Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1931-09-17 letter to Family - BEntry/Object ID
1990.1.185Context
Sep 17.
Dear Ones
Leaving Kas Cy at 2:00 P.M., chair car, good coach, about 20 passengers. Winding out of the city, great hills, dirt, factories, clouding some. We follow Kas river, a wonderful valley. About the prettiest land I have seen, although corn's not as good as in some other places. River is low, large sand bars. Have the third conductor today. Suppose will have two more. Pass through Lawrence. Brings memories of Jordan. I imagine I saw Jordan's farm where I visited. Now at Topeka where we cross the Kas River and start south. A long train. Several foreigners on board. Quite a forest on the bluffs, a grape vineyard, herd of spotted cattle. Have not seen any one drinking nor showing effects of liquor. Some beautiful and quite high hills and ridges off to the left. Corn looks like a storm had struck it. Now at McFarland. We come now to quite level land and the soil is black. An enormous amt of hay stacked. Here we come to quite a city of oil derricks. It is 6:10 (C.T.) and the sun is hiding behind a cloud. Here is a wonderful view of level land. They raise much Kaffir corn. I buy a cheese sandwich, the first train where we have had sale of anything. Corn is nothing like the Ohio corn this year. Get to Wichita 7:45, then 3 hrs run. Now at Marion. People, people everywhere and everyplace seems the best place for some people. Here is a grassy looking crop which I never saw before. At 7:45 (E.T.) the sun is dropping out of sight sending golden rays against the murky atmosphere. Note how the time compares at home. From Dayton to Enid is just 1203.7 miles. It's 634 miles more to Stillwater. The Wisconsin trip will add about 280 round trip. A total of about 2800 miles round trip. It is 8:15 (E.T.) and it is almost dark. I can see the outline of buildings and trees. I bought 2 small pears 15c/ but one of them was rotten. He brought an extra one. Hot smoky, dirty, grimy. 3 1/2 hrs run in darkness and I hope to get a bath. We have come the 908 mi from Chicago in about 23 hours make a pinch less than 40 mi per hr, many stops. Dark now & nothing to see. Will be in Wichita in 15 mins. In 1917 I attended the Gen Conf there but came on the Santa Fe. Arrive at Enid and soon learn that I can get in at 7:15 by bus direct to Stillwater. An old man with lantern told me he had a good room for $1. So I went with him and I had really and apartment of 3 rooms including kitchenet. I took bath and felt much rested. Awake early and the old man took me to bus station. His pipe was about strong enough to run the machine. Got lunch and with one passenger started for Stillwater. Beautiful stretches of country, not much corn but a lot of Kaffir corn, cotton, etc., the first cotton I ever saw in the field. Saw uncle Tom with a long sack picking cotton. Cass was not there. Not many miles S. of this place was the refuted plantation of Simon Legree. Much of the soil in this section is quite red. Arrived at Stillwater 9:15. They have a beautiful new church and parsonage. Mr. Mann the pastor will go to Malta Montana under Hoffman. Allman seemed glad to see me. He will have quite a task before him. I spoke Fri P.M. The conf adopted the program. I spoke again tonight (Saturday) and will ride to Enid Sun P.M. with Paul Herrick of Sem. and speak in his church Sun. night. Carl Hizer was pastor her before he went to Sem. I am entertained in the home of Dr J. F. Martin a physician. I have double room covering entire front of house. I had a long chat with the Dr tonight. They have a son and a daughter. The State has a large agricultural & general college here. Sleepy and will retire. On way from church tonight I dropped into an ice cream stand and Amos and Andy were on the live. Go to bed but during the night Dr Martin was called out on two emergency cases and the telephone was kept on the hum. I got up about 7:30. About 8 the young lady of the home came to my door and insisted that she prepare breakfast for me and I accepted the invitation. She is a cultured lady having taught in High School and Jr College. She is now writing short stories and seems anxious to do something worth while. She drank a cup of coffee with me. The young man came in and I had a nice chat with him. He is in college preparatory to law. I attended S.S. & Church at U.B. 3 rec'd into conf and 3 ordained. Allman is appointed to Stillwater. He will have quite a task. After lunch I had a fine chat with Dr & Mrs Martin. About 2:30 Paul Herrick Sem '27 picked me up and brought me to Enid. How the wind does blow here, really swaying the Ford. We lunched at restaurant and I spoke in the church. They have 560 members a pretty solid congregation I think. Dr. & Mrs Heisel (1902) were present and I went with them for the night. They own a splendid little bungalow on Broadway and seem very happy in the home. It is now 9:30 A.M. Mon. and I am to lunch here with Heisel's and then take train 1:30 for Des Moines. Dr Heisel is in the kitchen helping the Mrs. so I am not the only hen pecked husband. Heisel's have done a great piece of work by patiently staying with the work. They go to Alva as pastor the last of this week. Coming in yesterday we stopped in a cotton field just to see what it is like. I am trying to bring a small stock home with me. One can better understand the meaning of the Civil War. Corn does not thrive well here. Heisel told me of some of the first settlers here who raised Kaffir Corn (something like our old fashioned cane) and ground the seed in the coffee mill and made bread of the meal. It has cost something to build civilization. It sprinkled a little this morning and looks very cloudy now. They surely need rain. The dust sifts into the houses. One preacher at conf told me he is going to send a stuffed Jack rabbit to the Sem. Quite a nice rain is falling and people are happy. Mrs Heisel spoke about preparing the dinner and I told her that since we had a late breakfast we should have bread & milk for lunch so Mr got some milk and we had a bowl of milk, peaches, salad, cheese & cake. Rev Herrick came in to take me to the train and he ate altho he had had his lunch. He cashed a check $25 and we started for train. In the R.R. station one apartment is for white people and the other for colored people. A white person who enters the colored apartment does so at risk of his own disgrace. It is 1:45 P.M. Monday and I am on train for Des Moines. There is one regular coach (white) and a combination coach for colored. I was afraid they might put me into the colored coach. There are only 10 passengers. Across the aisle from me is a lady and a little boy. They have a box with little chickens that are yeeping piteously. The boy (much to the chagrin of the mother) is trying to get acquainted with the old gentleman in the seat ahead. Sun is shining bright and the coach is warm. The land is quite level and much red soil. They have many stories to tell of the day when the rush was made across the border to secure claims. Vast stretches of almost level land. At Pond Creek we cross the Arkansas River with scarcely enough water to do a family washing. The lady is doping her face but I fear it would take a bucket full to make her pretty. Now at Medford a squalid little village with a few hick homes and a pile of stovewood. Another R.R. crosses here is the reason for the stop. It was dark when I passed over this section coming down so I am seeing everything. Now at Renfrow the last station in Okla. Fire has burned over quite an area in the fields. They had a great wheat crop here and many straw stacks are in evidence. The soil here is black and appears to be well farmed. Kaffir Corn now almost disappears and our old Indian Corn appears. Now at Caldwell Kas. Some broken, red and worthless looking land in close touch with some fine looking land. They have had pretty good rain here. We change conductors. New conductor is a white-haired prim and dignified gentleman, would make a fine bishop. An Indian lady gets on. Suppose as she looks out over the plains she thinks of when her ancestors chased the buffalo. The West is clear but on the E. horizon is a heavy bank of clouds of fantastic shape with which one can imagine most anything. The distances seem so great here. One pastor told me yesterday he would have to move about 600 miles in Oklahoma. I wrote note some old crow bait horses whose ribs you can almost count from the train. A mule is standing upon a bluff as if about to make a speech to his comrades. Now at Wellington, Kas. Our Indian gets off and a traveling man gets on. An old man & a young lady get on. The old man evidently is off in mind. He is telling how God does everything he asks him. The lady is trying to avoid him. Says he is a Baptist, etc., etc. At Wichita. 4.49 inches rain thus breaking a severe drouth. Water in Sts yet. They put on Pullman cars here but I remain in day coach. The largest herd of cattle I have seen. A bunch of sheep about the only ones I have seen. Now at Peabody but do not see the Institute. At Marion and our wild man gets off. A young man with little boy and a child's wagon meet him. They put the suitcase and boy on the wagon and start off. Now sunset 7:30 (E.T.). I go to lunch, cantaloupe, buttered toast and milk 60c/ and 15c/ tip. Nice diner & club room barber shop etc. Only 6 passengers in coach. 9 P.M. leaving Topeka. 68 mi to Kas Cy. Arrive 10:45 where I take berth to Des Moines arriving 6:40. Will try to mail this at Kas Cy. Perhaps you will find it difficult to read. Hope all are well. Paper states that Dayton etc had an earthquake.
Affectionately
J. H. Harris.
