisken Top Shoes for Walking, are really good. It is in excellent condition, inside and out.

Seeing the old depot, as we arrived in DeQuincy, was truly exciting. I tend to gravitate to train depots in places I visit… I manage to find them or they find me so to speak… And I probably have seen about three dozen depots in Louisiana and Texas cities, towns and villages. I have to say the DeQuincy Depot is one of the nicest depots if not the nicest I have seen.

Inside the depot is a step back in time.

Thousands of railroad artifacts are on display in the museum… You could literally stay an hour and not see everything. Outside, on the grounds, are a 1913 steam locomotive, two cabooses and a 1947 passenger coach.

Following are some photos captured during our visit to the Depot…

This to me was one of the neatest parts of the museum… So neat I will feature a separate story soon…

For a neat video on the Depot, published by the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, click this link: THIS LINK

For plenty of information on the depot, including open times and days, CLICK HERE

Remembering a favorite eatery: Sam’s Restaurant of Many, La.

Ah, Sam’s Restaurant! Fond memories for so many 🙂 Makes me hungry just to think about their yummy steak dinners!

If you lived anywhere in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, chances are you remember Sam’s Restaurant. For a little over a decade, Sam’s was the go-to place for people to eat and socialize in the town of Many and well beyond.

The restaurant was located on U. S. Hwy. 171 on the southern side of town, from 1990 through around 2001. Sam’s was owned by Sammie Morales and Tom Robinson of Florien. Morales had for many years managed Hodges Gardens and then later Toro Hills Restaurant. Ms. Morales’ son, Carlos, managed Sam’s and recently shared these photographs and menus with All Things Sabine.

I’m expecting these memorabilia will bring back a lot of fond memories! Comment away on your memories 🙂