If all the public relations media releases by the Port of Caddo-Bossier are to be swallowed, then one would think the Port is a cross between Fort Knox and its gold treasury reserves and the Department of Currency that prints greenbacks by the millions.

And yet, many in its hometown know little of the wholesaler’s origin, as a Texas Street shopfront selling tonics and extracts, nor its evolution to a major player in the distribution industry. The Dicksons, the family that has run the business since 1899, value grit and gumption more than fame.

Walking bustling Milam Street in the 1950s and ’60s was a feast for the senses. Selber Bros. department store was front and center on the shaded street where beautifully decorated storefronts faced a movie theater and popular Chinese restaurant.