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McGuire, Dense
Briscoe -County "Pioneer Woman"
Mr.,y 20, 1936
BiAliViR 17
(Interview with Cynthia Ann Biffle Sweeney)
Page 1
All history should start with the ancesters, so I am starting
with my father, N. I. Riffle, who came from Wayne County, Tennessee.
First going to Illinois he lived there several months, then to
'alissouri, living there four years, all this moving being done in ox
carts, sometimes in a two wheil ox cart. I claim to be a first class
T'ioneer. Starting life as Cynthia Ann Biffle at Weatheribrd, Texe„
in 1860, where my father N. I. Biffle ran a grist mill durig the war
between the states, an eteitailiers I wank- Ateareoese and,efty my father
ran this mill from etz olcloCk in the morning until the same time
at night ail then worked until mitt-124kt helping the women card ant
spin for the poor widows and soldiers.
ae livod in We:Aherford while most of Texas still belorged
to the Indians. The history of Cynthia Ann Paris r wis•known by
oTeracae. In 1881 my father was lir ing on the county line between
SteplIens arid Palo Pinta-, the famous To. 4 P, railroad built right
in froat of our door. Texas irls growing. On February 2.5, 1881 I
married D. or Pat as old timers of Briscoe rememlmr him,
Sweeney. After ate marriage we went to jadt county, living there
three 'ears.
Gin April 1, 1890 Mr. Sweeney started wit' his cattle to
free grss in Briscoe County, renching here in June. In the
Spring itere were heavy rd labs eere full, many even joined.
Grr--ss could be out for hay„all in all a cattleman's paradise. On
reching home :Ir. Sweeney told everyone of this wonderful County,
free grass, free everything. The old story had just started about
the north pole and the barT%ed wire fence. So in Octo).er we came
1,1oGuire, Delis.
rAy 1936
Briscoe County drloneer Woman"
District 17 age 2
out on the pl:lins to view this promised land, spending ou summer
here %nd tv,or going 1T.;Ok to Jot County for Vie winter, as my husband
we ri to epee the wiIeer, for fear we mitht freer as we only
hkd a dugout id wood vole scare, except for the famous buffalo chins,
whide were life snvers in the time of leed.
County Orkanized:
8 March 10th.: tom us Irck in our ew home in
the West, which at that time- vs the gas dug -out of the Fall bfore.
ie arrived in tine to help organise nTISCOD County, on a snowy day,
March 15, 199. T will always remember Mr. 3weeney and my nephew,
Fred 7qffle, coming down the dug -out stela, stumping their feet
from the cold, aid his words, "Well, Annie, we helped make history
for you and tl* children when we be organizers of this coudty
today."
After the snow in Ii;irch there wasn't any more moisture
until in June, when we had a light rein. My first grrden ve-,c a
terrible failure,no min, all the water it had I carried in buclets,
then when the leaves sprouted in the day they were nibbled off
by the rbbits at night. In September, it started to rine !-wi
rained off nni on for three weeks, but it ve7s too late for crops.
Cane grew about 12, inches high that year, but grass tos fire, and
the cattle wintered rolling fat. C,ttle were not fil40 fed for
several yea's after we arrived very little farming being dem
i!'amous Ranches: With the country all open and no fenees, it tfvs a
good c-Atle country. Cattle drifted south b fore northers, into
Floyd and Crosby Counties. They sometimes we as far south es
Yellow fiouse Canyon. Then 3pring 0420 the little ranch4len rounled
up their horses, rigged up a chunk wagon, every man got his heddieg
liach man brought hts cattle home.
roll, and so the round -up started.
McGuire, Delis*
May PO, 1956
Briscoe County
District 1,
'Pioneer Wen'
Page 4
IN 41104117:
hr. Sweeney always did the roping, I had the tame Job of milking.
Some of those wild cows gave as mush as a quart ar milk.
Land was very cheap. My husband filed on one ',cities, then
bought another section from a max Who 414 net like the gauntry,
paying him $14.")0 in moneys a wagon and a tank to boot. A section
was boughtfor 480,10 that had a spring of geed water in the edge nf
the canyons our cattle witered there for years. The last section
bought h4Va windmills a small house and dugout. This ono cost
us $300 spot cash. Water was quite an item, most wells were deep and
then not much water. Sem wills were ever SOO feet deep.
By the last of the Simoties all at my children went to
school at Silvertons. Most of the time they wont in 4 two wheeled
cart or Jerkey, as seas called them, fres their Jerky gotten. They
went seven and ouliobalf miles, violing a number of wire gates.
It was pretty sold on them, but there were not any hot house
children in Bylaw)* County at that early date.
Most every mitten of school land was filed on by the
early settlers, but the first dry years caused many te leaves
so by 1893 and '94 none but the hardy ones were left. They hrid
all gone brtck to fruit an., society, ee ene family put it. The
,1Z
people 4V:tying on had livesteeks especially cattles'Also help them
mak) n living. It was the staying kindINI)baving made only two moves
since 18911 one to Tulias and the ether te MY prose* hems in
Amarillo, Texas.
The real pioneer stet* had an eye to the futures and as
HorIce Greeley has said, "Ots West. Young Mans and grow up with the
Country, who would think of turning Their has* en aliffalr and Preeleimg
5 Ki)