HUMPHREY, LUDA HOOD. INTERVIEW #18407

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1 HUMPHREY, LUDA HOOD. INTERVIEW #

2 HEKPHREY, LUDA. HOOD. INTERVIEW Investigator, Mary D. Dorward, December 14, Interview with Lucia Hood Humphrey 1630 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa, Oklahoma. Luda Hood Humphrey was born in Kansas near Hutchison in After her marriage to Walter Humphrey the young couple decided to come to Oklahoma Territory, planning to homestead provided e claim could be had. It was in 1902 at about the time of the opening of the Kiowa-Comanche land. Ihe young couple with their baby of e few months made the trip in a canvas-covered wagon drawn by a team of small horses. The cow which they brought along was made fast to the wagon by a lariat rope long enough to permit her to graze when obey stopped along the way. Follbwing the well-known Cbiaholm '"frail the Humphreys came to what is now Caddo County where they stopped at a little'settlement called Bridgeport. They registered for R claim and than settled down'to wait until they should be notified that either they had secured a claim or had not. In their case it proved to be the letter; they did not get ft

3 HUMPHREY, UJDk HOOD. INTERVIEW claim. The land #gave out before their number was drawn. However, those who did secure claims some times relinquished them for one reason or another, so the Humphreys stayed on in Bridgeport hoping to buy a relinq'uishment. Bridgeport was a crude new settlement which had been built in, so it was said, seventy days. The houses were new unpainted shacks, not a house in town being painted. It had been a trading post not long before. In fact, before his marriage Walter had made a trip down through that same country whoa Bridgeport had been just a trading post. He had gone on an exploring trip alone into a canyon near the post, had become lost, ana Tiad wandered about until three I o'clock in the morning before he Jiad found his way out of the canyon. The men at the post had built up a great bonfire hoping that he would be able to see it but he did not and found his way out of the canyon by himself. It was in th'i 3 t own that the Humphreys waited for a relinquishment. Their house was next door to s salmon, and in spite of ail Luda could do the baby vould wander into the seloon end spend most of her time in there playing.

4 HDMPSRBY, LTJDA HOOD INTERVIEW The town's population was made up.of people waitimg to file on claims, there being probably five hundred inhabitants, and most of the business was done in saloons, groceries, and land offices. One day Luda becaas so discouraged that she took the baby and went for a long walk down.into the same canyon where her husband had once been lost. She laid the baby on a ledge, took the baby buggy down to a ledge below, returned for the baby, repeating this till she got to the bottom. There she stayed all day and returned at evening, repeating that same slow method of getting up that she had gone through going down. Finally towards spring, through a friend, Dr. Conyers, who had come from their home town in_ KansaSj they learned of a man in Chicago who was willing to sell his claim, so they paid him $150*00 and prepared to take possession. They drove out one cold day to see the claim, drove around It and drove the stakes in at each corner. The claim was about five miles southwest of what is now the town of Binge r and in making the drive to stake it off, Dr. Conyers had com upon the little town which had not been in existence when he had made his> last visit there leas tnam a year previous*

5 HUMPHREY, LUDA. MOOD INTERVIEW 3, Since it was necessary for Walter to work to support kis family, he had to find a job and since his job took him to Uithrie, it fell to Luda to live on the claim and prove it up* Luda took up her residence in the town, of linger while waiting to move on to the claim, The town was just beginning to get on its f et and lacked many, many things, among others a drug store. Walter to open a drug store* Dr. Conyers persuaded Luda and iaida had had some experience with drugs back in Kansas, so, in partnership with the doctor and with him to supervise, the Hunphreys made the venture and Luda took up the study of pharmacy so as to be equipped to look after the store* A small store room was built on land for which a patent had been secured* It was built on the homestead of Joe A«Carson (now of Blackwall) and he could not give them a deed until he had proved his claim* The entire town was built on his claim, and without deeds, but people went ahead and built anyfaow. Luda learned to fill prescriptions and give anesthetics and even assisted in the birth of a child to the wife of the blacksmith* But summer was now approaching and preparations were made to move to the claim* tfor the summer Luda and the baby lived in a white duck tent but by fall a dugout had been

6 HUMPHREY, LUDA. HOOD. INTERVIEW cdnitrudted for them* - The dugout was a one room affsir, half above ground, half below, the part above being covered with sod with one-half sash window,the only source of light and ventilation. A carpet was put down with ten-penny nails driven into the sandstone floor. But crirle as-it was, it was safe from cyclones and rains could not penetrate it. Centipedes and bull snakes, sand fleas, and other peste were frequent visitors. Luda, a g-oo^ shot with a rifle, often killed snakes by shooting them. ; For eight months Luda lived here with "Ch'e baby, seeing her husband only twice in all that time. She was molested only once and then she managed to talk her'i.way oua. A man* half intoxicated, came one day and threatened to prove troublesome, but Luda let him know how gooi? a shot she was with the rifle and he soon left. Pack rats were among the pasts to be endured. Luda used to give her baby shelled corn to play with and every night the pack rats would carry the corn and fill Luda's shoes with it. The neighbors took pity on her and offered to lend her a cat to rid the place of the rats but during the night the cat had a fit so Luda decided she preferred the pack rats.

7 H0MPHR5X, LUDA HOOD INTERVIEW During all the eight months she lived there alone Lucia 1 «parents believed her to be still living in the ' town of linger, managing her drug store* She had leased the store to Joe Carsom, but at the end of the eight month* the Humphreys decided to buy a patent from the Government, which would enable them to leave the claim. This patent, which cost two hundred dollars, is signed by Governor iferguson and is still in the possession of Mrs. Humphrey* She still owns the claim itself as well. About eighty-five acres have been cleared and are under cultivation* The Humphreys now mored to Guthrie where they lived for seventeen years, here Walter was deputy sheriff for years and clerk of the court of Logan County for six yeart. * A f«w miles from Bridgeport i* a mound perhaps a hundred and fifty feet high known as Dead Woman's Mound* The atory goes that at its base, in 1867, a battle was fought between soldiers of the U* S. Army and. a band of Kiowa Indians. After the battle the soldiers discovered among the dead, the body of a beautiful, fair-haired young woaan,

8 BDMFHHBY, UJDA. HOOD INTERVIEW Yidently a prisoner of the Indians* It was never leaxa-, ed wiiether it was a bullet from the gun of.one of the soldiers that killed her or whether the Indians might have dome it* ner body was buried at the top of the mound, a place that is often*visited by people of the community. A good cowboy story is told of early days around Binger* It is related that, while engaged in a game of poker two men became enraged at each other* They sprang up but before either could draw his gun. companions seized them and remorad their weapons, then compelled them to fight* Each was stripped to the waist, giren a bunch of iron weed and they went at it in deadly earnest, drawing blood with each stroke* Their companions finally separated them, made them shake hands and resume their play* Another story that Luda is fond of telling concerns the security of b*r dugout. At one time during a terrific rtin and wind storm, her neighbors, knowing her to be alone with bar baby, went* to her house and persuaded her to come to their tent house* After they had reached the other house a tremendous well of water struck, soon filling the / house* Thay were compelled immediately to seek other shel-

9 HUMPHREY». LUDA HOOD INTERVIEW / - 8 tep, while practically all the furnishings ia the meighbor'a houae were destroyed. Returning to her ova dugout the next morning Luda found it had hardly been touched by the water*