Bryan Co., OK; Nail's Crossing - History --------------------------------- Submitted by the Bryan County Heritage Library Located in Calera, OK Written by Joe Stanford Typed for the archives by Trudy Marlow --------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ---------------------------------------------------- NAIL'S CROSSING A forgotten landmark in the history of Oklahoma is recalled by a longtime Caddo who was raised in his early years at Nail's Crossing, where the Butterfield Stage Lines crossed Blue River. The crossing was named after his father and grandfather who owned and operated a stable for changing horse teams of the stage lines. "I can remember as far back when it got cold enough in the winter here that a team of horses could drive across the creek. It hasn't been that cold in 50 years," said Claude Nail, a man with the hard years showing in the lines of his face and with eyes that temporarily turned back the pages of his life. His father, Oscar, lived on the west side of Blue River and J.H. Nail, his grandfather, six-room house on the east side where the Butterfield stage used to pull up to let folks rest while the team of horses was being changed. "My grandfather's home had a fireplace in every room except the hall and kitchen," said Nail. Both homes were made of log, with rock fireplaces. Portions of the J.H. Nail home can seen today two miles southwest of Kenefic. A Historical Society marker stands in the center of the home with a sunken cellar only feet away. Practically all signs of the crossing itself have been removed by the earth's changing face but with some study of the area and a little imagination, the long wooden suspended bridge erected in 1853 and spanning the two embankments might be "seen". "With the two houses, there stood a store, owned then by Bud Colbert and operated by a fullbood Choctaw Indian. There was a barn with a saddle shed, hay loft and stalls for some 30 horses including twelve race horses," said Nail. "That floor in the barn was made of four-inch thick walnut beams," he added. He also recalled a large smokehouse and remembers the good aroma brought from it when smoking sides of beef and pork. Back then, at the crossing, Nail said, the water was about knee deep. Rocks were placed across the river and it could be forded without getting wet. "We kept the river bed built up there because in later years, the stage and other horse-drawn buggies has to actually ford the river when the embankments on each side of the bridge washed out," said the historian. After the embankments washed away, ladders were placed at each end. People had to climb the ladder and walk across the bridge, then climb down the ladder on the other side if they wanted to be assured they wouldn't get wet. Since the river was dammed between Armstrong and Caddo, some parts of it at the crossing were about waist deep, although other portions of the river might be crossed without getting your knees wet. When he was small, Nail said there wasn't much to do at home. "I used to sneak off into the cowboy's room (one of the rooms in his grandfather's home) and smoke Bull Durham. If I could sneak back to what we called the boy's room and sit among the cowboys and smoke Bull Durham, I was right up town," said Nail. There were other fun times, when a turkey shoot or a dance was planned. The older folks would cut out holes in some old washtubs and place a turkey's head through it. Then they would ride past as fast as they could on their horses and shoot at the turkey. Whoever hit the turkey would receive it as a prize according to Nail. They had some of the biggest dances in the area. Folks from miles around, and the local cowboys who were considered part of the family, would join in for a happy night of sparking and dancing. There were other light games devised to pass the time away. The big event of the year was a cattle drive originating near Nail's Crossing and ending in Arkansas. --------------------------------------------------- Written by Joe Stanford