Muskogee Co, OK

Turning Back The Clock

By: C. W. "Dub" West (c) 1985

Muskogee Publishing Company, Box 1331, Muskogee, OK 74402

Snippets # 11

(Pg 78) Rev. Llwyd - The Dean Of Muskogee Ministers The Rev. H.J. Llwyd came to Muskogee as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in 1906 to begin the longest tenure - 35 years - of any Muskogee minister.

... Llwyd was born in England but moved to Canada with his parents when he was 4 years old. His father was vigar of All Saints Church in Huntsville, Ontario.

As an adult, he came to the United States and was very successful in business when he received a call to the ministry. He received his seminary training at Wichita, Kan., and was assigned to churches under Bishop Brooke of Stillwater in 1899 and Pawnee in 1902 before coming to Muskogee in 1906.

...Llwyd succumbed to a heart attack April 13, 1941 .... [photo of Rev H J Llwyd]

(Pg 79) Carry Nation. The famous temperance crusader was met at the train by a host of porters Feb. 1, 1906. She wore a "poke" bonnet and carried a grip full of gold hatchets. She presented one to each of the reporters and had a special one for Uncle Bud Ledbetter.

Carry was an Oklahoma product, living at Guthrie and Shawnee, but carried on her "raids" all over the Midwest. Paul Philpin's parents rented a house from her and he remembers her coming to Shawnee between raids. He has a plate and one of her hatchets given him by the crusader.

It was reported that Carry "played to a full house." It was not necessary for her to use her hatchet in Muskogee, as Uncle Bud was ever diligent in making his raids. It was not unusual for the daily newspaper to picture him with the results of his confiscations. One account reported that he poured so much liquor into the street that it could be scooped up with a hat and that one individual reclaimed so much that he was hauled off to jail in a drunken stupor.

...Muskogee had its own Carry Nation - Mrs. W.S. (Laura) Harsha. She led the work of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which was very active.

[Oklahoma Press Association drawing of Carry Nation: [caption] Carry was arrested approximately 30 times! (Paid her fines from lecture fees). Hatchet Wielding, Bible Quoting, Saloon Wrecking, Temperance Crusader, Carry Nation, began activities in Seiling, later she moved to Guthrie from where she sallied forth to wreck saloons all over the country and attain National Noteriety!]

(Pg 80 & 81) "City Of Muskogee" Lauded City's Assets Muskogee boosters made their supreme effort to put this fair city on the map and to prove the Arkansas River navigable in 1908.

Shipbuilders in Cincinnati, Ohio, had been commissioned to build a boat, which was called the City of Muskogee. D.N. Fink headed a group of Muskogee boosters, who arrived in Cincinnati April 2, 1908 to bring the boat, appeared in the Muskogee-Times Democrat April 9,1908.

...The name of the boat. City of Muskogee" proclaimed to the world the boat's home port, and large banners announced it was "bound for Oklahoma which had the biggest oil and gas field in the world."

... A headline April 13th was: Boat up against it. The old silt-filled Arkansas River almost proved that it was not navigable, but their luck was with them, and on the 14th the headline was: Despite handicaps, boat will be home for restriction day. It was reported on the 17th that it was near Webbers Falls, and on the 18th, the short meaningful headline was: Boat home - is a dream.

...The City Of Muskogee had accomplished its purpose. The Arkansas River had been proved navigable, resulting in the reduction of freight rates, and Oklahoma as well as Muskogee had been well advertised.

The boat made daily excursious, using Hyde Park as a base, until 1912 when Joshua J. Harman bought it to transport freight between Muskogee and Little Rock. This did not prove too lucrative, and the boat was used in obtaining sand and gravel from the Arkansas, opening up an important industry in eastern Oklahoma. .. later sold ...

...The boat continued to make trips up and down the Mississippi River until Sept. 7, 1924, when it was destroyed by fire, going to its watery grave near Donaldsville, La., 'with her decks stacked with cotton bales, her guards loaded with hogs, and her hold filled with carbon black."

[Photo of The City of Muskogee]

(Pgs 81 & 82) Sawokia Popular For Socializing. It was announced July 5, 1910, that Alice Robertson had christened her new home, Sawokla, by entertaining postmasters of the state on July 4. It was a true house warming with Robertson acting as hostess as only she could. Many of the guests brought gifts as mementoes of the occasion.

Sawokia, meaning "gathering place" lived up to its name with people of all walks of life enjoying her hospitality. From time to time she entertained teachers, newsmen and politicians as well as her many Indian friends with whom she had become acquainted when they attended Tullahassee Mission or whom she met as she made her rounds as supervisor of the Creek schools.

She hosted the annual reunion of Veterans of Spanish American War and was elected an honorary member of that group.

[Photo of: Sawokia - caption - Alice Robertson's Sawokla, the scene of much of the Muskogee social life in the 1920s.]

Sawokia was a "courtin place" extraordinary. Former students of Henry Kendall College as well as numerous other young people were always welcome, and though Robertson never married, she acted as cupid for many couples. The following is an account she gives of one of her matches:'

...She operated a dairy and vegetable farm for many years, using the products for Sawokla Cafeteria.

When she became a social worker at the VA Hospital, one of the first in the United States, she offered to permit any of the patients who wished to grow vegetables at her farm, both for therapy and to be used to supplement their diet.

... The headline Aug. 19, 1925, was: Fire Wrecks Sawokla. Her pride and joy had gone up in smoke. Many of her relics had been removed a few days before, and most of the furniture was saved. She felt sure "some of her enemies had set it."

...Thus ends the saga of Sawokla and Robertson with all its pleasant memories and disappointments. The James C. Leake home presently is situated on the property.

[Photo of downtown Muskogee]

(Pgs 83 & 84) Crazy Snake and the Snake Uprising An article in the Oct. 20, 1900, issue of the Muskogee Evening Times Democrat announced: "Creek Conspirators Are Armed With Winchesters."

The Snake Indians, a group of fullblooded Creeks under the leadership of Crazy Snake, known also as Chitto Harjo and Wilson Jones, were causing trouble in the Creek Nation. They were determined to resist the efforts of the Dawes Commission to make allotments, with the feeling that previous treaties had been violated. The article mentioned several times the piercing eyes of Crazy Snake.

Crazy Snake and a group of his followers were arrested and placed in the Muskogee jail early in 1901.

... Posey made the following statement: "When the Commission of the Five Civilized Tribes opened the Creek land office in Muskogee in 1899, there was a rush to file by those citizens of the nation posessing the least Indian blood. Those people obtained the cream of the Indian land. Later the fullbloods began slowly to file upon their allotments, but in most every case, they found second- or third-grade land. The best lands lying along the streams and adjacent to the thriving towns had all been taken up.

"After it appeared that all had filed who would do so, there was a numerous remnant of the Creek tribe - the Snakes - which absolutely refused to accept their part of the domain in severalty. They were arbitrarily filed by the Dawes Commission upon lands in the western part of the nation, lying for the most part 25 to 50 miles from their cabins. These people had made their homes principally along the North and South Canadian River bottoms. Those people are totally unfitted to face the conditions that now surround them in Oklahoma."

Ironically, oil was struck on much of this land, and the Snake Indians became one of the richest Creeks.

Crazy Snake was in the news from time to time, making several trips to Washington to plead the case to his followers. ...

(Pg 84) - Muskogee's Famous Visitors. [Article lists the names of many famous people who visited Muskogee - Photos include: Amelia Earhart, Harry Truman, Jack Dempsey and Charles Lindbergh]

(Pgs 85 & 86) Street Cars Meant Mobility If you were to speak to a number of old-timers about Muskogee in times gone by, many of them would mention the streetcars.

The first car ran in the spring of 1905. C.N. Haskell had been working on the project for two years.

On the first run, SM. Rutherford acted as motorman with Haskell as conductor, and Tams Bixby and Ira Reeves were the first passengers. Reeves was the first manager of the company with N.A. Gibson as secretary treasurer. The firm had been sold to an eastern firm and was named the Muskogee Electric Traction Co.

R.D. Long was listed as the president of the company in the 1908 city directory with William Cutup as secretary-treasurer. Long continued as head of the firm until 1915 when C.D. Benson assumed that position. L.K. Hyde was listed as the president in 1921 with R.D. Benson as vice president.

J.G. Phillips was listed as manager from 1922 until 1934 when Russell Alexander assumed that position, continuing through the transition from electric cars to motor buses. Streetcars made it possible for people to move farther out from the center of town. They also opened up new avenues of recreation. One line's destination was Benson Park, the baseball field on South 21st Street. Another one carried passengers to Hyde Park where all sorts of recreation were available. It was reported that 16,000 persons rode the streetcars July 4, 1905, most of them to Hyde Park.

The system included the interurban to Fort Gibson. This made is possible to pass to and from Fort Gibson without riding the ferry.

[remainder of article is a list of the different lines, the dates and routes] [photo of a streetcar]