The history of the Town of Tullos began when early settlers composed of a small band of people from the John Tullos family settled along Castor Creek in the late 1800’s. The family, according to a 1948 written account, migrated from Chatham, LA, considering that the Chatham area was becoming too crowded and decided to move to a more “frontier” area. John Tullos was married to Miss Fletcher, given name unknown, and they had four children including Harriet, Henry (or Harry), Elizabeth and Lucinda.
The Tullos family practiced the Baptist faith and soon built a log church house with split logs for seats. It had log poles with a chimney on one end and wood shutters for windows. Brother Zack Cox, was the first pastor and he was succeeded by Reverend Ferrell followed by Reverend Ferdinand Snow. The church also served as a school with Ben ‘Pendarvice’ or Pendarvis being the first teacher.
In 1892, the M.O.P. Railroad Company built a railroad through the area and named the settlement ‘Tullos’ after the Tullos family. In 1949, one of the remaining family members was recorded as remembering a nearby settlement of Native Americans, including tribe members Jim and John Givens, on the Cochrane Creek who made baskets out of the nearby native switch cane and selling the baskets to the settlers. The indigenous neighbors also dressed deer hides and kept the settlers supplied with leather.
Timber was soon the main industry for the small town. Vast stretches of virgin longleaf pines were readily available for harvest in the 1920’s and business entrepreneurs took little time to cash in on the industry. Nearby towns such as Urania provided the sawmills and attracted a stable workforce for the Tullos and Urania areas. Log houses were built for the employees and rent was held from their wages. Workers were required to purchase all their goods and needs from the company store with resulting penalties if they purchased elsewhere.
By 1928, the Town of Tullos suddenly become an oil town when petroleum was discovered in a salt dome about 1500 feet under a stand of pine trees. A well was drilled under the salt dome and a mix of petroleum and brine was reached. The brine was discarded, leaving the oil to harvest. With the discovery, oil soon boomed.
It was quickly discovered by local laborers that oilfield labor was vastly different from that of the logging timber industry. It was dirty and more physically demanding, especially in the hot and humid Tullos temperatures. Many citizens and workers often carried a gun and engaged in physical and verbal confrontations, some even resulting in deaths. As a result, Tullos citizens were often labeled as “Tullos Toughs”, and the gumbo clay that mixed with rain resulting in gumbo mud earned the town the nickname “Mudville.”
The Tullos oil boom ended by the mid 1930’s and the town begin its transition into a stable community boasting two grocery stores, a hardware store, a drug store and other businesses including two churches – one Baptist and the other Methodist. Pentecostal revivals were also held under tents with large crowds attending.
WWII brought more changes as the young, single men of Tullos, soon followed by married men, were drafted to serve in the armed forces, and a resurgence of new oil wells were drilled for the much needed oil to support the war effort. Once again, oil was king in the small town and jobs were plentiful for the men who were not drafted into service.
Today, the Town of Tullos, with a population of 324, continues to be a close-knit and friendly community, with a small residential population where life revolves around family, faith and country living. Its peaceful atmosphere and hometown values make it a great place to reside and raise a family. Descendants of the original Tullos family for which the town was named continue to make their homes in LaSalle Parish, the timber still grows tall and the railroad tracks paint the landscape.
