The Ben Mallory Family in Oklahoma 1903-1904

from the Oklahoma Historical Society
 Lila Mallory Brewer recalled, "When we left Tap [Texas], we moved to Mangum, Oklahoma.  Dad bought a wagon yard there.  It was what we would now call a tourist camp, with small houses like present-day motels where people traveling in wagons would spend the night or sometimes rest a few days.  There was a large house we lived in and about twelve or so of the small houses.  I think I was four years old (between four and five) when we moved there."

By statehood [1907], Mangum had a population of 2,672. It had two school buildings, an opera house and a county courthouse. (Wikipedia)


"My memories of Mangum are quite plain.  We went to a church where there were many 'well-to-do' people.  They came to church dressed in silks and satins.  I remember middle-aged and old women sweeping into church in their finery such as we had never seen before.  Everyone wore long dresses when they were 'dressed up' to go to church.

 "I have vivid memories of severe thunder storms.  Everybody had storm cellars.  I hated being shut up in the cellar when there was a storm.  I remember the damage the storms would do.  There was never any real devastation, but everything would be a mess from the wind.  I remember when the town hotel burned down.  It was a nice five-story hotel.  Dad held me up on his shoulders so I could see the fire.  


 
Mangum Weekly Star 28 Jan 1904 p1
 

The Leger News 01 Oct 1903 p4
"We had a lot of sickness while we were in Oklahoma.  Lee had Bright's disease, a kidney ailment.  He was quite sick and had to have hot baths every day.  The only time he would talk was when he was protesting the hot baths.  He finally got better, but did not make any attempt to walk until after we moved to Oregon.

"Edrie and I had typhoid fever.  In those days the doctors did not feed typhoid patients.  They thought food made the patient worse.  I'll never forget how hungry we were and how we begged for food.  But we did survive.  Once Frank sneaked some chicken to Edrie and she ate it.  It didn't upset her.  She felt better after eating it.  When I was in nursing school we were taught to get all the food into typhoid patients that we could.  Later Edrie had scarlet fever.

"I think we were in Oklahoma a little over a year.  Dad always said he made good money there but we had so much sickness he couldn't be happy there.  Anyway he had Northwest fever.  So he sold the Oklahoma place and we started West."  (June Ferguson's Mallory Family History.)



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