A WAGON TRIP

While we were living in Cloudcroft our cattle were on winter range in the desert south of Alamogordo. It was not difficult to get them to a railroad when we got ready to go. Finally we began to get ready in a serious way. Ruth had been born and Mother felt well enough to make the trip. I am sure she considered it to be more than a slight matter but on the surface she was calm and equal to any challenge she had to face. She was anxious to get Dad to a climate recommended by his doctor.

Dad was so enthusiastic about Pleasant Valley that other relatives decided to join our train. They were Dad's sister Effie and her husband John Martin, Mother's brother Bodie Davis and his wife Nellie, Dad's youngest brother Anderson Waldrip and Mother's brother Dalton Davis. We had two wagons and the Martins and Davises had one each. We had six horses; Maude, Snip, Fox, Tony, Red and Roan. Dalton owned Roan.

By February every one was ready. Dad loaded the cattle on the train and began his journey to Globe, the nearest rail head to Pleasant Valley eighty five miles away with the world's roughest roads in between. When Dad arrived in Globe, he had no horse so he went to the owner of a livery stable in an attempt to buy one. The owner said he had an outlaw horse that Dad could have at no charge if he could ride him. Dad had no trouble riding the horse so that is the way we acquired Brownie. Floyd and I rode him to school later and he threw us off only once which was not bad for an "outlaw." Dad herded the cattle out east of Globe in the area near El Capitan while waiting for us to catch up.

Back at Cloudcroft, we loaded the wagons and took off for Arizona. Now I don't remember this trip being a "big deal." It just seemed to be the thing to do. Dad needed to be at a lower altitude so we simply were moving to a place that would help Dad and where there was pasture for our cattle. No problem. I know now that Mom set this idea in our minds to keep us from fretting about the move. We would certainly miss Grandma and Grandpa but we knew we could have a visit once in awhile.

The beginning of the trip is a bit hazy in my memory. Floyd and I would ride in a wagon for awhile and then walk until we were tired then ride again. Mother drove one wagon behind Maude and Snip. Uncle Dalton drove the other behind Red and Roan. Ruth was about one month old, Victor was four years, I was eight and Floyd was eleven. I recall the camp in Oregon Pass just east of Las Cruces. It was freezing weather and the wind was blowing a gale all night. Mother, Ruth, Victor and I slept in the wagon which had a canvas cover. Floyd, Dalton and Anderson slept on the ground under the wagon. Mother and I were up all night trying to stay warm and trying to keep the canvas cover from blowing off. Floyd, Dalton and Anderson slept right through the whole thing. They didn't even know the wind blew.

I remember when we crossed the Gila River near Safford because I had a new cloth hat and it blew off and floated away down the river. In San Carlos, some young Indians tried to drive our horses