Moving to Council Hill
James R. "JR" Barnes left for Indian Territory during the spring or early summer of 1901. The local gossip said a hard-working man could make good money baling hay in Indian Territory. JR wanted to go, but he wanted someone to ride with him into the Indian nations in search of work. In a store in Commerce, Texas one day, William B. "Bud" Gray overheard another man refuse JR's proposal. Bud then asked if he could go.
Bud and JR found work on the Matt Sappington ranch where the future town of Council Hill sprung up a few years later. The two worked well together all summer in Sappington's hay fields. In the process, JR and Bud became fast friends and agreed to return for the 1902 haying season.
JR and Bud returned to Sappington's farm early the next summer. As the baling season ended, Bud and JR decided to return to Texas. Sappington thought they were good workers and offered them a place to stay during the coming winter if the came back. On their way south, the two Texans decided they wanted to move to Indian Territory permanently.
The Barnes family left their home near Parris, Texas heading north in late October. JR drove the wagon pulled by a team of mules. His wife drove the wagon pulled by a pair of chestnut horses. The five other wagons carried Bud and his extended family. Altogether, there were 24 persons with surnames of Barnes, Gray, Coker, Toone and Hicks who made the journey. Forty head of cattle accompanied them on the trip.
When the wagons reached the Red River, they took the ferry across. Everything was going fine until Duff Coker's mules turned balky. They stubbornly refused to get on the ferry. It took three men pulling a mule harness, and another pushing, to get the mules aboard. The mules were so spooked that they almost jumped into the Red River pulling man and wagon with them. The trip across the river was a scary time because the mules would not quiet down.
The families traveled up the west side of the Kiamichi River, fording tributaries as they reached them. Each time, the horses had to be spurred into the creeks and streams. The men and boys herded the cattle as they crossed to prevent them from being washed down stream.
At McAlester, the wagons reached the Texas Road. From that point, they followed a well-beaten path toward Muskogee. It took about two weeks to finally reach Matt Sappington's ranch north of Checotah. Each night during the trip, the travelers camped under the stars or under the wagons. They arrived at Sappington's on November 2, 1902.
The following months were cold ones. The family cattle remained close to the houses that winter. They bawled day and night because they were hungry. The children remembered it as another scary time.
Aldena Powell's father was the youngest child on the wagon train. As an adult, he had a keen wit and enjoyed storytelling. It was from him that Aldena learned how her family came to the Council Hill area. She is working on her family history. It will include more stories about the Council Hill area.
Bud and JR found work on the Matt Sappington ranch where the future town of Council Hill sprung up a few years later. The two worked well together all summer in Sappington's hay fields. In the process, JR and Bud became fast friends and agreed to return for the 1902 haying season.
JR and Bud returned to Sappington's farm early the next summer. As the baling season ended, Bud and JR decided to return to Texas. Sappington thought they were good workers and offered them a place to stay during the coming winter if the came back. On their way south, the two Texans decided they wanted to move to Indian Territory permanently.
The Barnes family left their home near Parris, Texas heading north in late October. JR drove the wagon pulled by a team of mules. His wife drove the wagon pulled by a pair of chestnut horses. The five other wagons carried Bud and his extended family. Altogether, there were 24 persons with surnames of Barnes, Gray, Coker, Toone and Hicks who made the journey. Forty head of cattle accompanied them on the trip.
When the wagons reached the Red River, they took the ferry across. Everything was going fine until Duff Coker's mules turned balky. They stubbornly refused to get on the ferry. It took three men pulling a mule harness, and another pushing, to get the mules aboard. The mules were so spooked that they almost jumped into the Red River pulling man and wagon with them. The trip across the river was a scary time because the mules would not quiet down.
The families traveled up the west side of the Kiamichi River, fording tributaries as they reached them. Each time, the horses had to be spurred into the creeks and streams. The men and boys herded the cattle as they crossed to prevent them from being washed down stream.
At McAlester, the wagons reached the Texas Road. From that point, they followed a well-beaten path toward Muskogee. It took about two weeks to finally reach Matt Sappington's ranch north of Checotah. Each night during the trip, the travelers camped under the stars or under the wagons. They arrived at Sappington's on November 2, 1902.
The following months were cold ones. The family cattle remained close to the houses that winter. They bawled day and night because they were hungry. The children remembered it as another scary time.
Aldena Powell's father was the youngest child on the wagon train. As an adult, he had a keen wit and enjoyed storytelling. It was from him that Aldena learned how her family came to the Council Hill area. She is working on her family history. It will include more stories about the Council Hill area.
Labels: Council Hill, Duff Coker, James R. JR Barnes, Matt Sappington, William B. Bud Gray
posted by Wally Waits at
3:50 PM
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