, J, C, INTERVIEW ' ' 8310

Transcription

1 , J, C, INTERVIEW ' ' 8310

2 - 8 - % -. / - /Form A-(S BIOGRAPHY FORM ' ' ' WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION ' * Indian-Pioneor History Project for Oklahoma 64 GILLBREATH, J. C. INTERVIEW, 8310 Fitld Worker's name Maude M. Fink, this, report made on (datj?)- 13, o / Name &r. J. C. Gillbr^eth Post Office Address -Veath»r.ford, Oklahoma \ \ a. Recidcnco oddress (or locntion) 106 East Rainey 4. DATE OF BIRTH: Month "ecember Day' IB Year 1B75 5. Pla^e of birth".veshington County, Arkensas 3 6. Name of Father S. D. Gillbreath Place of birthkashinkton. ATkansas. OtLer inf ormat ion f^bout father Merchant and* fermer! * ;7. Name of Mother Susan Billjingsley! Place of birth Washington, Other information about mother Notes or complete narrative tty the field worker dealing with the life and story of the person interviewed. Refer to Manual for sus t 'cs4od subjects and questions. Continue on plank sheet a if necessary and attach firmly to this form. Number of sheets! attached,.

3 GILLBREATH, J. C. INTERVIEW, 8310 Investigator, Intervi-ew with Maude M. Fink, August 13, r- I Mr. J. C. Gillbreath, flea the rf orflr~0klah oma. Mr. Gillbreeth came from Fayetteville, Arkansas, and ; * arrived in Oklahoma City, JenuWy 17, He worked i for a while for Chick Means «/ho had a Government contract for wood at Fort Eeno. Mr. Gillbreath killed his first * r at Council Grove. His father and older'brothers came along. Mr. Gillbreeth was not old enough to file. The 19th of April they drove cattle from Minco to the county line Ea6t and North of Old Rogers when the Run started. After the Run Mr.GIllbjeath's father a^d brother filed five miles East and two miles NoFtiriaf^A.rapaho^- Mr.Gill, breath's father was one of ttie old Co\intyMoaJmi88i~oiier6, Inter elected County Judge, also worked in the County Treasurer's office a few days. After the Opening the Arapaho people put up tents, butone afternoon a storm came uo from the northwest and blew

4 ^' GILLBREATH, J. C. INTERVIEW the tents down. N o one was hurt. Joe Malone was sheriff. An Indian "herdldwed" some! cattlemen's horses for eating their crops. The cattlemen went after their horses. An Indian^! lied Breeding, shot Carter's bridle rein in two', they put grass on Breeding's body and burned the clothes off of it. The Indian who killed Breeding was shot' next day the cowboys and settlers called the soldiers from Fort *eno and the racket was settled without jany more disturbance. They hauled!corn to El Reno and sold it for 30 cents a bushel. J In 1893 Mr. Gillbreath's brother bought the f i r s t * lumber in CusterlCounty. He had fifteen acres in sod wheat and made two,hundred bushels, iiir 1893 he had the best corn in the country. People burnedcorn for fuel 1,corn and wheat V '- ' - *-..- / were the main crop. \No cotton was planted but^flour and w«rre atnbarrenot--they. J^eXghted from Minco. ^ _, There was not anything\west 'of El Reno until you got. to - in Arapaho', everybody live^d in dugouts; once/a""while there waa a box house. \ ' Red Buck was killexl-in 1896, in a robbery. Ihe officers' tried to trap them 4 GlovAr's ranchj the officer ordered

5 INTERVIEW j ' than to put up their, Jj^nds. The outlaws, killed Glover and then went over to "Pickle" Salmon's ranch.where they were trapped in a dugout. Next morning, they weret.old to put up their hands; Red Buck was killed and Miller's arm "was shot off, that is why he was called "Hooked" Miller, he had-a hook for an arm. Mr.Gillbreath drove cattle from Arkansas; he was Misftly-thre^^^i^on the roactf They w,auld swim cattle across the Grand JUver and the Arkansas-"^Biver. The ferryman wanted" more than they could pay to ferry them- across. There wes lots of deer on Deer Cre»k and the South Canadian River. There was plenty of,game in the Western country and many rattlesnakes. One fellow vg >t bitten by a sn&ke; the doctor cut a gash both ways and filled his mouth full of tobacco v - ; and sucked the wound. Then he put soda and turpentine on the wound. Bill Mackinturf, east of Hammon ffve mfles^a T herd lawed some cattle which belonged to the Lane boys. The old couple were sleeping id the yard. These Lane boys began to cut the wire to let tne cattle out, the old lady heard the click of the wire,' tie old man got uplon all-fours

6 GILLBHEATH, J. C,. INTERVIEW, 8310 and the boys killed Him. He lay there until next day, when an inquest was held. They sent the boys to the penitentiary. One of them was later released on account of heart trouble and he died a few days later." one of the Lane boys was holding a horae seven miles away and he also was found guilty and was sent t«> the "Pen" for four years* \ Northwest of Hemmon a cowboy named Herring was killed in camp there having been a dispute over pay. Mr* Herring was working for, Mr. fiollon and.they shot at each other. A man, if Croger, shot Mr. Herring in the back. The^case against him was fought in court for a few years but they finally turned hiji s loose. \ Mail was brought from El Reno by heck and pony. '. There was a jgfcage stand at. the mouth of Deer Creek; Cakely had the first contract, Robertson had the second contract. They freighted from El Reno and mnco to Arapaho* Mr. Storms shipped things from Nebraska; seventeen wagons.went to Minpo. ' The first election they had in Ouster County there were ' less than two hundred votes oast. It was them Old Greer County. 1ST, 6illbreath*s father was elected Commissioner getting ninetythree votes. ' \ 1

7 GILLBREATH, J. C. INTERVIEW ' ^.. There were sod school houses; feummitt was ten miles east of Arapabo. There was a school end church in, the neighborhood. These were tlie first frame buildings. 1 In 1895 a school was built west of -Butler, a school house was built out of cottonwood lumber'. For entertainment there were "liteiaries 1 on Friday nights. In 1998 we v». built a school and church at Samviile, the lumber being hauled from Elk City. Mr. Gillbreath drove the chuck wagon; he was too young to make the Bun. The Run for townsites opened at three o'clock and for homes at twelve o'clock. You could get a town and home site,both. Could tell range and townsite by the maps. There were very few squat- *ters in this country; but there was land enough for' m * 4 &... all who came. There were no bridges, and the roads were broken a little; people followed old trails end early roads made by the Indians. Settlers soon made roads leading to r town. There were no fences and people just cut across the pastures, 'tfl-.en people wanted to go any place where thsre was no roed", they would cut across and hunt ' for t place to ge.t-across rivers and creeks.

8 GILLBREATfl, J. C.. INPEHVlffiW, * -6-» In the early days there was a little store at Independence, and the first cotton gin in the county was at Independence. When cotton was picked there would be sixty or seventy bales waiting to be ginned. They could gin twenty to twenty-five bales a day. Mr. Gllbreath took three bales to'arapaho to be ginned, and hauled it to El Reno to sell. Things were cheap and money went a long way. Flour was 1,50 a hundred} Arbuckle Coffee was eight or ten pounds for. $ ' J, B. Nickle wasour filing judge; Cleminger was first filing judge at Arapaho.