Memories of an Oklahoma Farm Boy

by Virgle Chappell

CHILDHOOD OF A RURAL FARM BOY


I grew up on a farm in northwestern Oklahoma, Ellis County, where our closest neighbor was at least one-half mile away. There was only one family, the Martin's, who had only girls so there were always other boys to be involved with. Through the years there were always "best" friends to be with and there were others who would join us from time to time in certain activities. However much of my time was spent by myself at which time I would find different activities to capture my attention.

When I was four years old my dad, Leon Chappell, began farming again after a short time working in an oil refinery. My older sister, Joan, and I had specific responsibilities to perform and mine was to go to the pasture and bring the cows in each evening before milking time. I would ride one of dad's work horses but, being so small, there were certain ways I had to do things. I'd drive the horse into the barn and climb into the manger to put on the bridle. Dad didn't have a saddle at the time so I had to ride bare back, which I never learned to do. The horse was very gentle as horses often are around small children and I would lead him next to a fence where I could climb up to get on his back.

One evening, when I was about 5 years old, I had the cows headed home when we had to cross a dry creek bed. As the cows went down the hill they began to trot and my horse followed them.. As I said, I never could ride bare back, and when my horse reached the bottom and started up the other side I tumbled from his back to his feet. When the horse sensed I was falling, he stopped immediately, with one front foot on my coat, pinning me to the ground. He was evidently afraid to move and it was several minutes before I wiggled out of and was freed from my coat. I had to walk about one half mile to the next fence before I could mount him again.

Four Chappell children in 1932 on the family farm in Ellis CO, Oklahoma

As I pointed out earlier, I don't remember as a child ever receiving a new toy except when about the age of 8 or 9 years, our neighbor, Mrs. Gebhardt, bought her son, Arthur, and myself identical "China Clipper" airplanes. I remember being very proud of it and it became a favorite toy for many months. Still this fact did not mean I had nothing with which to play. I don't remember when I made my first toy but there was always old boards and bent and rusty nails laying around the farm simply inviting me to create something. 

I was always fascinated by anything "western" and began making guns with which to play cowboy. The only tools available was a crosscut saw, rasp and perhaps sandpaper. My first guns were fairly crude I'm sure, but as time progressed and I was older, the guns became pretty realistic. There were rifles as well as revolvers and the last made had a cylinder inserted which would turn.

Anytime the boys assembled the favorite game was "Cowboys and Indians" or "Sheriff and Outlaws". Whichever was played rules of the game were about the same. The object of the game was to have the fastest draw and shoot the opponent before he shot you. We continued these games even into early teen years when there were horses to ride and the game area could cover several acres. Leather or canvas belts and holsters were made and the last were hand tooled leather. Modern psychologists have a problem with these child activities, but isn't it strange that after so many years of playing such violent games as a child, that as an adult, there has never been a thought enter my mind to kill someone. 

Other toys were made which would not be controversial even today. Probably when about 7 or 8 I decided to make a crane. It was small, only about 2 feet high and string was used for the cable. It was set on a turntable and the crane could be raised and lowered (it actually worked more like a boom than a crane). This allowed the operator to hook some object on the end of the string, wind it up, turn the crane and lower the object into a new precise location. Many hours were spent on my make-believe farm lifting and moving equipment or animals from one location to another. 

My last enterprise of this nature was when I was about 13 years old. There was always old discarded machinery sitting around the farm so I decided to make a horse drawn cart. A particular type of two-row cultivator had metal wheels about four feet in diameter and an axle between them which was not straight but raised in the center to allow the cultivator to pass over the rows of crop in the field without breaking the stalks. It was not difficult to see in one's mind this old cultivator could easily be made into a one horse cart. The cultivating blades were removed, the axle was turned down until it was about a foot above the ground, and 1/2 inch pipes were attached for stays (I believe they were called) for each side of the horse. Boards were attached between the braces from the lower axle braces for a foot rest and a spring seat was added between the stays to sit on. After a few alterations to the horse's harness I was ready for my first excursion. I don't know that the other kids were that impressed with the contraption. but I was sort of proud to have something the others did not have and often took them for rides with me.

Not all my childhood toys were constructed. Some were natural items which needed only a little alteration and some imagination. Farm animals were made from a small gourd which grew on "soap weed" (Yucca). They were peanut shaped and could be 2 inches long. These would become the body of cows or horses when match sticks were inserted for legs, tail and neck. A smaller gourd would be placed on the neck for the head of the animal. There were crickets that burrowed into the ground. When water was poured into their hole, they would be forced to come out, and these also became farm animals. Usually we would have to remove their hind legs to more or less "domesticate" them and keep them from hopping over the highest fence.

There was a large insect (they're still here) that looked something like a very large bee. We called them "Locusts" and when they were caught and their sides squeezed, they would sing. 

They shed their shells periodically and these shells can often be found hanging on the trunk of a tree. We would do other boy things like catching wasps, pulling out their stingers and then playing with them, especially to scare the girls.

Our home in Ellis County, OK in 1935
“The Ritterhouse Place” 

Summertime was always a time to look forward to when I could pretty well do what I wanted. There were chores to do each evening and cows to milk but, until about 12 years of age, the day was mainly mine. A favorite time was when 8 or 10 boys would get together to spend a night or two camping on Clear Creek. It was located about 3 miles from our home and a small amount of water flowed there nearly the year around. There was always a washed out hole with a sandy bottom which made an excellent swimming hole. The boys would take a blanket, sandwiches, eggs, bacon and potatoes for their evening and morning meal. We would swim and play in the water all afternoon and evening then sleep for awhile in our blanket on the ground. Drinking water was no problem since we would find a clear shallow part of the stream where the water flowed for some distance over clean sand and simply lie on our bellies and drink from the creek. In the morning a fire would be built on which to cook the eggs, bacon and potatoes. There was usually some sand and ashes mixed with our meal but it always tasted very good, especially since we had prepared it ourselves. Incidentally, there was no "mom taxi service" so we walked to and from the creek each time we went there. 

When I was in about the 6th grade at the little Fair Valley, one room school, where my dad, Leon Chappell, was on the school board, we boys decided to construct a cave for a "hideout". Across the road from the school was an open pasture which was chosen as the place for the cave. This was at the close of the "Dust Bowl" days and that pasture had been nearly destroyed by the blowing wind and sand. There was no dirt in the location, only loose, course sand. Consequently we had to simply dig trenches and a couple of larger areas for rooms, cover them with boards and place sand on top of the boards. All was well until the sand walls began to cave in at times and reconstruction would be necessary. We even hollowed out a place in a wall of one of the rooms for a fireplace and dug a hole to the top for the smoke to escape. We didn't understand much about fireplaces and a couple of mistakes were made. The smoke hole was not directly above the fire and there was no pipe placed at the top to allow for a draft. 

Junior Evans was our cook and after building a fire, he proceeded to cook our meal. Soon the cave was filled with smoke and all the boys had to leave except for Junior. He stuck it out and finally had our fried potatoes with sand for all to share. 

I don't believe my life was different from other farm boys of that area and time. I do remember times of boredom but as I remember, they were few. 

How things have changed!

Virgle L Chappell