View
6
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
MIHOL GESR THIRD INOTVJXI #6403/ PIOHSER HOWES.
2H2
HAHDPI, 1CNDA GEER* THIRD INTERVIEW. 6403
KteUsy,InterviewerJun§ 23, 1937.
Interview .with Minda Qeer HardlnHenryetta, Oklahoma.
PICKEER HOMES IN TIM0ERLAND,
I have helped to build and have lived in each of
the houses I am going to describe.
gTOCKADB HOUSE
This was the quickest to make as it took less trees
or liog» and was easy to make, too. The trees were cut in
even^lengths and split through the center* They were then
pat up on end and-fastened together by nailing to two logs,
one a-| the ground and the other- <at the top. The smooth
side made the indoor vails* It was finished as any other
log house*
\ . L O G HOUSE
Not a nail was needed for this house so a lot of
these houses were made* Hotch eaoh end of the log on
opposite sidefe and build by laying a log on each side,
then each end* To make gable ends the end logs were
shortened, eaoh succeeding log being shorter than the one
under it*. Th* side logs were the seme length but the
HARDER MINDA GEKR* THIRD INTEHVEBW* ' 6405
shorter and poles made the foundation for the clapboard
roof and ti» l a s t put on was oae long pole , the center
pole* - Four f u l l length poles or logs made the raf ters
to strengthen the house. They were at the beginning of
the gablerends*
CLAPBOARDS, SHINGLES
To make a place to froe shingles put two logs the
same s i z e together leaving a crack between them about
four or s i x laches wide* Tie or hold them together with
the bark of the water elm i f you can get i t *
Out some four foot lengths of red oak and quarter
them* Firs t s p l i t the log and then s p l i t the two halves .
Stand one quarter in the open place between the logs*
Put the f?oe(a sharp axeel knife with a ring on one end
to fasten a handle in) i n where you want the f i r s t out
to be and h i t the froe with a hammer* Don't remove the
froe but just keep working i t on through; i t w i l l s p l i t
evenly*
Lay a row of boards lengthwise of the house next
the center pole and put a small log on top with water elm
t ied around each end and hanging down* A rock or . log i s .
284
HAHDIH, MTND& OBJBR. THIRD INTERVIEW. 6403
3
t i ed to thls^welght them down* Some lay rocks on the
clapboards to hold them down,
WIHDOIS
Saw a log out for the window. I f you want a l i g h t
you s tretch a piece of domestic(muslin) over i t t i gh t
and fasten with wooden pegs driven in the green logs*
This w i l l l a s t for quite a while* Some made puncheon
shutters and l e f t the window open.
FLOORS
Split logs and fasten them together as closely as<
possible, with the f lat or smooth sides a l l on one side
and the round sides together On one side*
To make a puncheon floor cut the logs as near the
same size as possible and cut or sp l i t in the center*
Lay them with the smooth sides up and f i l l a l l holes and
creeks with clapboards and paak dirt around to make th»
floor sol id.
Puncheon doors and windows are cade In the earns
way except they are fastened with a split log across the
top and bottom and one running bias way from opposite
corners to strengthen and hold them together.
285
HARDIH, MISDA OBER* • THIRD INTERVIEW. S403
4i
To chijok the walls take pieces of limbs and pat
them l a betwejan the logs In the cracks b i a s , not s t r a i g h t
i n , for the ru in wil l wash them out i f you do* How put
SOJ» daubing LnJ f i l l the cracks goodi daubing i s made4 of
d a y I f you oan find i t , or mud i f you oen f t*
nRWUQV HJILDIHG
Ibey are best made of rook but if there i s no rode,
atiefcs may bejused* They are fastened together with elay
i f poss ible , or mid* A person has to know how to make the
r igh t shape ins ide or they will not draw and more smoke
wi l l corns In the house than wil l go up the chimney• Men
who were good chimney bui lders were In demand and would go
for miles to make chimneys, a regular profession*
HALF BUGOUT
Dig a place the s i ze you want the room; most always
they were one room, four feet deep* Finish from the top
of the ground the same ae a log house except the log walls
are four feet high* I t had a d i r t floor and was be t t e r
and warmer than a log house*
SOD HOUSE
Sta r t the horsos to plowing around the .toughest sod
(where the grass grows th ickes t )* .Pick up the pieces of
286
HABDIN, MISDA Qtm/ TH1KD msmUWf. 6403
out sod and be careful not to break them any more than
yon hare to*
S t a r t tfoe house on grassy ground anfl not wfaere i t
has been plowed. Put a s take a t each corner and two for
the doors* Measure with the eye or atep i t off* Put
the pieces the plow has turned orer upaide down from one
stake t o the other , s t a r t a t the door and go a l l the way
around with tha t row and then s t a r t another* I f there i s
plenty of water the row ia watered before put t ing on
another row. That holds them together without any a i r
holea* Keep adding rows u n t i l you came to the windows and
"*be sure to leave the open places for them and the doors*
I t had a d i r t floor* Some cere covered with a wagon shee t ,
or by arching but t h a t was dangorousj the most were eorer-
ed with t r ee s and limbs with sod on top* Water was
sprinkled on to s t a r t the grass t o growing as t ha t made
the witer or ra in run off instead of soaking.through: i t
also kept the sod from s i f t i n g down into the room.
REAL DOGOUT
Dig a hole as for a oeller, any place you want the
room, deep enough to walk in comfortably, without stooping
about seven feet'deep* It had a dirt floor and sides*
( \ 2m
HABDIH. MINOA OEER TH1BD INTERnSW 5403
6
Pat poles as close together as you ean get them, cover
with enough d i r t that i t does not s i f t down* I t was
covered with grass so that a person would be r l $ i t to .
i t without knowing i t was there* A -lot of them were
made on the sides of h i l l s or slopes as they were easier
to make.
PICW5SR FURNITURE
Almost everyone had a cooks to ve tha t they brought
with them; if they didn*t they used a fireplace* The
f i r s t furniture was made in such a way that i t d idn ' t
take much time to make it*, and i t was durable* Later
some of the men made nicer furni ture . I have a stand
table that was made with a pen knife and has wooden pegs
instead of na i l s , as good as new now*
To make a bedstead, cut small t rees or limbs having
forks on one end, s ix feet long* Drive into the ground f
unt i l firm t ' e n lay a limb in the fo/rks on both sides /
and eads making the shape of a bed. Then cut notches orf
cross pieces ( s l a t s ) as big as y0ur arm* /
After getting the bed made you are ready for t t
mattress as you had no springs* If you had a stra^ tick
288
HARBIN, MINDA OBSR THIRD INTERVIQ*. 640$
you were lucky for you oould f i l l i t with grass or corn
shacks; or, I f you could get i t , you used oat or wheat
straw*
If you hare no tick put a blanket on the s lats*
Put plenty of grass on for i t wil l pack and cover with
another blanket, and tuck i t in good to keep the grass
in.
Later we used ropes for slats and they could be
tightened until they were like springs*
To sake a chair saw a foot and a half length off
of a good sized log being careful to cut i t eren or square*
If you wanted, a ohalr with a back you cut a three foot
length then sawed in at a foot and a half in height a l l
the way except about three Inches; saw a way down, ©Ten
with where you stopped sawing into the log, than split
on done*
Soot -of the baby beds were made of hollow logs
out In four foot lengths szaoothed inside and out* Others
were oade of willow.limbs,
• CLAPBOARD AND FOHOHBG TABLES.
Take a s i x inch tree and cut four l egs the same
lengthy exac t ly . Fasten the two end l e g s together with a
289
,HARDIKt MIMA GEBR. THIRD INTERVIEW, 6403
8
log or s p l i t log that exteola about a foot on each a ide ,
I t Is a foot and a half from the bottost of the l ega .
Both ends are pot up and a punaheon, s p l i t l og , fas tea ed
acroaa the extending oaea with the f l a t aide up for aeats ,
then a top i s nade of puncheon logs* This table w i l l l a s t
a l i fet ime but no woman would want so heavy a table now-
adays.
COFFEE AND MILLS
Al l our eoffee was bought green and we would roast
i t aad pound i t in a cloth* Mooha was a snai l grain, very
rioh but i t shrank too much when roasted* Java was larger
and.liked better by most people* The coffee mi l l was a
great help to the housewife and then -fee l i o n and the Ar-companies
buckle/started s e l l i n g roasted and then ground cof fee .
MTER SUJ 334RK
Bails on buckets, tubs and barrels were made of elm
bark« Tugs or traces for harness were made by braiding the
bark when i t mis green, then shaping the way i t was (ranted
and i t lasted a long time* I t was used wherever a rope
was needed*
i 290
HARDIN, MIHDA GEER THIRD INTERVIEW, * 6403
• ' i
HAHD PRINT PICTURES ON
A copy of th ia piotar* has been sent to the offloe*
I t was supposed to have been the Spaolartia who eat them
when they and the Osages were baring war* The name i s
Qama end another that i s indis t inct*
PICTURES OH CHMSMT POSTS IN RIVER
The t a i l s of the f i sh were supposed to point to a
gold mine* The I nil ana wouldn't touoh or have anything
to do with them for they thought they were e v i l , and the
Graat Sp ir i t wouldn't want them to have anything to do
with then*
Harry Fisher, of Henryetta, saw these things f ive
years ago, i t has been longer slnoe I saw thea but I be-
l i e v e they ore s t i l l there*
The f i s t rook with a f i sh on i t i s right below
Belle Starr*a house* which was on top of a mountain point
on the North Canadian Rl^sr between the old Henryetta
pmsp s ta t ion and the *?b*k& Bridge-, The rook i s between
aer place and the pusp stat ion*
Bllen Ferryman was a Muskogee Indian, a friend of
mine who went with us to see these things which ware sup-
291
HARBIN, KINDA G23R THIRD INTERVIEW 6403
10
posed to hare been put i&ere by the Spaniards in the story*
I don't remember the ohief's name but his house was
on the other point, the creek being between his house and
Belle Starr's place. Be had one daughter, Sana* Re was
looking out and she was doing the chores, for a aloud was
coming up* He saw mules that were loaded coining up toward
his house and son© wagons behind them* He knew they were*
coming to stay a l l night, for they were heavily loaded and
wouldn't stake that trip in face of a storm otherwise* Be'
celled his daughter to him and said, "Chief's daughter of
the Talldegians*" He put his hand on her head and smooth-
ed her hair* I t worried her add she wanted to get the
chores done before the atorm* Be forbade her marrying any-
one but an Indian and she tried to comfort him for she bad
no notion of marrying anyone else as a l l her friends were
Indians* But as he was a prophet,he knew that she would
marry one of the people coming up the hi l l* I t grieved
him terribly* liken the seu got c» there taay saw fcbat
they were Spanish men* Tha mules were loaded with goW;
the wagons had groceries and green ooffee in Book*, they
permission but started unloading and taking the
//
i
292
HARBIN, MINDA GSER . THIRD IHTSHVIEW, 6403
U
sacks in the house* One sack had a snai l hole In i t and
the coffee ran out of I t In a l i t t l e stream*
Rain f e l l for several days and the sun oan» out ,.
Tery hot an) s t i l l they stayed* One of the Spaniard*
offered the chief anything he wanted for penal sal on to
marry Emma* She vent to her falser and told him she loved
the Spaniard and -wanted to marry him* He was looking out
and saw something oa the ground and took her to look at i t .
The coffee had come up in a l i t t l e crooked row* I t looked
l i k e mushrooms except there were two leaves , and whiter.
He told her she would marry the man and go a long way from
horn* and never see h i s face again* When she was old she
would return* The white aaishrooms meant that she 'wouldn't
have enough to eat t o give her a dark color* She did leave,
returned and Harried a man named Holcoab and died at the age
of 120 yeaue a t Salem.
LB&END CJ GiUSSl LAK2S - -
Khan these same Spaniards weie going to Mexico, some
P6opl« they took to be robbers were following tbenu When
they oaos t o Grassy Lake, three miles west and f ive south
of Spring m i l they threw the gold i n the water and as far
as I know i t i s s t i l l there*
293
HARMN, MINDA.GESB. THIRD IlT?ERVIEli! 0403
12
MASONIC LO0GES
One ifasonio Lodge was on the county l ine between
Hearyette and Qkemah and two miles north* I t had doors
and f loor of s p l i t t r e e s , there was an eagle on top and
a Maaonio Emblem* I t «as one room with the west na i l
higher than the east one* The roof «as of clipboards*
The door was swing on wood on hinges* I don't ramamber
what t r a i l I t was on*
HOOOBS HING3S
Oat the fork of a t r e e and fasten i t to the vroll,
or opening for the door; one limb f l a t tc the t a l l and
the other s t icking out to go in the eye on the doer* To
stake the eye take a piece of elm limb and bend r igh t backby
to make & small c i r c l e . Fasten to the door/at l e a s t two
or ' th ree eyes.•• y
Note; The information on page 9 about pictures on cementposts in rivers and on rocks explains one of thef i rs t interviews irfth Minds Gear Kardin ishsrsin
, she told of these but did not give definite in-formation as contained herein.- Editor.
Recommended