Document text
Warren, Ivey G.
Lubbock County
Half A Century On The south Plains.
December 21, 1236.
District I?
004
Nee we forded the river withent disaster.
Pg. 2
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'Next we came to the Canadian livers, lire. Wolffftth went an. 'This river was not deep
excepting whore biles h.. been washed out in the sand* A, long train of wagons crossed just
in front of us, these wagons were drawn by about twenty oxen* lion on horses rode across the
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river and picked out a crossing place before they let the ex -teams go in, se that we crossed
behind them and had no trouble getting over to the other sidoi.
'When we reacted Had. liver, we found it dry at this point, and experienced no difficulty
whatever in crossing,.
01,
'There were not many towns on our route! Mrs. WolffIrth explained*.‘ifter we left Dodge
City the next town wi reached was Mobeetie, then Clarendon. Two or three days after we left
Clarendon we came to the headquarters of the quitaque ranch* This ranch house was leashed
-near the mouth of Tub e Canyon. Our party had always traveledtogether„but on tite.sec
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day after we left the Quitaque ranch, my parents took my km audgOrbrother*A ma• /Win the
buggy and left camp at noon before the wagons started.. My father had been told that when we
reached, Blanco Canyon, we would have to go about two miles to reach Bank Smithts home, and
he thought that we were only a few miles from Mr. Smith's place, but it was mach farther
than he had rechaned and somehow he got confused and lost his way in the canyon* We were
sopkated from the wagons and traveled aro!im trails through the canyon. Night
l,:ndug
found us in a ravine, far from our party, wasimill=mw food and-esewsme water. The few wraps
that my father and mother had brought along in the buggy were not sufficient to keep us
warm. This was about the first, week in December and it was rather cold. in the canyon, even
with the mild weather that we had that 'inter. There was no moonttand it was very dark)
father got out of the W'Uggy and'sought for a protected nook in the ravine where we could
spend the night. Suddenly he came to a dugout, Ae crept inside where there was a faint light
showing at the back of the dugout, his proved to be coals in a large fireplace at the back.
There was a cottonwood back...log, partly burned, father stirred the coals and soon had a, fire
going* No one appeared and*Upsimits and we thweiMOWNOMPOk !punt the night alone in the
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Warren, Ivey G.
December 21, 1936.
dugout., There siZTno. beds,
Lubbock Comity Half A Century On The South Plains,
District 17.
S o tti it,v4
le were warm and in a measure protected
from the wild animate that roamed the plains. o thetZt morning was spent in trying
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to get back on the right tralIoghomt at last the wagons were located and we were united
again. After a good meal we started out ef011ep once more looking for the Smithimeck house.
We traealed all the afternoon without seeing a, house anywhere, ght was coming down up
014, t mother
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on ms emeNPIr-listill in the canyon: Father and the -men debated whether to pitch the tent
and make camp for the night of to go on. They always set up the stove and put up the tent
for the night, The men got out and walked down the canyon a little way trying to get their
AWL
bearings andithey heard the barking of doge in the distance, ye followed the sound and soon
located Han' Smith's house. They were not surprised to see us as father had been sending
his baISISSer, Dr. J. I. Hunt at letacadocarde from different points of our journe, and
Dr. Hutt had communicated with Mr. Smith, keeping him informed of our progress. The Smiths'
gave us a hearty welcome and we spent the night with them/.
*When we got to Hstacado we found the little settlement to have &population of between
80 and,I00 people. In another year anaghalf the population had increased to ISSEWOWNStO
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*This settlement was genmrally known as Pfae Quaker Colony"; Mrs. Wolfftrth said. *They
had a ehurch house which was a, frame building, and here in this house we attended our first
Vistas's services in the 'state of Texas..
churdh
Christmas Day was warm and beautiful and we had a watermelon feast on the *vase house
lawn. Isiah Cox, who lived three miles west of letacado furnished the melons. He hRd stored
the melbas in his cellar and they were in fine condition4or the eistmas feast,.
tt,„
WS lived at Sstacado until 1890. These were butt- years for my father*. Mrs. Wolfftrth
observed. *Judge G. M. Swink of Dallas had been appointed to come to istacado and have a
survey;made of all enclosed lands. He secured a few helpers and my father was employed to
go with Judge "'Wink and make a survey of the Oikcle Banth in Hale °Min% this ranch yrs&
owned or controlled at thig time by O. C. Slaughter'
Warren, Ivey G.
December 11, 1936.
Lubbock County
District 17
Half a Century on The South Plains.
Pg. 4
11#t this time Crosby County was not qrganised and was/attached to404.ler County for
judiTl and surveying purposes. All of the records were kept at Seymonhia made it very
inconvenient for the men who tried to keep offices in Estacado, so th1th. request of Paris
Cox, my father was appointed by the Commissioners of Eyler County as Justice ofLthe Peace.
.this constituted him as 'be -Officio Notary Public. Along with the other duties required of
him, my father litas sometimes asked to perform ceremonies/.
Duriiig this time my parents kept a small boarding house which we dalledifte Llano
,House. lather also had a little storesjostaf his -supplies were hauled from Amarillo,
.lhis was not any nearer than other towns where he could have gotten hiegoods, but the
reads to the north were usually in better condition than the other roads so that we formed
the habit of going to Amatillesjon these trips we often saw deer, antelopes and wild horsee.t
"In September 1890 we moved from Estacado te Lubbock. We settled in the North towns
is was the town which was
which was egress the-Canyenc lai out by P. L heelock.. We had.
sad the bOarding house but still operated a store, was housed in a big tent.
*There was one school in Lubbock at this time, which we attended. We also
had our little social affairs; church services were held at the court house. Althogether
-young people really had a nice time in those &vet
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'In .I8Ci4 I taught the summer school at Canyon". Mrs. Wolffirthtsaidm "And on the 24th
of August in IA98, I was married to George C. WolflAth. Ye had our ceremony performed by
our Methodist pastor, N. AA Story. It was a home wedding and we received, mazza,e7,e4,
PeoartorS4
from our friends. Amongi the things was a heavy silver cWotors beautifully 0101011ZI still
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have it amethen there were chickens and blanketspesides *ibis useful things for the.
house, which we appreciated very much.W
'I have lived on the South Plains for 52 years'. Mrs. WolffV'th concluded. "Many changes
t1.8- W
have taken place in the town and over the country years. I have seen the big
ranches go and the farms take their place. Ties most of the cattle are gone and the cattle*,
Warren, Ivey G.
December 211 19364,
Lubbock County
District 17
Half A Century On The South Blain*,
Pg. 5.
men changed their lines of business. some of them turn to politics, and some to banking,.
the cowboys who used to ride the rangenged their lariats for hoes, or put their ponies
to plows and began to till the soil. The filling have changed, new business houses are
constantly going ups, new residences are being built every day and still there are neir
sufficient accommodations for the new people who move to Lubbeck. Our little town on the
plains is becoming a little city now01
just very/
*There are/a few of the/old pioneers left', Mrs Wolfffrth said softly. Is My parents
are both gone, many of our old friends are gone, but we have a few old..timers-with us yet#
There is Judge! Brown I Went to school to hirassiss.I'Boone too# fer three
_ msePrelAMT.
generations the Boon have instructed: the Hunts or the its were instructors for the Boone..
vrt,
First Logelpg,ie Mrs Bo netTiaii her children;
tp7 eiand after thatlOy little
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children' JR11j7e Boone children.,
'Lubbock is a fine towns I-sny that the credit for the real making -of the town should
be given largely to the cattlemenoilhe/were the backbone of the plains: they withstood the
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hardships of those early days and blazed thew., for civilisation: they helped build the
.first settlements. When we first came to theilaing, my people knew nothing of cattlemen, (1
.had heard rough stories about the cowboys and we dreaded them oven more than we did the
Indians, but we found out before we had been here longihow mistaken we were/ and soon
learned that honesty and friendliness Characterised the cowmen of ,the great iisings#:
The George 061Irafficths are one of Lubbockts most prominent pioneer families. Mrs.
Wolffprth has always taken an active part in the social•life of the city and has also
taken a great interest in the educational programs. Mr. Wolfft(th was the First District
Clerk of Lubbock County and served in thatrietefor 8 years. H. organized and. built the
ALL
Citizeis National Bank and was President of this bank for 14 years, NOMOOMIN WOOSAthhims
a cattleman in the early days on the Plains.