second generation

My first memory of my childhood is the year Mom took me to school to enroll me in the primary class but they said I wasn’t old enough, I remember I cried all the way home. When I was old enough I joined the Boy Scouts but one time I got drunk on Daddy’s wine and they dropped me. There was one time I was supposed to go to Sunday School with some friends, but I hid out in the canyon eating strawberries and then slipped into the garage to wait until Mama came home but Daddy caught me and gave me a whipping. I never tried that again. The summer I was 13 I took a train to Goshen, Oregon and stayed with Bessie and worked in the fruit and bean harvest. The next summer I went by train to Ivanhoe, California to stay with Uncle Jim. I got in about 3:00 AM and there was no one there to meet me. I was sitting outside the station and a milk truck stopped and a man jumped out and grabbed my suitcase and wanted me to go with them. I was scared, I thought they were going to kidnap me. They spoke broken English and I couldn’t understand them, finally one of the men got it across to me that Uncle Jim had asked them to pick me up. I had bought a 22 gun for $5.00 and one day I went rabbit hunting with some men. One of the men used my gun and tried to shoot a rabbit, he missed so hit the rabbit with the handle of my gun and broke it. Later Daddy whittled out a new handle and put it on the gun. Later it burned in one of my trucks that caught on fire, but I still have the rest of the gun. The next year was Daddy’s last year to farm and he promised me half of the profits if I would stay and help him instead of going to the west coast. I don’t remember how much we made. After I graduated I went to California with 2 friends in a car and worked in a dairy with my cousin. I then went to Los Angeles and stayed with Verna for awhile and worked in a glass factory and then returned to Cement and then to Monahans, Texas and stayed with Ruby and did carpenter work, building gas and electric plants. I moved to Andrews, Texas and continued my carpenter work.

While in Andrews I met Altha and we were married in 1949. In 1950 we moved to Washington, Arkansas and our son Donny was born. We moved around and lived in several places in Arkansas and Kansas and then returned to Monahans where Cathy was born and Jim in Kermit, Texas. We lived in a trailor home most of the time. While working in Monahans a nail flipped up and hit my left eye causing me to lose sight in the eye. I received $2500.00 for my eye and we built our first home. In 1954 we sold the home and returned to Cement. I started my oilfield Tank Trucking Co with one truck. We built a home in town and Vickie and Sharon were born.. We sold the home to Altha’s parents and bought property southwest of town and built the home we live today. Later I started a Well Service Co. and had 5 units and 4 trucks. At one time I had 37 employees working for me. I sold the business in 1981.

In 1972 and 1973 we went to a Blue Grass Festival in Hugo, Okla. and got hooked on the music. In 1973 we built our own Blue Grass Kingdom Park and had our first Festival on May Day 1974 and had them every year for 9 years. During the winter we had Gospel and Country Western shows. When I was a boy I remembered the Community Xmas Trees and everyone getting candy. I started having a Xmas Tree and handed out from 500 to 1000 sacks of candy each year. The church would put on the Xmas program, sometimes they were held in the legion hall and school but had the last one at our Blue Grass Park. We had our last festival in 1982. We still have the park and have had 3 family reunions there.

After retiring, Cliff and I have started raising fighting cock roosters. I still raise some cattle and have gas and oil wells. I still enjoy going to town each morning and visit with some of the town’s people in the drug store. I drive the grandchildren to and from school. Altha keeps busy with the grandchildren and taking care of her cats and dogs.

By Donald Clifford Robertson

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