IVA S. CAMPBELL

It was hot, dry, and dusty. The fields were parched and brown. The year was 1936, a year never to be forgotten by the young couple. She was just past 17 and he was 24.

In June they had buried their only child, a son, and their hearts were still heavy with grief. Many infants and elderly persons had succumed that summer to the dreaded "Summer Complaint." The Dust Bowl era and poverty had taken its toll on families far and near.

The young wife yearned to be gone from such loneliness. To be back in Arizona near her mom and dad. To try to erase the heartache and homesickness Oklahoma had brought her.

Times were hard, money scarce, and jobs just next to none. When work could be found it was hard and menial labor for board and room and about $.90 a day. That was for men; for women it was mush less. The husband was fortunate enough to find a job on a ranch, just outside Ponca City, Oklahoma. The young wife found work for an ailing mother doing housework and caring for the lady's small baby. She received room and board and the sum of $3.00 per week. The husband made $.92 a day on the ranch, plus his room and board.

The arrangement was less than satisfactory since it meant seeing each other only on Sunday afternoons. They had no place to spend their precious time, so they walked and sat in the local park. They spent their time talking and trying to plan a future.

They planned to save their money for a few months and before the cold, snowy Oklahoma winter came, to head for Arizona.

They worked until August and dissatisfaction became so strong they decided to chuck it all and start traveling. The common mode of the day was hitching rides, if possible. People were going west almost any day of the week and any way they could, including hopping freights. They were heading for Arizona, California, somewhere to pick cotton, fruit, or harvest vegetables.

It was early morning when the couple started walking, but even then the heat was suffocating. They walked and caught a few rides about 75 miles from Ponca City to El Reno. It was nightfall by this time and both of them were exhausted. Their feet were aching and had quite a few blisters. They found a cheap sleeping room on a side street in El Reno to rent for the night. After a bath and a meal consisting of a hamburger and a glass of milk, they drifted across the street to sit in the cool darkness of the park they had seen earlier. It was still too hot to sleep in the small room.

The park was full of transients, most of them with no place to go. Sleeping in the open and in the parks was common. The young husband, whose name was Bill, struck up a conversation with a couple of clean looking men. They were buddies and brother-in-laws, traveling together. After a short time and a few questions, they knew Bill and his wife, Jeanie, were trying to get to Arizona. They also knew they had lost their baby boy and had very little left, save a few clothes and each other. The taller of the two men spoke up and said, "If you really want to make it that far before starving, you'd better start riding the freights." Then he told Bill they were from Arkansas and heading West to find work. They planned to send for their families as soon as they could. "And just how do we go about catching the train?" Bill asked. The taller man answered, "Well now, I reckon if you're willing to trust us, we'll show you in the morning. Just meet us in the park here at 6:00 a.m."

Six o'clock found the young couple ready and waiting. The two buddies they had met started out of town with them along the railroad tracks until they came to the water tower. The trains usually stopped to fill their tanks with water to power the large steam engines. Stepping back into the weeds by the track they all waited for the train to stop. Much to everyone's suprise, the train didn't stop for water, so it was up to everyone to catch a car on the run. The train slowed for a fairly sharp curve in the tracks and there were ladders down the side of each freight car, for the brakemen's use. The young husband waas agile and strong and Jeanie was small and thin. Bill had a rope-tied carton of clothes and one blanket under one arm. As they ran together, he swumg her with one arm up to a ladder. Jeanie caught it and scrambled up to and toppled over the top into a car loaded with peacoal (a finely gorund fuel, used in blacksmith shops and coal powered plants). Bill caught the next car and after reaching the top, walked to the front and leaped to the next car with Jeanie.

While running to this train, they heard a familiar voice yelling, "Catch it, Bill, catch it." In a few moments they were joined by Bill's cousin, and his friend, Jim. They discovered that Johnny and Jim had left Seminole, Oklahoma the day before just about the same time they had left Ponca City.

All day was spent riding the rails across the country on the coal car. The sun was low when the train pulled into the freight yards at Sayre, Oklahoma. The four weary ones were told by some of the others that the train would be stopped about an hour and where to find a small cafe near one end of the freight yard. Bill, Jeanie, Johnny, and Jim found the cafe and a place to wash some of the coal dust off. After a hurried, skimpy meal, they were lucky enough to find the train still there and an unlocked door to an empty freight car. They climbed in beside at least 15 other riders. They moved to one corner of the car to settle down for a long, dark ride.

Bill spread the blanket for Jeanie to lie down on and settled down beside her. The train rumbled along at a steady pace and gradually the tired travelers ceased talking to drift off to sleep. Sometime in the night, one stranger roused everyone with a loud cursing and was told to "Stifle it, there's a lady in here." About 4 a.m. the freight pulled into the huge yard of Amarillo, Texas.

Still following the Arkansas buddies, dubbed "Mutt and Jeff" by now, Johnny, Jim, Bill, and Jeanie shuffled stiffly out of the yards. To Jeanie it seemed they walked for miles. They reached the Southern Pacific rail yard just as dawn was breaking. They had to leave the Santa Fe yard in Amarillo. A few of the men began gathering scraps of wood to build a fire, while some of them scouted for an empty pail or lard tin and some water. In a little while, hobo coffee was brewing on the fire.

A few small shacks were standing nearby and as smoke began rising from stove pipes that protruded from broken windows, word was passed down from one little shanty to, "Tell that young man and his wife to come over and eat some breakfast." They knew that they had to wait for the west bound freight, so Bill and Jeanie went gladly to the little home. They were given hot biscuits, eggs, jam, and coffee. It seemed like a feast. It was depression, but people believed in sharing what they had.

Back at the railside, the long freight soon pulled in beside the big water tank and everyone climbed into the box-cars to ride west again. After riding for half a day or more, the train pulled into a fair sized town, still in Texas. They'd stopped for loading, unloading, and switching. The four weary young people were told to stay where they were and they wouldn't be bothered. Not knowing the schedule or the town, they did not leave the car. They sat looking out the open door in the hot sunshine, longing for a drink and some food. In a few moments up walked one of the strangers they'd been traveling with and handed Jeanie a big, juicy hamburger and a small carton of milk. He tipped his hat and walked away. The generosity was overwhelming.

Soon the big freight rolled on and the rumbling of the rails lulled a few off to sleep. Bill, Johnny, and Jim had been told not to leave the yards, to stay out of sight, when the train pulled into Clovis, New Mexico. However, hunger and thirst had overcome their caution and Bill and Jeanie ventured to a tiny cafe at one end of the rail yard. Johnny and Jim went the other way to seek a hand-out. Just as the couple started back to the freight, they met Johnny and Jim with a burly railroad cop (called a Bull). Instead of passing on by, like the Bull intended, Jim swerved and came up to Jeanie and pushed a small sack of food into her hands. The cop decided the action was deliberate and arrested Bill and Jeanie also. They were taken to the railroad depot and told to buy a ticket on the next train or spend 30 days in jail.

Bill had enough money saved to feed Jeanie and himself and had planned to put Jeanie on a bus when they reached about halfway in their journey, but this altered their plan. He bought 4 tickets to Roswell, New Mexico, leaving precious little money for food. At least for this part of the trip, they rode in style. Upon reaching Roswell, the 4 decided to try their luck on the highway again. They weren't having any luck, so they decided to spend the night in Roswell. Bill rented a cheap hotel room with two beds. Then walked to a small corner grocery and bought some milk, bread and cold-cuts. They all ate, took a bath and climbed wearily into bed.

Next morning Jim and Johnny made rounds of several stores and cafes asking for food. Then the four walked to the edge of town and sat under a large tree to share what they had. When they had eaten, they decided it would probably be best to split up from here on, in order to get a ride. Bill and Jeanie walked on ahead for a while, before Johnny and Jim started out. In a few moments they heard a car approaching and turning as it slowed down, saw that Jim and Johnny had caught a ride with an elderly man. Johnny asked the old gentleman if he would mind letting them out in order to pick up Bill and Jeanie instead. It was an old coupe and there was only room for three. The man obliged. Bill and Johnny shook hands and wished each other luck as they left.

The old man introduced himself as Hodge and the young people rode with him almost a full day. They stopped at the edge of Almagordo, New Mexico, on the western edge of the Hondo Valley. This was as far as the old man was going.

They wandered into a cafe and ate sparingly, then walked out of town a mile or so and at dusky dark stepped out into the desert. They were several yards from the highway and rolling themselves in the blanket, they spent the night beneath the stars. It was very chilly on the desert at night.

They later learned that Johnny and Jim had walked 3 days, trying to get through the Hondo Valley, never catching any rides and living on apples and cabbage, picked from the fields and orchards along the way. When they finally reached Almagordo, they went back to the rails and managed to cross the desert without getting caught again.

A truck driver stopped at a little cafe and insisted on buying lunch for the couple. He had learned that they were trying to reach Wilcox, Arizona. Jeanie had an Aunt there and knew they could stay to rest a day or two. He had a delivery to be made in Wilcox so they were lucky again.

Late in the evening, three weary people viewed the lights of town. After a few inquiries, they found her Aunt Nora and Uncle Lon's hotel. They were all greeted warmly and Jeanie's aunt and uncle wouldn't hear of accepting anything from the truck driver for this one night stay. Early the next day, Bill rode out to the edge of town and helped unload the driver's load. Then the trucker headed east again, back to Oklahoma.

After resting a couple of days and nights, Bill and Jeanie knew it was time to move on towards their destination. They were headed for the Salt River Valley, Jeanie's birthplace, in hopes of finding work in the cotton fields or citrus groves.

Aunt Nora inquired about the finances and Bill assured her that he had plenty for bus fare to Mesa, Arizona. He was too proud to tell her the truth; that they had precious little left. He knew they worked hard for their earning, too.

Leaving the hotel, they walked westward toward the park and railroad yards again. Near the tracks, they struck up a conversation with an elderly black gentleman. They asked about west bound freights and time schedules. The old man told them there would be one in at 8:30 p.m. This allowed the two time to think about how to catch the train in the semi-darkness.

Bill located the train and found an empty box-car. When they were safely inside, they found another couple boarded also. This was the first woman hitch-hiker Jeanie had seen since leaving Oklahoma. She was glad for the company. They rode all night.

They awoke to bright, hot sunshine, and familiar sights, but to their dismay, they knew the train wasn't slowing down. They continued on through Mesa, to Phoenix. When it stopped there, two worried and tired people climbed from the box-car and headed for the highway once more. They knew they would make it now, even with nineteen weary miles back to Mesa. After that it was another nine miles to the small community of Lehigh, and "HOME!"

This is a true story about my husband and myself.
Iva S. Campbell
Oilton, Oklahoma