First of all this is red clover, so there will be no confusion.  Now sometimes the flowers will look a shade of purple in the sun but they are red clover indeed.

Now, after the first time of searching for our camp it gets much easier.  And, after you’ve been here a while it is said that your truck will start to find it’s own way home.  Cars as well, though it seems that pickup trucks learn the way home much more quickly.

“So What did Tait Tate do?  What was this great idea he had?”

Well hang on a minute.  Let’s talk about why this is so important first.  We’ll use the stories of our very own webmaster, Bill, to demonstrate this.

Years and years ago, about the turn of the century – we had another one of those not that long ago – Bill, our webmaster, came to the Cutoff for his very first time.  It was Fourth of July weekend and his friends Kieth and Karen Johnson had invited Bill to spend his “break” at the camp.  At that time Bill was working on the road doing telecom all month long, except for 4 days per month.

Bill, he followed the directions, but he had been driving all day.  Eventually, he ended up at Mhoon Landing sitting in front of Tunica County’s very first legal casino, Splash.  Well, Splash was closed by then, which left no one there to ask for directions.  His cell phone wouldn’t connect – it was a levee thing – and he had to drive all the way back to Highway 61 to get service again.  To hear Bill tell it he was a tired mess by that time.

Later on, when Bill moved into the Cutoff, his daughter Miranda came to visit him.  He gave her careful instructions, but then came the phone call.  “Dad, I’m lost.”  Bill ran across the levee in his golf cart to guide her in.

Well evidently, Tait Tate heard these sorts of stories, so during the winter-time he took measures to fix this problem.  Now Tait doesn’t really use the internet and he doesn’t get too far off the levee, except for occasional trips to town for supplies, so he didn’t know about the signs, or the map on the website.

“Well, get on with it.  What did Tait do?”

Alright, alright.  Tait got himself some red clover seeds and spread them along the left-hand side of the road which runs along top of the levee.  He stopped spreading these seeds at the yield sign, where the turnoff for Bordeaux Point sets.  In the photo below you can see the yield sign off in the distance on the right side of the road.  See it?

But after you make that turn the road forks left and right.  Well, Tait started seeding that red clover down the left side of the road to Bordeaux Point.  You can’t quite see it as well, since the grass does a fair job of hiding it, but if you look well you can make it out.  Fortunately the sign should be able to guide you from there.   At the “fork” there is a big yella sign pointing left to Bordeaux Point RV Park, with great big letters and an arrow.   And yet, as recent as last year Fed Ex has gone the wrong way and delivered a package to the wrong camp.  The right leads to what was once Charlies Camp, but now is Rickie’s – rather private – Camp.

So first time coming in to Bordeaux Point just follow the red clover, when it ends take that first right off the levee, and a left at the fork, just like the sign tells ya, and you will be home.  After your first trip in you are free to simply admire how pretty the red clover is, and to think for a moment about the elusive Tait Tate, who had such a wonderful idea.

One day Tait Tate came to work there.  It was his second job and he was 16 looking so forward to his first pay check.  He had already spent it and was over-drawn at the bank. This was great, five days work to clear 75 dollars!  You see Tait Tate had been the cook at the Hollywood Restaurant where Ralph Rubin spent most Saturday night singing at the piano.  His favorite song being Why Why Why Delilah singing with Muriel on the piano, and Bob Hall waiting next to sing Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak Tree.

Times were good for young Tait Tate having Mr. Rubin the plant manager at Pillow Tex and Tait Tate’s pal.  Tait Tate could do no wrong.

That summer Tait Tate wasn’t the only youth working.  There were 10 youth summer employees.  The youth would be always messin’ around with something.  But AD on line one was always the star employee.

Tait Tate and John Dulaney were always fighting or goofing off.  AD was always running into boxes that would have to be re-boxed by the two boys.  This was getting old and one day Tait Tate told John he’d bet $5 that he could turn off AD’s gas on the fork lift with out him knowing it.

Well the bet was on, AD rounded Broadway and John yelled at AD “hey dumbass”. When he stopped to look around to see who said that, Tait Tate cut off AD’s gas.  The fork lift went dead AD got off cussin’ and lookin’ for his wrench, another trick on AD.  AD had to walk all the way back to the shop to get the wrench to take off the propane tank.   Then back to the shop for Propane and back to the fork lift to put on the new tank.  Finally, he’d crank up the fork lift and back to work.  Well, it ran about 5 minutes and the two boys cut it off again.

Mr. Potter walked by plant #2 man and asked what was wrong.  AD told him he had replaced the propane tank that had run empty with a misplaced tank in the full rack that was empty too.  AD was all flustered when Mr. Potter said don’t let that happen again.  AD thought something was fishy.  Ad took the tank off, went and got another tank and put that one on.

Back to work, an hour later John went to pull the trick again AD caught him and was cussin’ mad. It was lunch time AD went back to the shop and got a piece of steel to use as a knife the next one to try to cut off his gas he swore he‘d cut their hand off.

Well about 3.30 Tait Tate tries again and this time AD saw him.  AD made good on his pledge but he misses Tait’s hand and cuts the gas line on a full tank instead.   Propane was going ever’where. Mr. Potter came by to see what was going on since AD’s work was all backed up.

AD was demoted to shipping clerk repacking boxes that John Dulaney had run over as new folk lift driver. Tait Tate was promoted to Ms. Gann’s assistance making labels for addresses on out going boxes.

What a life for young Tait Tate.

Tate county was dry and the Junior collage was about 30 miles away. We were opening September 20th, the first Saturday after school started.

We had a spy too.  Brother Chad was in school over there and he and his friends were giving out fliers for free beer. Opening night we were jam packed, with cousins Dooglefish and John Tait as waiters and bouncers it was almost more than they could handle.

Business was good all summer and the new semester brought more thirsty people.  One day Cousin Baby Gayle came up and talked to brother Bard about buying him out.  Our dad had passed away and that January and Bard was going back to school.  That was just right, so he kept the name “The Hollywood” and had live bands.  On weekend’s business was great, food was added and that helped out too.

Baby needed a cook.  I (Tait Tate) applied at 16, ran the kitchen and bought supplies.  One afternoon a girl asked could I fry a pickle for her.  I said, “Sure, how?”

Just quarter it, roll it in flour and fry in hot grease.

I did and that started the main attraction at the Hollywood; Fried Pickles.  This was new and different and with the batter fried onion rings, it started the fried food paradise.  Everyone that came ate lots of both and good steaks and catfish too. What a place.

It wasn’t long before Bob Hall came up talked to Baby about a partner. That went over great, you see Bob Hall was a singer, and a paint contractor, and he was the Delta Crooner.  He could really spread it on thick.  The women loved him, the food was great, and buses loaded with Memphians would come down for the night.  They would all sing with Muriel at the piano
Eat a good steak or Catfish and get on the bus back home to Memphis..

I courted my wife there dancing to Tie A Yellow Ribbon, Darkness On The Delta and more with Muriel at the piano, Bob singing and added The Turn Row Cowboy.  We rocked on for about 10 years until one night after closing  there was a grease and fire The Hollywood went up in smoke.

Keep your line wet.

Tait Tate

We couldn’t find any pictures of the old days, but did find some modern manufactured versions, to give ya an idea.

Next comes cutting switch Willows and nailing them onto pallets making them 3 deep for structure weighted with pyramid blocks dropping them in the deeper parts of the lake.

After that a trip to Helena AR for cotton seed meal.  Putting 15 lbs. in a burlap sack, tied off to bricks with holes, wetting the meal down so it would sour, and drop 3 of these in each mat structure.

The souring meal would attract the fish to the mats, both small and large fish.  Bait and supper for all.

You would give Mat maps to your best customers, so they would bring more customers to your ramp.  This worked well and on any given week it was easy to have 100 boats launch on Saturday.

The same went for the fishing dock, baiting with cotton seed meal was the best.  One mat sack would last a month. So you would do this all season until Dove season rolled around when most fishermen become hunters in the fall.  Then business would drop off until the next January and start all over again.

On this particular hunt our plan was to go to Harden Point Island, the care taker there was an ole bud, Sonny Cooper.

Sonny had commercial fished our Tunica Lake for years.  He had a barge and would ferry hunters to Harden Point Island during high water.  Sonny caught me at the ramp one day and said Anderson & Tully were through and pulled out and would not be back on the island till May.  We had a snow coming and Swampers were in all the tops of fallen trees A & T had left.

“Could you get us up a hunt, stay in his cabin on the island, and could hunt of an afternoon and a morning?”

So Baby Gale, Strick, Sonny, and I came over about 1 pm.  Sonny, his Weimreiner dog, and the three of us headed off the back steps.  It was about 1:30 and the Swampers were wild.  The dog was great, he would be on point and one of us would chunk a stick in.  The Swampers would break and run out of the downed tree-top to an opening and flatten out.  Ya had to take him quick  and one shot better do it.  You wouldn’t get another, he would be gone.  After an hour we had about 2 each, the Swampers so fat you had to gut ’em to hold more than two on your belt.

I was in a good spot but missed several because my pants kept fallin’ down, trying to tote more that two on my belt.  Baby said drop ’em in a pile at the road we’ll pick ’em up at dark.  So we hunted till dark when it started snowing.  The Swampers had scattered.  We’d picked up 15 in all, and headed back to Sonny’s cabin where we cleaned and skinned Swampers till 7.  We had them washed, salt, peppered and flowered ready for hot grease. With a bowl of hot gravy, some cat hayed bisquets, and some mashed taters.

We wuz ready for a feast.  Big ole Swampers taste a lot like chicken, but better.  You know how they say range chicken is so much better cause they eat wild things?  Well, Swampers ain’t got no sto’ or any folks to fix him no groceries.  So it’s richer meat, it was the best I had ever had.

Next morning it had snowed 3’’ but that warm cabin had the smell of oak wood burning in the stove.  We drank a big hot cup of black coffee – with 2 fingers of Bourbon in it – grabbed some rabbit hindquarters, 2 cold biscuits and out the door we went.  With a 10 mile an hour north wind comin’ off the river, ‘twas brisk until the hunt got started.

The old Weimreiner was hot, and he got too close several times, was almost a goner.  Sonny would have never gotten over shooting his prized dog, but it didn’t happen.  End of the hunt we had a total of 50 Swampers. Had a hunter’s supper at Grand Daddy’s Commissary.  To this day, all say they never ate so good.

Thank you Mamie and Margaret.

Keep your line wet!

Tait Tate

My uncle Bob found a sterling silver brace & bit one day digging for Indian relics on the property.  It was marked CHD and the family has always treasured this find.  It is now with a traveling exhibit in Brazil this month. However, it will be back come May for the annual Discovery Gala event.

This is when my Cousin Prudence rides the boundaries of Bordeaux Plantation on Ole Paint and makes the annual watering off the bank of the river, Ole Paint wearing the famous Silver Bridal.

This is soon followed by the annual Turnip Green Festival.  Turnip greens were the first meal DeSoto and his troops had, breaking bread with the native Indians.

Greens are always accompanied with “Hocake’s” – pronounced (WO Kake) – which is fried maize batter in lard, thicker than pancake batter, almost a soupy hush-puppy batter with salt and hot water and served with a slice of ‘mator.  And it’s always a good time had by all.

History given by cousin Tait Tate, of Hollywood, Mississippi.

Well the Cutoff probably drew 300 boats on a Saturday, all season.  The rest of the time 150 boats per day.

Well, land owners saw nothings but dollar signs.  he H & R Camp owners were an ole Timber family from the South Delta.  These owners, who were making a destination out of the Cutoff, put in a small run way in the wood for fly-in business.  The Cutoff airstrip can still be found today, but you had better wear boots, bring a machete, and find a veteran resident to guide you in.

Before the Casino’s came we always had gambling through slot machines.  The money from these were used to build out the hospital.  The slot machines were in the Blue & White, Watson’s Cash Store, the City Barber Shop, and most groceries stores.  In the hunting camps there was always a crap game on Saturday night.  Poker could be had at the Ray Bar, and the Round House at Poor’s Camp, which still stands today.

The Cutoff started the ole saying, “What goes on behind the Levee, stays behind the Levee.”  No truer words were ever spoken.  Lots of big businesses from Memphis had places at the Cutoff for entertaining.

The law wasn’t really allowed.  It was called if needed, but otherwise we were off limits.  This was where the well-to-do let their hair down, so to speak.  They say it started in the 60’s until today, just that way.

The Cutoff has no status, we are all the same, rich or poor.  We all love a good cold beer and a friendly fish fry.

Now the Cutoff for years had a stigma, but the flood of 2011 washed that away, except in some local folks memory.  Still though, to this day when the police are called they generally come three deep.  Legends die hard I guess.

I had a billboard on the highway.  People would call and I’d give directions.  1 out of 10 would rent.  After 2011 there was no one turning the place down.  The biggest problem today is that some don’t have an RV, however rentals are coming next year.

We’ve got what everyone is looking for.  It’s the “a” part of “pair-a-dice” and we have both, paradise or a pair a dice.  Mark Twain would feel right at home on the Cutoff today.

Safety, peace and quiet, pleasant, friendly, caring, or as we say laid-back.  Increase your life span and move to the zone of tolerance.

This ad is sponsored by the Tait Tate Emporium (Wear some boots)

The little man answered, “Acorndrum, I’m a Leprechaun, and I live in that oak tree by the back steps.  Dad asked, “Where’s your pot of gold?”

He said, “It’s up where my friend Squirrel lives, in that knot hole at the top of the tree”.

Big Bard called Clarence to come and see.  When Clarence got there it was just my Dad.  Acorndrum was gone.  On the ground were small foot prints where Acorndrum had stood, and a small corn cob pipe.

Well, Dad told Clarence all about him.  For months they tried to feed him cake and cookies.  He never would eat any sweets.

One day the man who trimmed the hedges was in the yard, his name was Dub.  They ask Dub if he “…had seen the little man?”

Dub answered right up, “Acorndrum?  Yes we are old friends, and he told me if I saw Bard to tell him to leave me sprouts, mushrooms, pecans and a pawpaw if it’s ripe.”

So they started packing lunches and leaving them on the bottom step next to the tree.  A few days later they found the paper bag was opened.  They looked inside and he had eaten the Pawpaw but left the seeds.

If you don’t know, Pawpaw grows in the woods, all wildlife loves a Pawpaw.  The taste is a cross between an orange and a banana with more big brown seeds than fruit.  The Pawpaw loves shade close to a ditch or lake, so ya take the seeds and plant them on the farm’s woods.

You know leprechauns are magic, they can blink an eye and be somewhere else.  That’s why you can’t ever catch ’em.

But one morning the brothers found a gold coin under the step and Tait Tate always wears it around his neck to this day.