Notes for: Mettie Morin STOVALL
My parents came to Oklahoma from Missouri in 1883 and farmed the Henry McClish farm on South Canadian River. They came by covered wagon crossing into Indian Territory at Baxter Springs and as I recall. The scene, a waste of vacant Prairie land. I wrote a poem once that was published in a little four-page paper that tells fully our introductory to the wilds of the territory.
We were living on my father's homestead (at the time of writing), near Lexington, Oklahoma, Cleveland County. It must have been around 1891 or 92 and I was lauded as very brilliant or somewhat smart. My father was one of the first lawmakers of Oklahoma. And I have a paper cutout showing the representatives of sombrero hats and farm suits. Anyway, many gala times were recorded along the along with strenuous ones.
Our settlement in Territory was near a trading post called Johnsonville (now Bryars, Oklahoma). Many incidents can be recalled around this store. Robbers were frequent and would raid if only to eat up the canned goods.
One time I remember of a scared farmer hiding behind a barrel in this kind of raid, accidentally fired a gun and killed the only one that got killed while he had his mouth full of raisins. The rest jumped on their horses and ran away.
I attended a 4th of July celebration in Johnsonville once and the rich ranchers’ daughters wore long trained dresses, danced on a platform all day long to two fiddles and a bass violin with a caller prompting the dances.
My folks’ latch string hung on the outside and many of the kind visitors came, the unlawful in disguise. We were kept the continual fear. The federal authorities at Fort Smith deputized my father to be on watch, and many names he turned in caused some battling.
Our last settlement was in what was called. Greasy Flat on South Canadian on Chisholm Cattle Trail where I have witnessed great hordes of cattle cross the river in one stream for two days at a time into the Oklahoma proper. The trail lies 5 miles South of Purcell, McLean County. And while living there, the Santa Fe was built through. And it seemed to those ranchers that the country was being torn to pieces. A remark I heard a mother make after her curious boy jumped on an engine and got hurt. That dangerous thing should be stopped. Running through the country trying to kill up people's children. At that time, it was an unwelcome improvement to those settlers.