Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-06
Ye Olden Times.

| AV VAOCA AAAVos
Ed. Register-When the Iron noun
tain and Pilot Knob mines were first
worked, there were no railroads thi.
side of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and o
course, all the hauling to and from St
Louis, and to and from St. Genevieve
was done by OK, horse and mule teams
Every farmer about, Or at least mos
all the farmers that had teams, would
after his crop was laid by, hitch up his
team and go on the road, hauling pig
iron or blooms to St. Genevieve on the
bank of the Mississippi river. Then
it was carried to all parts of the coun
try to work into the thousand and one
things that are made from iron.
we'll remember seeing hundreds Of
big OK teams, teams of four and five
see long string of OK teams, of fifteen
or twenty teams, strung all along the
road. Every driver OF an OK team
would have one of those great long
whips, and it would astonish a person
that had never seen such teams and
whips. 1, at that time, drove a good
pair of horses, and of course, drove
much faster than those OK teams could
travel, and would pass them. Some
times you could see a dozen or more
teams standing resting, and such a
racket those drivers would make pop
ing those great big whips, and it is sur
prising how close they can come to
anything and not touch it. have
seen lot of those drivers standing in
a circle with some object in the center
and each driver would take a pop at it
to see just how near he could come to
the object and not touch it. If an un-
lucky horsef1y happened to light on an
oxen's back, with pop of that big
whip the driver would send that fly to
kingdom come mighty quick. He
would take that fly off just as neat and
not touch hair of that oxen's hide.
When We first commenced hauling
along that road, every dog that lived
along the road would come charging
out at the teams, and before that dog
knew what he was about, he would be
in the center of ring of whips, and
such cracking of whips! At every
pop of the whip, which came from ev-
cry side, would cut lock of hair from
the poor dogs hide, and the dog would
become paralyzed with fear, and would
not move, but lie curled down to the
ground until his hide would be Just as
spotted as if he had been in the hands
of a sheep shearer. When the ring
spread so that he could go, you would
see that dog streak it for the back of
the house, and would never see that
dog come out to the road after such a
lesson. No, sir, always after that
when he heard those whips along the
road, he would keep himself hid. 1t
wasn't but few weeks before man
along that road would think |
there were no dogs in the country.
Such jolly old times the teamsters
had camping out nights. When night
came, each driver would unhitch his |
team, and as he unyoked each OK, he |
would put big bell on and let them |
20 and feed. At that time there was
plenty of good grass all along the road,
and such a noise as those bells-forty |
Or fifty of them-a ringing away away |
as the OK fed on the rich grass. When |
IN OK has filled himself, which will not
AXE but short time, he will lie down
and chew the cud of contentment.
What pleasant sound as each OK in
chewing his cud, keeps time with soft
strikes and keep up kind of an anvil
chorus; only now and then a kind of a
'attle, bang for minute then all quiets
lown again. Then, as every driver
its around the fire and cooks and eats
lis supper, what good times they had;
md, after the things are put away,
,ach fellow raps himself in his blanket
,n the ground and the sky for cover
ng. and such pleasant dreams, until
he morning light breaks in upon them,
Unless some OK wakes up and goes to
eeding, which is a signal for the whole
lerd to get up. and who could sleep
.fter such a bell wringing. As the
light gets brighter, and the sun has
ONE up in sight, once more all is hur- !
Y and hustle to get breakfast, while I
ONE are detached to round up the OK