Mrs. Sechrist, Beckham Co. OK, Oklahoma Pioneer in Review

Submitted by Paulyne Taylor  pingtiger@arn.net

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                       OKLAHOMA PIONEER IN REVIEW
One of the greatest dangers encountered by Mrs M.J. Sechrist, Sayre Rt 3 
in making the trip to Oklahoma with her family, a year after the formal
opening of the Cheyenne-Araphoe country was in fording the Red River.

Crossing that water boundry line between Texas and the Indian Territory, in 
a covered wagon, This family of  early settlers fought their way through
quick sand in that river bog just in front of  the big head rise.As their
wagon pulled up the river bank to a point of safety , this group of
pioneers took a sigh of relief, but well  remembered their narror
escape. That was a peticular feeling of relief, that possibly no other
settlers experienced in their first breath  on arriving in the country
just opened to white settlement.

Mrs Sechrist came to this section with her parents on August 1 1893, and
first settled near Mangum, 15 miles away.They settled one and one half
miles North of the present site of Blair. W.A. Gardner, who lived a mile
away, was her nearest neighbor.Her stepfather filed on a claim North of
Blair in 1894.

The early hardships encountered in the first year of pioneering was in finding
fuel. We children gathered what we could find in sacks. Mrs Sechrist explained
in her autobiography and application for membership in the Headlight-Journal 
Old-Timers Club.

We had plenty of meat,lard,sourgum,and corn bread.These we raised at home. We 
had plenty to eat so there was no need in making debts, and  times then
were comparatively good, compared to these of the present draught and
depression, she said.

Although she was born in Texas, Mrs Sechrist has spent most of her life in 
Oklahoma. Her first home after coming to this section was a sod shanty, 
measuring 12x14 feet.There was a sod chimney and fireplace on one side,
where the family did its cooking. We had some exciting times in those
days, fighting centipeeds, and skunks, she recalled.

We had some longhorn steers and lots of dogies, roamed the prarie here then. We
milked  20 cows and sold 10 to 15 pounds of butter a week for eight and ten 
cents a pound.  We bought groceries and clothing with the reciepts of
these sales
.
It seems to me that was the happiest  and most free life I ever lived.We loved
God and had time for him, she said.

She was married on August 27 1900 to (mistake in paper she was married 1905) 
to Jerome Sechrist at a point seven miles South of Granite. They have
three children Mrs Edith Rutherford Amarillo, Mrs Ola McRae, Sayre, and
L. L. Sechrist of Dumas Texas.
Granny also was Eastern Star. Grand dad was a Mason.