By Davy Crockett New Book, containing the early history of The Barkley. Get it in your country's Amazon site Gary Cantrell (a.k.a. Lazarus Lake), of Tennessee, was recently inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. Most people recognize him for creating the legendary Barkley Marathons, arguably the toughest trail race in the world. But few understand that he once was a talented runner during the 1970s and early 1980s. His running exploits when he was in his 20s and 30s groomed his experience into the most famous extreme sports race director in the world, and into an encyclopedia of ultrarunning wisdom. To understand the complexities of the man, Gary Cantrell, before he became Lazarus Lake, one must learn about his background and experiences that led up to the birth of the Barkley. Gary Duane Cantrell was born in 1954, in Texas. His parents were Franklin Delano Cantrell (1933-2012) and Florence Earlene (Dishman) Cantrell (1933-2022) both of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were childhood sweethearts and married young in 1952. Their first child, a daughter, died as in infant. In 1954, his father joined the army and went to Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, for basic training. His mother went to live with her family. Gary arrived four months later in Caldwell, Texas, but the family still claimed Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be their home. His brother Douglas arrived a few years later. A sister, Lisa, was born years later. Gary's Ancestry Gary’s ancestral roots were solidly southern. His Cantrells lived in Tennessee and Arkansas for generations. He had ancestors who were among the early Colonial American settlers. First Brick House His first Cantrell ancestor in America was his 7th Great-grandfather, Richard Cantrell (1666-1753) who emigrated from England to Colonial America in 1682 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was at first a servant to another man, probably serving an apprentice learning to be a brickmaker. It is believed that he made the bricks for the first two brick homes built in Philadelphia. Gary’s 4th Great-Grandfather, Thomas J. Cantrell (1761-1830) fought in the Revolutionary War for North Carolina and was the first Cantrell ancestor to settle in Tennessee. He operated “Old Forge” in Sink, Creek, Tennessee. On Gary’s mother’s side, the Dishmans lived for generations in Missouri and Kentucky. His first Dishman ancestor in America was his 6th Great-Grandfather, Samuel Duchemin (1640-1727) from France. He came to America in about 1693, settled in Virginia, and Anglicized his name to Dishman. His grandsons fought in the Revolutionary War, including Gary’s 4th Great-Grandfather, Jeremiah Dishman (1752-1841). Civil War Ancestors Nearly all of Gary’s ancestral families were deeply impacted by the Civil War. His 3rd-great grandfather, Ransom Blades (1821-1901), who Gary must have patterned his beard after, was an outspoken Union sympathizer living in Missouri, favoring the Northern causes. During the war, fearing for his life, Ransom, a father of eleven, had to flee Missouri and went to Kansas. Other ancestors fought on the side of the Confederacy, including 2nd-great-grandfather, James Brashears (1846-1935) for Missouri, 3rd-great-grandfather Hamp Martin (1820-1902), for Arkansas, 2nd great-grandfather, and Clement Hunt (1839-1913), for Arkansas. Most of Gary's ancestors were not enlisted in the conflict but affected by the battles, lost brothers or sons, and had troops raid their towns. Childhood Gary's Grandparents and family Gary’s grandparents were James Allen Cantrell (1896-1983) and Lucy Cordelia Wilson (1899-1985) of Arkansas. In about 1918, they moved to Oklahoma, in a covered wagon and raised their family there, where James worked as a laborer on an oil rig and then farmed. Andy Payne Gary's father, Franklin, grew up working hard in the fields using mules to plow. as a child, he attened school in a one-room schoolhouse that he rode a horse to and from.