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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: July 28, 1937
Name: A. C. Fitzpatrick
Post Office: Chickasha, Oklahoma
Resident Address: 1716 South 14th Street
Date of Birth: October 20, 1887
Place of Birth: Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
Father: James Albert Fitzpatrick, Sr.
Place of Birth: Indian Territory
Information on father: Died 6 Jan 1915
Mother: Mary Daniel Maupin
Place of birth: Manchester, Clay Co., Kentucky
Information on mother: Living [1937]
Field Worker: Jasper H. Mead
Interview #8129

My name is A. C. Fitzpatrick.  I came to Oklahoma in 1887, October 20th, forty-nine years ago and the first place I landed was on a ranch between Alex and Bradley.

The closest town was Pauls Valley which was the oldest town in the Indian Territory for several miles around but it wasn’t very large:  there were only three or four little old frame buildings and the closest store where we did our trading was two miles south of Lindsay, called Erin Springs.

There was very little farming and the country was in large ranches and it was the finest cattle country that a crow ever flew over.  At the time I lived between Alex and Bradley there were no schools at all but we kids heard the older folks talk about schools back in some of the older states.

The first railroad I ever remember seeing was the Rock Island which came through Chickasha soon after 1890.

The ranch where I was born was called the 97 Ranch and was owned by my father, James Fitzpatrick, Williams and Murray.

The old Chisholm Trail came up through Ninnekah, crossed the Washita River just above Lucille and went on south toward Silver City.

The water supply around there came from dug wells cased up with wood or native red sandstone:  practically all dug wells had two wooden buckets, one on each end of the rope.

One time I remember the Indians stole a bunch of cattle from my father, so he and five or six cowboys went after them and the Indians turned and  chased my father nearly to Fort Sill, but Father and the cowboys went on to Fort Sill, and got the soldiers and went back and got Father’s cattle.

Every man wore a pistol in those days and his word was his bond.  If a man didn’t do what he promised, he was liable to get killed.

Ranch work was about all there was to do and it paid $25.00 per month and board.

[Submitters notes: A. C. was born on 20 Oct 1887]

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Sandi Carter <SandKatC@aol.com> 10-1999.
Great niece of Albert Chastain “Dude” Fitzpatrick