EPPS, CHARLES INTERVIEW

< - 8 - •

Fdrm A-(-S-rilOGHAPIiY FORM

' ' WQhKS Pi<uGHESS ADMINISTRATIONIndian-Pioneor Hir-tory Project for Oklahoma

EPPS; CHARLES INTERVIEW.

137

4187

held Worker11 n-.ar.e.

Phis ,:.port made on (date)

Warra^ T), Itorsq

26. 193 7

Kamu Chtrloo Eppu

Poot Oj'i'ioe- Address Wanrllca, Oklahoma.

3. Residence addrcsc (or loc.'ition)

DATE OF BIRTH: Month Day Yuor 1852

5, Place of bir thN

Southwestern Missouri

6. Name -of Father Placo of b i r th

Other Information ntout father

7. Name of Mother Place of bir th

Otuer inj>cnrif-";tion about mother

Notes or cor.pl, to narrative by tho i'aeld worker dealing with the l i f e andstory of the rcrtron'int-rviowcd, R~i"';r to Manual for su,::e^ted subjectsand questions. Continue on blanic shc^tr- if necessary and attach firmly toth is form. N^nbir^of sh-otc attached .

138KEPS. CHAB1KS imSRYISW. 4187

An Interview with Mr, Charles Spp'6, Waurika.* By - Warren D« Morse, Field Worker*

May 26, 1937.

The first time that I was in Oklahoma was back

in 1869. I wae working on a ranch for the Gentry

outfit. Then we had to drive all our cattle to market

in Kansas over cattle trails* The trail we took was

the Old Chiaholm Trail, in fact it was the only trail

through Oklahoma.

We crossed the river at a place they called Old

Spanish port. 1% took us almost all day to get across

Bed River. There was a creek that was pretty big then

and I believe they called it the Verdigris* I was

there not long ago and it seemed to be filled up and

very small*

We came over a big,mound or hill and I found out

later that they called it the Monument Hill and it hadt s

been built by the Indians.

There was another creek called Cow Creek that

was hard to cross; it was farther up the trail* We

had a great big wagon just crammed full of supplies

for we knew it would take a long time for us to get

IPPS, GHARISS INTERVIEW. 4187 1 3 9

over to this market. •'

Every time we cane to a stream a bunch of us cow-

boys would help the team with the "chuck" wagon aa we

oailod It* This wagon went ahead and stopped to prepare

for oimp and vo had to have a cook along too.a

It was/wild looking country and often Indiana

would come to us and want to eat; we could not understand

them as they made aign«. We would give a crowd of In-

dians a beef once in a while* ~̂

In those days creaks and rivers ire re not named

but we oroaaed the Waahita just east of the town of

Chickasha; then turned a little northeast to the Canadian

River. There was a cabin or half dugout there in which_

an old Mexican lived. He made bridlea and repaired sad-

dles and also made quilts for the cowboys when they stopped

here. x"^

That trail followed cJoaely the ninety-eighth me*

ridian through Oklahoma.

We saw a few buffalo scattered here and there.

The white men came on hunting parties up through

here and killed buffalo just for their hides.

BPPS, CHARISS INTBRVJET. 4187 ' *

I waa afraid of the Indians on this first trip

but afterward they did not frighten roe at all*

The man who picked the route for the trail waa

a good leader* 'Jftls trail led over the higher ground

and stayed out of draws and canyons* I imagine early y

cattle drivers kept out of draws and canyons in order

to keep from being attacked by the Indians,

By keeping out in open country the cattle drivers

could see if the Indians were coming after them*