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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma 
Date: June 15, 1937 
Name: Mrs. Mary Stumbo
Residence Address: Geary, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: October 26, 1860
Place of Birth: New Lisbon, Ohio 
Father: 
Place of Birth: 
Information on father: 
Mother: 
Place of birth: 
Information on mother
Interviewer: Augusta H. Custer
Interview #4508

I was born at New Lisbon, Ohio, October 26, 1860. My parents moved to Iowa in 1865. I lived in Iowa with Father, as Mother died when I was a small girl, until I was married to M. F. Stumbo in 1883. We moved at once to Dade County, Missouri. We were here only a year when we went to Western Kansas, Harper County. After a while we went to Meade County, Kansas. After that we went to the Texas Panhandle.

Trip in a Covered Wagon
When we left Texas we took all our earthly possessions in a covered wagon and had a man to drive our small bunch of livestock consisting of eight head of milch cows and some younger cattle, also a few head of extra horses. There were five of us in the family at that time, Mr. Stumbo's daughter by his first wife, who was nine years old, our son aged five and a baby boy who was placed in a clothes basket.

We milked the cows and always had plenty of milk for family use. 

One night we camped in the western part of Oklahoma and a band of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians visited our camp and asked for meat. We did not have any cattle that we wanted to kill. The Indians did not like this and told us not to go any farther south, as we had intended to go to the Colony. They told us to go north to Cantonment. When we were ready to leave camp one of the heifers that was a little lame could not be found and we knew that the Indians had made away with her. 

All day long as we traveled Indians would appear and we knew that they were watching us. That evening we camped a little early; then hitched up and drove on until after midnight. Again, the Indians visited our camp and when we were ready to start on the horses could not be found. Mr. Stumbo offered Big Jake, the chief, $2.00 if he would get the team. But just then the boy came into camp; Mr. Stumbo asked if he had looked in a grove of trees. The Indian let us know that the horses would be found there. 
We did not go as far north as Cantonment but took the Joe and Plummer trail and came to Dutch Jake's place. We were out of flour and bought some flour of Dutch Jake who kept a commissary where Indians were issued supplies by the Government. This flour we could not use as it was so black and had been kept so long. We were sure glad to get into Fort Reno where we could get some good bread.

The Claim
We filed on a claim four miles southeast of El Reno but at that time there was no town where El Reno is today. On the north side of the Canadian River was a town called Reno City. Some progressive men offered a townsite and this was the beginning of the town of El Reno.

We built a sod house on our claim; just one room size 14 x 20; the outside was just rough sod but the walls inside were ceiled with lumber and we had a board floor. Between Christmas and New Year's we put on a shingle roof.

Sod houses are made by taking a spade and cutting squares of the grass roots and dirt from the top soil. The roots hold the soil together. These are cut about 14 x 14 x 5 inches; these squares are laid like brick. They make warm houses in winter and are cool in summer.

Mr. Stumbo filed on the claim in November,* 1889. The next spring he broke up the sod and planted corn, millet and oats. That year we raised two crops of potatoes. After harvesting the first crop we planted the second crop the first week in August and had fine potatoes.

For fuel we sometimes used cowchips but most of the time we had drift wood from the North Canadian River. I never used a fireplace for cooking except when we lived in the Panhandle in Texas.

Social Affairs
The neighbors went in together and built a school house and this was used for a church also, I have a Sunday School Quarterly which was published by David C. Cook Publishing Company in 1878.

School teachers had to teach three months before they could be paid with county money. The neighbors made up this salary through donations.

Wild Game
We had plenty of wild turkey on the road from Texas to Oklahoma. Opossums were plentiful and they had to be watched or they would catch the chickens.

* Editor's note:
An old soldier had taken this claim during the opening in April and, as he had a right to do, left the claim for six months. However, he stayed away longer than the six months, and Mr. Stumbo, who had liked the land, filed on it. The old soldier never returned and Mr. Stumbo's filing in November 1889, was never contested.

[Subscriber's Comments: Mary's husband was William L. Stumbo, the M.F. in the transcript is in error. Mary Stumbo is the second wife of my great-grandfather William Stumbo]

Transcribed for OKGenWeb by Donald A. Stumbo, May 2002.