PLT OF C172 HAS LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATION; CANCELS IFR FLT PLAN AND DIVERTS TO NEARBY ARPT. UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT; THE LNDG IS MADE ON A ROAD SIGHTED ENRTE TO THE ARPT. LNDG ACCOMPLISHED WITH NO INJURIES.

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I DEPARTED BTR IN MY C172 ON A FLT TO PWA ARPT. A FUEL STOP WAS PLANNED AT SHV. A SECOND LEG WAS PLANNED FROM SHV TO PWA. THE NIGHT/DAY IFR FLT WAS CONDUCTED IN VMC. AT APPROX 1 HR 40 MINS INTO THE FLT; I RECEIVED A HDOF FROM FORT POLK ATC TO SHV APCH. I THEN CONTACTED SHV APCH 'ACFT IDENT 6000 FT WITH ATIS INFO.' ATC; 'GOOD MORNING; PLT'S DISCRETION TO 3000 FT; EXPECT RWY 14.' I REPLIED; 'OUT OF 6000 FT PLT'S DISCRETION TO 3000 FT; REQUEST RWY 23.' ATC; 'EXPECT THE VISUAL TO RWY 23.' TO WHICH I REPLIED; 'WE'LL EXPECT THE VISUAL TO RWY 23.' WHILE THAT COM WAS TAKING PLACE I MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE THROTTLE; MIXTURE AND TRIM AND STARTED A 200-300 FPM DSCNT. AFTER SCANNING THE CTL INSTS I LOOKED R TO CHK THE ENG'S PERFORMANCE INSTS TO CONFIRM THE ADJUSTMENTS I MADE TO THE ENG AND TRIM. I OBSERVED THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS OUT OF 'THE GREEN' AND ABOUT 1/2 WAY TO ZERO. ALSO THE TACH WAS ABOUT 200 RPM'S LOWER THAN EXPECTED. I WOKE MY ONLY PAX AND TOLD HIM; 'WE HAVE A LOW OIL PRESSURE.' HE QUESTIONED THE VALIDITY OF THE GAUGE. I REPLIED; 'THE RPM'S ARE LOW. WHERE IS THE NEAREST ARPT?' HE ENTERED; 'NEAREST ARPT' ON MY M-1 NORTHSTAR LORAN AND IT INDICATED '14 MI AND 170 DEGS TO RED RIVER ARPT (OR7).' I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L TO A HDG OF 170 DEGS; AND PULLING SOME PWR OFF; RETRIMMED THE AIRPLANE; STOPPING THE DSCNT. IN THE L TURN I CALLED APCH; 'WE HAVE A LOW OIL PRESSURE. CANCEL IFR. PROCEEDING RED RIVER. LNDG RED RIVER. REQUEST TO REMAIN ON MY SQUAWK FOR FLT FOLLOWING.' ATC; 'ROGER.' ATC; 'RED RIVER 12 O'CLOCK AND 12 MI.' I REPLIED; 'ROGER.' BECAUSE THE ENG WAS LOSING PWR AND RED RIVER WAS UNATTAINABLE AND WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF OPEN FIELDS BELOW; I ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG AND SET UP FOR AN EMER OFF-FIELD LNDG. I NOTIFIED APCH THAT I HAD SHUT DOWN THE ENG AND HAD SEVERAL FIELDS IN SIGHT AND WAS GOING TO PICK ONE FOR LNDG. APCH CALLED ME BACK SEVERAL TIMES; EVEN HAVING ANOTHER ACFT TRY TO RELAY TO ME; BUT I 'TUNED THEM OUT;' AS I WAS BUSY LOOKING OVER AND DISCUSSING A LNDG SPOT. THERE WERE FIELDS WITH CATTLE; HAY ROLLS; XFENCING AND PWR LINES. WE THEN SPOTTED A BLACKTOP ROAD WHICH I DID NOT; AT FIRST; WANT TO USE BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE TFC AND PWR LINES. ON CLOSER EXAMINATION; THE N/S ROAD WAS LONG AND STRAIGHT WITH PWR LINES ON THE E SIDE AND ABOUT A 1 MI SECTION OF PINE TREES ON THE W SIDE. ALSO; IT OFFERED A FIELD ON THE E SIDE OF THE PWR LINES. I DECIDED TO LAND N; AND GO FOR THAT SECTION OF ROAD; KEEPING OPEN THE OPTION TO SIDESTEP TO THE FIELD IF WE SPOTTED TFC OR PWR LINES. AFTER A CIRCLE TO A DOWNWIND AND BASE; I FOUND MYSELF HIGH AND HAD TO USE 40 DEG FLAPS WITH A FULL DEFLECTION SLIP AND S-TURNS TO GET DOWN BY THE TARGET LNDG POINT. IN THE FLARE; I HAD TO MANEUVER TO THE R TO AVOID A STREET SIGN AND THEN KEEP THE NOSE HIGH TO COMPENSATE FOR THE RISING ROAD. THE LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED; MAINS FIRST WITH A SHORT UP-HILL ROLLOUT AND RESULTED WITH NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. I NOTIFIED ATC VIA THE OVERHEAD ACFT THAT WE WERE ON THE GND WITH NO INJURIES AND NO ACFT DAMAGE. WE THEN MOVED THE ACFT INTO A 'LCL'S' YARD. I THEN PHONED ATC AT BARKSDALE AFB TO MAKE SURE THEY KNEW WE WERE OK.