Roy, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Roy, also known as Roytown, is a community located about 2 miles south of Castor, Louisiana
in the United States
. Roy is the community that grew around the former Martin Timber Co. sawmill
. The community was named after Roy O. Martin, the owner of the Martin Timber Co.
and gasoline
station were located directly across from the sawmill. A general store
was located about a mile south from the sawmill. During this time, the grocery store was referred to as a commissary. Sometime later quarters were built along Hwy 153 for workers. The majority of people living around the sawmill worked for it. The Kansas City Southern Railroad had a track that ran near the sawmill, and a spur line was used to connect the railroad to the sawmill for shipping lumber.
In 1952 a tornado
came from the direction of Black Lake Bayou
. Moving north the tornado destroyed the sawmill and housing quarters. The gas station, grocery store and nearby general store managed to survive the storm.
The sawmill was rebuilt, and stayed in operation until an employee death in the late '90s forced the lumber
company to shut down.
The grocery store burned. So much damage was done to the store it was eventually torn down.
The gas station had become a tire and lube shop, but in the 1990s it went out of business.
The general store closed in the 1970s; however, another general store was built behind it. This general store went out of business in 1990.
Business in the area include a gas station and bar that came to the area in the '70's; however another bar, built in the late '90's, is also open.
Roy uses the same ZIP code
and phone numbers as residents from Castor. The children and teenagers of this area go to Castor High School.
Nelson Creek a branch of Black Lake Bayou
runs through Roy.
Castor, Louisiana
Castor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Roy is the community that grew around the former Martin Timber Co. sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. The community was named after Roy O. Martin, the owner of the Martin Timber Co.
History
A grocery storeGrocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
and gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
station were located directly across from the sawmill. A general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
was located about a mile south from the sawmill. During this time, the grocery store was referred to as a commissary. Sometime later quarters were built along Hwy 153 for workers. The majority of people living around the sawmill worked for it. The Kansas City Southern Railroad had a track that ran near the sawmill, and a spur line was used to connect the railroad to the sawmill for shipping lumber.
In 1952 a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
came from the direction of Black Lake Bayou
Black Lake Bayou
Black Lake Bayou is a waterway in northwest Louisiana, USA, that extends from north of Gibsland and travels south to Clarence. The watershed covers much of northwest Louisiana. The bayou meanders its way through Claiborne Parish, Webster, Bienville, Red River and Natchitoches parishes...
. Moving north the tornado destroyed the sawmill and housing quarters. The gas station, grocery store and nearby general store managed to survive the storm.
The sawmill was rebuilt, and stayed in operation until an employee death in the late '90s forced the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
company to shut down.
The grocery store burned. So much damage was done to the store it was eventually torn down.
The gas station had become a tire and lube shop, but in the 1990s it went out of business.
The general store closed in the 1970s; however, another general store was built behind it. This general store went out of business in 1990.
Present day
Most of the area that was once open country and is now dense thicket.Business in the area include a gas station and bar that came to the area in the '70's; however another bar, built in the late '90's, is also open.
Roy uses the same ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
and phone numbers as residents from Castor. The children and teenagers of this area go to Castor High School.
Geography
Roy's coordinates are 32°13′26″N 93°09′07″WNelson Creek a branch of Black Lake Bayou
Black Lake Bayou
Black Lake Bayou is a waterway in northwest Louisiana, USA, that extends from north of Gibsland and travels south to Clarence. The watershed covers much of northwest Louisiana. The bayou meanders its way through Claiborne Parish, Webster, Bienville, Red River and Natchitoches parishes...
runs through Roy.