In 1942, T. D. "Red" Little was invited by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and International Paper Company to come to Alto, Texas, to procure wood for the inevitable World War II. He had been in the timber business in North Louisiana, where he was also a deputy sheriff. When he came to Alto with his wife, Etoice Duggan Little and daughter and son, Mary Cathryn and Jack, they brought 100 hundred black families from Vivian, Myra, Belcher, Pine Island, and other surrounding Louisiana towns. He purchased a grocery store and home at that time on North Marcus or Highway 69, as well as the "camp" for his men which extended from present day Pearman Motor Company about 2 miles north toward Rusk, with the exception of Mrs. Berryman's house, which sat where the Alto Housing Authority sits today, and the McClure home, which was where B&B Foods is today. Mr. Little ultimately bought the McClure home, and his son, Jack, sold the land to B&B Foods and to Pearman Motor Company.

Little called his home and surrounding land "the hill" because it is the highest elevation in Alto, Texas. It is bordered by the Alto Cemetery, the 6th oldest cemetery in the State of Texas. "The hill" is now known as "Le Petit Mont Rouge," the little red hill (preferably the "red little hill" ). Mr. Little's brothers, Slim and Charlie, began as the Little Brothers.

At first the family lived in 1 room without an indoor bathroom. They were working too hard to bother with amenities. Food and building materials were rationed because of the war.

 Mrs. Little was the bookkeeper and operator of the T. D. Little Grocery Store. Big Momma took care of the children and cooked and cleaned for the family. Somewhat later a third child Margaret was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. The timber business extended from Cleveland, Texas, into Arkansas, and the family had to have 2 homes, one in Texas and one in Louisiana.

Little was given 2 prisoner of war camps for his labor force. Claude Pouland, the inventor of the chain saw, was employed by Mr. Little and actually learned the technology for the chain saw working with the German prisoners of war.

Little became the largest pulpwood shipper in the South for International Paper Company.

In approximately 1947, Travis Barron was employed to run the grocery store, when the family home was purchased in Vivian, Louisiana. Barron was employed there until his death in 1960. He was a friend and trusted employee of the family, and the kitchen of the Lodge was built in his honor. When the Lodge has a restaurant, it will known as the "Travis Barron Cafe."

At the Lodge there are brochures of activities of the area. This area has more historical monuments than almost any other county. The Lodge sits just north of the El Camino Real, the royal road, which was traveled by the Mexican army and by the original settlers of this area.