SHUMATE, J . W.
UNTERVIKV/
#8344
102
- 8Form, A-(SSHUMATE, j.
DHI/j
BIOCE
- VTOHKS PROGRESS AD1/INISTRATI0N
Indian-Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma,.
Field Worker's name
This report made on (date)
1.
Name
2.
Post Office Address
3.
Residence address (qr location)
4. ' DATE OF BIRTH: Month \
5.
193
E><t
Ptiarlffa
'_ Bay
Place 'it birth
ft
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[6. /Name of Father
Other information about
Name of Mother
Other information about
|Iotes or. complete narrative ita the field, worker dealing with the l i r e
id story of- the person inteirviened, * Refer to Manual for suggested
iubjects and questions. Continue on blank sheets if necessary and
Ittach firmly to, t h i s form. 'Number of sheets.attached
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101
SHUMATE,. J . W.
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Maufloe B« Anderson;
INTERVIEW.
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"X&tevviewer.
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August 24* 1937,
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An I n t e r v i e w "With J". ??. Shuraete,
P a u l s Valley % Oklahoma. '<r>
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£r born In ^entuaky^In 1855,
I came fco the
Indian Territory in 1894, and settled at *)lmore»
There
were two stores and ;a" blacksmith shop th'er.e at. that time.
X wftnt to work for Doug Burk, who orned one" of the
drygoods and grocery s t o r e s .
A iSr. Black was -the p.ostmoster and the postoffice
was eit his'home.
in a buggy.
The mail was brought from Pauls Valley^
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lim Gibson oame to Elmore, after I se-ttlod there.
. aad b u i l t him u one rojsfra building, whi^h he stooged with
about one hundred d o l l a r ' s wor>h of groceries.
±\s time •
went by, 'WQ added on to t h i s storn, am l a t e r started
the. bank at Slmore.
The only taxes we had to.pay was a. five dollar ~^
•permit to, live i n the Indi an Territory.
A Chiokasaw.
Indian officer ceuae around and" if.you d i d n ' t pay the
five-dollars required, you were taken and set across
Red Rivei^.. They never, diV.take anyone from Elmore, I
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always paid my p e r m i t .
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SHUMATE, J. W,
INTERVIEW,
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8344,
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*as no churoh or school iri Slmore at thaj
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time.
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When a man told, ydu he would pay for something
at a certain time.he would do i t ,
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We did a large aredit
business i n those days.. The country was thickly settled
by 1900.
Nearly every day new"settlers came in and wanted
us to oredit them for groceries until.they harvested
foeir crop'.
We bought our groceries from the wholesale house at
Pauls Valley and they were hauled in wagons to Elmor©.
The country,from Pauls Valley
-o iXrLore
YIUS O;WI
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and with the kind of roads we had then, i t wassail we
could do to maxe t h e - t r i p in one day.
The-dry goods
we handled were shipped from Kansas City, Misspu/i^^ We
had no telephones, arid sometimes- wft had t<3 wait -two or
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three days for a shipment to a r r i v e ,
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There «jer©^ several farms, but_$hey would, be *on.
sane croek.
'high*
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The p r a i r i e s .were covered jvith grass knee-
There sw.ere fine meadows, but people d i d n ' t put
the hay up • then; their stock ranged as far out as they
wanted to go, '
SHUMATE, J . W,
INTERVIEW,
8344.
I moved to Pauls Valley aad went to work for*
Mr. Freeman in a general storeTTalicrTiniatsr years
I went ints.the dry go6ds business for myself.