TX BIOS:  R. F. Stevenson, Jr.
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   00011
   
   Reference [??] - Range Lore - [??]
   
   McGuire, Delise
   
   Dec. 9, 1936
   
   Briscoe County
   
   District 17
   
   "Interview"
   
   Page 1 250
   
   Bibliography
   
   (Interview with R. F. Stevenson, Jr.)
   
   The life of R. R. Stevenson, Jr., has been very interesting since he
   came to the county some 34 years ago. For several yers after foming to
   Briscoe county he lived with his father on a place four miles
   northeast of Silverton. Mr. Stevenson's father, R. F. Stevenson, Sr.,
   died at Silverton several years ago, but is well remembered by all of
   the old-timers since he was a very prominent citizen.
   
   After he had been in the county for some time Mr. Stevenson moved to a
   place on the [DEL: douth :DEL] south of Dinner Creek in the Canyons
   northeast of Silverton. Mr. Stevenson engaged in ranching and worked
   for about four years with the J. A. Ranch, one of the most famous
   ranches of the Panhandle section. In later years he acquired a farm in
   the Rock Creek community west of town. After moving to town he served
   as sheriff and tax collector for three terms, and has lived in town
   since that time.
   
   While he was working on the J. A. Ranch he said the wolves were so bad
   that they would [???] [DEL: devour anything that they could find,
   :DEL] and men were kept on the ranch to do nothing but trap wolves.
   Babe Robbins was one of the well known J. A. trappers, as was [DEL:
   Luke Hollins :DEL] [??], both being employed on the ranch as trappers
   for several years.
   
   Ranch life in those days was what was required to test the nerve and
   endurance of a man, and if a man could stand up to the real ranch life
   he was a real man. Men at that time actually could do more real work
   than they can today, because they were given a certain amount of work
   to do and they knew that they had it to do
   
     NOTE: [???]
     
   00022or else lose his job. "And they were all jobs in those daya,
   there were no "Postitions".
   
   He said that the men of those days were toughened up to where they
   could stand lots of work and abuse. The work in which they were
   engaged was dangeours, now and then someone would [DEL: [?] :DEL] be
   hurt by a horse throwing hime, or by his horse stepping into a prairie
   dog hole. When a man was thrown and got up "Cussing" the other men
   gave him no attention, but when he was hurt badly enough that he could
   not "Cuss" then they knew he was in a critical condition.
   
   Mr. Stevenson takes a great delight in hunting, and tells of many
   thrilling hunting trips. Perhaps the most interesting one is a bear
   hunt [DEL: [?] :DEL] which took place in the Tule Canyon. The party
   was composed of T. J. Braidfoot, R. F. Stevenson, Sr., Fred [?]
   Biffle, Harry Braidfoot, Frank Galloway and Bob Stevenson. Four bears
   were killed. Mr. Stevenson says that his father and Mr. Braidfoot
   killed three of them and that he was lucky enough to kill the fourth.
   For sometime after that they had all of the bear meat they wanted.
   
   At that time according to Mr. Stevenson there were many deer in the
   canyon, and he tells a very interesting story about the ocassion on
   which he killed the first deers. A party composed of Henry Seal, G. W.
   Smith, Eph Stevenson and [DEL: himself :DEL] [?] had gone on a deer
   hunt. He had a "32" Winchester and the others told him he c could not
   kill a deer with it, but he killed the first deer that was killed on
   the trip, it was also the first deer he had ever killed, "And I am
   very proud of the accomplishment! 00033Mr. Stevenson said that he also
   got his share of antelope and other wild game, as well as
   rattlesnakes. He dried lots of antelope meat and kept it for later
   use. It would keep indefinitely, and, according to him, was the best
   meat he ever ate.
   
   In those days all the supplies came from Amarillo or Childress, and
   the trip required several days. Mr. Stevenson raised lots of little
   white beans which he hauled to these points and traded for potatoes
   and other things he needed, receiving a credit of three cents per
   pound on the beans and giving $1.25 per hundred pounds for potatoes
   and $1.75 per hundred for flour.
   
   The young people of those days did not go as much as young folks of
   today, but they always had Fourth of July picnics, and he believes
   that the people at that time had more pleasure and enjoyment than they
   do today.
   
   30
   
   734 words

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