(&TES f -JOENSON. INTERVIEW 940*.

Transcription

1 (&TES f -JOENSON. INTERVIEW 940*.

2 Form" A-(S-.BIOGRAPHY 70R? f ''ORKS PROGR^S AD!'TIS?RA?ION Indian-Pioneer History project for uklahoraa CAI^BS, JOHNSON ' USTERV1EW 9404 Jasper H«MeaA Field Worker's name December 11, 1937 this report made on (date). 1. Name Johnson 2. Post office Address -,. _ 3. Residence address (or location) 3io south ana st M 4. DATE 0? '1IRTH: :'onth. Day Year Chicago, Ittllnola 5. Place of birth ' ' Sam 6. Name of Father Place.of f.birth Other informalion uboiit father lacy Hewby at tfie ago of Nair^e of!'other ' Place olf birth ^ &$%ft Q^ ^6 ago of 90 Other information about mother Totes or complete narrative by the field worker dealing with the life and story of the person interviewed. Refer to Manual for suggested subjects.dhd questions. Continue on blank sheets if necessiry and attach Tirmly to this form. Number of sheets attached

3 358. GATES, JOHNSON.INTERVIEW 9404 ^ Jasper H. Me&d, Investigator, December 11, 1937* ', An Interview with Mr* Johnson Gates, Chickasha, Oklahoma. My name is Johnson. Gates* I was born in Chicago, Illinois, December ''4, 1862, seven ty~five years ago*. I came to the Indian Territory when I was thirty years old trnd the first piece I landed was where Pnuls Valley is now* Pauls Valley was a very small ploqe with two - stores nnd a little jack~leg blacksmith shop; there were four or five houses which were anywhere from one block to o" quarter of s mile apert* There was little fanning around there; in fact, there wasn't any, just small patches here and there; Tom Fuller patches as they called them then* Most of the land around there was ranch land, with lots of cattle and what they called wild horses; these horses were Just small Indian ponies that had run loose s for two or three years and some of them were claimed by different men but had never been ridden* The main water supply came from dug wells and the Weehita Riverj we used to take a post hole digger and dig

4 3? 59 CASES, JOHNSON INTERVIEW a well nearly anywhere we wanted to, because it was just a few feet to water., <,. V There were a few Chootaw and Chickasaw Indians around there but they never did cause any trouble, but I have seen theft dressed in their native clothes, -' eating raw meat lots of times. If an Indian ever got into trouble or got on the warpath «ome white roan was always t'he cause of it* Everybody in those da. B wore big hate and pistols and a men's word was his bond. I have seen the grass around Pauls Valley so tall end thick that it was very easy for a tall man to get lost, unless he could tell where he was going by look* ing at certain trees* The cowboys who drove big herds of cattle across the territory were alwa, s glad when they came to the Washita River because they end their cettie both could get all of.the cold sweet water they wanted to drink* t Ihe Washita River used to be a clear running stream and the reason it is so muddy now is because there 1B SO.

5 - * CATBS, JOHNSON ' INTERVIEW, 9404 much of the land broken out; the' heavily sodded hills and pastures held back the red mud that now flowe 4nto the river* X have seen the Weshita River when you could follow the wild turkey tracks for miles end miles * up it and never feet your feet wet; there was just a small channel that you could jump across almost anywhere you wanted to, it was rather like the South Canadian River only not as big* X have livod in Chickaaha for jiine years; am the father of eleven children and have been a farmer all my life until I got too old. I now receive a small pension tfrom the State*