Abner Dalton Bruce

BM: This is a personal interview with Abner Bruce and his wife sitting in their living room.

MM: We want to put the date on so other people can--

BM: October 3, 1976. Alright, Abner, to your best knowledge, do you know of some of the first people that settled in this part? Or when did your folks come into this part of the country?

AB: Bob, I can't tell you any--[indecipherable] they came into Oklahoma, but I don't know for sure what time they went in to this right here.

BM: What--when I said folks--

AB: Well he did though, he had a sign, 1895, that was [indecipherable].

BM: Eighteen-ninety-five, okay. On 1895, Abner, do you know how many of the boys was that come in here at that time? How many of the Bruce boys come in here at that time?

AB: Why, I think their father--

BM: What was his name?

AB: --brought the family in here. Coleman Bruce.

BM: Coleman Bruce. Alright, then there was five brothers, is that right?

AB: [Indecipherable] I believe they're[indecipherable].

BM: Alright, what was their names?

AB: Five brothers and one sister.

BM: Okay, let's have 'em.

AB: Abner Bruce was the oldest, and my dad, Frank Bruce, and--

BM: Mote?

AB: Smith!

BM: Smith?

AB: And then--

BM: Then Mote.

AB: Then Mote. Then Roy.

BM: Then Roy.

AB: Then the sister's name was Cora.

BM: Cora. Alright, we'll go on--get just a little bit further here now. Whenever they come in here--

AB: Here's why--[indecipherable] grandmother was--she came in here with my grandfather.

B: Grandfather and grandmother moved the family in to this part of the country.

MM: What was the grandmother's name?

BM: What was the grandmother grandfather's name?

AB: Coleman and Alpha, I believe, was her given name. She was formerly Moore but [indecipherable].

BM: Alright, whenever they first come in to this part of the country, Abner, what source of income did they have? I already know these questions, I want you 00:03:00to answer them yourself.

AB: Well, the main thing my dad used to talk about was the market and hunting quail. They came in here and paid to ride a horse to Mannford or somewhere and come home. That was when they shipped these quails to Kansas City. And I don't know whether that--of course, I know they farmed, but I don't know, that's the thing that stuck out.

BM: Do you remember what, did you ever hear him say what crops that they planted? At that time?

AB: I sure don't remember.

BM: Alright, we'll go a little further. Now, the quail that you say that he--they also had a few cattle in there too, didn't they?

AB: Yeah, yeah.

BM: They had cattle and they had, they had the quail market. Why, I do know that 00:04:00during that time they planted corn and stuff to grow--

AB: Yeah, I would think so.

BM: --planted corn and high gear and feeds, feed--

AB: But another thing, there wasn't enough fences in here for these cattle, so [indecipherable] at that time--

BM: It was all open range.

AB: --the fences. 'Cause they had to have a stockade fence.

BM: Had another question, where did they take it to sell it? Where did they take their product to sell?

AB: Well back on the cattle, as far as I know, Oklahoma City. They shipped them on the trains.

BM: Alright.

AB: And the quail I was speaking about, they shipped them to Kansas City.

BM: You stated there that they shipped their cattle to Oklahoma City, their quail to Kansas City. How did they get these cattle into Oklahoma City?

AB: They drove them to the stockyards in Bristow. And they'd load them on there and [indecipherable].

BM: And the quail, they'd dressed them--

AB: Dressed them and iced them, and some were [indecipherable], I don't know, back in there at that time, cold weather's when you hunted, they dressed them out and ideally [indecipherable].

BM: Now then, number four question: Do you remember hearing say, Abner, or--when was the first cotton planted in this part of the country or community? Do you remember hearing say--

AB: I don't.

BM: Okay, now here's a ques--here's a question that I was told that you would probably be the only one in the country that could answer this question. When was the first oil well drilled in this community?

AB: I can't tell you that one, but I--in this area right here, why I would think--

BM: I mean, that would be over here on the Elsa Self, then back up north up here around Louis's, that, now, see that would be this community.

AB: That was all [indecipherable]. This over here, I think 1922.

BM: Nineteen-twenty-two. Do you have any--do you have any idea who drilled that first well?

AB: A man named Mike Hartman (ph), I think.

B: That's great. And where was it drilled?

AB: Well, it was one of these--Harjose (ph).

BM: Harjose (ph). Harjose (ph) lease.

AB: Offset to this place of place of my dad's.

BM: And that would be drilled in 1922.

AB: I believe so.

BM: Do you have any idea, Abner, if that well--that first well--do you have any idea how many barrels, or did you hear them say how many barrels-that that well made? When it came in?

AB: No, it was pretty light and it--it didn't last but a short while.

BM: It didn't last but a short while. Then they went to developing that--drilling around the rest of the community.

AB: Well now, they drilled offset on my dad's, it was still producing.

BM: The offset drill from the first well that was drilled on your dad's is still in production. Do you have any idea how much the offset well produced when it came in?

AB: No, I couldn't [indecipherable].

BM: Okay. Okay, now then, we'll come on down here to number six, which would be the school situation--the school. Now, Leo gave us a lot of this information on the schools.

AB: Leo would know a lot more about it.

BM: When was the first school built? Now, Leo said that he remembered the first school being built in 1903. And his first teacher was a teacher by the name of Nell Watson.

AB: [Indecipherable.]

BM: Yeah. And, now then, on this school--

AB: Wait, I would like to ask you, where did he tell you it was built?

BM: Well right up here on the north part, right up here on the corner. Which 00:09:00would be--

AB: I know, I know the location.

BM: Look, look at this map, it'd be right here. That you got right there in your hand, it'd be right there. This other one down here was the church. And it went--moved up to here. There were two burned here, and the last one was here. Alright, Abner, here's another question I want to ask you: What all purposes was that school used for?

AB: Well, the last one is the only one I'm familiar with.

BM: Okay, do it. What all was it used for?

AB: About every committee or community meeting, or church meeting. It was used for the churches. [Indecipherable.]

BM: It was used for churches.

AB: Well, fairs--township fairs and election purposes. That was about it.

BM: Alright, now then, you're the third person that I've heard this "fairs" from. I don't remember it. You said "township fair." What all was exhibited at these fairs?

AB: Oh, at that time--

BM: The ones that you remember, Abner.

AB: Well, I remember stock--horses, cattle, and crops. And a few of the crops at that time were cotton and corn and [indecipherable] and et cetera.

BM: In other words, it's just like the fairs of today, then. It was held at the, at the school.

AB: Yeah.

BM: What year did the government come in go to buy up all that land? (pause) Can I tell?

AB: [Indecipherable] I think it was about '49, '48 or '49.

BM: To your knowledge, Abner, whenever the government come in and went to buy this land up, to your knowledge how many families was affected by it?

AB: I couldn't tell you. I don't have a recollection of the [indecipherable].

BM: Okay, we'll go on down here to the last question: How do you feel about this lake?

AB: You might want to get me in trouble.

BM: No, I don't want to get you in trouble, I want your honest opinion. I want your honest opinion, I'm asking everybody that, that question. I need it for the park recreation and planning. These tapes will help with the park recreation and planning.

MM: Well, you know, it [indecipherable] if we don't want it to, you don't have to.

BM: They want to know. They want to know this family's situation--

pause in recording as tape switches sides

BM: --the reason I hit you with that. They want to know how the people feel. Now 00:13:00that's, that's the reason I hit you with that question.

AB: Well, I was against it before it started and I haven't changed my mind, but it's all done and done, but it never was [indecipherable] put down our throats is how I think about it, don't sound right but that's the way I've always felt.

pause in recording

BM: Who was your first teacher? Would that be any chance Mr. Bob Lucas? Or was that Mr. Taylor?

MM: He said, "Not really."

AB: Before that.

BM: Well it must've been--well, now, just a minute.

MM: He knows, he's got a list of 'em--

BM: It wasn't Nancy Curtis (ph), then, no it must've been Minnie L. Mayes (ph).

AB: Mark Shockley (ph).

BM: Mark Schockley (ph).

MM: You was wrong.

BM: No! I wasn't wrong on that either! Mark Shockley (ph) come in there after 00:14:00Killian (ph). See, Killian (ph) was in there and then Mark Shockley (ph), and then Bob Lucas (ph).

AB: Just one year for him.

BM: Right.

MM: Who was the first--who was the first [indecipherable] Sunday school--

AB: Well, I was talking to them today, the graduating students who were in eighth grade because they had changed. Of course my cousins--Eva (ph) and Nolan (ph) and myself and (pause) is all I can think of at that time.

MM: Was Valerie in your class?

AB: Yeah! Valerie was. I guess she was?

BM: Yeah. Alright, Abner, let's--

MM: Oh, just a minute! Who raised the best watermelons? When you was a young who--who, who got some good, who raised the best watermelons?

AB: I always thought Joe Fobbs (ph) did.

MM: Who? That's the one you stole the most of?

AB: Huh?

MM: Is that who you stole the most of them from?

AB: No, I didn't have to steal from any of these [indecipherable].

MM: Who'd you steal one of those off of?

AB: I never stole but one watermelon in my life (laughs) and I got caught in that, but Greers.

BM: Mr. Greer over there, he lived over on the W.O. Baker place.

AB: Yeah.

MM: How about them chicken roasts, did you ever go on any of them?

AB: Well, I heard about them but I, I didn't, no.

MM: Some of the younger kids, I think, did that [indecipherable] steal from their own folks and take them and roast them.

AB: No, I never--I didn't take that--I heard them talk about them.

MM: [Inaudible.]

BM: Well, I--who was your first teacher, Eunice (ph).

UW2: Oh, I started school down at [indecipherable], so I didn't come here until I was ten years old.

BM: Alright, what was your first teacher's name?

UW2: Oh I can't remember that far back.

BM: Why now, say, Mark Shockley (ph) was Abner's, and you come in here when you was ten years old, so therefore it had to be about eight or--

UW2: Bob Lucas, I think that Bob Lucas taught at [indecipherable].

MM: Charlie Thomas (ph), then.

AB: You went to the new schoolhouse, when you started school.

MM: Did you ever go to Pinehill School?

UW2: [Inaudible.]

AB: You was in this township.

BM: You was in the township but you wasn't in this district.

pause in recording

AB: [Indecipherable] started out the Prairie and then Sinclair and then [indecipherable].

BM: Sinclair and what other--which other--what others was in here on that, Abner?

AB: Prairie, Prairie Oil Company.

BM: Prairie Oil Company.

AB: I believe they're actually the ones that built it. And then Sinclair bought the Prairie Oil Company.

MM: I need some information on the early oil companies--

BM: Now, did Sundocks or Sun Oil Company--didn't they some stuff in here, too?

AB: They never did down in here. They had some stuff over there north of Louis--where Shell is.

BM: Shell.

AB: And I believe, I believe it's Sun.

BM: Sun and Shell both--

MM: Did Mid-Continent have--

AB: But they was both out of here before--

MM: Mid-Continent--

B: Mid-Continent and Conoco, Conoc--Mid-Continent was over there, too.

AB: Well that's, that's what they call Sun now.

BM: That's what they call Sun.

AB: Yeah, I called them Sun but it was, it's Mid-Continent, yeah.

MM: How many [inaudible].

BM: No, we're going to have to go, we got some more stuff we got to do.

end of interview