This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------25FB2A3CDFB7F713AE5E18F9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit -- Greggory E. Davies 120 Ted Price Lane Winnfield, LA 71483 [email protected] --------------25FB2A3CDFB7F713AE5E18F9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; name="minnie51.txt" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="minnie51.txt" Biographies: Minnie Breedlove, 1951, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. From: January 18, 1951 Winn Parish Enterprise "Minnie" at Lone Star Caf‚ Is Winn Legend In a quarter century of operation a caf‚ on Main Street in Winnfield, Mrs. Minnie Breedlove has become something of a legend, well known to practically all natives, and to hundreds of travelers and working people. Although her caf‚ is officially the "Lone Star", many people would not know it by that name. It's "Minnie's," and anyone who knows at all recognizes the name. Minnie seldom fails to bid each customer the time of day the minute he comes in, and tries to make him feel at ease with friendly conversation and laughter. Minnie and Mont (J. M. Breedlove, her husband), bought the caf‚ 25 years ago, as a temporary business so they could be in Winnfield near her parents, who were getting old and needed attention. "We never dreamed of staying even three or four years," Minnie said. They had come back here from near Baton Rouge where Mr. Breedlove was employed with an Alexandria lumber company, and have been in Winnfield since that time. The day after the Breedloves bought their caf‚ and started business, the Tullos oil field was opened. At that time, Tullos was not a town, and the only place for the great influx of people to live and eat was in Winnfield. The first morning after opening, the house filled up and was full for every meal. Oil field workers, speculators, lawyers, and all sorts of new people who arrived with the oil boom, traveled the distance each day from Tullos to Winnfield and many ate dinner in Minnie's caf‚. When they started, Minnie said neither she nor Mr. Breedlove knew anything about running a caf‚, but soon learned by simply staying with it, taking orders for the full house, and serving customers like old hands. They employed only one waitress then, and now a crew of five girls work in shifts to keep the place open from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight. Since beginning 25 years ago, everything in the caf‚ has changed with the exception of the cook, Luther Henderson, who was working when the Breedloves bought it out. All new furniture and equipment, with an air conditioner, has been added. Although Minnie and Mont have not children of their own, she claims to have helped raise a generation of youngsters in Winnfield. Her earlier "children" are grown and have families, but she remembers when they came to the movie theater nearby as small tots, and after the show came to her caf‚ to ask for "wawa." She still refers to them as her children, and the gang which uses the caf‚ as a "hangout", she calls "my boys." People treat you about as you treat them, Minnie says, and working with this in mind, she manages to keep order pretty well among the teenage group which does most of the hanging out. She told in an interview this week of several "bad boys," so called by some people, who have responded to her "golden rule" treatment. She is like a mother to some, stern when they deserve it, but ready with a kind word of advice at the right time. Mr. and Mrs. Breedlove both are members of the local Presbyterian Church and attend regularly. Mr. Breedlove operates a furniture store here and is a former grocery store operator. --------------25FB2A3CDFB7F713AE5E18F9--