Indian Pioner Papers -J.W. Ferguson

Submitted by Brenda Choate  bcchoate@yahoo.com

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J.W. Ferguson



Interview #2092

Field Worker: E.F. Dodson, Chauncey O. Moore, Supervisor

Date: March 1, 1937

Name:   Mr. J.W. Ferguson

Residence: Adair County 

Date of Birth:   

Place of Birth:  

Father:  

Mother:  



 

A Camping Place of the James and Younger Boys

In the year 1912, Cole Younger, one of the James and Younger band, 

made a tour through this county (Adair).   A few days before he came 

to Stilwell, he wired to J.W. Ferguson who was then city marshal of 

Stilwell, Oklahoma and who is now sheriff of Adair County, Oklahoma, 

to engage a team and buggy and be ready to accompany him on some trips 

out in the country near Stilwell, as he wished to again see some of 

the places that he had visited in the early days when the James boys, 

his brother and he had passed through there.



Mr. Ferguson made the arrangements and when Cole Younger arrived he 

old Mr. Ferguson that back just after the Civil War, the James and 

Younger band had camped near where Stilwell now stands and that while 

here they matched a horse race with the Starr boys (perhaps Buck and 

Zeke Starr) and that before the race they were told that the Starr 

boys had said that they intended to take the money whether they won 

or not.  Of course, this was not true, but they made preparation to 

take care of any emergency, as was common with them, but when time 

for the race came and the race started, it was plain that Starr's 

horse would win as it led all the way.   The James and Younger boys 

paid off and of course everything went off peacably.



As to the trips out around Stilwell, it had been several years since 

they came to the place where they had camped.  When they came to the 

large spring on the property now owned by George Bradley, on the 

northeast side of Stilwell, he readily recognized it as the place 

where they had camped.



Cole Younger said that his old band had passed through this part 

many times, especially when on their way from the north to the 

Younger Bend on the



(Will have to look for the rest of this interview and will post 

it as soon as it is found)