Updated
March 1, 2015 0:17 AM
From: Larry Wilcox
- click here for photos of Larry and his family.
9
- 17 years.
We moved from the Doggit place to a house
just below the hill from the Chapman Farm headquarters. We only lived
there for a short time before moving to the house about a quarter mile
west of the Russett School house.
One incident I must relate happened while
we lived at the house below the hill. My brother and I was messing around
the woodpile when we got into a struggle over who should have the double
bit axe. As we were swinging the axe up and down, Helen ran up to join
in the struggle and got hit below the chin with the axe giving her a
scar that she wore the rest of her life.
We moved from the house below the hill
to the house that I consider to be the place I lived during my formative
years. The house was located about a hundred yards from the then US
70 highway.
Between the house and the highway was the
old railroad right of way. Russett used to be a thriving little frontier
town complete with bank, post office and saloon. The foundation for
the former cotton gin was in our backyard.
Towns were founded in the Indian/Oklahoma
territory days about a days horse ride apart, which is about eight or
ten miles apart.
As highways were built, the horseless carriage
came into being and coupled with the depression and dustbowl, these
frontier towns began to dry up.
The
story of the Okies and the migration to California is well known. I
had friends whose family moved to California and back to Oklahoma several
times. Interestingly, each time they moved to California they were moved
up a grade in school. When they moved back to Russett, Oklahoma, they
were moved back a grade. At the time California was noted for his progressive
education.
Our school was a consolidated school.
As the little towns began to dry up and transportation became easier,
small schools were consolidated into larger schools. I am not sure what
other schools were consolidated with Russett except for Norton Bend.
This was a community located north of the Washita River. Students were
bussed to Russett from Norton Bend.
