Notice of Copyright. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections

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1 Notice of Copyright Published and unpublished materials may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Any copies of published and unpublished materials provided by the Western History Collections are for research, scholarship, and study purposes only. Use of certain published materials and manuscripts is restricted by law, by reason of their origin, or by donor agreement. For the protection of its holdings, the Western History Collections also reserves the right to restrict the use of unprocessed materials, or books and documents of exceptional value and fragility. Use of any material is subject to the approval of the Curator. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections For citations in published or unpublished papers, this repository should be listed as the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. An example of a proper citation: Oklahoma Federation of Labor Collection, M452, Box 5, Folder 2. Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.

2 BRIGHT, ff«a. INTJffiVIIW 10193

3 - 8 - Form A-(3-149) BIOGRAPHY FCHM WORKS PROC21E3S ADMINISTRATION Indian-Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma o-t K W«XHEZBTXEW* yield Worker's name This report made on (date) *A1I Ifl 193 1, Name 2, Post Office Address mil 3, Residence address (or location) Rt. fa* 4, DATE OF BIRTH: ' Month j_jj._ Day 18 -Year X867» 5, Place of birth tttwfch 6. Name of Father Place of birth Horth OtroiXiai Other infonnat ion about 'father 7«Name of Mother Place of birth Other information about mother PWPII'T 1 * * or completo narrative by the field worker' dealing with the/life and story of the person interviewed* ftofi.r to Manual for suj^ested, subjects and questions, yontinue on blank sheets if noccssury and attaoh firmly tc this form. Number of sheets attached ' /

4 air BRIGHT, W. A. IHTCRV1EH tta B» lankford, Inrtstigator, Haroh 10, 193B* Interriew With W, A* Bright, Dill City, Oklahoa** X ease from Alvarado, Texas, arriving in Cord oil, December , yfo oame in core red wagons and were on the rood for twtaty days* X had a wife and one child aljo 1C#00 which was all I had exoept two ponies end an old wagon* I filed on land and built a dugout* We llred in this dugout fbu? ytar* and during this timt X built a am 11 one *roomr houue out of woodtn boxoa* Our dugout fell in eo we mored into the asaall smokehouae and in this smolabhouse a baby girl was born to ua«then X hauled lumber from El Riuo end built a two-room box bouse* This house didn't hart any windows but we lived in it for tan years. Today, X hat* as nioe a home as any of the farm homes' in this oountry and X s t i l l own the land X filed on. There has never been a mortgage against ay fans. My fanlly and X still lire on the place.

5 217 BRIGHT, V* i.«ifltcqsrview, 10193* Xfcfevsgone ten miles nan? times to get a" load of wood to aaep my ftaoily from freezing. One time I went " after wood and the mow was so deep that it took me tove iay» and I wouoxl aek««y bad' on tiit acow aod I would / down «nd ala«p a little aod lat tim toam nafi^bm g«t up on4 dig th«anow away ao that I oould teoiii a flra and some oof fee end then I would hooc up aar team and drire on* In May of the next year my wife and two bob went with me to get a load of wood and in the jafteroon. the biggest rsin cane that t erer saw so we had to go 'to a ' booae and ask to stay all night as the.oxooks and rirv *. i ' ~ - < / '- were out of their.banks. / ' ' : / ' ' - * ^, * We iure did have lota of hard tiaas those days/ wo didn't hart much to eat and not vary x&nj dot hoe to wear* I hare gone through anow, mid and ice, when my feet were almost bare. ' We have had to eat oornbreed and sorghum lota of tines and I would drire a herd of wild osttle into the lot and / rope them, then tie them so 1 oould milk them and th the way we got our milk asd ouster* We would churn the nilk^take part of the butter to aloud Chief and sell it to i.

6 I, 21S BBXosr, n. Ur«Sumner for 10 oente a pound ti get eome flour* It lould t*ke two deya to sake the trip, bat we had to have bread And we didn't bare any money* X renlawfter well poltoats would g«t In our dugout and X ahot'om** hmd off on* night* We bad rettlasuakta, tltat and ale«9 but I kept a hot ia tht dugout to kill tht rattlmn&kit with. Whil«on our trip to th* Indian T«rritoxy whioh la now Oklahoma, oar baby, Q«org«t orawlad out of tha bade of the wagon, w» didn't JOIBB hin, ao * drova on and my wifa'a titttr was riding on horaabaoic behind ue and aba found our baby two adlea from ua # she caught up with ua but wo had / norer misaed Qeorge* Hb»n Oeorg^ was flv* y«era old and Ma aister Gracia, four, X loolcad out one day and aaid, w lfife, George has / fallen in the well for I see Graole looking in the W6ll*Z ao I went to the well and George ws in there. I let tne buoket down and told Oeorge to get hold of tile bucket so he did* I'got him about half way up and he let loose/and' fell back into the water, X let the buoket back and, tola Mm to ftold on ao I got him out^that waa in Deeeober* The

7 219 / H2GHT W» A» IRTKR7IE*f» 10193* t big Cloud cant up, aa they came»o of ttn in tbooa day^and Gbraaia waa out in the y»xd playing and jcfc aid killed hor. - ' X oonld not btgin-to tall all tha hardihipj wo older. / fouui havs gtaxx* Vt had no road a nold whan wa came h«r«, ; m trmralad XnllaQ troila and sattla j»th» f /, fordad ol^' tha rlrara and crwko, */'$ lived in boles In tha gvcund, drora our hovaaa and wagon* and «rarybody lltad alike, not nuch to aat oud Tory little to vaar* V«had a thrae EontUa acbool and if a pcarean oould read anl write ha or «i oald tacoh aohool* :