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August 15 1895 I married Polly Risner. I was 15 1/2 years old. Two weeks after we married,
Polly and I, 5 fellas, all about 16 or 17, 35 people in all, left Kentucky with a wagon train
for Oklahoma.
Late in October the train was caught in a blizzard. We came to a brick house,
the only one we had seen that day. I decided to stop and ask if we could spend the night
and wait out the storm. The Wagon Master said it was useless to ask, as people have a
rough time making it on their own.
An old couple lived all alone in the house. They welcomed quests, as long as they
brought their own grub. All 35 stayed two days. The old folks enjoyed us all.
The train left early Oct 20th, a very cold clear day. It turned out that only 6 miles ahead
was as far as we were to go.
The Indians in Oklahoma were a poor lot. A friend, Ed Carr, a Cherokee, worked from
sun-up to sun-down, sawing fire wood for 40 cents a day all winter and spring.
Ed Carr's son contacted TB, and his father took him to the hospital in Hot Springs.
I went and found new work. We spent the summer with Jake Splitlog and his wife.
Jake lived in a cave cut out of the side of a 52 foot cliff, along side of Cowskin River.
We put our things in a very large room.
Jake's wife baked me my first white bread with Syrup.
On a Sat. the first hot day of June in 1896, I took the afternoon off. We went swimming
in the Cowskin River. Jake said he would teach me how to swim, but I knew he would
probably throw me out in the middle and that would be the end of Lee Risner.
Jake said "get on shoulders." I knew this was it for me. Jake waded right to the
middle and threw me kleen in the water. "Well on land or in the water, I worked at living."
I splashed and kicked, finally just as I was sure to drown, Jake put his hand under me,
and I swam right to the other side of the river.
A stand of trees grew on that bank, and hundreds of squirrels lived in those trees, mostly
grey or black squirrels. Jake took his knife and cut two clubs. Before we knew it we had
killed enough meat for the next two or three days meals. The squirrels were awful thick.
It was mating season. They chased each other right around our ankles. With 14
squirrels tied to Jake's back, we swam back across the river to the Indians house.
I recall that river was so clear, you could see every mineral in it, even a pin head.
When Ed Carr 's son turned sixteen, Ed and him built a railroad They split logs and
used them for tracks. All of Mr Carr's children received 160 acres of Oklahoma farm
land the day of their birth.
I got sick with Malaria fever, and Polly and I had to leave our wagon and most of our
things and return to Kentucky by train.

Lee Risner

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