The story of Hoy, a logging camp established around 1910 by the Long Bell Lumber Company, reveals a vibrant community nestled in the Louisiana woods. Built where virgin pine trees once stood, Hoy was self-sufficient with its own post office, store, doctor's office, and school. To efficiently harvest timber from remote locations, lumber companies created logging camps like Hoy, equipped with tents, boardinghouses, and portable company houses for workers and their families. The commissary, stocked by train, provided essentials, while local farmers sold fresh produce.

Railroads, called "spurs," connected Hoy to larger sawmills, moving logs, supplies, and workers. Unique to Hoy was its role as both a logging and turpentine camp, where "turpentiners" extracted pine resin before logging commenced. Turpentine camps were rugged and isolated, often manned by less experienced workers who faced demanding conditions.

Key figures and roles in the camp included "woodsriders," who maintained standards and order, and Charles "Charlie" Campbell, the camp superintendent tasked with community management. Campbell ensured peace and safety, sometimes intervening in disputes, such as a knife fight between workers that became family lore.

Community life was robust, with churches and schools for both white and black families providing spiritual solace and education. The camp's transient nature was evident in its move from Old Hoy to New Hoy once the timber was depleted, demonstrating the industry's need for adaptability and resourcefulness. Through tales like Charlie Campbell's, the legacy of these early 20th-century communities and their challenges persists, enriching our understanding of the era's economic and social dynamics.