Please note that much of the following article is pure speculation on my part, based upon what few facts that I've managed to uncover from various sources:

At the time of the lodge's construction, it was surrounded by thousands of acres of virgin timber. These would have been massive trees, of the sort seldom seen anymore in this part of the country. Since scattered parts of this acreage often held standing water year round, some of these trees were probably gigantic cypress. Dryer, slightly higher ground would have been covered with oak, hickory, and other hardwood. In all probability, there were also a few ancient pine scattered about. It's difficult to visualize this primordal forest after seeing what the area looks like today. Glancing around, one would never suspect that green giants stood here less than seventy years ago.

Faulkner's first hunting trip to General Stone's land was sometime prior to 1920, perhaps as early as 1915. I have been unable to establish an accurate date. Based on the condition of the lodge, I simply don't believe that the lodge is that old. My suspicion is that these early hunting trips were to a simple hunting camp. Just a small area chosen to set up camping tents. A place probably picked due to the existence of a nearby spring at the time.

As the General's fortunes rose during the "Roaring 20's" he probably decided that it was time to build a proper hunting lodge on his property. I did run across a reference to a "year round caretaker/cook" living on the property and he would have required a lodge to live in. My best guess is that the actual lodge was constructed sometime in the mid to late 1920's.

Access to the lodge was via the "Dummyline" railroad, which was a single track local line that ran between Batesville and Crowder. It was called the "Dummyline" because there was no way to turn the train around at either end of the line. Once the train reached Crowder, it had to run in reverse all the way back to Batesville. Even a "dummy" could run an engine along such a simple route, hence the railroad's nickname. Stone's hunting lodge is approximately 1/2 mile from where the train used to run. The tracks are long gone and a highway now runs down the top of the old railroad bed.

In 1937, Faulkner, along with two other partners, set up "The Okatoba Hunting and Fishing Club" after leasing the hunting rights to several thousand acres from General Stone. It is my suspicion that General Stone was already having major financial difficulties by this time due to the Great Depression and his last remaining asset was in all probability those thousands of acres of virgin timber out west of Batesville. In short, he may have outfoxed Faulkner. The General took the hunting club's money knowing that the timber would soon be gone, making the land undesirable for hunting. It's my guess that Faulkner neglected to make mention of "timber harvesting" in the lease. (I would love to see a copy of the actual lease and to read the fine print. However, I may be completely mistaken about all of this. Faulkner may have had full knowledge about the future harvesting, but I very strongly doubt it. If he had known what was coming, why would he have made the effort to set up a hunting club?) This soon to be worthless hunting lease was in all probability another major factor in the growing friction between Faulkner and the Stone family.

Sometime between 1937 and 1941 General Stone's property was clear-cut by a timber company. My best guess would be to place the actual harvesting in the 1938/1939 time period. It is established fact that by the fall of 1941, Faulkner had started going to Sunflower County for his annual fall hunting trip and to the best of my knowledge he never again set foot on General Stone's property.

In the post war era the lodge became a tenent/rent house. Families moved in and moved out as the years passed. I have no idea when the lodge was last occupied, but I suspect that it was prior to 1970.