GUNTHtJ WILEY. INTERVIEW I25B

Transcription

1 GUNTHtJ WILEY. INTERVIEW I25B 406

2 GUOTE&, WILEY. ' y msx&im. 985E, Form A-(S-149) 497 BIOGRAPHY FORM WORKS, PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION Indian-Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma Field Worker'3 name Ethel Mae Yatas This report made on (date) November JSth Name?filey Gunter 2. Post Office Address Elk Oity, Oklahoma. 3. Residence address (or location) 1115 West Broad^a^ 4. DATE OF BIRTH: 'Month September / Day 10 Year Place of birth Jacksboro, Texas'. 6. Name of Father Wiley Gunter Place of birth Mississippi Other information about father 7-. Name of Mother Barbara Gunter place of birth Other information about mother Notes or complete narrative by the field worker dual ing with the life and story of the person interviewed, Rofcr to Manual for suggested subjects and questions. Continue on blank sheets if necessary and attach firmly " this form. Number of sheets attached 8

3 408 GOHTEH, WJLEY. INTERVIEW Ethel Mae Yates Investigator November 15 th. 19JV7 Interview with Wiley Gunter Elk City, Oklahoma west Broadway. My parents never did come to this country, father died en 1 as a few months old, leaving mother a widow with nine ildren, seven, boys and two girls, I /being the youngest. I i My older brothers almost raised me In the saddle and don't know how I made it through; it must htve been the h*ind of the Lord that protected me. Mother was a pioneer widow on ttfe frontier of Texas a:id knew the hardships of a pioneer life. She and Esther ajre both buried in Texas., /" I canie to the Territory from Knox and king County, Texas, withrmy fiv e brothers, George,,Zack, John, Jonathan and Ban. that time; I was the youngest and was sixteen years old at this tfas in We came to "what was then known ais H County,'now V/ashita County, bringing with us twenty-five hundred head of cattle, seventy-five head of horses, one chuck wagon and six metf be-

4 GUNTKR,, WILSSf. MPEB7IEST.,» sides ourselves to help drive the stock,./e came up what is called the Chisholm Trail and forded Red River at Doane's Store and, came on across, the country and hit the Kiowa country. The Kiowas would be camped upon the ridges and when they would see the cattle down in the valleys they would paint their faces, \ rough up ' th\eir \' hair, ' put on their garb, get their guns and get on their spotted Indian ponies and come running and waving and telling us to go back. When they saw that we were not scared and we told them. that we were nbt going back.they asked, "Where is the 7<'a-ha Chief"? Then they held up their hands and said, Vust give \ - ' ' \ us one wa-ha and. all of the grass and water is yours.'; We \ * \ out one out and j^an it up to/their camp add an Indian ifyan \ came out of a tepde and knocked it in the head with an kxe, \ - \ " \ l The Indian women and children then came out and skinned\ it; in this way we never had any trouble with the Indians.?/e came oh and\ crossed the North Fork of Red Kiver the mouth of Big ELk, and came downvthe east side of Elk Creek; we were three waeks making.this trip as, we grazed our cattle as\ \ t \ \ it \ / \ \

5 " / GUETCEH, WltBT. INTERVIEW. \ we came,. The chuck driver knew just about how fast ji6 ' ' ' / travelled so he would go on ahead and camp and have/our suppers cooked when we got there. - We would divide our men in fours to stand night guard, four would ride a certain number of hours then wake the \ next four and the first four would sleep; in this way we kept guard,until morning? and the cattle would be full and tired. They would mill around for awhile and then bed down and the boys oould get down off of their horses and rest. We came on eleven and one-half miles "east and settled down and started a ranch known as the Gunter Ranch on a creek that was then known as Monument Creek. Our ranch i. "house was. one little room built five cottonwood -iogs high and covered with logs and dirt. I stayed here until fall and then went back to Texas and stayed.until the next spring at which time 1 came back to the Territory with about twenty-five hundred head more of cattle; c^a* the same route and had about the same experiences that 1 we hed the year before.

6 GDNTER,,/ILEY. ' INTERVIEW. 925a 411 I have ridden this country over and have e^ten many a meal with (. the Cheyenne and Kiowa Indians. I would'ride up to their tepees and t k ell them t&at I was hungry and they would give me my supper. I would then unsaddle my pony and spread my pallet and sleep until morning when they would give me my breakfast and I would go on my way. I stayed here through the summer months ^nd went back that fall to gather up what cattle we had left. I got a pasture and rounded a^ll the cattle 1 co.uld find ana put *. them in it. Myj brothers came.down in November and brought the chuck wagon ^and saddle horses. wanted to start back the next day. They were in a hurry and The weather was very cold but we got out to round them up; we would get one> / bunch rounded up and start for the prairie but they wei*e wild and when the cold vdnd would hit them t.iey would make lor ^he cedar brakes..j«finally gave it up and waited until the nert aay at which time we rounded up and-started out; we had" about nine hundred «head this time, iiverything was frozen over; we vi,fctered. our cattle at Pease Jiver and never got to water them any more until we,;ot,to Red River as all of the small st reams wars frozen

7 GUNTER', WILEY. '* INTERVIEW. * 9252 : 5 ' solid. After we crossed Red River we didn't get to water them any more until we got to Big 21k.,<e came by C;uanah, Texas, and Mangum; crossed North Fork of Red Hiver and came through th mountains on to Elk Creek by what was called the Comb's Store. On night we stood guard between th North Fork and Big " Elk; it was so cold we almost froze and we also liked to have lost our herd for they were thirsty,cold and wild and almost wont on a stampede but we finally made it through. On of my brothers got married so he and his wife lived in th ranch house and w boys wont there and ate our meals but slept down under a creek bank on our pallets in the sleet and snow and all kind of weather; we would build a camp fire and some way we made it. We ware among the first people in the country and there war no churches or schools and not any clothes fit to wear, and if ws had had clothes there was no place to go» What we boys did for pastime end stesrs and we had some time. was to ride wild horses There was plenty of wild turkey, deer, antelope and prairie chickens until you could hardly ride.

8 r ' % * GOKSER, WILEY: INTERVIEW.* v In 1897 I filodvon a- claim eleven ard one-half miles east of Elk City in i.'ashita County and made a dugout and walled it up with lumber. I had to haul my lumber from Geary and we had to go to Quanah, Texas, to get our tobacco. About this time a man came in there <.nd built a school house, and called it the Page Schoolhouse. There was a Sunday school started up and preaching once a month and in 1898 Doctor Jester held a revival meeting there; this was the first meeting held in that part of the country. In 1898 a family c,ame here from Dallas, Texas, by the name of Simmons. They had a daughter, Miss Sailie,who became my wife in 1899.» She and I had some grand times chasing coyotes; she had a good saddle horse and a saddle that had three saddle horns on it. 1 would "saddle up her horse and we t would get our greyhounds, Fly,-Skipper 4 n(i Sullivan; theyfarere unusually large dogs. We would start riding out across the prairie; the grass i was tall and the coyotes would not see us until we were close one { to them.?i'e would be riding along and see/itick up its head and by that time the dogs would have it spied and we would

9 GUNTEH, WILEY. INTERVIEW be off for a chase. 1'he dogs never failea to catch vary coyote that they started after; the coyotes were thick and they sure had plenty to chase. We had come to the Territory for free range and the grass was sure fine; some places it was higher than a man's head when he was on a horse. There was some of the coldest weather; I have ridden some days all day in the blet.k cold without any gloves and I did not know what it was to own an overcoat. One nighty some more boys and 1 were riding and v<ere almost frozen. \'ie saw a light up the canyon so we started for the light and kept riding up tne canyon until we came to it. It was a young couple living in the head of the' canyon in a little dugout; we told them that v<e were almost frozen and wanted to stay until morning. They took us in and we made our pallets on the dirt floor and slept. The next morning they gave us our breakfast and then we went on our way and we never learned the man*s name nor did we ever see him again. Those days people were far apart and they loved each other. Uhen we first came here the whole prairie was. covered with buffalo bones.

10 GUNTBR, \'iiim. BffEHVlEW. / ' " 8 My wife's-parents are buried in the little Page yard that is there by the Page Schoolhouse which still stands; this is in Washita County. We also have two cnildren buried there. Doctor Jester was our first doctor as well as preacher f and heaurelyhas served his country well. People had con» to the new country and never had much of this world's gootis, but he never failed to serve them, money or no money. We lived on our claim a number of years then came over in Beckham County and have lived in and around Elk City ever since. v