My parents moved from Texas to Missouri
in April 1880. Mother went by train and took the younger children, including
me, but my father went over the Chisholm Trail
by wagon. He was herding cattle to Caldwell,
Kansas, to market. They had two
wagons, and my two older brothers and four older sisters were along. The
younger two girls were 9 and 11. One had black hair and the other had blonde.
After they had crossed Red River into the Indian Territory,
an Indian man rode up leading two ponies.
He looked the family over, pointed
to my blonde sister and to the ponies. He held up two fingers and said,
“Ponies for papoose.”
“No, no, can’t trade
papoose,” said my father. Finally, the Indian left. Father stayed awake
all night, fearing he might try to come back and take her.
The next morning early, the Indian
was back with four ponies and tried to trade them for Sister. When he saw it
was no use, he rode away waving and seemed to bear no ill will. They never saw
him again, but we often called Sister “Papoose.”
Mrs. C. S. Luellen
Hinton, Oklahoma
Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s
Weekly asking for readers to send
in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early
settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren
of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a
decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered
Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books
have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.
