The story of the Southern Belle really cannot be told without the history of the Harry Elliott 

my  grandfather.  Harry was born in Centerville Iowa in 1907.  He married Carmella DeZorzi in XXXX.  They had one child Barry Richard Elliott Born September 26th 1932. The DeZorzi family was as you might have guessed Italian and had it's own history in Centerville see article below.  He owned a operated a  Tavern on the levee called the Club Cafe shown below.  That is Harry behind the bar.  Notice the pies in the case behind him.

In 1947 he struck out to make his fortune in what is now called Green Country in north eastern Oklahoma near the town of Grove.  His first endeavor was the Grand lake Sportsman's Court one mile south of Grove Oklahoma. The first picture is of the Sportsman's Court itself and the second is of Carmella Elliott on the right.

Present day Okie' Smokies occupies what was the main lodge when it was built.  The Court consisted of a main house a lodge and 15 cabins that sportsmen form around the country would come to fish and enjoy Grand Lake.  The Sportsman's Court is Resort #10 in the Honey Creek Resort Association Flyer below.  This flyer was found on ebay the date of publication is unknown but it had to be between 1945 and 1952.

In the early Fifties Harry saw another under served market on Grand lake and decided to build a Tour Boat as descried in the news paper clipping from the day and the flyer above. Below is an advertisement flyer for the Southern Belle.  This flyer was found in a book  in New Jersey the person who I purchased if from knew that his grand father used to take yearly fishing trips to Grand Lake Oklahoma.  

In 1952 Grand Lake suffered from a severe drought and Honey creek went dry and they bailed hay in the river bottom Harry Had no choice but to find another opportunity.  

He came to an lease agreement with the City of Tulsa and moved the Sportsman's Court to Lake Eucha south of Jay Oklahoma.  Later is approximately 1978 he purchased the Lake Eucha Trailer Park Where he lived until his death in 1986. Below is a picture of my father Barry Elliott and myself in 1991.  

The following article was taken form the Daily Iowegian

Oct. 31, 1918: Black hand letters, murders, suicides, threats and extortions were unconnected until the night of Oct. 31, 1918. At one twenty in the morning, the home of Italian immigrant Tony DeZorzi at the corner of North 10th Street and West Van Buren, just off the Square, was blown apart by dynamite. The family escaped serious injury. DeZorzi showed the police three letters he’d received in the last weeks, all signed with a hand imprinted in black ink. The first was postmarked from a town in Pennsylvania, the last two from Chicago. All three demanded money in increasing amounts, the last for $16,000. All included death threats. Bloodhounds brought from Agency, near Ottumwa, followed a trail down alleyways and across streets from the DeZorzi house to the home of Frank Danna, the dance hall owner, already under suspicion for his involvement in the murder of Pearl Traxler. Sam Falzone was charged along with Danna. More Black Hand letters appeared — at Rathbun; to Centerville businessman Noah Ressler to put $500 at the back of Fisher Lumber Yard or be shot. They also went to Mayor Fox, who had sworn to clean up the town, and to Sheriff Gaughenbaugh, who was carrying out Fox’s directive. (255-256)