OKGenWeb Notice: These
electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by any other organization or persons. Presentation here
does not extend any permissions to the public. This material may not
be included in any compilation, publication, collection, or other reproduction
for profit without permission.
The creator copyrights ALL files on this site. The files may be
linked to but may not be reproduced on another site without specific
permission from the OKGenWeb
Coordinator, [okgenweb@cox.net],
and their creator. Although public
information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in
which they are presented, the notes and comments, etc. are. It is,
however, permissible to print or save the files to a personal
computer for personal use ONLY. |
|
Indian Pioneer Papers - Index
Indian Pioneer
History Project for Oklahoma
Date: September 29, 1938
Name:
James Madison Blakley, Sr.
Post Office: Supply,
Oklahoma
Residence Address:
Date of Birth: December 8, 1844
Place of Birth: Athens County, OH
Father:
Place of Birth:
Information on father:
Mother:
Place of birth:
Information on mother:
Field Worker:
Alson J. Chase
Interview #8743
Volume 66
An Interview with Mr. JAMES MADISON BLAKELEY, SR.
Date of Birth: December 8, 1844 in Athens County, OH
R.I., Supply, Oklahoma
In 1869 he commenced to punch cattle and continued doing this for four years.
In 1908 he decided to come to Oklahoma (Ellis Co.) and go into the cattle business so he loaded his family into a covered wagon and came and settled on a hundred and sixty acres southwest of Fort Supply where his first house was part board and part dugout.
His first well he dug by hand and got plenty of water at twelve feet but the location was bad, so later Mr.
Blakley dug another well out in the field and again got plenty of water at thirty feet. He later abandoned this well and dug one by the house. When he was down about sixty feet, he struck
[what was] called a cap-rock. They used a little old hand drill and kept trying to get through the rock and one day Mr.
Blakley went into the house to cook dinner and left his son out in the well when he heard him shouting so he went out and the boy had gotten through the rock and the water was shooting up out of the well. Mr.
Blakley dropped a rope down and rescued his son before the water rose too high. It rose about twenty feet. However, this was not good water-it was gip water.
Then Mr. Blakley started his fourth well a short distance from this last one, and again hit the cap rock, but when getting through it they did get good water at last. The water only stands about eight inches deep in the well, but Mr.
Blakeley has a windmill up and always has water as the well never was dry.
Mr. Blakeley was an early day Baptist Minister. He never did go into the cattle business on account of finances.
In 1902 a horse fell on his sons leg and badly crushed it; the boy had to be taken to Wichita to the hospital, and remained there six months.
Times were hard and Mr. Blakeley had to borrow $165.00 in order to pay his son's hospital bill and bring him home so he went to Woodward, to the Gerlach Bank to borrow the money. He got the money, agreeing to pay 2 percent interest per month, but he had to get fourteen of his neighbors and friends to go on his note. Mr. Blakeley is a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and has been a Mason for forty-five years.
His crops were keffir and broom corn mostly and some wheat. He had just a few cattle and worked out at anything he could get to do. He cut cedar posts and sold them.
Mr. Blakeley is now ninety-three years old but still lives on his farm although he is not very active. He can still drive his car and has a new Oklahoma drivers license.
Submitted to OKGenWeb by Glenda S. Nothnagle, great great grand daughter,
August 2001.
|