The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-10-18
BUCK" GARDENHIRE, PIONEER

pearing from the southwest, and their
presence at this time is but a memory
Of other days.
A few days ago there passed away in
this city w. X. Moore, one of the few
remaining characters of the old order
Sf things, one who was a real cattle
man, and whose whole life was wrapped
UP in the traditions of the calling of
the great plains that once existed in
the west
There remains in this city another of
the class in which Mr.. Moore was
rated, an old time cattleman and COW
puncher, who once claimed the horizon
as the limits of his domains, and his
herds were numbered by the thousands.
He resides here, but his heart is, no
doubt, with the traditions of the past,
and nothing delights him so much as to
recount events OF the time when barbed
wire fence was an unknown quantity
and the branding iron and rope were
the model implements of every we'll
regulated ranch house
Uncle Buck Gardenhire, to whom
reference is made has been a resident
of what is now Carter county for 50
long that he is without a doubt the
oldest living white resident within its
borders today. There are older men in
Carter county than he, but for continu-
Gus residence he perhaps bears the palm.
Mr.. Gardenhirc moved to what is now
Carter county in the spring of 1877, but
previous to that time he lived three
years in what is now Love county. At
that time Ardmore was a very small
settlement, the old lO7 ranch being about
the biggest thing in sight at that time,
and cattle were grazing where today
some of the richest residences are To-
Gated. The country was not very
thickly settled at this time, neighbors
were few and far between, and aside
from the companionship of the cattle
and an occasional COW puncher detailed
with him, Mr.. Gardenhire had ample
time to ruminate on the immenSity of
space. Press and Zach Addington were
living on the bayou near the present
site of Brock, and Andy Addington was
living at Simon, further south. Alec
Boutwell, was living at about the pres
ent site of Cheek and others scattered
about at intervals of several miles apart
A story is current of how Boutwell,
tied the ropes around the necks of 16I
horse thieves who were hung at one
time in Cook county. Texas, near
Gainesville, but the old gentleman be
fore his death, when questioned, you'd
neither confirm or deny the story, Me
was arrested for some trivial offense
by the United States marshal, and while
on the way to Paris, Texas, to stand
trial, another prisoner became enraged
at him and killed him.
Courtney Flats, southwest OF this
city was the scene of great activity in
the cattle business. The place was
named after a Mr.. Courtney, who lived
there for number of years, and is |
adjacent to old Spanish Fort, across
the line in Texas, which was a great
trading point in pioneer days.
Among the associates Of Mr.. Gar
dcnhire in the early days were Wesley
Burney, Col Gaines, Governor Parker,
and Captain Miller, most OF, these have
long since passed away
He says that when he first came into
his country that the Comanche Indians
we're wont to make raids from northern
md central Oklahoma, into Texas, on
,attlc and horse stealing expeditions,
,ut he only remembers OF seeing the
var bonnet of one brave in this section,
md only after the report of his gun,
discharged in killing an antelope, had
awakened the aboriginc from a sound
lecp. Mr. Gatdenhire stated that the
indian mounted his pony and made off
oward the west, and he likewise mount
ID his pony and rode east as rapidly as
he Pinto could carry him, as he was
II no mood to start an Indian uprising,
The cattle business as above stated,
vas the main business of this section,
md most of the cattle were driven to
Dcnison to ship, that being the nearest
abroad at that time.
Mr.. Garderhire's recitals of the early
ines are vey entertaining, and II IS
Interesting to listen to the stories of
type that is rapidly disappearing from
he southwest.