Notice of Copyright. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections

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1 Notice of Copyright Published and unpublished materials may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Any copies of published and unpublished materials provided by the Western History Collections are for research, scholarship, and study purposes only. Use of certain published materials and manuscripts is restricted by law, by reason of their origin, or by donor agreement. For the protection of its holdings, the Western History Collections also reserves the right to restrict the use of unprocessed materials, or books and documents of exceptional value and fragility. Use of any material is subject to the approval of the Curator. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections For citations in published or unpublished papers, this repository should be listed as the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. An example of a proper citation: Oklahoma Federation of Labor Collection, M452, Box 5, Folder 2. Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.

2 ACKLEY, P. P.! t

3 P.P.. -"' / BIOGRAPHY "JORKS PROGRESS ADf?ITISTRA?ION Indian-Pioneer History projects tor Field Worker's n Sthel lue Tates on (date) Jme 24th,1957 Name \ P.P.^^ckley 8. Post office Address Elk Clty y Oklahoma.. Residence address (or location) DATS 0? ^IRTH: r'cnth July Day 25 Year 1858 JPi&GeTot bitth ^ z 6. i'aae of Father Bfenjamla place of birth Ohio. "Other information ubo'it / 7. Name of t'other *******J*** Ack4#yplace...of birth Other in'formatio*! about mother or cwj&ete narrative bytlie field worker dealing with the life and stwy of the person interview^. v Refer to Manual for suggested subjects and questions. Continue on blank sheets if necessary 'and attach firmly to this form. Number of sheets attached. \ \ *. /

4 i.cnarr, p. p Ithel lite Yates Ii»ld Worker 6-21-ST la interview withvp, P. Ackley. Elk City, Oklahoma. ^ I.waa born injfeite Side,Illinois,in the year 1856 amd came to Missouri in We eame ii covered wagons and. made this our hone urntil My father was an Officer the drafted soldiers so that, kept him from going to war. We went from Missouri to Kansas. Kansas was a free country up umtil I went from -tfcera to Dodge City Kansas, and there I set a man who was going to Texas to start a sheep ranch; he had some sheep to bring down so I case with him. People -who were strangers were supposed to get a pass or permit to go through the Territory»o we got one. This was in the year of 1877 and was my first trip through the Territory. I was on horseback. DM government had all the tribes of Indians rounded up trying to civilise them; the Indians would live on the ^ plains in summer amd in the mountains in winter* Their food was mostly buffalo meat; they considered turkey as almost

5 AGSXEY, P.P. INTERVIEW nothing; at this tike there were forts all along the border to protect the people from the Indians and to hold the Imdlams in subjection. We came down the Chishola Trail by Fort 3upply. People were supposed to keep their stock right on the trail and not let them scatter oyer the country. We wintered on Pease Hirer close' to Quanah, Texas^ and in the spring we went on to Bowie, Texas, and then I left this man and went to hunt a job on a'cattle ranch and in May I started.back through the Territory with a * - ^^ bunch of herdsmen; started from the place where Wichita Falls is now. v / <rwe came north and- crossed Red River at Doan's ssing by ford. We had fire thousand head of cattle in the herd and twenty men and we had our grub way and carried our fuel.. We would tie a beef hide under the wagon bed and put. our fuel 1B that and would tie a jr*ter barrel on Hie side of the wagon. We would stop early to camp and to let the cattle grate and get the homes and everything ready for the

6 '#.-, P.P. INTERVIEW might, *md get the cattle sjrfctled for the might. Eight mem would sit up amd keep tfateh; two would ride at a time; oae would ride ome way and ome the other and they V would meet every to of tern/ The* e-two mem would ride a eertalm^mumber of hours 7 a ad them two more would ride amd / * r - they would keep this up all might so as to'keep all the cattle in the heed* fhey-did not rum,^the ramthes the way they do. / mow; they branded everything that could walk amd they would roumd up all cows amd calves the evemimg before amd pot the mothers and calves in a pern; they had two hundred little calves im 4he pen at one time. / I stayed tlbre amd worked for two winters and them went to New Mexico. The cause of the trouble betweem the cowmen amd the "masters" was that the cattle would get in om C ' the crops amd tramp and destroy the grain and them the cattlemen would mot want to pay the "masters" for the stuff which the cattle had ruined., I remember ome time when we were coming through the Territory I had \ Just bought a horse amd saddle aid at ome place there

7 ACKLET, P.P too were about a thousand Imdlams amd ome of them spied my horse amd was goimg to take it or make me pay him for / it amd I did mot kmow what to do so thj&boss told me to gire^tbe Imdltaf^i^teer which I did amd the Imdiams killed it amd took it to camp with them* Im the early days there was not amy cattle but the lomg-hormed cattle from the Kamsas lime to the Rocky Mbomtaima From Easter* Kamsas to the Pamhamdle was called the Gramd imerican Desert. We decided to go to Texas amd we m#de the more im corered wagoms by Wichita and crossed the Pawnee River, came to Fort Larnei} we came down amd across to Fort 3111 from Fort Remo amd came o* dowm and struck - the fashita River and wemt om dowm amd crossed Red. ^ A " / River at Doam's Crosslag where stands a monument Im \ honor of the Cklsholm trail that cost #, \ m i Rogers put $50,00 im om it; I had written him a personal letter amd he sent the $50.00, * (Mitor's Rote; This imterriew is sigmed«thisis the story of Mr* P.P. i-ckley, known as "the father of the Chisholm