Loyd Raymond Bruce

BM: [Inaudible] --in their living room, 10/13/76, ten minutes 'til 9 o'clock.

MM: [Inaudible.]

BM: Loyd, to your knowledge in your research that you've done on the Bruce family, would you say they were the--some of the first people that came in to the Pinehill community?

LB: Yes, according to the information that I have on our family they migrated from Missouri into there just east of Oklahoma City in 1889, 1890 and '91 during those runs from the Kansas line, and my father made the run in 18--either 1889 or '90, I haven't been able to determine for sure, and staked a claim just east 00:01:00of Oklahoma City. He was fifteen years old at that time and had to wait for his older sister who was legal--of legal age--help him make that claim. Then they stayed there for a few years, I'm not sure exactly how many, but they settled in what is now Creek County--it was Indian Territory then--near the Pinehill community, and my grandfather Coleman Bruce and wife Alpha Bruce had come after the claims were staked east of Oklahoma City. They had come, moved their family here and they built a rock house east of the last Pinehill school, down near Polecat Creek bottoms, and raised their family--at least partially raised their family there. So I'm sure that they settled sometime between 1895 and possibly 1898 in that area and it's my understanding that they were the first white 00:02:00people in that part of the country at that time.

BM: Uh, there has been other names mentioned. This George Lindsey, what--what connection was George Lindsey to the Bruces?

LB: George Lindsey was my grandfather on my mother's side. He moved in to that area from Kansas, but the year that he moved there I can't recall exactly. I do think it was some few years later than the Bruces settled there. He moved into that area and became associated with the guardianship of some of the Indian children there. He brought his family there and settled about a half a mile west of the first Pinehill school and church in the latter 1890s or it could've been slightly after 1900.

BM: To the best of your knowledge, do you have any idea what their first crops were whenever they came in there?

LB: I heard them mention corn all the way back, and I heard the crop of maize mentioned being raised, and kaffir corn. Cotton came around sometime but it's my understanding that it was several years later, possibly after statehood, before cotton became popular in Oklahoma.

BM: I have pretty well pinpointed on the cotton, it was about 1909. Albert Kelly, W.O. Baker, in 1913 built a gin there by the ice plant at Bristow where 00:04:00there was already three other gins there at that time. And it has been pretty well traced out that around 1909 is when the first cotton came in--money crop for the sellers and farmers in that area. The cattle situation--I know that they raised cattle in there. Do you know when they--or have you heard where they took their cattle to sell them?

LB: Initially I, it's my understanding that the railroad only came as far as 00:05:00Sapulpa in the very early days of marketing cattle, and ran up to Kansas City. And in the earlier years they took their cattle to Sapulpa because the railroad terminated there. A few years later it was extended on to Bristow and on west and the marketing area, or the area where the cattle was raised was closer to the Bristow depot there for loading, and they started taking them to Bristow and initially they sent them to Kansas City from Bristow. Then later when the stockyards in Oklahoma City developed, they shipped them to Oklahoma City.

BM: Now, getting over to the railhead they had these big cattle drives, is that right?

LB: Yes, that's right. I can remember as a child myself making cattle drives to Bristow. Car--in carload lots, we would take either one or two carloads of cattle to Bristow and get up early in the morning and drive them there and it 00:06:00made it necessary to drive through the residential area in Bristow and there were times when we were guilty of damaging the yards and the flower beds and whatnot and having to stop and pay people for damages for running cattle through their area. It was quite an exciting time for me because I was a child, but it was quite a responsibility for the adults at the time.

BM: When you said "carload lots," how many did they count as a car?

LB: As I remember, a carload at that time was ninety head.

BM: So then you would take as high as 180 head at a time in to be shipped out?

LB: That is true. There was, there was times when the yield from my father's herd was over 200 for that season. I'm not sure how it fit in to the carload lots but I remember him selling 230, 240 head per year from the yield from his herd.

BM: Alright, we'll move on down to the school. To your best memory on the school itself, how many schools were built there, Loyd?

LB: I can only recall the last school that was built there. I went from primary to the eighth grade there, however I heard before, I've heard it talked in the family that there were a total of three schools and a church associated with one of those schools. I think initially there was a church that--it may have been one building that was used as a church and a school. And this may have happened to more than one of the schools, but I remember that one building served as a school and a church for the neighborhood.

BM: What all functions was the school used for?

LB: It was used as I said, as an educational purpose. Also a social purpose, they would have pie suppers and this sort of thing where raising money for various functions in the neighborhood. And then it was used for church and I've heard it mentioned that they had fairs there but I can't recall ever seeing or attending a, I guess it would be a district fair rather than a county fair that they had in the school there.

MM: Township fair is what they called it.

LB: Township fair.

BM: It was also used as a voting precinct, too.

LB: Right, that's right, it was.

BM: And singing conventions and such as that.

LB: Mmm-hmm.

MM: We've never heard anything talked about a Christmas tree.

BM: Loyd, to your--

MM: --Christmas program--

BM: --to your knowledge, when did the government come in and go to buying up 00:09:00that land along the creeks and bottoms there in that community?

LB: This would've had to be in '46--no, correction, about '47 or '48 they did the actual purchasing of it. And then I think maybe the construction of the dam and so forth was a year or two later.

BM: Do you have any idea how many people was affected by--

MM: Displaced.

BM: --displacement of the government coming in and buying this, this land up and erecting this dam?

LB: Mmm, that would take some thinking. There were several families, several homes relocated. Several families and offhand I would say upwards of 25 families which might involve two or three hundred people were affected or relocated because of the construction of the lake project there.

BM: I know there is a lot of hard feelings on the lake, but how do you feel personally, your personal opinion, about that lake?

LB: Well I, I feel like it depends on how you look at it. I think for the public good, the public in general, it has been good because it has offered a flood control project that saved a lot of valuable bottom land below it. It's also offered a recreational and park atmosphere for people who want to go out for recreation on their time off. And looking at it from that point of view I think it's been a success and beneficial to those particular people involved. If you 00:11:00look at it from the point of view of the people who has their history and heritage in that area, I feel that they feel that they've lost something, that it no longer represents what they remember as the area they grew up in and if it was their intention and goal to live in that area the rest of their life, I can see where they would be highly disappointed.

BM: Good enough.

(pause)

MM: --talk about the Christmas tree, the Christmas programs. What did they [inaudible]

LB: Oh yeah, I remember the Christmas programs. It used to be one of our days of enjoyment planning for the Christmas tree because usually the kids got out of school and the neighborhood, one of the neighborhood residents would volunteer a truck and we would go up into the Keystone area and cut a Christmas tree a few weeks in advance of Christmas, and this was a treat in itself to get away from 00:12:00school. Then we would bring it back and take part in decorating the tree and we got away from some of our usual school chores and enjoyed doing these things. Then at the time of the actual Christmas program there were, well--I'm leaving something out, the box suppers that was held, the pie suppers and so forth to raise funds for the Christmas program was also part of this sequence of events, and when the money from that came in then there was candy and nuts and apples and oranges and things that were a treat to us in those days that are common now. They were provided for all of us and in some cases it was for needy people who really appreciated it, and it turned out to be a very successful gathering and festive time at Christmastime.

MM: Now what did the boxes and pies sell for at those pie suppers?

LB: Oh, I can remember pies selling for as little as fifteen cents and then I 00:13:00can also remember some of the people in the area, particularly those who were fortunate enough to have a job with an oil company and a little money to spend, spending as much as twenty dollars for a pie.

MM: What's the most you ever gave?

LB: Gosh, I would say not more than thirty-five or forty cents, probably. I don't really remember, to tell you the truth.

MM: When did they bring electricity in there, that's one that--to the school. That's one thing Bob gonna need to know.

BM: When did electricity come in to that part of the country?

LB: That would've been in the latter--that was after World War II, which would've been in the latter '40s, '46 or '47 as I remember it. We had gas in our home up until that time and the school itself might've gotten it before.

MM: Did they use gas for lighting the school before electricity?

LB: No, it was gasoline lanterns and kerosene lamps. Gasoline and kerosene lamps were used prior to that time.

MM: What--did they ever put modern heating or did they--what type of heating did they use?

LB: They used wood heating, there was a large potbellied stove in the corner with kind of a circulating jacket around it that would circulate the heat through the building. And to my knowledge it wasn't replaced. It might have been in later years.

MM: Did they ever put modern bathrooms in it?

LB: No. Not to my knowledge.

BM: To your knowledge, Loyd, I was told that there was at one time there was a talking movie presented there at Pinehill school. Do you know anything about that?

MM: Any movies.

BM: Any movies.

LB: Yes, I do. I remember a movie, I can't remember whether or not they were talkies or not, but I remember going there to movies, it was quite a treat to go 00:15:00to a movie anywhere at that time and it was a real big time to have a movie out in the schoolhouse. And I remember going to a movie but I can't remember whether it was a talkie or not.

MM: What type of movies?

LB: They were western movies. Cowboys.

MM: You don't remember any of the stars in the movies, or any other things?

LB: Offhand I don't.

BM: Valerie came up with the, with that first. She was the first one and the only one that I found yet that remember--that said anything about the movies.

MM: Did you ever steal any watermelons?

LB: (laughs) Gosh, that's like asking me if I ever lived.

MM: Who raised the best watermelons?

LB: I would say--well, there was Walter Reed east of us raised real good watermelons. John Mizell (ph) raised real good watermelons. And I think his were the best because we felt he was the meanest. And it took a little more risk to climb over his fence and get his watermelons, so I think they--

MM: Did you ever ride your horse with a watermelon underneath your arm?

LB: I probably have. I probably--

MM: They say that's quite a feat.

LB: (laughs)

MM: Did you ever steal any chickens?

LB: Yes, I'm afraid I'm guilty there, too.

MM: Who'd you steal 'em from?

LB: I think it was back to John Mizell (ph) again, I mean, he was the one that, that we for some reason we liked to needle him because he was always kind of after the youngsters. We thought he was, but he was really a good old person.

MM: What'd you do with them after you stole them?

LB: We took them down the creek bank of Polecat Creek where we found some clay and rolled 'em up in clay and then threw them in the fire and roasted them and--

MM: Did you remove any undesirables prior to, before you roasted them?

LB: I don't think we did. (laughs) I really don't.

MM: Did you ever play hooky from school.

LB: Yes, I've played hooky from school.

MM: When, and why?

LB: Well, I played hooky from school one time, I was about the seventh grade and for some reason I didn't make the basketball team and I thought I should have, 00:17:00and our teacher took the basketball team to a neighboring school to play ball and while he was gone, he and two other friends and I, rather--

MM: What two friends?

LB: Let's see, what two friends, gosh I can't remember. One of them was--hmm, I can't recall their names, I should know offhand but I can't remember. But we played hooky.

MM: What was the results?

LB: We played hooky and one of them--let's see, one of them was a Myers boy, one of they was Ray or Fay Myers, I believe. And I was trying to remember, one of them may have been Alton McCarty (ph).

BM: You sure it wasn't Coleman [indecipherable] in on that, too?

LB: Well, Coleman [indecipherable] may have been in on that, now. I'm not sure.

MM: Did they ever have any shop-type work at that little school? Never?

LB: No.

MM: Did they ever--in your time they didn't have the money for it. What did you take in your lunch pail to school?

LB: Well, we took what would be considered real wholesome and desirable food now, but then we thought we were kind of underprivileged because we had to take fresh ham and cold biscuits. We didn't have, usually didn't have light bread but we had--we always had fresh ham and we had biscuits for bread and some of the, there were some that were fortunate enough at that time to have light bread and bologna and we thought that was a real treat, but--

MM: Your mother made cake and pie and such--

LB: Right, that's right. Mmm-hmm.

MM: Who was your favorite girls while you was in school? We haven't asked this for (inaudible)

LB: (laughs) Oh, let's see. Charlene (ph)--her name was Digby (ph) then and she married one of the Vann boys. She was my first girlfriend, and then Rosalina Vanmeter (ph) was also one of my girlfriends.

MM: Rosalina's (ph) dead, you know.

LB: Yes, she died a couple years ago.

MM: You wouldn't care if [indecipherable]. We interviewed Charlene (ph) earlier this year but we didn't have a tape.

BM: I think that's about all I can think of, you pretty well covered everything.

MM: You never did ride a horse in the schoolhouse did you?

LB: No, no.

BM: Yeah, he would've drive on a late model Ford to school.

LB: (laughs)

MM: I thought he crossed his fingers when he heard that.

BM: He drove a late model--

MM: Was you old enough to get in on them--

end of interview