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Edith L. Crawford,
Carrieozo, N. Mex. Wards -496
PIONTER STORY
I was born in Ohio, September 25, 1857. I left Ohio in 1877 and went
to Kansa:. City Missouri. In 1881 a young fellow by the name of Wesley
Lewis and I came by train to Las Vegas, New Mexico to work on the Santa Fe
Railroad. On our way out to Las Vegas we heard of the rich gold strike at
White Oaks, New Mexico and instead of going to work for the railroad we
decided to go to the gold fields. Ns started out to walk to Mite Oaks and
walked for two days and a half without food or water. On the morning of
the third day we overtook a oxen train hauling freight to Fort Stanton,
New Mexico. They gave us food and water and a ride to Jerry Hoecradle'e
place at Finns dells, New Mexico, in the Gallia Mountains. He gave us
directions how to get to White Oaks so we started out again on foot. I do
not remember how long it took us to get to White Oaks but it was pouring rain
when we got there. We came to a house made of pickets and mud. We went
inside and found it was a small store run by Robinson, Bogard and Dick Young.
We bought something to eat and while eating our lunch in the store Mr. Bo-
gard asked us if we were rock masons. Wesley Lewis spoke up and said he
was. Ur. Bogard told us that he had a job for us at three dollars a day and
our board if we could qualify. We went to work on a building which was to
be a hotel and assay office, the first to be built in :late Oaks. This was
in the year 1831 and this building still stands in White Oaks today. It is
built of rocks.
After finishing that job I went to work as a miner in the Little Mack
gold mine and later became foreman of the mine. I married Miss Anna Mackel
in January, 1886. de lived in White Oaks until September 1389, when we set
out in a covered wagon drawn by four horses, to go to Oklahoma to buy a
farm. de had two children and two hound pups. I found a place I liked in
Edith L. Crawford,
Csrrizozo, N. Mex. Words -496
Hennessy, Oklahoma, vhere we built !II a real nice farm and lived for twenty
five years.
On April 20, 1912, a cyclone hit our farm. Itt ook the roof off of
our house, and destroyed our barn and all out buildings. We had a hundred
Indian Runner ducks and after the storm we found them about half a mils from
the house in a mud swamp, all dead. The family saw the cyclone -coming and
all got in the storm cellar. After the storm I salvaged what I could from
the farm and left Oklahoma for Lincoln County, New Mexico, where they don't
have cyclones. I have lived hare ever since.
NARRATOR: Ben L. Stimmel, Aged 81 years, Carrizozo, New Mexico.