Reflections. From the Tombstone Epitaph - Cotton County OK Submitted by G.T. Burton 16 Dec 2006 ************************************************************************ 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/ *********************************************************************** REFLECTIONS…By G. T. Burton (The B & O Cash Store) THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH December 1997 The first settler in the southwest corner of Oklahoma was a man from Northboro, Massachusetts named Able Warren. In 1839-40 Warren recruited Indian scouts and volunteers at Fort Smith, Arkansas then traveled to the Red River and established a combination residence and trading post on the east bank of Cache Creek in what is now Cotton County. Warren carried on a business there until he abandoned the operation five or six years later. The east section of Cotton County was a part of the Kiowa-Comanche and Apache Reservation and was opened for settlement August 6, 1901. In November of that year the town of Botsford was established near the site of the old trading post, three miles east of Cache Creek and about ten miles north of the Red River. When the Rock Island Railroad by-passed Botsford, on mile to the north, a new town was established. In June of 1902 the first lots of Temple were sold. The new town was named after Temple Houston, a prominent Oklahoma lawyer who was the son of Sam Houston. The east-west Main Street of the new town was intended as the main business area and was surveyed 100 feet wide. However; the wind from north and south blew so often that shoppers couldn't get the doors open so the merchants started gravitating to Commercial Avenue, the north-south street, where the business street is now located. It's doubtful that Temple has ever had a population in excess of 1500, but in 1906 the population was just 900. That year two brother, Bob and Otho Mooney, built a small store on the northeast corner of the intersection of Commercial Avenue and Main Street. The B & O Cash Store bought and sold merchandise for cash only, a new idea in that part of the country. The store grew from the original one room until it covered a ground floor area larger than any mercantile operation west of the Mississippi. Bob and Otho Mooney were born in North Carolina. Bob moved to Indian Territory in 18982 and was joined there by his younger brother on 1903. Otho seemed to be the management half of partnership and in the 1920's was in great demand as a speaker at trade conventions. He was asked to speak about his merchandising practices at meetings in St. Louis, San Antonio, Chicago and other cities. The B & O Cash Store was a mercantile operation with the normal dry goods, furniture and hardware. But in addition to this there was a complete grocery store and an automobile supply with filling station, minor repairs and car wash. There was a pharmacy and a soda fountain, jewelry repair and customers could even visit a medical doctor, and have their eyes fitted with glasses. There was funeral parlor and sometimes weddings were conducted on the second floor. Referred to in trade journals of the time as the "Largest Country Department Store in the World." The store had a livery stable and also a lumberyard that would build a house and completely furnish it on a contract basis. The store had a creamery that bought cream and churned butter. There was a produce operation that bought poultry, dressed and shipped turkeys, and also bought pelts and pecans. The B & O Cash Store had a complete grain elevator and feed store. It had an ice making operation for local consumption and to ice down railroad cars. They conducted livestock auctions which old timers believe to be the start of cattle auctions in the United States. Temple is located five miles south of State Highway 53 and seven miles north of US Highway 70 and it wasn't until the mid 1940's that the town was connected to the outside by a paved road. Bridges or ferries were necessary on the Red River because of shifting quicksand. Of great importance to Temple was the Byers Ferry. In order to attract more customers from Texas the Mooney brothers were investors and a moving influence in the construction of a suspension toll bridge to replace the ferry. Usually called the Byers "swinging" bridge because there was a considerable amount of sway I the bridge as wagons or cars passed over. This bridge was destroyed by a tornado July 30, 1923. In the 30's I remember the B & O Cash Store having a rather unique check out system. There were several stations throughout the building where merchandise could be paid for. At these stations the money was placed in a small "gondola" perhaps 2"x2"x3" long. This was placed on a track that carried it to the central cash register, and the change returned in the same manner. All the money was kept at the central tell's cage. We children watched with rapt attention as those little missiles darted along their assigned tracks, up near the ceiling, making their unerring journey from check-out to teller's cage. Our town constable was a fellow by the name of Ab Osborne. Ab had a little black n' tan mongrel dog that always followed him around. Often someone would give the dog a coin and he would carry the coin in his mouth for hours until Ab took it away from him or until someone fed him. I've no idea what significance this might have, but the memory of that dog has remained with me for near seventy years. This dog was fascinated with the money carrying gondolas in the B & O Cash Store as we children were. Often the dog would slip in to the store and wait at the teller's cage, watching the money tracks, until one of those boxes shot up to the ceiling and then we would race through the store trying to follow it to its destination. This stampede through the store would last until someone could catch him and kick him outside. In 1929 the store was sold to Sears Roebuck and Company, but Otho remained with Sears and managed the store until 1937. The store phased out parts of its operation over the next twenty years by either closing departments or leasing operations to others. After Sears purchased the store it operated as "Sears B&O Cash Store." The store gave away tickets for carloads of dishes and silverware. Besides signs along the road advertising the store, this logo was on the back of the dishes sold or given away. So! If you happen to run across one of these dishes in your meandering around the country; I'd appreciate your sending me one. Gail Burton Benton, Arkansas