• General Notes

  [Johnson.FTW]
  
  [WHITTEN.FTW]
  
  Many old-timers of Foard County claim for G.W. (Uncle Bud) Harrell, 71, the honor of having spent more time in the saddle than any other man in this section.  Mr. Harrell lives 4 miles northeast of Crowell and recently won first place as the oldest rider at the horse show in Crowell on Trades Day.
     Before a large crowd on that day he proved that he can still ride like a capable young cowhand.  Although his days as a cowboy have passed, he saddles his horse each day to ride after his milk cows. During the past sixty-five years, very few days have passed that he has not been in the saddle.  He cannot remember when he first started riding, however, at the age of 10 he was working as a cowboy for his father and three years later, he was placed on his own resources in facing life's responsibilities.
     Uncle Bud is one of the pioneer cowboys of this section of Texas, coming to what is now Foard County in 1885.  Except for a number of years spent in Oklahoma, he and Mrs. Harrell have since lived in this county.
     Born in Louisiana on March 1, 1858, he was brought to Texas at the age of 6 months by his parents, who settled in San Augustine County. His father, G.W. Harrell Sr., engaged in farming and stock raising. After living in San Augustine, Henderson, and Johnson counties, the family returned to Henderson where the head of the family died when G.W. Jr. was 13 years of age.
     Left with the responsibility of hustling for himself, G.W. Jr. left home to find work wherever possible.  He worked in Tarrant County, near Fort Worth, as a cowboy until 17, at which time he and two brothers, John and Joe, moved to Palo Pinto County and started stock raising.  Joe Harrell once lived in this county and is now living at Ardmore, Okla.
     They remained in Palo Pinto one winter and then moved down the Colorado River to McCullough County.  Later they left Texas and secured a ranch near Ardmore where they remained for about 7 years. In 1884, John Harrell died.
     Joe and G.W. Jr. departed from Oklahoma in 1885 and came to the part of Texas that is now Foard County.  They settled about six miles west of the site that later became Crowell and started cattle raising. They took up land at a dollar an acre, however, it proved to be railroad land and they had to leave it after two years.  In 1884 G.W. Harrell married Mrs. Anna Wright near Marietta, Okla.  She came to this section with her husband.
     While living in this section, Mr. Harrell had the experience of finding six human skeletons near Sloan Springs.  The six whole skeletons were together in a pile and a number of moccasins were scattered about them.
     By a coincidence, Mr. Harrell heard a complete story 15 years later in regard to these skeletons.  While living near Lawton, Okla., he was talking to Jones Vaughn, an old buffalo hunter and mentioned the discovery of the pile of human bones.
     Vaughn promptly replied that he and another man were responsible for the bones being there.  He told of a time when he and another man were hunting buffalo in that area and suddenly found themselves surrounded by Comanche Indians.  After killing six Indians with their buffalo guns, the other redskins left.  The two buffalo hunters then left the dead Indians in one pile.
     Buffalo Hunter Vaughn was also in the battle of Adobe Walls, the last major Indian raid in Texas, and gave Mr. Harrell detailed information about it.  Later Mr. Harrell became a close personal friend of Chief Quanah Parker, who was with the Indians at the time of this battle, and heard from him the other side of the story, however, both parties gave about the same accounts of the skirmish, he stated.
     This battle occurred when about one hundred Comanche and Cheyene Indians were going from the Oklahoma Indian territory to New Mexico. Coming upon the white settlement at Adobe Walls, the Comanche chief, who was not Quanah Parker at the time, decided to attack it, although the other Indians discouraged the idea.
     Two white men who were sleeping in a wagon were killed when the attack came at daybreak and a six-shooter taken from one of these men was shown Mr. Harrell by Quanah Parker.  Following this unsuccessful attack, the Comanche chief was discarded upon the Indians' return to their grounds near Lawton and Quanah became chief.
     After living west of Crowell for about two years, Mr. and Mrs. Harrell moved just across the Pease River and remained there for about one year.  In 1888 they settled on the place where they are now living.  He bought a half section of railroad land and built a box house on it.
     They remained there for about 12 years and then moved to the Indian Territory, settling near Cache.  Mr. Harrell was one of the participants in the Oklahoma land rush.  His home was within four miles of where Quanah Parker resided and it was while living there that Mr. Harrell became well acquainted with this famous Indian.
     After farming for about a year he built a hotel and he and Mrs. Harrell operated it for about 7 years.  During this time, however, Mr. Harrell continued working as a cowhand and looked after some of his own cattle in addition to working for wages for nearby ranchers. Indians were numerous in that section.  Little trouble was experienced with them, although they had a habit of supplying their meat needs with ranchers' cattle and about all that the ranchers could do about it was to keep the Indians from taking too many head.
     The Harrells returned to Foard County in 1914 and again settled on the farm they had left.  They have since lived there.  Mr. Harrell now manages this 260-acre farm and still leads an active life about it.
    Mrs. Harrell's son, Dempsey Wright, former Foard County resident, is now living in Oklahoma City.  Mrs. Roy M. Fox, of Crowell is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harrell.
  [1144734.FTW]
  
  [Johnson.FTW]
  
  [WHITTEN.FTW]
  
  Many old-timers of Foard County claim for G.W. (Uncle Bud) Harrell, 71, the honor of having spent more time in the saddle than any other man in this section.  Mr. Harrell lives 4 miles northeast of Crowell and recently won first place as the oldest rider at the horse show in Crowell on Trades Day.
     Before a large crowd on that day he proved that he can still ride like a capable young cowhand.  Although his days as a cowboy have passed, he saddles his horse each day to ride after his milk cows. During the past sixty-five years, very few days have passed that he has not been in the saddle.  He cannot remember when he first started riding, however, at the age of 10 he was working as a cowboy for his father and three years later, he was placed on his own resources in facing life's responsibilities.
     Uncle Bud is one of the pioneer cowboys of this section of Texas, coming to what is now Foard County in 1885.  Except for a number of years spent in Oklahoma, he and Mrs. Harrell have since lived in this county.
     Born in Louisiana on March 1, 1858, he was brought to Texas at the age of 6 months by his parents, who settled in San Augustine County. His father, G.W. Harrell Sr., engaged in farming and stock raising. After living in San Augustine, Henderson, and Johnson counties, the family returned to Henderson where the head of the family died when G.W. Jr. was 13 years of age.
     Left with the responsibility of hustling for himself, G.W. Jr. left home to find work wherever possible.  He worked in Tarrant County, near Fort Worth, as a cowboy until 17, at which time he and two brothers, John and Joe, moved to Palo Pinto County and started stock raising.  Joe Harrell once lived in this county and is now living at Ardmore, Okla.
     They remained in Palo Pinto one winter and then moved down the Colorado River to McCullough County.  Later they left Texas and secured a ranch near Ardmore where they remained for about 7 years. In 1884, John Harrell died.
     Joe and G.W. Jr. departed from Oklahoma in 1885 and came to the part of Texas that is now Foard County.  They settled about six miles west of the site that later became Crowell and started cattle raising. They took up land at a dollar an acre, however, it proved to be railroad land and they had to leave it after two years.  In 1884 G.W. Harrell married Mrs. Anna Wright near Marietta, Okla.  She came to this section with her husband.
     While living in this section, Mr. Harrell had the experience of finding six human skeletons near Sloan Springs.  The six whole skeletons were together in a pile and a number of moccasins were scattered about them.
     By a coincidence, Mr. Harrell heard a complete story 15 years later in regard to these skeletons.  While living near Lawton, Okla., he was talking to Jones Vaughn, an old buffalo hunter and mentioned the discovery of the pile of human bones.
     Vaughn promptly replied that he and another man were responsible for the bones being there.  He told of a time when he and another man were hunting buffalo in that area and suddenly found themselves surrounded by Comanche Indians.  After killing six Indians with their buffalo guns, the other redskins left.  The two buffalo hunters then left the dead Indians in one pile.
     Buffalo Hunter Vaughn was also in the battle of Adobe Walls, the last major Indian raid in Texas, and gave Mr. Harrell detailed information about it.  Later Mr. Harrell became a close personal friend of Chief Quanah Parker, who was with the Indians at the time of this battle, and heard from him the other side of the story, however, both parties gave about the same accounts of the skirmish, he stated.
     This battle occurred when about one hundred Comanche and Cheyene Indians were going from the Oklahoma Indian territory to New Mexico. Coming upon the white settlement at Adobe Walls, the Comanche chief, who was not Quanah Parker at the time, decided to attack it, although the other Indians discouraged the idea.
     Two white men who were sleeping in a wagon were killed when the attack came at daybreak and a six-shooter taken from one of these men was shown Mr. Harrell by Quanah Parker.  Following this unsuccessful attack, the Comanche chief was discarded upon the Indians' return to their grounds near Lawton and Quanah became chief.
     After living west of Crowell for about two years, Mr. and Mrs. Harrell moved just across the Pease River and remained there for about one year.  In 1888 they settled on the place where they are now living.  He bought a half section of railroad land and built a box house on it.
     They remained there for about 12 years and then moved to the Indian Territory, settling near Cache.  Mr. Harrell was one of the participants in the Oklahoma land rush.  His home was within four miles of where Quanah Parker resided and it was while living there that Mr. Harrell became well acquainted with this famous Indian.
     After farming for about a year he built a hotel and he and Mrs. Harrell operated it for about 7 years.  During this time, however, Mr. Harrell continued working as a cowhand and looked after some of his own cattle in addition to working for wages for nearby ranchers. Indians were numerous in that section.  Little trouble was experienced with them, although they had a habit of supplying their meat needs with ranchers' cattle and about all that the ranchers could do about it was to keep the Indians from taking too many head.
     The Harrells returned to Foard County in 1914 and again settled on the farm they had left.  They have since lived there.  Mr. Harrell now manages this 260-acre farm and still leads an active life about it.
    Mrs. Harrell's son, Dempsey Wright, former Foard County resident, is now living in Oklahoma City.  Mrs. Roy M. Fox, of Crowell is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harrell.

Details of George Washington "Bud"'s family with Amelia Ann (Collins) Minor