Rip-roaring Days in the Oil Fields

By Boyce House

Account of days in and around Eastland, Texas oil belt during boom days of 1920's.

Mentions: * Eastland Daily Oil Belt News * the Stanley Hotel * Ayer's Newspaper Directory in the Goodwin Institute library in Memphis, Tennessee * R. K. Phillips * the Coleman Demo­crat-Voice * H. L. Mose­ley, Weatherford lawyer * the Weatherford Demo­crat * Mr. Phillips * the ill-fated Gorman Home Refin­ery * Joe Ardizzone, an Eastland oil man * "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas *

Murder of Old Man Daugherty

From J. W. Wilbarger

Among the many tragedies which occurred in Grayson during the very early days, was the murder of a man named Daugherty on Bois d'Arc creek, the account of which is related by Mrs. Mary A. E. Shearer, one of the early settlers of that region and is the subject of this article.

Mentions: * Josiah Washburn * Bois d'Arc * Thomas * the Cachattas, the Shawnees and Comanches * Daniel Dugan * Daniel V. * Montague prairie * Iron Ore creek * Preston Bend on Choctaw * Daniel Montague * William Henderson and William and Slater Baker *

Jim White, Mason County Native

Account of Jim White who was born in 1882 in Mason county, Texas, and began riding the range when he was ten years old. He was only ten, in fact, when he moved to Southern New Mexico and got a job on the XXX ranch, three miles from the cave opening later to be immortalized as Carlsbad Cav­erns. Here is the account of the first known white explorer into the massive caverns, but why was nobody interested in this amazing discovery? Here is the story.

Mentions: * Ted H. Pate * the Guada­lupe Mountains *

The Story of Johnny Ledbetter

Clay Chrisman, in the Baird Star.

Account details the strange events surrounding the abduction by Indians and consequent long-term disappearance of the young boy, Johnny Ledbetter in the late 1860's around Fort Griffin, TX. His whereabouts were never discovered, unless he turned out to be the strange figure who showed up one day…

Mentions: * the Ledbetter Salt Works, located in Shackelford County approximately eight miles southwest of Albany, on the Salt Prong of Hubbard Creek. * Port Phantom Hill * Cal Greer, William King and Vol. Sim­onds * Calvin Hazelwood * George Greer * Fort Griffin * Cato, a renegade negro * Indain Kate * Tonkawa scouts under Chief Johnson * Lieutenant Turner * J. C. Lynch * Hubbard Creek * Judge Ledbetter * the Salt Trail * Mrs. Lynch * the Reynolds, Mathews, George Greer, Maxwells, Collins and Mauldins * Ledbetter and Thornton * George Hazelwood * Ed Tucker * Sandy Creek * Ed Tucker and Luke McCabe * Joe Matthews * Chief Johnson * Uncle George Greer * Captain Grant *