I was born November 29, 1918 to Maggie and Ora
Clark on a farm about four miles northeast of Caldwell, Kansas. I remember nothing of the
first year of my life because of such a young age. When I was about 18 months old my
family move to Clearwater, Kansas area on the Jim Murray farm 4 miles south and 2 miles
west of Clearwater. In 1923, my mother gave birth a a pair of twin boys, Merle and Berle.
Also that same spring, we had the great flood of 1923. The Nenescah River was out of its
banks and was about 3 miles wide in some places. I remember very well, that my dad hitched
the horses to a grain wagon and took mother and us young ones to see the high water, which
was almost to the county line road south of Clearwater. To me the river seemed like the
ocean.
Cecil with his dad Ora on his shetland pony.
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Another story comes to mind while I was about four or
five years old. We had great neighbor families. The Charley Light family live one half
mile east and across the road from us. We lived on the Jim Murray farm from 1919 until
1934. We were always together with the Light kids. They were just like brothers and
sisters to us and we played and went to school together from 1st grade thru 8th grade.
When I was about 5 years old, Mattie Light, Margie Light and myself, we took our clothes
off and went swimming in the horse water tank.
While playing in the water of course the
girls older brother came riding up on his horse, and ordered us out of the horse tank and
to get dressed. Then he sent me home and told me to tell my mother what we did. I told my
mother, and she said I shouldn't do that any more.
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When I was about 8 years old, my dad set me up with the team of old gray horses
and a corn cultivator. I had to help cultivate the corn or another grain that grew in
rows. That old gray team of horses would not step on any corn if they could help it. Of
course, I thought I was as big as the rest of the boys. We cultivated corn on 4th of July
and dad said if we got done early, he would take us to Oxford, Kansas to the big
celebration. We got done and he took us in the 1926 Ford Model T. We got a dime or maybe a
quarter for our spending money for the circus and show they had.
Another vivid story I would like to share with you was when I was about 8 years
old. My dad took on the job of digging slush ponds for the drilling rigs that were
drilling oil in our neighborhood. Leo Wentworth was the big buy with the oil company and
he wanted my dad to furnish him with four teams of horses with drivers. Dad told him he
could furnish four teams and three drivers. Leo said he would have a driver for the fourth
team. The next day we all loaded up and went to the oil field. My dad, Everett, and
Kenneth took their teams and had to put the horses right up next to the drilling rig to
scoop the dirt. They did this and the horses never acted up or nothing. Here comes this
new driver with my team, and they would not get close to the drilling rig. He started to
jerk and curse and whip the horses. My dad said to Mr. Wentworth, "pull that man off
there" or he would take the team home. Leo Wentworth begged my dad to leave the
horses there as he said he needed them. I had ridden my shetland pony up there just to be
with the men. My dad said "that boy on the shetland pony can drive the horses better
than that man could." He called me over and said to drive that team up there and get
another load. I put the old gray team right next to the drilling rid and the old gray team
just stayed right in there like they were supposed to. I must have worked about four days
and drew my eight dollars a day just like the others did. I drew a man's scale at 8 years
of age.
My mother got me a guitar when I was about eight or nine years old. I learned to
play it good enough so I could play the guitar and harmonica together at literaries and
school programs. I even played for dances when I was about ten years old. I did the best I
could from 1929 to 1935, playing wherever I could – for very little money. I took
what I could get. In 1937 I purchased a new banjo and a new guitar. I have played in many
places and made some fair money and then I have played for a lot of charities and homes.
To this day I have my instruments in my motor home and play a lot, just for the
entertainment of myself and anyone who wants to listen.
I grew up on the Murray farm and went to grade school at the Bloody Run country
school, which was a one room school house and had all eight grades with only one teacher.
Lots of growing up took place at this school. I did not pass the 4th grade so had to take
that grade over the next year, so I went to the grade school 9 years. I went to High
School in Clearwater in September 1934 and graduated in 1938. I was not an A student nor
was I a dumb student. I had my share of fun while in school and really never thought about
what I would do after graduation. We were a poor family and I could not afford to go to
college so I did odd jobs around the neighbor hood to make any money that I could. I
worked for Kenny McGlouglan for $20.00 a month and my room and board. I also worked for
$1.00 a day at different jobs, to make any spending money I could. At this time you could
go to a show for 10 cents and an ice cream cone for 5 cents. Gasoline was 10 cents per
gallon.
I tried a lot of different things just to make a buck. In 1939 I went with my
brother-in-law Ira Wolfe to make the wheat harvest in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota
and Montana. Didn't make much money but had a lot of good experience about growing up to
be a man. After that, I worked in a coal mine in North Dakota for $1.00 a day and I came
home with money in my pocket. I went to western Kansas to chop beets and they would not
hire me because I was not a Mexican, so I packed up went to Manhatten, Kansas to shuck
corn for three cents a bushell. I could not make a living at that, so I went back to
Clearwater. |
