When the train pulled into the station at Cleo Springs, there were more than likely folks to greet Jim and Mattie and their children.
Jim's parents, Lewis F. Garrison and Nancy Jane Rodgers Garrison, had moved to Oklahoma from Scotland County, Missouri, around 1901. In 1910, Lewis was 63 years old and Nancy was 59.
They had bought two pieces of land in 1901 in what was then Wood County. When the County split, one farm ended up in Alfalfa County, and another in Major County. They must have been glad to see their son and his family move closer to home. And surely the hard work of farming was becoming a heavy burden for them at this age. Jim and Mattie would make their new home on the 160 acre Major County farm, while Lewis and Nancy stayed on the farm in Alfalfa County.
Jim's uncle, Robert W. Rodgers, his mother Nancy's brother, had moved to Oklahoma by 1900. Robert (Bob) and his wife, Katie, also lived in Alfalfa County. Robert had been serving as the postmaster for the town of Augusta, and they had a farm near the schoolhouse there.
Soon to join them was Nancy's half-brother, Charlie Love. They had a home in Eagle Chief in Alfalfa County. Charlie was in his early 40's and Clara still in her 30's, so these relatives were closer in age to Jim and Mattie.
Here is Mattie, in the middle, cooling off on a hot day with Clara Love and Ina Woods, another Rodgers relative, in the Eagle Chief Creek, by the Aline farm.
We visited Major County several times when I was a child. The most impressive feature that I remember was the "Gloss Mountains." These red clay table top structures were covered with thick sheets of mica, which you could take off in chunks. They peeled in layers. We climbed to the top, amidst warnings of watching for the rattlesnakes that liked to sunbathe on the ledges. My father saved me from another danger; I tripped on a rock and started running downhill on the trail, unable to stop with the momentum. He caught me in his arms just before a cliff. I really frightened him; but I was blissfully unaware of the danger at the time.
(picture of the Gloss Mts)
Another time I remember was taking dune buggy rides in the sand dunes at "Little Sahara" state park. This was in nearby Woods County, Oklahoma. I remember the guide saying "Do you want kind of a thrill ride?" before taking off. It was lots of fun! I see now they also have a yearly hunt there for diamond back rattlesnakes. They must be prevalent around there!
My two grandmothers, Nellie Allen and Mattie Garrison, at the dunes in the 1940's
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| Lewis Fidel Garrison and Nancy Jane Rodgers |
They had bought two pieces of land in 1901 in what was then Wood County. When the County split, one farm ended up in Alfalfa County, and another in Major County. They must have been glad to see their son and his family move closer to home. And surely the hard work of farming was becoming a heavy burden for them at this age. Jim and Mattie would make their new home on the 160 acre Major County farm, while Lewis and Nancy stayed on the farm in Alfalfa County.
Jim's uncle, Robert W. Rodgers, his mother Nancy's brother, had moved to Oklahoma by 1900. Robert (Bob) and his wife, Katie, also lived in Alfalfa County. Robert had been serving as the postmaster for the town of Augusta, and they had a farm near the schoolhouse there.
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| Bob and Katie Garrison |
Soon to join them was Nancy's half-brother, Charlie Love. They had a home in Eagle Chief in Alfalfa County. Charlie was in his early 40's and Clara still in her 30's, so these relatives were closer in age to Jim and Mattie.
Here is Mattie, in the middle, cooling off on a hot day with Clara Love and Ina Woods, another Rodgers relative, in the Eagle Chief Creek, by the Aline farm.
We visited Major County several times when I was a child. The most impressive feature that I remember was the "Gloss Mountains." These red clay table top structures were covered with thick sheets of mica, which you could take off in chunks. They peeled in layers. We climbed to the top, amidst warnings of watching for the rattlesnakes that liked to sunbathe on the ledges. My father saved me from another danger; I tripped on a rock and started running downhill on the trail, unable to stop with the momentum. He caught me in his arms just before a cliff. I really frightened him; but I was blissfully unaware of the danger at the time.
(picture of the Gloss Mts)
Another time I remember was taking dune buggy rides in the sand dunes at "Little Sahara" state park. This was in nearby Woods County, Oklahoma. I remember the guide saying "Do you want kind of a thrill ride?" before taking off. It was lots of fun! I see now they also have a yearly hunt there for diamond back rattlesnakes. They must be prevalent around there!
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