Caddo County, Oklahoma Biography - Mrs. Harvey Yoder -------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES 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. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ Submitted by: Sandy Miller ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRAIRIE CENTER COMMUNITY #56 by Mrs. Harvey Yoder. Published by the Southwestern Oklahoma Historical Society in 'Prairie Lore,' Vol. 7 No. 3, January 1971, pages 175-177. The Prairie Center community and school was located six miles northwest of the town of Apache, in Caddo County. At that time there was no community center at the present Boone. Prairie Center School building was built sometime in the summer of 1902. We arrived in the area in January 1902. My father leased Indian land where the settlement of Boone is now located. The Prairie Center School building was located on the southeast corner of section 8, T5N, R12W, I.M. It was on the west side of the road and just north of the foot of a steep hill. There were no houses to be seen in any direction when I first entered Prairie Center School in 1902. The school building was of very rough construction, box type, 12" boards standing vertically with the cracks battened with 1 x 4 strips. The building was equally rough inside, but it was typical of the other buildings and homes of that early day. I was born MINNIE SNODGRASS, near Knoxville, Tennessee, July 23, 1885. My mother was MARTHA (Skeen) SNODGRASS, my father was COLUMBUS SNODGRASS and I had five brothers and one sister, all of whom attended the Prairie Center School. My brothers were JOHN, CLYDE, ALVA, WILLIAM and CHARLES. My sister was HATTIE. We lived only one year in the Prairie Center School District #56, moving from there south into the Sulphur Springs District. January 25, 1905 I married HARVEY YODER of the Prairie Center community. We were married in the Cache Creek Indian Mission Church by REV. W.W. CARRITHERS, the mission pastor at that church. We moved to an Indian lease in the Myers School District north of Prairie Center. My husband's father had homesteaded 160 acres, which was the northwest quarter of section 12,T5N, R13W, I.M. His parents lived on this homestead until his mother died in 1926. At that time we moved to his old home and his father lived with us for a number of years until he passed away. This home was in the Mountain Home School District next west of Prairie Center. In the early days getting mail was sometimes quite difficult. Accordingly, many post offices were established in rural areas. There was a post office established in a tiny store owned and operated by LOUISE P. STENGER (1). She was the first postmaster for the post office named 'Onasco.' This was in the Prairie Center community and school district. Later MR. GEORGE DOLAN, who lived across the road from Miss Stenger, established a store in one corner of his dwelling. Miss Stenger soon abandoned her store and post office. Mr. Dolan then became the postmaster. He had been carrying the mail from Apache to Onasco, a most difficult job at times because of the lack of bridges across Cache Creek which was often at flood stage. In the early days Rev. Carrithers, of the Cache Creek Mission, preached in the Prairie Center School house twice each month. We had no organ or piano, but everyone joined in singing. I remember these pupils at Prairie Center school GENE and CALLIE VAIL, DALE, LEO and DAN SIMMONS, MABEL, ALLEN, RACHEL, MINNIE, CHARLIE, and FRANK INKS, also WILL, ED, ROSE, and FRED STENGER, SAM, ERNEST, RALPH, GRACE and HARVEY YODER, MAY, LILLY, MARTIN, JENNY, ED and CAROLINE CHRISTENSON. My husband and I still live on the old homestead (1965). There are only two families in this entire area, the MASONS and us, who came here before 1910. We plan to move to the town of Apache sometime. MRS. RELIA DOLAN BAILEY, of Apache, daughter of GEORGE DOLAN, add names of these teachers at Prairie Center her father, GEORGE DOLAN, who taught for three years at Prairie Center, MARION and LOUISE STEVENS, MERLE FRANKLIN and METTA DAVIS. Today there remains only the foundation of the house, the old rock storm cellar and some of the walls of the rock stable at the old Dolan family home, store, and Onasco post office. (1) Postal records show the Onasco post office was established March 18, 1902 with Louise P. Stenger as first postmster. There is no record of further postmasters at Onasco. The post office was discontinued March 30, 1907 and mail sent to Apache. Ed.