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Memories of Golde Dicks Markham (1996) Golde Markham Dicks 12/125

Farmers built these roads depending on the shallowest places to cross the creeks and rivers.
We usually arrived in Lake City in the 'late morning. The horse stables and watering

troughs were located right down behind the courthouse by Lake DeSoto. It seemed like the
sand was knee-deep because it sure messed up my black patent leather, baby doll slippers.
We all wore our Sunday shoes. Ma had on her button-up high-tops and Pa wore his shiny

patent leather shoes with a shiny buckle on the vamp. We always dressed in our church­
going, Sunday-best to go to Lake City.
Before we got a buggy, Pa would drive down Main Street in the wagon and the Old
Gray Mare would relieve herself right on the brick street. Hundreds of little tiny birds would

go under the moving horse and wagon and start eating and scratching in the droppings.
“Pa, why are those birds eating that stuff?” I asked.

He replied, “We feed the Old Gray Mare com and that’s what the birds eat.”
At the horse stables, Pa would take off the harness and put it in the buggy or wagon.
He covered it up with an old piece of oilcloth in case it rained. He brought some com and a
bundle of oats or fodder for the horse’s dinner. He led the horse to the watering trough and

let her drink, then he put her com and oats in the feeding trough in the stable.
We walked around the southside of the courthouse. The streets were paved with brick.

We entered the park, which also had brick sidewalks. Being about 5 years old at the time, it
always embarrassed me beyond description to pass the water fountain located right in the
middle of the park. The fountain had a bronze or copper statue of a little boy completely

nude. He spewed water which would fall into the fountain. I knew nothing about art, but this
figure looked vulgar to me.
Every brick walk led to the water fountain, formed a circle, then led on to Marion

Street. Duval Street was a two-way street, and the two lanes were separated by a median
with big oak trees. After passing through the park, we stepped onto a board sidewalk that
went up both sides of Marion Street. Posts on both sides of the street held up big round,

milk-colored glass globes which were the city’s gaslights. At sundown each evening, a man
went up and down the street with a torch to light every globe.

On one of our trips to Lake City, we stopped at a fruit market near the courthouse.
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The owner, Mr. Wilson, displayed his crates of oranges and apples out on the sidewalk. He
had' some of the nicest looking bananas that I’d ever seen. All of the fruit looked so inviting!

I thought it was a great idea to display the fruit out on the sidewalk where it was so easy to
get. I picked up a big red apple.
We walked on to the dry goods store, owned by Mr. Jordan and Mr. Casino, on

Railroad and Marion streets down by the railroad tracks. Just before getting to this store, Ma
and Pa saw that I was munching on this big apple.

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