Pine Ridge
There is a gravel road, The Old Waters Hwy, running between the outhouse and the museum in Pine Ridge. It leads down a dusty gravel road between the churches and cemetery and through farmland then forestry land, past a couple of the old 1930s wooden barns, a common feature for the area If you are lucky you might see a road kill, maybe a white tail deer, absolute gutted by turkey vultures with only the hide remaining, and a bald eagle flying low, watching the scene.
Barn 1. Front view. Horses, cattle and once in a while a donkey and chicken
houses are observed.
Barn1. Side view. Nowadays it is not uncommon to see corrugated roofing iron
missing and the barns starting to deteriorate.
Thanksgiving, 2006. The trees have already lost their leaves and the ridge are
visible.
Barn 2. Front view.
Barn 2. Back view.
If you are planning to go out to photograph barns pick a beautiful day with a blue sky and plenty of white clouds rather than a dull day with an empty sky. The season makes a difference. In the summer buildings like the courthouse can barely be viewed through all the leaves but in the autumn and winter you can see the structures.
Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census. Ninety-one percent of the U.S. farms are small family farms.
REMEMBERING ARKANSAS Trip to town,
wagon-yard camp are memories of yore by Tom W. Dillard
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette 24 February 2008
Travel, Pages 89
For the past two weeks I have written about the history of Arkansas hotels and
inns. Our subject this week is the poor man's version of a hotel - the wagon
yard. Most Arkansans did not travel much prior to the modern automobile era.
Indeed, until a few years ago it was not uncommon to hear of someone living far
back in the mountains who had died without ever leaving the county. And, when
isolated farmers had to journey far to go to town, it often involved spending
the night. Only the most prosperous would splurge on a hotel. The wagon yard
would do just fine.
A wagon yard was a combination livery stable, hostel and parking lot. It was a
place to literally camp out while in town - and in the same facility where the
mules were stabled and the wagon parked. While I have been unable to locate much
information on wagon yards, two interesting accounts did surface. My favorite is
by a woman named Nettie Kelly Singleton who told of growing up in Montgomery
County near the little village of Oden and of yearly trips when she got to
accompany her father when he took the wheat harvest to Mena, a trip of about 35
miles.
Tate C. "Piney" Page, who grew up on a farm 35 miles north of Russellville,
recalled in his 1972 memoirs making a "Trip to Town" during his youth. Page's
wagon yard experience was not nearly as satisfying as that of Miss Nettie, but
both are interesting accounts. Both stories are told from the perspective of
children, and both date from the same time period, 1915-1920.
Going to town was a source of excitement for both adults and children. Sometimes
several neighboring farm families traveled to town in a caravan, enhancing the
excitement. Page recalled simply, "It was a bright spot in a world that could
find excitement in simple things." Usually only two or three people could make
the trip, for all available space was needed for the produce being taken to town
to sell - as well as food for the mules. Eight-year-old Piney Page had to earn
his right to accompany his uncle by getting up early each morning to start a
fire.
Farmers who were too frugal to stay in hotels were also unlikely to dine in
restaurants, so a "grub box" was packed with food. Nettie Singleton recalled
that her mother "fried lots of dried apple pies, baked lots of cookies, boiled
eggs, fried ham, baked biscuits, and baked a big pan of sweet potatoes."
Something in the human psyche must dictate that big trips always start very
early in the morning. Piney Page recalled that his uncle announced an early
departure, "bright and early, leavin' 'bout first chicken crow." Likewise,
Nettie Singleton remembers being awakened for "a very early breakfast." Just
before they departed at 4:30 a.m., her father took a large stone from the
fireplace, wrapped it in burlap and placed it under the wagon seat to keep their
feet warm.
Page described the moment when the "loaded wagon and reluctant mules" were ready
to commence: "The party rattled out of the yard amid the clamor of barking dogs
and smiles from those staying home. At that moment the sun peeped over the
mountain." After such an early departure, lunch (usually called "dinner" in
rural areas) was eaten well before noon. Availability of water for the draft
animals was a major consideration in choosing a site to have lunch. Young Piney
Page found these outdoor meals full of details worthy of remembering: "The odor
of sweaty horses, burning wood, frying bacon and boiling coffee blended into an
unforgettable memory." Even with the early departures, the Page and Singleton
wagons reached their destinations after sunset. Wagon yards were lighted all
night since customers arrived at all hours. Nettie Singleton recalled that her
family always stayed at the Dickson wagon yard in Mena, which was located next
to the Dickson Hotel.
After seeing that the mules were properly fed, watered and stabled, Nettie and
her father retired to a large room where they made beds on the floor. "Everyone
slept in their traveling clothes, including shoes and stockings," Nettie
remembered 75 years later. "I don't remember ever taking any extra clothes."
Piney Page was decidedly a country boy and he found the camp house at the wagon
yard in Russellville to be unclean and smelly. Exhaustion from 15 hours of rough
travel, however, dulled his sensitivities: "It had been a long hard day. The
trip had covered more than 30 rough miles. This was a new and excitingly
different world. After supper, everyone soon crawled into pallets. Sleep was
mighty close after such a long rough day." Farmers spent the time in town taking
care of business, including selling products such as eggs or cured hams; or
having grain milled; or buying things that could not be produced on the farm.
Special treats such as cheese, crackers and peppermint candy would gladden
hearts back home. Ultimately, the wagon yard, like the wagon itself, disappeared
from the American scene. Perhaps the motor court was its immediate successor.
Cattle Drives by Tom Dillard