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M. J. BAYS |
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Field Worker: Jasper H. Mead I was born in the State of Texas, November 19, 1882, fifty five years ago. I came to the Indian Territory when I was 13 years old. The place we first landed was Dougherty. Dougherty is located in the Arbuckle Mountains and at that time was the roughest place in the Indian Territory. It then was a thriving asphalt mining town, having about four stores and a saloon and a bar-room. These buildings were made out of native stone and the stone was white and yellow streaked and in a slab form. Dougherty had a plank side walk which was about three feet wide. We also had a plank school house which was also used as a church house. The main line of the Santa Fe Railroad passed through Dougherty going south into Texas. There was a large rock crusher located in the mountains (Big Canyon) put there by the Santa Fe railroad company and here is where they got their crushed rock to ballast the railroad bed with. There were a few deer and lots of turkey and prairie chicken around Dougherty. There was no farming but lots of ranch land covered with tall grass and cattle. John Stephens and Joe Johnson were two big ranchers who has lots of land and cattle. The ranch work paid $25 per month and board. There were a few Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians sprinkled around through the mountains. The main water supply came from dug wells, the Washita river and Rock Creek. The kind of officers we had in those days were United States Marshals and they were looking for real desperados and didn't take them unless they had the drop on them. Belle Starr has stayed with my wife's cousin Joe Copes. She would stay with them when she was moving from one place to another. I have been and around Chickasha for thirty years and followed farming for a living. I am now in the butcher business. Transcribed by Barbara Giddens and Dennis Muncrief, September, 2000.
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