camp ground. Tuesday, Nov. 8th, 1870. Breakfast and off by sunrise.
My horse not so lame this morning. After three and a half miles' travel,
we are at the ferry across the Arkansas River just two miles below
Fort Gibson. The Grand River, Verdigris and main Arkansas River all
come in close together. The ferry came a half mile up Grand River
for us and took us down to the mouth and across the main Arkansas.
The water of the Arkansas is of a clay color whilst those of the Verdigris
and Grand rivers are muddy and where they join the line is as plain as
if one were white and the other black. The land here looks very much
like Missouri, also the timber. We are safe across the river and all
right again. It commenced to rain whilst we were crossing the river
and it came down in torrents until one o'clock p. m. from 9 a. m. We
paid one dollar per bushel for corn this morning and fifty cents per
dozen for little mouldy bundles of fodder. After crossing the Arkansas
River and two miles beyond, we left the Cherokee Nation and came into
the Creek Nation. This nation has large iron posts placed one mile
distant from each other to mark their boundary line. Halted at noon
for lunch on a small creek. It was raining very hard. Drove on until
four o'clock. Halted to dry out. Just before stopping we, that is Hall
and myself, killed a fine lot of blackbirds. Bob cooked the biscuit and
they were very good. We have tolerable good grub. We are now three
hundred and twenty miles from home and one hundred and seventy from
Sherman. The Lord has been merciful and good to me. iy horse is not
at all lame today. I feel very thankful.
Wednesday, Nov. 9th, 1870. Up and breakfast over by daylight. Last
night the boys nearly all drank half a gallon of coffee apiece. I drank
2%0. pints. Early start again. Drove through a very pretty country. The
creeks and branches are all rock and gravel bottom. Halted at noon
for lunch. This afternoon passed some fine country. Saw three fine
deer but did not get a shot at them. Afternoon we passed a village
Fishertown in the Creek Nation. Crossed North Fork of Canadian River
at four o'clock on a flat boat, full-blood Indian ferryman. Couldn't talked
English at all. One mile farther on we came to a store kept by an old
Negro, called Nero's store. He owns the ferry, store and blacksmith
shop. We laid in our supplies of potatoes and corn to do us several
days. Just a few hundred yards above Nero's store is the little town
of Northfork Town,5 several stores and a postoffice. Here in this little
town of log and poor frame buildings I saw, to me, a new feature in
carpentering. Two men laying a floor with clapboards, the edge of one on
the other. The population consists of whites, Indians and Negroes.
Halted about one and a half miles beyond this town. Rather poor camp
ground.
Thursday, Nov. 10th, 1870. Very cold this morning from heavy frost.
I think the first frost in this section. Breakfast over and off again, five
miles brings us to the Canadian River which we ford without any
trouble. We are now in the Choctaw Nation, the Canadian River being
the line between this and the Creek Nation. Just after crossing the
Canadian River this morning we were greeted by some sweet music
made by about fifty field larks. It was cheering, away out here. Their
songs are as sweet as those made in the meadows at home, reminding
us of the fact that God is the same everywhere and His creatures are
the same to Him. The mistletoe is very much heavier and more luxuriant
here than any I saw in Missouri. Lunch at noon and off again. After
leaving the swamp we came to very beautiful scenery. We crossed the
Soukey Mountain today. Have to pay toll over it for the natives have
taken out all of the rock in the road down the mountain. This mountain
s North Fork Town was named for the north branch of the Canadian River
on the east. It was situated about two miles northeast of the present town of
Eufatla. Foreman. Down the Texas Road, 41.

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