| Show FROM ARKANSAS TO TEXAS SAN ANTONIO te texas as feb irith 1897 it is twelve years since I 1 landed in indian territory and one of the most interesting features to me aside from the indians was to witness the poor white people emigrating to and from between Ari arkansas cansas and texas on being accosted as to where they had bad come from and where were they going they would reply geuns from arkansas and I to texas M etc at that time our held field was circumscribed in a district of the homes of a halt score of kind bind friends in the cherokee nation now the home of the cherokees is still in advance of the other tribes which forma part of tt the e conference by that same name in the indian territory mission and not only geographically but otherwise stands as the hub of our present mission field but the latter reaches far beyond its old ola limit little is known of the state of arkansas properly pro bounced arkansaw 1 by many of the readers maders ol of your valuable paper except as they arl are drawn by the pen of an observing n missionary and is thus held u up to view i e av president willord wilford wood woodruff r ug could perhaps tell of some of his in as a and ids bis less desirable experience when crossing indian territory and arkansas about the line ot of osage agency chero bee nation and little rock to mern mem aphis tenn how in iia one day he walked sixty miles through abe swamps of that staff and while in the indian territory stayed with an osage family who kindly entertained him the eastern part of the state has not changed much and I 1 am inclined to think it never will unless the atlantic recedes and allows the mississippi to wash out her bed and the country to be drained for most alt all the eastern bordon borders is a continual swamp the major nord on of which is aninha uninhabited kwame cited except kin son colored elored people and that sparingly edg ng west nest we see one of the prettiest a countries atries in the world extending from north b to south on the western borders is a continuation of rolling hills hilb covered with choice hardwood timber and lovely tine pine and cedar while the prairie country is a continuous meadow ot of waving grass As we come west from about the center of the state the elevation increases so rapidly before we get to the one hue of indian territory that one is reminded ended of climbing the on the ascent westward bound from colorado to our mountain home but ot of course the mountains of this country called callea uch such are but hills to a mountain boy As we pass through van Bu buren our minds revert back to the sad fate of our beloved apostle elder parley P pratt and the many circumstances inci dent to early church history Vol following lowing up the arkansas river and by the time we get through the hills we cress the river near fort smith and otter alter viewing the old fortifications are on indian soil no sooner does the former indian missionary set his loot on the land occupied b by y the Lama than his heart rebounds and he is temporally fi lost in meditation the days of tol and weary seaous missionary work tomes bomea back this was especially noticeable ti table in elder lorin C woolley who accompanied our party and after an absence of about eight years was once more among the forests of the indian wilds and stood on the very ground he once stood as a missionary I 1 do not know how elders of other missions feel but there is truly st si bething remarkable about those who labor among the house ot of israel having once got the spirit oi of the work and a testimony of their being of the seed of joseph that love never cold our conferences have been written for your perusal by our secretaries and I 1 am not going to ask you to reread re read for we have a large country to cover and want you to look in and see where the indian territory missionaries have to labor the northern pacific railroad train that brought us from arkansas to our former field goes across the cherokee nation to the northwest and enters kansas at eeville we got off at vian only a short distance from the old webbers gebbers Web bers falls where most all cur elders dt rs have crossed the arkansas river on a terry ferry boat in that vicinity we have two little bands of saints and many good friends our conference proper was held in the manard meeting house but about the falls country we held a great many meetings i me cardest hardest days work we bad was to walk seventeen miles and hold two mee meetings of course we were new in the business uncle L mabry met us at mr cree and with his big mule team hauled us to briartown Briar town a distance 01 twenty five miles we found aunt sal lie bale and hearty and as true as ever sunday was spent with our cherokee saints in testimony and fast meetings our cherokee sister had prepared considerable sid erable of the good things of the earth in advance advah ce allowing all the more time to enjoy the company of visitors among the various dishes especially favorites by the elders are sweet potatoes and con neb aua As we sat down to the table the first evening aunt sallie went to the cupboard and handed out two great dishes of this favorite indian food giving one to each myself and elder woolley the latter got a great stirring mush spoon with his of course our friends enjoyed the joke and we enjoyed the con aeh aua 11 1 crossing the canadian river we stayed with our choctaw friend uncle enoch the old gent was out on a panther hunt bunt but we were made comfortable by the good lady who lost no time in preparing a most excellent supper for us on arriving home mr flox invited his neighbors and some others in and the evening was profitably spent in a meeting the following day was rather cold to begin with but by the time we reached grandma griffiths a drive of miles we were ready to doff our coats and wipe away the perspiration not awaiting to ride arcuni arcand the fields two of us climbed the fences and were soon at our choctaw home and met grandma and all the familiar inmates A A little over three years ago elder rease M harpt harper r and I 1 stood on that sacred spot surrounded by a little band of saints and dedicated the ground on which stands a monument of the skill and industry of our mormon boys elders aders isaac A jensen and herman campbell assisted by local elder james nalley went to work and by the latter part of september an inscription was war nailed on the gabel front of one of the most substantial commodious and beau ticul little structures in the choctaw nation which read L D S meeting house erected sept 1894 3 at that time we had a nice little branch of the church and a sunday school parting with elder richardson and his companion elder woolley uncle lebo lebe took them to their field we took train for oklahoma crossing the country orl on the choctaw line we passed through the greek and semino Sem incle le nations enabling us to see indians ot of each of the five civilized tribes after conference at T C flat 10 north of choctaw city oklahoma we parted with the elders of that conference and at oklahoma city elders knight and kirkman proceeded north for st john while I 1 took train southbound for texas after conference which concluded at about 3 p m 0 february isab the elders parted going to their various fields elder A A C dalley dailey and elder M 0 miner accompanied me we set out for this beautiful city en route to lochart Lo chaat where we expect to have a happy meeting with the saints the weather is beautiful the country in many places is covered with green grass trees are out in green folia foliage ge one would almost think may day had fiad come at home last night we took our seats at the table of a mexican lunch stand in open air air in in an open courtyard on the street an and ate mexican chilla chill while the little spanish waiter gid gal struck a match lighted her cigarette and stood in readiness to serve us to the peculiar dishes presented there Kim KIMBALL iBALL |
