An
OKGenWeb Project
Contributed by: Patricia
Dill
Beeson Family
I am not sure if this was taken in Greer County
or Beckham County, but I would like to post it on both web sites to see if any
one can identify the people. It is a very poor picture that was copied
many years ago.
The name on the far right in plaid type paints
is:
Calvin Andrew "Bunk" Beeson, no other
names were on the back of the photo.
Beeson was listed in the book about Old
Willow:
The Beesons
History of the Pioneer Town in Greer County, Oklahoma, It’s surrounding
communities and families.
by: The Willow Community Historical Association
by: Max Post, Norma Hill and Murl Wootton
Willow, Oklahoma 73673
1898 - 1994
C. A. (Bunk) Beeson came to Greer Co., in the late 1888, from Wise Co., Texas
along with his father Josephus Beeson and his three brothers, John
Fieldon, McDuffle, and William Beeson. They were game hunters and made a
good living by shooting quail, wild turkeys and other game and shipping it to
markets in Kansas City and Chicago. They were attracted to the Willow area,
possibly because of the wild game in the area a few miles to the north along
the North Fork of Red River.
The Beesons plowed a furrow around four sections of land, which would include
the present site of Willow. They used three yokes of oxen and a Cassidy
plow to break out 200 acres of sod in 1889. As they plowed, coyotes
would follow the newly-made furrow, sometimes getting within a few feet of the
plow. Even as Bunk Beeson and his coyotes walked behind the plow on the
spring morning of April 22, 1889, a major event was taking place about a
hundred miles to the north and east -- the great Oklahoma land rush.
This would eventually affect the political status of the settlers in Greer
Co., with the formation of the State of Oklahoma some 18 years later.
News reports stated that more than 200,000 people lined up along the northern
border of Oklahoma for the signal at noon to begin the largest land rush in
American history. Some however, slipped over the border earlier and
earned the label, "Sooners."
The Beesons continued to work their claim in the spring and summer, then
hunted in the winter. They dressed the game and hauled it to Quanah, TX,
the closest point to the railroad, for shipment to distant markets.
According to the Mangum Daily Star, Mr. Beeson recalled hunting with
"Uncle Johnnie" Richerson and his son Jim. They had settled in
Greer Co. in 1882., and lived near the river.
After living at the Willow site for a few years, Bunk Beeson moved to a claim
24 miles north of Mangum. He later lived in Arkansas for several years,
then returned to Mangum in 1928.
The information on the Beesons is taken from the History published by the Old
Greer County Museum and Hall of Fame, Inc., Mangum, OK. In examining the
land records, it appears that the Beesons abandoned their land claim at
Willow. Whether they lost interest in farming and liked the hunting
better, or sold their claims to others, we do not know. This was during
the period when the ownership of the land was in question because of the
dispute between Texas and the U. S. Government. After 1896, the rights
of the settlers were confirmed by legislation.
The Beesons did not stay around long enough to see the town of Willow sprout
up and grow into a prosperous community. They did blaze the trail and
prove that the rich land could be tamed. They wouldn't have believed
what was about to happen to the quiet prairie.
page: 14 and 15
Josephus Beeson who died 28 Feb 1901 and buried
in the Doxey Cemetery near Sayre, Beckham County, Oklahoma was the father of
the following children.
Josephus had the following children:
John Fieldon Beeson
Tennessee Jane (Beeson) Blanscet
Martha I. (Beeson) Terry
Sarah Josephine (Beeson) Woods
David McDuffle "Mack" Beeson
William "Bill" Harrison Smith Beeson
Calvin Andrew Taylor "Bunk" Beeson
If any one has information on the Beeson family
please contact me at the following address:
Patricia (Blanscet) Dill
7011 Johnson Road
Huntington, Arkansas 72940
