Page 120 - barefoot-in-the-sand-remembering-the-waning-days-of-the-hopewell-community-(1998)-bruce-c-gragg

Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 116/123

WOODLANDS GALORE TO EXPLORE

In our area we had access to a lot of land besides ours, a very
special thanks to Russell and Emory Carter for giving us access to
the miles of roads and trails and fishing and hunting areas. When
Carlton swapped land with Russell he also gave us the same verbal
agreement for access, thank you to him also. We could go just about
anywhere without having to get permission. We not only used their
roads through these woodlands, but, during hunting season they would
use our roads and lands. Each of them had someone working for them to
help watch and to do the farm work. Russell had Pasco Waldron to
serve as his overseer/farmer. Emory had Jesse Shaw living on his
place and serve the same type of job. Jesse and Ruby had two children
Dorothy and Ray. Emory had a big John Deere (a Popping John) tractor
to do his farming with. Jesse and Pasco had to maintain their
equipment and the accessories, as all farmers must do on most of
their equipment. Each of them just happened to be good mechanics,
actually anyone must to be if they live and work on a farm. It helps
to have skills in carpentry, electrical, and plumbing, or a jack of
all trades. They could do a good job of driving their machines. Vera
and I were in school with Jesse and Ruby's children. They are a bit
younger than we are, and we all went to the same school and rode the
same bus. Ray back then could be funny. They had an older fellow that
lived with them and helped around the house, Mr. Frank Woodard. He
was funny too and was a very likable gentlemen.

All the Carter relatives were big time hunters. Matter of fact Doris,
Emory's wife was the first woman to buy a hunting license in Columbia
County, and one of only a few to kill two deer with one shot. She
shot at one and another ran in back of it in the opposite direction,
and she got both of them. With the agreement for access to roads and
fishing spots, also served as a two way deal they knew if we saw
anything out of normal we would let them know, this we did on a
number of occasions. During the summer when deer were eating our
crops they would come and help us try to keep them in check. It gave
them and some of the Fargo relatives a good way of exercising their
hunting dogs during the mid to late summer. We lived in a unique
place right in the middle of their lands, and we could help keep a
lookout for strangers off the main roads who might be looking around.
Some roads were fairly straight for a short distance then they the
would get very crooked. When they were first made they would make a
road between trees, without cutting any and sometimes they would
follow old firelines. The gates on the main paved road were all
locked;- however, those on the inside were very seldom locked. This
freedom of movement, enabled me to ride June or walk where I wanted
any time, just to be alone at times.

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: B98DC69E-ADC1-4EE7-8817-CA941114D897