General History

Part One

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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY "BEFORE HISTORY BEGAN"

The part played by those who have appeared on the stage of discovery, exploration, settlement and improvement of our native land goes into the making of the greatest human drama of all times.

From the day that Hernando de Soto and his followers crossed the hills and dales of Randolph County, unto the present day of atomic energy, penicillin and political purges, there has been unfolded, day by day, scenes which go into the making of one of the most colorful stories ever told.

To go farther back, we could picture the Redman, as he moved slowly but surely south from the Aleutian stepping stones. When the curtain rose and showed us the initial scene of the long forgotten ages, wherein the father and mother of the Indian, as yellow skinned Mongolians, whose fishing boat which had been blown far from its course, had been wrecked on Attu or Rat Island, instead of the long finger of conti-nental Asia, as the story may have happened, we would, here and there, have been placed in the spot, in the story of Time, where we say, in modern movie language, "Here is where we came in."

The next scenes before us would show the fight for survival of those who were destined to "multiply and replenish the Earth," especially that part which we call the Americas. Some of the children of these ancient people moved south, far south, where the sun, the seasons and Father Time had changed that yellow to copper or brown and in the long trek from the Aleutians to Panama, by way of the Pueblos of New Mexico, had trained their hands to work in many ways for-eign to the original fishermen.

Here we would see unfolded, century by century, the story of the Aztecs and their gold and tropical cities; the Eskimo who had retained his mother color; the Seminoles of the Florida Everglades, the AIgonquins of New England and

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the Osages and Cherokees of our own Randolph County section.

Flash! And the flickering screen of time would throw before our eyes the landing of the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria!

Along with the sound of splashing waves and flapping sails we would hear, on Time's sound track, that joyous shout of land! land! from the tongues of the Thirteenth Century Spaniards, whose leader was that illustrious "Dago" from Genoa, Christopher Columbus.

When those Redmen of San Salvador ran down to the seashore to look upon the "great white birds from the east," there was a reunion.

This reunion was that of fragments of the great human family which, spread from God's own Garden of Eden, around the world, by way of Greece, and Rome, the shores of the Mediterranean, Saxony, Gaul and ancient land north of Gibraltar, to cross the stormy Atlantic, to meet the other end of that human throng which had travelled across India, Thibet, Manchuria and Eastern Siberia to board the Behring Sea fishing boat in the early morning of time to be blown by the icy winds on to the shore of Attu, Rat Island or maybe the Pribilofs, here to bury their identity as Mongolians and to forever in the future be known as the Redman.

Though this act is back in that space of time which is four hundred and fifty-four years down the avenues of time behind us, yet we must record this event not only as the "Genesis" of our American history, but also classify it as the dawn of modern history in the Western Hemisphere.

The story of Columbus is known by all who have gone to school or who has delved into the musty recordings of the past.

Then came the Cabots, Champlain, Henry Hudson, Captain John Smith, Ponce de Leon and many others during the

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first two centuries following the Spanish landings in the West Indies, including Hernando De Soto, who we claim was the first white man to set foot on Randolph County soil.

In an unsuccessful and fatal search for gold which led De Soto to our part of the continent, in 1539 he sailed from Cuba and landed on the coast of Florida. For the next year and a half he and his men wandered around over what is now the southeastern part of the United States, looking for gold and fighting Indians. In 1541 they crossed the Mississippi River near the site of Memphis and then travelled around over Arkansas for several months, finally crossing into what is now Louisiana, where he died May 21, 1542. No one will ever know exactly where his trail ran. It is supposed to have ran up as far as New Madrid, Missouri, and then turning, came back across the hills by way of what is now Butler County and Ripley County, in Missouri and across Randolph, and other counties of Arkansas.

Just what month and time of year he came down the old Indian trail, which later became to be the old National road and still later the old Military road, is not known, but there is good evidence that he did come our way.

Time marches on. The scroll continues to roll, when down from the land of the Illinois and the headlands of the "Father of Waters" came La Salle and his noble band of Frenchmen, including De Tonti who was destined to carry on after La Salle quit the walks of men, in the state of Texas. This was in the year 1682 that La Salle came. Four years later De Tonti erected a cross at the site of the future town of Arkansas Post and claimed all this section for the king of France.

De Soto opened the door of Arkansas and our county to the world and modern history when he crossed the mighty river in 1541, but for the next one hundred and forty-one years the forests stood and the river rolled on unmolested by the hand of white men. De Tonti "started something" when

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he established Arkansas Post. These early Frenchmen fared far better in this new land than the Spanish. The Spanish came to rob and steal. The French came to open settlements and bring Christianity to the Indians. Marquette, who came this way, from the "cold and frozen north" in 1673, was also a man of God who saw in the Redman another human being, and recognized and acknowledged the brotherhood of man.

From 1686 until another century had rolled into the past and gone, we have no record of anyone coming Randolph County's way.

When the first rays of the dawning of the morning of the nineteenth century showed above the horizon, what is now Randolph County was yet an unbroken wilderness. Possibly old De Maux, for whom the river Fourche de Mas was named, was living here in the backwoods fastness of our county's ver-dant hills. Tradition tells us that he was a son or grandson of one of the men left at the Post of Arkansas by his ancestor countryman, De Tonti, many moons ago. Here his sire mar-ried an Indian girl, and for the first time in centuries beyond number the blood of the east was mixed with the blood of the west to produce the first man who called himself "white," who was a native of our local soil.

Such was the setting of the stage for the last act of our drama which we call "modern times," which has consumed a hundred and fifty years of God's great Eternity and goes on!

Such was the stage which was set for the appearance of John Janes, Matthias Mock, William Jarrett, William Hix, John Davidson, William O'Neal, John Shaver, Jerome Mattix, Obediah Hudson, Shadrach Nettles, the DeMunns, the Millers, the Pitmans, the Luttrells, the Bettis and the dozens and dozens of others who came here during the first days of the past century to take their places on that vast stage of human activities, joys and sorrows, success and failure which continues to play and which will continue to do until the curtain falls "and time shall be no more."

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This is the story of Randolph County, Arkansas, from the time "before the time we know about" until we come to the actual recorded part which is contained in this book, beginning around the year one thousand, eight hundred one, and continuing until the present, which we call 1946.

FIRST HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY

What is now Randolph County was originally a small part of that vast territory first known to us as the Louisiana Purchase. The first white man to set foot on its soil is supposed to have been the Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto, and his men in the year 1541. Some historians deny this. Actually no one knows exactly the route these men traveled; but the first settlers in the vicinity of the present-day Pitman Ferry community found Spanish armor and Spanish coins of this date on the site of what was supposed to have been a camping ground of De Soto. Also a Spanish sword of the same design as carried by De Soto in his travels through the Mississippi Valley was unearthed near the site of the old town of Davidsonville a few years ago. Tradition tells us that this place was first known to the white man as an ancient Indian village and that De Soto and his men stopped here quite awhile in the cold winter of 1541.

The next white man to visit in this section was the Frenchman, Marquette, in the year 1673. He was followed by other Frenchmen, La Salle in 1682 and De Tonti in 1686. The latter established at Arkansas Post, in 1686, the first permanent settlement in the Mississippi Valley.

All the land west of the Mississippi was first claimed by the Spaniards because of their right of discovery. Just how and when it became the property of the French is not known, but the French ceded it to Spain in 1708. Spain again ceded it to France in 1800. France only owned it. three years the last time, selling it to the United States in the year 1803.

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This is known in history as the "Louisiana Purchase." The deal was made during the administration of Thomas Jeffer-son and is by far the most important land deal which our nation has ever made.

After the United States became owner of this vast land area, which was approximately the western half of the entire Mississippi Valley, it was cut up into various "districts" and "territories." What is now Randolph County was first a part of the District of Louisiana, being so designated in 1804. In 1805 it was made a part of the District of New Madrid, where it remained until 1813. From 1813 to 1815 it was a part of the County of New Madrid in the Territory of Missouri. It was a part of the County of Lawrence in the Territory of Missouri from January 15, 1815, to July 4, 1819. From July 4, 1819, until October 29, 1835, it was a part of Lawrence County, Arkansas Territory. On this latter date Randolph County came into existence as a separate county in the Arkansas Territory until the next year (1836) when the territory became one of the states of the Union.

Randolph County has been a part of four great countries (including the Confederacy), three territories, two states, four counties, and is older by one year than the state of Arkansas itself. Being located almost in the very "heart" of the original vast Louisiana Purchase, we who call Randolph County our home appreciate and respect the statement made by Robert Livingston who negotiated the deal with France whereby the United States became the owner of this vast domain, when he said on that memorable day of May 4, 1803, "We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our entire lives. It will change vast solitudes into flourishing districts." Such was the opinion of the statesman who made the deal whereby our nation became owner of over 1, 182, 000 square miles of rich virgin territory for a sum of only about fifteen million dollars. Randolph County is a part of that purchase.

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FIRST INHABITANTS - THE INDIAN

There are many signs of work done by the so-called pre-historic Mound Builders this section. These people were supposed to have been a people who inhabited much of the North American continent, and especially the Mississippi Valley. Just who these people were and from whence they came and where they went will probably never be known. They were different from the Indians who were here when the first white man came. Their name suggests one of their traits. They built huge mounds, usually in the valleys or lowlands. Excavations in these mounds reveal that they were used as burying grounds and other purposes. Some of these mounds are found in Randolph County but none with evidence such as has been found in other parts of the state.

This section was once the home of at least two distinct branches of the North American Indian, the Osages and the Cherokees. Both branches had lived here long before the coming of the first white settler and most of them had moved farther west even before permanent white settlements had made much headway. Cherokee Bay in eastern Randolph County was named for the Cherokees who resided along the ridges in that section and hunted and fished in the low bot-toms and along the banks of Black and Current rivers. The Osages also lived in this section and there is evidence that the latter drove the Cherokees out sometime during the early Indian wars when the first settlers on the eastern shores of our nation were driving all the Redmen westward. Randolph County escaped the trouble with the Indian that many of the eastern pioneer communities had. So far as we are able to learn, no fight was ever made between the whites and Indians within the present borders of Randolph County.

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RANDOLPH COUNTY IN 1800

We who now live, being used to the mars and scars made by human habitation upon the face of the land, can scarcely realize just how our country looked before the devastating hand of man started working. Where broad fields now spread, once stood giant hardwood trees, the age of which dated back to the Dark Ages. Where we now see old fields wounded by deep gullies and overgrown by sage grass, once stood walnut trees which would fit in with any cabinet-maker's wildest dream. The lowland sections of the county was a vast carpet of trees and vines divided here and there by sloughs and marshes. Black virgin soil, three feet deep, made up of the accumulation of decayed vegetation for centuries. Wild fruits and berries grew in abundance everywhere. On the uplands were found practically the same picture except that it was higher and not marshy. The streams like Fourche, Janes Creek and others were clear, deep mountain streams. Deep pools of water surrounded by large softwood trees and shoals lined with willows and other shrubs and trees whose roots sought the damp, rich banks of the creeks. No "washes" and wide gravel bars were to be found before men came and cut away the timber and plowed loose the soil to be washed down the creeks by every big rain which fell. Not a mark scarred the miles and miles of virgin forests except the narrow thread-like trails of the buffalo and Redman. Such was the setting of the stage upon which the first settlers moved onto to start that colossal drama of human activity of which we are now a part.

Wild game was present in abundance. Fish, fowls and fur-bearing animals found a veritable paradise. Buffalo, bear, wolves, panthers, deer and all the smaller animals were natives of this section. Wild turkeys, geese, ducks, and other fowl life was plentiful, and the streams abounded with fish. All this was the "Manna of Life" for the American Indian as well as the early pioneer. It is almost beyond our power of

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imagination to realize the immense contrast in what the traveller of 1800 saw in a trip from O'Kean to Elm Store or from Reyno to Ravenden, compared with the scene along the way in 1946 ! Blooded cattle graze along the slopes of the upland, set in Bermuda or lespedeza, where once grazed the buffalo, under the giant trees. Tractors hum across the allu-vial fields where once the bear and deer made their way along the narrow paths through the cane and vine entanglements. Thus is a century and a quarter of transformation.

FIRST WHITE SETTLERS

Just who the first white man was who came into what is now Randolph County to make his permanent home will never be known. No record has ever been made of an early French settler in this county. The mother county of Law-rence, just to the south of us, knows and recognizes the fact that it was possibly the French who established the first per-manent homes in that county. They probably did the same in this county in the vicinity of Davidsonville and along Fourche DuMas creek. De Tonti left ten Frenchmen in Arkansas when he was here in 1686. Whether any of these men reared families will never be known. The first name for this creek was of French origin. It was written "Fourche De Maux." Who can deny that away back in 1686 when De Tonti left these men here in this remote wilderness that one or more of these men did not come to Randolph County and marry a legendary Indian Princess and adopt the ways and life of the Redman, and though leaving a few French names scattered around, lived and died with the Indians to bury forever the story of the first white settler of Randolph County!

There is some evidence to support the claim that there was an active French trading post at Pocahontas before 1790.

But with all this, it remains for the historian to designate, so far as is possible, the name or names of the first families to

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make this their permanent home. Shinn's History of Arkansas says that John Janes, a Revolutionary soldier, settled on the creek which bears his name in the year 1809. Reynold's History of Arkansas, which was used as a text-book about 1910, states that Matthias Mock settled on Mud Creek in central Randolph County in 1815 to become the first settler. The Jarrett family has records that tend to prove that their ancestor, Dr. William Jarrett, settled at what is now known as the Foster ford on Fourche near 1800. William Jarrett, who died in Little Rock in 1944 at the age of ninety-five, stated years ago that the Dr. Jarrett named above came here from Lincoln County, N. C., in 1800 and that he bought land at "Columbia" at that early date from Richard Fletcher. This Richard Fletcher was the father of John Gould Fletcher, the sire of the noted Fletcher family of Arkansas. More will be related about this family in another chapter. C. L. Freeman, in his History of Northeast Arkansas, stated that William O'Neal, Obediah Hudson and Shadrack Nettles settled on the state line between Oregon County, Missouri, and Randolph County, Arkansas, in 1812. David Black settled on Elevenpoint at what is still known as Black's Ferry in 1815. Tom Holt settled near Warm Springs in 1821. George Mansker settled on the creek which bears his name just north of the city limits of Pocahontas in 1817. May 27, 1815, William Clark, Governor of Missouri Territory, appointed William Russell as Justice of the Peace "within and for the Settlement of Fourche de Thomas." Two days later he also appointed William Harris for the same place and position. On the first records of Lawrence County, Elijah Baker is recorded to have made a property transfer to Beverly Baker, June 8, 1815. These Bakers lived on Elevenpoint River, Randolph County. November 15, 1818, James Smith sold his improvement on "Glaze Kenon Creek" to William Linn. In his deed Smith stated that he had actually improved and cultivated this place before April 12, 1814, the date the settler's right to preemption claim on real estate came into effect. John Shaver settled on Mud Greek near the present-day Ingram about

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1818 or earlier. Solomon Hewitt sold the farm on which the first court of Lawrence County was held to Benjamin Crowley, October 12, 1819. This property is described on the records as being "on the north bank of Spring River, two miles above the mouth of levenpoint." Crowley already lived here at this time. This Benjamin Crowley is the man who settled at Walcott, Greene County, and for whom Crowley's Ridge was named. Edward McDonald, who was Lawrence County's first Representative in the Territorial Legislature in 1820, lived near the present village of Supply prior to that time. Charles Hatcher lived in the south end of Davidson township before 1818. He was appointed Justice of the Peace in that year. Dr. Englemann, the noted German physician and scientist, travelled from St. Louis to Little Rock in 1837. He spent some time at the home of Dr. Peyton R. Pittman at Pittman's Ferry and stated that the latter had lived here over twenty-five years at that time. William Hix owned this ferry years before Dr. Pittman became owner. Evidently Hix's Ferry was in operation around 1800. The census for the year 1830 listed the following persons in Ran-dolph County aged 60 to 70: William Hix John Pierce Isaac Flannery, William McKnight and James Davis; aged 70 to 80, Nathan Luttrell, James Boyd, Martin Vanzandt, and Mrs. Joe Kellett; over 80 years of age, John Shaver. The follow-ing names are listed as leading citizens of the Davidsonville community before 1815: Louis De Mun, William Robinson, William Hix (evidently Hix moved to Davidsonville when he sold out at Pittman), Solomon Hewitt, Andrew Criswell, James M. Kuykendall, Isaac Kelley, Charles Kelley, Morris Moore, James Campbell, Richard Searcy. On Elevenpoint River before 1815 were William Looney, William Meredith, Massach H. Jones, John Miller, James Hallock, and the Mcllroy and Stubblefield families. On Janes Creek were John Janes, Lot Davis, and up near the state line William O'Neal, Obediah Hudson and Shadrach Nettles. Henry Schoolcraft passed through Randolph County in 1819 and stopped at the village of Fourche de Thomas and in his writ-

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ten report stated that he was amazed at the many improved farms in this section at that time. The early Luttrell, Duckworth, McElmurry, Winningham, Slavens, Shaver and other families were represented in Cherokee Bay before 1820. The Eldridge family, Ators, Cross, Grissom, Robinson, Dalton and others were living in what is now Siloam township near this period.

It is impossible to list all the very first families who settled in Randolph County, even if they were known. And it must be remembered by the reader and historian that in any section the great handicap in learning who were there early is the lack of written records, and also, even though records are in existence, many of the early settlers led a quiet life apart from their neighbors, and unless they made some sort of legal transaction or were identified with some of the early activities, their name may never appear in the annals of the first quarter of a century of settlement. In the family his-tories of this book and in the articles dealing with the dif-ferent towns and settlements many of the above persons and others not named above will be listed. The aim of the writer, in this chapter, is to give the reader a brief but general list of the names appearing in the records for the first twenty-five years after the opening of the century (1800).

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FIRST COURT IN RANDOLPH COUNTY

The first court held in Lawrence County, before the formation of Randolph, was held in what is now Randolph County. This court was held in April 1815, at the home of Solomon Hewitt, on the east side of Spring River about two miles above the mouth of Elevenpoint. This land is now owned by Albert Davis and Eugene McCarroll. This is supposed to have been the first actual term of court Convened in Arkansas.

This court was held in the house which has been pictured in one or two Arkansas histories and in numerous newspapers and called the "first courthouse at Davidsonville." This is an error. The courthouse at Davidsonville was a two-story brick.

The first trial was between Thomas Graves and James Haddock over the ownership of some hogs. The grand jury was composed of Jess Jeffrey (foreman), George Grant, William

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Compton, Sam Russell, John Bollinger, Thomas Morris, Asa Lausacum, Culbert Hudson, Sam Wilson, John Walker, John Lafferty, Nat Robbins, William Caraway, Robert Cravens, William Stubblefield, William Webb, Edward McDonald and William Hix.

The petit jury was made up of the following: Joseph Hardin, James Kuykendall, Robert Rollins, William D. Holt, William Cravens, Sol Carter, Frederick Keel, Richard Mur-phy and William Robertson.

Richard Thomas, who was the presiding judge for the southern district of Missouri, was the judge. James Camp-bell was sheriff, Lewis DeMunn was clerk (DeMunn resigned in 1816 and Richard Searcy was appointed). John Rodney was surveyor and G. W. Wright was assessor. The sheriff was required to give bond (as collector) for an amount twice the anticipated revenue for the year. The bond was for $150.00 and is still in existence in the vault at Powhatan. This was the only term of court held at the home of Solomon Hewitt. The next was held at "the new house of Richard Murphy." After this the county seat had been located at Davidsonville. For an account of the establishing of the county seat at Davidsonville, see chapter of the establishment of that town elsewhere in this book.

The above was an account of the first court of old Lawrence County. Randolph has the distinction of possessing the site of the first court of two counties, Lawrence and of Randolph County proper, after it was organized. The first court held in the county after its organization was held at the home of James G. Russell, eight miles north of Pocahontas, on what was long known as the old Foster farm, now owned by Max Riggs. The date of convening was April 4, 1836. On the first page of book one of the records (county court) is this entry: "The judge did not appear; court adjourned until tomorrow morning." The next day the judge was present and the first term of Randolph County court was convened.

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Peyton R. Pitman, for whom the village of Pitman and Pitman's Ferry was named, was the judge. His associate justices at this term were William Rice, the first resident of Warm Springs, Joseph Spikes, Benjamin Janes, and James Cooper. The first business transacted was the appointment of Jesse Spikes as constable for Columbia township, Jacob W. Shaver as constable for Current River township, George Glasscock as constable for Roanoke township and James Houston as constable for Demun.

The next business was the approving of the bond of William Black as sheriff and James Cooper as surveyor. James G. Russell was allowed ten dollars for advertising the election in 1835. In addition to the above, numerous citizens were appointed to mark out roads or were appointed as overseers for the various roads already marked out. This was the first term of county court in the county.

The first term of circuit court that was held in the county was held May 31, 1837, with Lewis B. Tulley as circuit judge. The following men were members of the first grand jury: George B. Croft, William Jarrett, William Spikes, Samuel Jordon, Ruben Rice, John Mansker, Fielden Stubblefield, William Marshall, Walter G. Hogan, John Welch, James Bigger, Isaac Blount, Lewis Edwards, John Shaver, Edward Mattix, James Luttrell, Amos Lively, Daniel Plott and Joseph Spikes.

The first petit jury was composed of the following: Isham F. Alcorn, Lemi Evans, Jesse Gray, Charles Hatcher, Jacob Shaver, William Crabtree, Isaac McDonald, William Mitch-ell, Charles Thompson, Isaac Everett, Daniel Lieb, and Wil-liam Adair. Evans and Crabtree were fined for not appear-ing as jurymen after being summoned.

The majority of the first cases tried in this court were for assault and battery and gambling. The charge for gambling was entered on the record as "Betting at seven-up" in most cases, although a few were listed as "betting at a game called

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three-up." Thomas Johnson was the first prosecuting attor-ney. An interesting thing to be noted in the record of the first and second terms of Randolph County Circuit Court was the frequent appearance of the names of the leading citizens of that day on the docket. It seems that even though they occupied places of prominence in their communities and were often situated in responsible positions, they did not fail to defend their side of the questions involved, even to the extent of being hauled into court and charged with "assault and battery" and "creating an affray." The people who lived a hundred years ago were, of necessity, of the rough-and-ready type who often scorned conventional things and were not much for formality, relying a lot on impulses and looking at things for their true worth and nothing else.

Of the above list of the first grand and petit jurors who served in 1837, twenty-four of the names are still represented in Randolph County at the present time.

THE OLD MILITARY ROAD

What has been known as the "Old Military Road" for many years is that old road which entered Randolph County from Missouri at Pitman's Ferry and ran by way of Supply, Maynard, Attica, old Jackson and across Spring River into Lawrence County. This old road was first known as the Natchitoches Trail and had been used by the Indians from time immemorial in their travels from the north to the south and from the east to the west, as the route runs in a north-eastern-southwestern direction. The route is a natural location for a road. It ran closely along the foothills of the Ozarks from the north to the south and is above the early flooded lowlands but near enough to be accessible to the Indian and wild animals to travel in going to and from the higher lands to the northwest.

After the coming of the white man the road was a general route of travel from St. Louis by way of the old French

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ment of St. Gcnevieve to the southwest across Arkansas into Texas and Mexico. Evidently it was used by early hunters and traders soon after the close of the Revolution. Some of the hardy pioneers of the east desired to explore the great unknown wilderness of the Mississippi Valley. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 quite a number of these people brought their families and settled in this section. Many years before this a road had been opened from the east to St. Genevieve, on the Mississippi south of St. Louis. The Military road is an extension of this road. Around 1800 a ferry was established at what is now Pitman by William Hix and was known as Hix's Ferry. This is ample proof that the old road was being used by enough travellers to make a ferry a profit-able undertaking. A few years later the ferry was purchased, together with the farm, by P. R. Pitman, who later became the first county judge of Randolph County, and was known thereafter as Pitman's Ferry. About this time the route became known as the National road, but when Congress began to spend money to improve these frontier roads to be used for military purposes it became to be known as the "Military Road."

The first quarter of a century after this road and others like it were opened, there was no work done on them except what the travellers did as they went along. Sometimes they were changed as the conditions required, and as settlements grew up on or near them.

On March 2, 1831, Congress appropriated $15, 000 to be used "on the road from Washington, Arkansas Territory, to Jackson in said Territory." On July 3, 1832, $20, 000 more was set aside for this purpose. On February 24, 1835, another appropriation was made by Congress for work to be done on the old Military road. Lieut. R. D. C. Collins and Thomas Baker were given the contract to improve that part within the present Randolph County. The price for the work is recorded as follows "From Jackson to Elevenpoint, $14.00 per mile; from Elevenpoint to Fourche de Thomas, $18.75

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per mile; from Fourche de Thomas to the Missouri state line, $8.50 per mile."

The present bridge at what is now known as the Foster Ford on Fourche creek is the third bridge at that point. This is the old Military crossing. The first two bridges were of wood. This is the old "Columbia" or "Fourche de Thomas" settlement (more will be said about this place later). The next crossing was on Elevenpoint River and a terry was established here also. This ferry was established in 1815 or soon thereafter by David Black and is still known as Black's Ferry. The crossing on Spring River was at the place known in later years as the Miller Ford.

Some of the early maps show the road going by way of Davidsonville. The first road which was really the original Natchitoches trail did go by Davidsonville, but the road known and recognized as the National road or Southwest Trail and finally as the old Military road did not go by this, Randolph County's first postoffice. The lack of ferrying facilities and the flood plain on the south and west side of Davidsonville made it in a very hard spot to be located on an early road.

Many noted persons have travelled down this old road in the past century and a half, besides all the grand old pioneers who lived a life of usefulness "unhonored and unsung." Among the notables were Sam Houston, David Crockett, General John C. Fremont, Henry R. Schoolcraft, Nuttall the explorer; Moses Austin, his son, Stephen Austin, later to be known as the "Father of Texas"; Gen. Archibald Yell, Gov. James S. Conway, James Woodson Bates, Gen. Sterling Price, Gen. Joe Shelby, President U. S. Grant and many others. The first mail route in the state of Arkansas was over this route. Some historians say the route ran from St. Louis to Monroe, Louisiana, by way of Pitman, Fourche de Thomas (Colum-bia), Davidsonville, Polk Bayou (Batesville) and to Arkan-sas Post. Houck's History of Southeast Missouri states that

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the mail was first carried from Harrisonville. Illinois, by way of Potosi and Fredericktown, Mo., Pitman, Columbia and Davidsonville to stop at Batesville. This latter route evidently was of a later date than the St. Louis-Arkansas Post route. But at any rate both came through Randolph County and furnished mail to the county's first postoffices, Fourche de Thomas (Columbia) and Davidsonville, and possibly Pitman. After the decline of Davidsonville in 1829 when the county seat (of old Lawrence County) was moved to Jackson, a few miles northwest of the old town, the road was discon-tinued by Davidsonville to take the route described above. This mail was carried on horseback once a month. Taverns were built along the old road and many weary travellers, in the years after the road became well established, rested their weary bodies inside the walls of these buildings which were the forerunner of the modern hotel, or actually more like the tourist courts along our modern highways. From 1820 until the turn of the present century hundreds of families per year travelled over this old road in their trek south and west. Dr. Englemann, a noted German scientist who traveled this road from St. Louis to Little Rock in March, 1837, tells of spend-ing one night and two days at Columbia (Fourche de Thomas) at the home of David Plott, waiting for the high water to run down. He states in his diary of the trip that several families of immigrants were detained at the same time and that in their haste to get across some of them drove their teams and wagons into the stream and the wagons were over-turned by the swift current.

Many travellers from the east who had actually started to Texas or farther west, upon reaching this section decided to stop here and make it their home. This accounts in part for the tact that this section of the state was settled before that farther west and south. A few pushed on, and not finding what they wanted, came back and settled here. The first telegraph line to run through northeast Arkansas was strung along the old Military road. Only a few years ago a man

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living out northeast of Maynard told the writer about cutting a tree which had one of the old insulators imbedded in its trunk.

A branch of the Military road was opened in the early thirties from Jackson west, by way of Smithville and other points to Fayetteville. This is the road over which the Indians were taken in the removal from their home east of the Mis-sissippi to the Indian Territory which is now the western part of Oklahoma. We have all heard of the hardships, cruelty and suffering borne by these Redmen at the hands of the Government agents who contracted to move them. They were paid sufficiently to have transported them in comfort and safety but the story persists that they were unscrupulous, hard-hearted fellows who drove them on, through bad weather, sickness, etc., which resulted in many deaths and much suffering.

If it were possible to project on a movie screen the vast panorama which moved along the old Military road during the years from 1820 until 1890, we would see depicted before us one of the greatest living dramas of all ages.

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OTHER EARLY ROADS

Besides the old Military road described above, there were several other roads opened in Randolph County during the first years of settlement. On date of July 4, 1836, James Houston and Ransom Bettis reported to the county court that they had viewed the route from the west end of Broad-way in the town of Pocahontas west seven miles to Black's Ferry, and recommended that this was the most practical route from Pocahontas to this ferry.

On this same date, John Boran, John Gullett and Daniel Plott were appointed to review the road from Stephen EIdridge's on Fourche at the Missouri state line over the most practical route towards Pocahontas "until it intersects the old road from Dr. Pitman's to Davidsonville," near the residence of Andrew Kelly (later at Daniel Plott's).

Ben Janes, Coleman Stubblefield and Joseph Spikes were appointed to lay out a road from the road between Cal Stubblefield's and the Spring Island ford on Elevenpoint, over the most direct route to the bridge on Fourche Dumas creek, on the Military road. All this was in July, 1836.

The next year a petition was filed by a number of citizens to the court, requesting that a road be opened from the ferry on Black River at Pocahontas down the east side of the river toward Litchfield, to the Lawrence County line. This road became later to be known as the Pocahontas-Jacksonport road. The first road mentioned above was what became known as the Smithville road and possibly earlier was the Black's Ferry road. The road from Stephen Eldridge's to the Military road was the old road which ran down the west side of Fourche creek and was later known as the old Belview road, although the route was changed in part in later years. This old road crossed the Military road a short distance west of the old Foster ford (or Fourche de Thomas military cross-ing) and ran on south to Pocahontas, coming into the road

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now travelled out of Pocahontas to the north exactly between the forks of the Warm Springs and Maynard road. This old road ran out by way of the old Kibler farm, the old Biggers farm on up across Mud creek at the "Dock Ingram ford." This is the old road which this writer travelled in coming to Pocahontas from western Siloam township when a child.

The road from Elevenpoint to Fourche bridge on the Military road was later replaced by a road which ran more directly east and west. It was located a few miles north of this road and was known as the Warm Springs-Corning road and crossed Fourche at the Phipps Mill ford.

The old Thomasville road, for which Thomasville Avenue in Pocahontas was named, ran from Pocahontas to Thomasville in Oregon County, Missouri. Its route was on the east side of Elevenpoint River. The very first road which ran up Elevenpoint travelled near this route but the road which connects Warm Springs and Pocahontas at the present time was used a great lot during the early days in travelling from the "Irish Wilderness" country on upper Fourche creek into Randolph County. Another old-time road ran down Janes creek to Ravenden Springs over much the same route that the present-day road travels. At one time, about the middle of the last century, the mail was carried from Doniphan by way of Dry Springs (which was a postoffice on the state line between Poynor, Missouri, and Middlebrook, Arkansas) across the hills to Janes' store on Janes creek, according to an old mail route record. Just how the route ran is not known. It possibly ran by way of the old Fourche de Thomas postoffice or the old Mud creek postoffice, which was on the old Mock homestead, and then across the hills to near the present town of Ravenden Springs. The 1836 term of Randolph County court licensed Ranson Bettis to operate a ferry at Pocahontas ($2.00 per year), Peyton R. Pitman at Pitman's ferry ($5.00 per year), and Thomas Black at Black's ferry ($2.00 per year). The tee charged would suggest that there was a lot more business at Pitman

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than at either of the other ferries. This was possibly caused by the stream of emigrants who were moving over the old MIlitary road on their long journey from the older states to the east and north to Texas, what is now Oklahoma and also the southern part of this state. Operating a ferry was one of the first industries in this section. We hear a lot at the present time about getting money from the tourist trade. The old river ferrymen of a century ago were the first to cash in on this source of revenue. However, the traveller of today is usually out on a business or pleasure trip, but the old pioneer largely made only a "one-way drive". He travelled over the road one time to stop at the end of the way, to establish a home for his family and live the remainder of his days at that end of the line. The part played by the early roads of our nation cannot be overestimated. Their importance and the stories and traditions associated with them almost make them ribbons of sacred soil criss-crossing our country, through lowlands and over hill and dale.

EARLY LINES OF TRANSPORTATION

The very first white man who came into this section of the nation, together with his family and possessions, came either by boat or overland in covered wagon. The easiest way to bring merchandise or household goods was to travel by flatboat. The routes usually followed was down the Ohio, then into the Mississippi. This built up such early settlements on the river as St. Genevieve, Cairo, New Madrid and others. With the coming of the steamboat they did not stop altogether on the Mississippi, but ran their boats up the smaller rivers. During the first days of settlement of Randolph County, Davidsonville was the chief river town in north Arkansas. Steamboats from the Mississippi River ports came here with merchandise for the settlers. Pocahontas became an early steamboat landing and many boats went on up Black River several miles and up Current River as far

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as the "Drew Farm" in Cherokee Bay, which was the present site of Biggers. Here Thomas Drew lived during the time he was county judge of Lawrence County and at the time he was elected Governor of Arkansas. Steamboats plied the rivers regularly until the coming of the first railroads. In later years, boats ran up Current and Black rivers much farther than stated above. In fact, since the writer can remember, boats came up Current River to Johnstontown on the river just west of the present town of Reyno and loaded bales of cotton bound for New Orleans and other southern ports.

Tall stories of adventures and hardships of the early rivermen are a part of the literature of the nineteenth century. The rivers at that time were full of hidden dangers for the boatman. Snags, hidden rocks and shifting sandbars were often sudden death to proud rivercraft. In deed record number three of Randolph County is recorded the sinking of the river steamer "Julia Dean" in Black River fifteen miles below Pocahontas on April 30, 1853. Much valuable cargo was destroyed. The boat was on its way up tile river to Pocahontas from Memphis. It had been making regular trips between these ports. Samuel Taylor was Master, S. D. Hancock was clerk, and Morgan Bateman was pilot. There was a rule in those days for the owners of the boat to carry cargo insurance, but if it could be proven by the insurance company that the boat's crew was negligent when fire or sinkings destroyed the cargo, the liability rested on the owner of the boat. On page 131 of this record is to be found a "protest to obtain insurance" for this loss. The location on the river where this sinking occurred ninety-three years ago is still known as the Julia Dean bar.

The first steamboat known to have come up Black River was the steamer Laurel, which came in 1829. Some of the later boats were the Fairy Queen, Clara Inman, Hope, Miltharry, Bragg and Black Diamond. The writer remembers seeing some furniture several years ago with a tag tacked on it which stated "shipped on the steamer Hope."

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As soon as the early trails were blazed out many settlers came in overland. The chief disadvantage of river transportation was that often it did not go where the traveller desired to go. To take care of this he cut out overland trails. The oldest trail to come into Randolph County is what is now known as the old Military road which entered the county from the north at Pitman's Ferry and ran toward the southwest by way of Maynard, Columbia (Jarrett), old Jackson and into Lawrence County near Imboden. (Much more will be said about this old road in a special chapter.) Two other old roads came down through the center of the county and were known as the Belview and Thomasville roads in later years. Principally all the early settlers of the county came here either overland on the old Military road or up Black River in an early steamboat. Most of those who came by boat settled at Davidsonville and around the mouth of Elevenpoint and Spring River. The rest of the county, especially the northeastern section, came in over the old road. This road was opened around 1800 and made Randolph County accessible to those pioneers pushing westward, at an earlier date than the counties farther south and west. Travel over these early trails was slow and hard. Often it was necessary to almost make a road as they went along. Streams had to be crossed, and when a large one was reached a raft had to be built which sometimes took days to construct. Camps had to be set up and breakdowns and sickness often happened on the way. Miles and miles of unbroken forests greeted the traveller and many long and lonesome nights were spent out under God's broad canopy of stars, amid the howls of wild animals and the knowledge that he was hundreds of miles from the home of his father's and with miles and miles of tortuous trail ahead of him. This early pioneer was truly to be compared with John o£ old. He prepared the way that those who came later might travel. And the wife and mother of this pioneer deserves much more credit than she has ever been accorded. It was she who made it possible for such movements in the long journey of man's upward climb to be accomplished

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EARLY SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE

We often think of the life of the pioneer as being drab and monotonous. This would likely be true if we, of the present day, should be forced to live in the environment and surroundings which our grandparents lived. But they invented for themselves various ways and means of entertainment. We have heard more about the old time square dance or "hoe down," as it was often called. Most of the oldtime ministers frowned upon it as a pastime, but to the majority of the inhabitants it was a genuine pleasure and afforded the chief source of public entertainment. When we look back upon the manner in which it was carried on we doubt very much if it could be classed with the modern dance, from a moral standpoint. To the majority who indulged, it afforded a wholesome, harmless sort of pleasure.

The majority of girls who attended these old-time dances were "nice girls" and were highly respected and commanded respect and courtesy which was always accorded them, or their escort or one of the family pulled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to correct the matter. No one ever saw a lady drunk or heard her use the sort of language which we hear today. Smoking among the womenfolk was confined to the grandmothers with their old clay pipes.

The dancing of that day Was generally carried on at the home of one of the inhabitants of the "neighborhood" and was attended by the neighbors for miles around. The fathers and mothers of the boys and girls were present and saw what was going on. This is different from our roadhouses and "honky-tonks" of the present day, with their attendant evils.

Pleasures were often associated with duties at hand. We have all heard of the quilting parties, spinning bees, house raisings, log rollings and other occasions when the neighbors were invited in to participate in the jobs that needed to be done. Often "races" were run and a friendly competition was engaged in, in the manner of seeing who could do the

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job the best or the fastest. All this was diversification fox the folks who spent long lonely days in and around the log cabin in the small "desring" in the woods, many miles from the nearest neighbor.

Church "socials," pie suppers, box suppers and other forms of entertainment were sponsored by the church, both for amusement and as a means of securing money to pay expenses. The schools did much the same way. "Exhibitions" were staged. Debating societies were organized and spelling and ciphering matches were held. All these afforded both entertainment and valuable educational training. There were other forms of entertainment which were both beneficial and monotony breaking for those who lived in Randolph County during the century which came to a close about the beginning of World War I.

The above constitutes a brief picture of the pioneer activities which would be classed as sociaI. Religious activities of that day afforded another kind of diversification. We do not desire to appear Sacriligious when we say that one of the major reasons for the organization of many churches during the early days was for the purpose of affording the settler, especially the young folks, "somewhere to go." It is a well known fact that people are going to go "somewhere." This is especially true of the younger folks. The pioneer "meeting house" helped solve this problem.

The church building of the early days was really a community building. It usually served the purpose of both schoolhouse and church building. It was also the scene Of all other religious and social gatherings. It was also used as a place to hold elections, political speakings, etc.

But this old-time meeting house is best remembered as the place where the "big meeting," or revival was held. Once a month preaching was held. Along through file year and in some of the places Sunday school met regularly, but to many the major use was for the two or three weeks revival which

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was generally held "after crops were laid by." This was sometime during the months of July or August. The preacher, which was mostly of the "circuit rider" type, rode into the neighborhood some Saturday afternoon and services began that night and each night, and sometimes each day for some time. Here the plain unvarnished Gospel was fervently poured out of the mouth of the more or less "educated" man of God. What he lacked in Scriptural knowledge he made up in enthusiasm and religious fervor. People came in for miles around, on foot, in wagons and on horseback. On Sunday there was dinner on the ground. If he had accomplished his mission to a very great extent, there were several baptizings, at the most convenient creek. There was some division as to the teachings of the Scriptures, but most everyone attended and strong congregations were built up whose influence lives unto this day.

Some congregations held camp meetings which lasted several days. At these meetings the folks came and stayed for days.

The pioneer preacher was often poorly paid. When he was paid it was usually in farm products, etc. But it can be said to the everlasting honor and credit of this early man of God, he did his work for his Master and then found out what he was to receive in return, where, as it is with the modern preacher, he generally has to be guaranteed a certain sum or he does not serve. This is not true of all of our present-day ministers, but it is true of too many.

The good work done by the pioneer preacher has never been fully appreciated. He was truly like John of old, "He came forth to prepare a way for we who came later to follow."

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EARLY WATER MILLS

Water furnished the power for the first mills in the pioneer settlements. A few sawmills were operated by water-power but this kind of power was more commonly used in operating burrs for grinding grain and for ginning cotton. To install a watermill it was necessary to build a dam across the stream and then install a "wheel and shaft" to produce this power. Some of the waterwheels were of the "overshot" type which ran the water to the top of a large wheel with boxes or cups to catch the water which started the wheel to turning by the weight of the water in the boxes as they revolved on the shaft, and came back around for refilling. The very oldest mills were built this way. Later mills were built with the power shaft upright and the power was pro-duced by water from "flood gates" striking against a series of paddles built around the shaft like the spokes of a wheel. This power box and flood gate was built at the bottom of the dam and produced much more power, due to the pressure of the water in the mill pond behind the dam.

Along all the larger creeks and rivers can be seen the ruins of the old dams. The first one built in the county was built by Lewis DeMunn and his brothers, two miles below Pocahontas on what is still known as "Mill Creek," in 1822. The old stone abutments and some of the old logs can still be seen. The writer regrets that we do not have a complete list of all these old mill sites but below we name some of them.

One of the most noted, and possibly the last one, to cease operation was the old mill at Birdell. Built sometime during the first half of the past century, it was operated for half a century or more by John Carter. The Carters were related to the Perrins, Scotts and other families of this section. About 1880 Joseph Hufstedler purchased this mill and for over forty years it was known as the Hufstedler mill. Other mills were built on Elevenpoint River. This stream was

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especially well suited for the erection of mill dams as the banks are generally steep and the water swift. Lewis Dalton erected a watermill at Dalton about 1870 and ground grain and ginned cotton many years. Another very old mill site is at Brockett. It is listed on the road records of 1836 as "Ford's Mill" (was later known as Bollinger's mill), and it is said that there was once a three-story roller mill at this site. On Fourche de Mas were located a number of early water-mills. Among them was the old Dalton mill, the old Keel mill, both just over the line in Missouri, Old Cedarville, just north of Middlebrook. The old stone burrs which were on display in the log cabin which used to stand on the Pocahontas fair ground were from the old Cedarville mill. The late Uncle Chas. G. Johnston had it moved here.

Another Fourche water-mill was at Phipp's ford. It was in operation until about 1914. On Mud creek, at what is now the Price farm, was the Dock Ingram mill which was in operation for many years prior to 1900. The writer's grand-father operated a blacksmith shop here while my father was a boy at home. I have often heard the story told about an incident which happened at the shop. My grandfather was a very jovial man and sometimes carried his jokes possibly too far. The story goes that the late Uncle Tive Mock brought an axe into the shop which had "bursted" on one side of the "eye" and asked grandfather it he couldn't "lay" it some way. (The term "lay" was a process of welding one layer of metal over a break to bring the two parts together.) Grand-father looked the axe over and seeing that it was badly worn and hard to repair walked to the door of the shop and threw it far out into the mill pond. Turning to Uncle Tive, he remarked, "Tive that's the best way to 'lay' that axe that I know."

As stated above, we do not have a complete list of all the old mills which were built along the streams of Randolph County, as they were our first manufacturing plants.

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The horsepower grist mill which John Janes operated on Janes' creek before 1822 was converted into a watermill in later years. Another, though later, on Janes' creek was the old Woodyard mill near where Ora Bailey now resides. W. W. Bailey, who dreamed of the famous Ravenden spring, oper-ated a watermill on Janes' creek, a mile and one-half south of Ravenden Springs before 1880. It was at first a corn mill grinding only meal and feed, but later it was enlarged and "bolts" were added, making it a flour mill as well.

The farmer carried his wheat to these ancient mills and paid "toll" to get it ground. He received back in place of the wheat some flour, also "shorts" and "middlings" which was separated from the white center of the grain. This "mid-dlings" was sometimes also used to make bread. It produced a dark loaf, somewhat like graham bread, and was very nour-ishing, although it didn't look too good.

Another early mill was the Johnson mill on Elevenpoint River. The story goes that the mill was small and ground very slowly. The operator would pour a bushel of corn into the hopper and go out in the field and work around a half day while the corn was being ground. One day he heard a dog barking at intervals in the vicinity of the mill. Thinking that someone might be bothering something, he decided to go see about it. Upon arriving at the mill he discovered that the dog was eating the meal as it ran out into the large wooden bowl placed there to receive it, and that he ale faster than the mill ground, and that he was barking for more when enough failed to run out.

Some of the first towns of the nation grew up from the site of an old watermill. Some early settler who lived on a stream which had a site suitable for the building of a dam, would do so, and install a mill. He may have been far back in the woods to begin with, but as his neighbors came to his mill a road would be opened up and the place become well known. Next probably would be a blacksmith shop. The settler would have his plows sharpened or his horse shod

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while he waited for his "turn" at the mill. Another enter-prising neighbor would see that this should be a good "trad-ing place" and would open up a trading post and carry the kinds of merchandise that the folks who came to the mill and the blacksmith shop would buy. Such is the story of the origin of towns and cities.

Another type of early power, although not water power as the title of this chapter suggests, was "horsepower." This is the origin of the term used today in measuring the power of all kinds of engines. There were different methods used to utilize horsepower. The sorghum mill method which caused the horse to travel in a circle, while a system of cog-wheels increased the speed to the operating shaft. Another method was the treadmill. This sort of power was made pos-sible by the stepping of the animals on a moving platform which was made to move because it was an incline which was a part of a large circular wheel or endless belt. The animal "walked all day but went nowhere." This was the old-time treadmill. Often yokes of oxen furnished the power instead of horses. Many of the early inland cotton gins were operated with this kind of power.

John Janes operated a horsepower grist mill on Janes creek before 1822. A flour mill was in operation on the Russell place about 1830, and Elijah Dalton and others operated a cotton gin at Warm Springs as late as 1880, on the treadmill plan. Many other horsepower mills were located in various places. All the first threshing machines which travelled over the country from farm to farm threshing the grain were horsepower, before the steam traction engine came into use in this section. The first steam engines to be used in this county were the stationary type. A firebox of stone or brick was built and the boiler placed upon it. Some of the first industrial casualties of the country were victims of early steam boiler explosions.

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