Thursday, April 29, 2010

Where Is Kristine?


No one else will ask the question. Where is Kristine? Did she finally go camping and get lost? Did she go hunting and shoot her eye out? Is she lost on the ocean while fishing for crappie? Where is she and is she OK?
If anyone knows please email or leave a comment. She has been MIA way too long.
Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Fun to Appraise

I really enjoy appraising any kind of historic type home. This is usually big older homes from the turn of the century or older, but every now and then I get one older.
These are small cabin type log homes from the 1850's that I recently had a chance to appraise.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Yazoo Tornado, Hershels's Fault?

Dad came in from hunting with no turkey (again). He has been hunting hard every weekend of turkey season and has not even come close to getting his bird. Needless to say he was tired, discouraged and disgusted.
He met Dorothy at the camp, sat down to have a drink and said "I am tired of this. Think I'll take up fishing. I wish there wasn't a turkey on the whole damn place. In fact, I wish they would all be blown to Alabama! They can have 'em."
At the famous Christmas Place, many strange things happen and you should be careful what you say. Sometimes if you make a wish here, you may get more than you want.
5 minutes late the sky had darkened, rain and sleet started to fall, the winds rose to a torrent and Dad, Ms Dorothy and now, Paul Jones rushed out into the yard, during a slight break, to see if a tornado was heading for them.
The tornado was boiling in the sky almost over them. The winds blew every direction and seemed to almost lift them off their feet. The tornado seemed to be just spinning above them and then they saw the most horrible thing of all. All across the property, you could see turkeys being sucked up into the whirlwind. Zip, Zip, Zip, they were pulled from branches, food plots, the woods and everywhere else and disappeared into the heart of the rolling wind. In a few minutes the tornado was gone and the turkeys too. I guess they are all in Alabama by now.
I do not mean to make light of the Yazoo City Tornado, it was horrible and we should keep everyone there in our hearts and prayers. Any monetary assistance you could give would be appreciated. they are a tough people and will rebuild, but right now they are hurting. Dad and the camp suffered no ill effects and the tornado missed them. Will give a report on any damage when I go down this weekend.
Everyone, thanks for asking about Dad and the camp, we appreciate your thinking of us and pray for the people of Yazoo County.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Visiting Cedar Hill

After we left the Union cemetery we traveled over to the old Vicksburg Cemetery to visit the Confederate graves at a place inside there called Cedar Hill. The place was peaceful, serene almost. We walked among the graves of those brave men and it was a very good feeling even though their effort seemed useless. Here are some pics we took that day.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Toby Tubby's Gold (4)

Princess Hoka
The first white man to come to Lafayette County as a settler was named John Covenant. He was an explorer, adventurer and what we know as a frontiersman today. He crossed into this territory along the Indian Trail known as the Natchez Trace, made friends with the Chickasaw Indians near Pontotoc and continued westward until he reached the beautiful and untouched forest around Oxford and the Tallahatchie River bottoms.
He found a land of plenty. Game was plentiful, the Indians peaceful and friendly, and trapping along the River and it’s tributaries was excellent. He built a cabin on the edge of the creek close to where the Oxford Library is today and set up camp. The Indian village was almost a days ride North and he kept his privacy except for the occasional Indian or white traveler. At that time there were two trails that came across the area. The trail west from Pontotoc and the main trail that started somewhere near Mobile, wound up through Mississippi, came into the area where the communities of Toccopola and Yocona are east of Oxford and they met right in front of his camp.
Over a year he became almost part of the tribe as he was such a novelty to the Indians with his strange skin and strange ways. He learned much from the Chickasaw and in turn taught them about his way of life. He would have moved further west within a year or two, if not for one small thing. He fell in love with a beautiful young Indian girl.
This was not any Indian girl. This was Hoka, the daughter of Chief Tobo Tubby, Chief of all the Chickasaw tribe and the cost to win her was not easy. Covenant worked another year gathering furs, building canoes, trading for horses and bartering for gifts before he was allowed to marry the young woman in the Indian tradition. Hoka was also the sister of Toby Tubby.
Covenant and Hoka set up house at his cabin and it did not take long until it had evolved into a trading post. Hoka was bright and quickly learned about trading and the white mans desire for money and gold. She worked hard to get the help of the Indians in the area for trade and the establishment of business in dealing with the white men. Toby Tubby became their closest friend and learned everything he could about trade and the value of money.
Supplies came up the river and for a fee in barter or cash, the supplies were loaded and brought to his little trading post. The suppliers were paid, the Indians received a transport fee and everyone was happy.
Soon white settlers arrived and Covenant and his wife managed to figure a way to rent lots to them for homes and as several businesses sprang up along the top of the hill above them. The land still belonged to the Indians, Covenant leased the land and received a fee from Chief Tobo. This went well for several years as white settlers continued to pour into the land, until during a hard winter the great Chief became ill and died.
Toby Tubby became Chief of the tribe and opened up even more opportunities for the Indians. He began to operate a ferry to handle people crossing the river. He leased rich bottomland for crops that fed the Indians and whites alike. He allowed timber to be cut, roads to be built, several towns such as College Hill and Wyatte began to be laid out and settled, businesses flourished and the money earned enriched his tribe in a different way of life.
Although the Indian people adjusted to the new lifestyle of the white settlers, many left and the push of the whites seemed never ending. Chief Toby Tubby realized that the white men were there to stay and that he and his tribes days were numbered, even as they changed their way of life to embrace the whites.
John Covenant died soon after that time and Hoka was left handling the trading post, the white settlers, and much of the business of the tribe. She began to be respectfully known to the new towns people as Princess Hoka and was the friend of all, but times were changing.
In 1832 the Treaty of Pontotoc was signed. This ceded all Indian Lands to the United States Government. Chief Toby Tubby, as chief of the tribe handled the money paid to his tribe but was allowed to keep many sections to sell as he wanted or to divide it up to give to his family. Princess Hoka, as his sister, received 160 acres where the town of Oxford stands today.
In 1836 Princess Hoka let it be known that she wished to sell her parcel of land and join many of the Indians that had already left for Oklahoma. She was approached by three growing landowners and businessmen that had high hopes to have the new town named as the county seat. These men are shown on the deed that she signed with an X as John Chisolm, John Martin, and John Craig. The deed was witnessed by the new local Indian Agent and the deal was struck. She received $800 in cash, sold her trading post for another $300, packed her things and went west. In the Lafayette County deed book it says Hoka “bargained, sold, deeded, and conveyed” the land for a “consideration…of Eight Hundred Dollars,”
She was never seen again.
The town of Oxford was founded on August 9, 1837

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A Strange Grave Site

I had told Marian and Bob that I wanted to visit the Union cemetery at the National Park and I also wanted to visit the Confederate Cemetery nearby. We grabbed Josh and headed over to the Cemetery. Bob said he had something very cool to show us there.
In the cemetery there are two Confederate soldiers buried.
They were identified after the war, but left there anyway.
Confederate graves have a slight triangular shape to the headstone and it took a while but we located them. On top of one of the headstones was a quarter from 2000.
Yes, we left it. You don't steal from the dead.
The joke here is that it takes 17,000 Yankees to guard 2 Confederates.
Here are some pics of us there.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Saturday Flea Hunt

On Saturday, Marian made a big breakfast and we headed down to the big Flea Market on the main street above the river. It was festive and filled with people. Bob tried to buy a dog but we talked him out of it. Here is a pic of Denise with a cool OLE MISS lamp.
Here I am with some snazzy red glasses.
We stayed an hour or so, called Josh who was in the Vicksburg National Park and enjoying that, then headed down to the Corner Drug Store. It is filled with Civil War memorabillia and worth the trip to Vicksburg. the owner, Joe, is warm and friendly and always a joy to visit with. I could not find a Vicksburg coffee cup there, but we headed on down the street to a cool internet coffee house and hung out there for awhile. As we started to leave we decided to poke our heads into a little restaurant that looks out over the river, called the Biscuit Company. Lo and behold Josh was sitting at the bar. This led us into several fun events that we probably would not have taken otherwise.
Stay tuned.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Music On The River

We left Camo at camp and headed to Vicksburg. We arrived about 6, met up with our friends, Bob and Marian, then headed down to Washington st. and the music. The street was filled with people and food vendors were everywhere. We wandered back and forth enjoying the party atmosphere and listening to the music for an hour or so. They changed bands every hour. They played blue-grass, rock and roll, country and anything in-between.
We listened and enjoyed it but we needed to eat and we wandered into Duffy's where they were having boiled shrimp. It was well worth it. We could listen to the music, eat and enjoy talking about old times. It was also where we met a nice guy named Josh that changed how we enjoyed the rest of the weekend.
(this picture is intentionally blurry so Camo can not see that everyone else brought their dogs)

clockwise- Marian, Denise, Josh, Rex, Bob

Friday, April 16, 2010

Bewildered


Camo is upset and bewildered. Yes, she likes hunting turkeys and growling at deer and possums but she also wants to see Marian, drink beer and look for bullfrogs on the bank on the Mississippi River. I am dropping her off at camp and she doesn't understand. I will have to figure a way to make it up to her, maybe I will let her bite the Mailrider next week.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Escape to Vicksburg

Suddenly there is a whole lot of action surrounding me. tonight is the chamber of commerce banquet and the party at Snookies. I am sure I will be asked to speak at the party but all they want to hear about is that stupid deer, Thunderhoof. Hope he doesn't show up.
This weekend is the annual red and blue spring game at Ole Miss. The Mailrider will be there yelling and hollering for all of us. Hate I am going to miss it.
There is a TEA party in Oxford's Avent Park Saturday morning also. I would like to go, just to see it. Your roving reporter could get some stories out of that I am sure.
Paul and Dad are heading to camp, there are just two weekends left in Turkey Season, plus they caught another boat-load of crappie last weekend.
Denise and I heading down to see Bob and Marian for the Riverfest in Vicksburg. Drinking, eating, relaxing on the river. Now that sounds fun. And the girls!, you haven't seen anything 'tll you see a beautiful barefoot southern girl holding a catfish in one hand and a croaker sack full of crawfish in the other.
Will give a full report when I return.
PS- Camo is going to camp to hunt turkeys. Hope she survives.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Turkey Turmoil


This past weekend I sent my best hunter down to the famous Christmas Place to do something about the over-population of turkeys there. I am tired of those gigantic gobblers eating up my food plots, chasing away my deer, gobbling and waking people up every morning, and in general being a damn nuisance.
Dad set out to blast a turkey and put himself in a good position. Damn gobblers were all around him gobbling and tearing the woods up, but none would come into his sights. What is the problem? I don't know either.
Maybe we need an absolute turkey killer on the job. Any suggestions?

Friday, April 09, 2010

Mastering Along Without Me

The Masters Golf Tournament is being played this week and once again I did not receive an invitation to play. I can't believe it. Hey! I am a sex addict too!
I believe they are just prejudiced over my deer hunting and blogging skills and are afraid I would win the tournament too!

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Graduating A Bear Hunter

This photo is of my nephew Brock and his brother and sister. He has just completed his basic training and graduated. I imagine the rigors of boot camp were nothing compared to the way he was living in the wilds of Alaska. If we go to war with bear or moose, we are in good hands. He is supposed to end up at Ole Miss in the officers program. He is a really good young man and will serve his country proudly and with honor.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Geocaching the Bell Witch

You have all heard some version of the Bell Witch story, but the story really did not end with the death of Mr. Bell in Tennessee. The young girl, Betsy, moved here to Yalobusha county afterwards and lived her life on a plantation out west of Water Valley and is buried in the Long Branch cemetery.
My kids were here all last week and have become interested in Geocaching and on the internet they found that a cache was hidden at this cemetery near Betsy. They talked me into going after they read the cryptic clues to finding the cache. It took a little while but we found it. I might could get into this.

Friday, April 02, 2010

A New Landmark


Recently, Water Valley acquired a new landmark. You can see more pictures and read all about it in the North Mississippi Herald. The new Railroad Clock was donated by Mrs. Doris Crawford in honor of her husband Brownie and is a great addition to the north end of the railroad park in the center of town. It is very beautiful and the town thanks her for her continuing service to help beautify and preserve the city. She and Brownie have been an integral part of this town for as long as I can remember and Mr. Crawford is sorely missed. It is a wonderful tribute to him as well as the town.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Money


I am heading down to Phillip and the infamous Money, Mississippi in the Delta today. At one time the little town north of Greenwood was known for its cotton plantations, millionaires and the rich flow of money. This store disappeared years ago. Today it is all gone.