Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: April 9, 1938
Name: Isom Hudson
Post Office: Eagletown, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: November 29, 1890
Place of Birth: Near Eagletown
Father: : Daniel Hudson
Place of Birth: Near Eagletown
Information on father: Sheriff
Mother: Sallie Hudson
Place of birth: Mountainfork
Information on mother:
Field Worker: Levina R. Beavers
Interview # 13679
The old ferry on Mountain Fork River was controlled; owned and operated by a man named MAMBBEE, who was a ferryman for many years. Just one hundred and fifty yards from a place south of the bridge on the landing on the west bank of the Mountain Fork River, Mambbee's home was located, just a half a quarter from the west landing and was a log cabin. I remember passing his cabin, going to see my mother's father, who lived two miles farther down the road. Mr. Mambbee had large apple trees in his yard and other fruit trees. We crossed on this ferry boat a good many times. My grandfather, Isom GOING, married Mambbee's sister, Akonatema Mambbee, so we visited them.
Mambbbee operated the ferryboat until 1895 when he died and then Governor GARDNER had charge of it and had a negro, Joe WIMBLEY, to operate it for many years. Then Governor Gardner's heirs operated it until the high bridge came through in 1922. This is a ferry on which horse thieves and robbers would meet their bad luck. The ferry man wouldn't let anybody cross on a ferry boat when the river was very high.
There was a ford on Mountain Fork within two miles of the place where it empties into Little River; within a quarter of a mile of the place where Mountain Fork empties in there is a ford on Little River but there is no ferry boat landing. The Indians call this crossing Boke Lawa Hema Akocha, meaning " Heap lots crossing."
The ford on Mountain Fork River at Hocha town, to which Father moved in 1890, has a very large rock lying right in the middle of the river and when the water was over that rock, the Indians wouldn't go into it for it was past fording. The only boat that was there was owned by a Choctaw Indian of the name of Burnett LEWIS. This boat was made out of a large pine log, hewed down flat out on all four sides with the inside dug out and squared and smoothed until it looked like a plain long wood box and looked to be about twelve feet long, hewed and smoothed until it was pretty. That is the boat that everybody crossed the river in; it was made by Burnett Lewis' father many years before.
Burnett Lewis lived on the bank of his dugout landing until he died in 1908. The ford was just fifty yards south of the low water bridge. Robson D. BEAVERS owns the place now; he has built a fine mansion there and has a nice little farm, raising cattle and hogs, right on the river place.
Date: March 16, 1938
Name: Isom D. Hudson. Second Interview
Post Office: Eagletown, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: November 27, 1890
Place of Birth: 2 miles east of Eagletown, Oklahoma
Father: Daniel Hudson
Place of Birth: Near Eagletown
Information on father: Stockman, officer, sheriff
Mother: Sallie Hudson
Place of Birth: Mountain Fork
Information on mother: Housekeeper
Field Worker: Levina R. Beaver
Interview #13249
James Dyer, Jr., lives two and one-half miles west of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He was born at Eagletown in 1888 of full blood Indian parents. He was educated in the country schools of that day, and at the Presbyterian College at Durant.
James Dyer forged to the front as one of the prominent citizens of the county and proved himself a worthy son of splendid parentage. When the question of Statehood came up in 1906 and 1907 young Dyer opposed the change, for he disliked to see the almost unlimited privileges of his native home and the old hunting grounds taken over by a people whose energies he knew would absorb them; however, he at that age could see the inevitable end aligning himself with the dominant political party, Democratic, he became interested in public affairs and as a private in the rear ranks, did all he could to further the interests of his party and the economical and industrial progress of his country, especially the agricultural interests as he is a farmer. In 1920 he was urged to become a candidate for the legislature and was elected to represent the county in November of that year. When the legislature met in 1921 he was at once appointed a member of several committees and began his career as a public servant. His services in the Eighth Legislature were such that his constituency returned him in 1922.
Notwithstanding the fact that his parents were of the Presbyterian faith, James Dyer and his family are members of the Baptist Church. He is connected with some of the oldest and most prominent Indian families.
Submitted to OKGenWeb by
Sharon Olive DeLoache
<deloache@intellex.com>
04-2000.