The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1909-12-03
A TRIP TO OKLAHOMA
Chris Jennings Writes of Things
Seen and Heard

Editor The JOurDal:-AS | am
now in Oklahoma, thought !
would write a short sketch for the
Old home paper, and if it escapes
the waste basket, my old friends
may read and judge as to what |
think of this country.
Myself and son, Jesse, boarded
Sthe early train at Magness on the
10th of November. At 10 O'Clock
we arrived in Little Rock, where
we remained until 2:3O, when we
boarded a Rock Island train for
Ell Reno, Okla. The train was
well-filled with people going West,
some going to New Mexico to hunt
the Sugar Tree. " We arrived
at Bonneville about midnight,
where we stopped twenty minutes
for lunch. We arrived in Okla
homa City about day-break, and
got to Ell Reno at 7:15, where we
had to lay over until 3 p. III. Ell
Reno is beautiful city and is sur
rounded by fine farming country.
At o'clock we boarded a south
bound train for NARROW, where we
arrived at o'clock and were met
by my son, Tom, and an old
friend, A. @. Brannon, who were
there with conveyance to carry us
out to their home nine miles in the
country.
On the 18th | witnessed one of
Tom Jernigan's cyclones and blue
whistlers. 1t was pretty rough,
and the people said it would have
been cyclone but the straight
wind got the best of it and blew it
over into Arkansas. But the
storm blew over and Sunday was
a fine day, so we all went south
about six miles and took dinner
with Burt Tuggle and his good
lady. They had a fine dinner.
John Tuggle and lady, Mr.. Pick
EFT and family, and Great Scott! |
don know how many more, were
there. They sat me down at the
head of the table-and you can
guess the rest.
The people out here go to see
their neighbors and eat up their
hash, and | am getting my part of
it, you bet. There are lots of
good people out here, and they
treat me so nicely | feel like | am
at home everywhere | 60
This is a fine farming country,
and every farmer has plenty of
hogs and corn. Land is high and
hard to get. 1t sells at SD to $40
an acre, according to improve
ments. Most of the land is roll
ing and the soil is sandy. They
have red, white and black sandy
soils. The red and the black
soils are the best and seem to stand
the drouth better.
Cotton makes about half bale
to the acre; and corn 80 to 90 bush
els per acre. Corn is selling at 80
cents a bushel; cotton at II cents
and hogs at = cents on foot.
The worst drawback | see to
this country is that they have no
timber except black jack. When
you cut down one of them an
Arkansas man doesn't know which
end to begin on to trim it up. The
limbs all grow the wrong way and
you have to begin at the top. The
chickens are all bunties, be-
cause they have to roost in the
blackja jack trees, and the limbs
keep their tails pulled out. The
rabbits have no tail at all-they
keep their tails snatched off run
ming through the postoak bushes.
But you all know that every state
has its faults anyway, and Okla
homa has hers.
As for the people, | can say with
all due respect, that the people
here are as good as | ever met.
They are good, lawabiding citi-
zens. There are plenty of good
school houses and churches all
through the country.
The nearest trading point here
is NARROW, which is a beautiful
little city Of 5000, situated on the
Rock Island road. They have
fine school building and six
churches ~ Baptist, Methodist,
Presbyterian, Catholic and two
Christian, one progressive and one
non-progressive. NARROW is fine
business town 1t has three large
cotton gins, and three large corn