Send in your memories and happenings of Old Sageeyah, and we'll stick em here for all to enjoy. Send them to Jim at the E-Mail address on the Home Page
From Merle L. Seigal 4/28/05
My Sageeyah Days and the Sweetwater Creek farm
My Dad, with his mother, and step dad bought the Sweetwater creek farm at Sageeyah after selling our 75 acre farm, north of Catoosa, on the west side of the Verdigris river. My grandmother and grandfather lived in Tulsa where he worked
in the Tax Assessor's office. He, later, retired and they moved out to the farm.
The farm was located on the north side of Sweetwater creek and both sides of the road, which is, now, Highway 88. Also one small piece south of Sweetwater creek and east of the road with a small house on it.
My memories of Sageeyah school and farm area after 60 years are like snapshots, here and there. My brother and I walked to the school, which was about two miles south and west of the farm I was eight and my brother was six
when we went to Sageeyah school. One time we were headed for school and it was cold and wet and we had red rubber boots on. Our feet got cold and we turned around and came back home and got "chastised."
Dad would let us ride a horse to school sometimes. Several of the kids rode horses to school and we would tie them up at the fence out back. [The pinto horse in Jim's school picture 43/44 got his leg caught in the fence and
cut it . . . not bad but I remember the blood.] One time we stayed after school and raced our horse with the other boys up and down the road. Got home late, lost our ride and "chastised" again. Should have been
home to do chores.
This was during the time of the second world war and the school had a big scrap iron drive. All the kids and parents collected a huge pile of scrap metal and put it in the front schoolyard where they later built a gymnasium.
It seemed like the pile was a high as the school.
One time we stood on the front steps of the school and watched a tornado pass by a mile or so to the south.
On the playground we had some swings, play bars, etc. We also played with tops "sallys" and "spikers" . . . tried to split the sallys with the spikers. Also mumble peg with our knives. Caught mice
from the fields and chased the girls with them.
When walking to school we would cut down the road to about where the York place was and cut across the fields and came into the back of the school. It was a nice shortcut and seems like there was a pond in the field and we would
go swimming when the weather was warm.
We had the usual animals on the farm, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, geese and dogs. Dad raised pinto beans and sorghum cane one year. He thrashed the pinto beans and piled them in the front room of the house. From
there he sold them to the neighbors. Had several barrels of sorghum . . . guess he sold that, too. But we ate a lot on cornbread!!
The grandparents moved out from Tulsa to the main house and we moved to the little house down in the creek bottom. That Fall the Verdigris river flooded and backed up Sweetwater creek. It came up to the floor of the house,
so Dad took boards off each end of the house and some tin and made a boat. He took our dog, Fanny, and rowed her across to the north side to the main house. Then he came back, got Mom, my brother and myself and took us
over.
Later, Dad and I rowed around and pulled floating trees and logs out of the field and tied them along the creek with bailing wire. Dad had, also, make a boat out of a wood box with 4x4's on each side. He took Mom's wash tubs
and tied one in front between the 2x4's and one in back. My brother, Charles and I would row around in it. One day we lost it and it drifted off. We found it weeks later after the flood. It was west of the road down
near the Verdigris river. Don't know what Mom did for washtubs.
One time Dad brought home some new silver fish hooks and black fishing line. I tied a hook to the line and to a pole and threw it into the creek. Caught a bass?? on the bare hook. My brother and I spent as much time as
we could fishing and playing in the old creek. At that time it had Blue Gills, Sun Perch and Catfish.
Another time we climbed up in the rafters of the equipment shed and cut out a rafter trying to get a wood bee . . .
"chastised" again.
The neighbor just south, across Sweetwater creek, was named Burgess. There was a boy there named Floyd . . . don't know if he was a son or grandson . . . used to have corncob fights with him and a much older relative . . . lots of
fun. He had an uncle named Joe Stokes who would pay us a dime if we could catch him a fruit jar full of grasshoppers so he could go fishing. We wore ourselves out making a dime!!!
In 1944 we left Sageeyah and the farm and moved out to California. I always had fond memories of Sageeyah and the farm. So when my son found Jim Carpenter's web page with Sageeyah school and pictures of my brother and I, I
just had to make contact with Jim. I also had the same two pictures, 1942 and 43/44, in my photo album. I was able to contact Jim and relive some of those days at Sageeyah. Jim was good enough to go out and take current
pictures of the farm, the old school house and the general area and send them to me, here in Camas Valley, Oregon.
Not as many changes as one would think after 60 years. Trees on York lane are a lot bigger, now, but still there. The farm was recognizable, just a few more buildings. The field on the north side of the house is where
we had pinto beans. We grew the sorghum cane on the south side. The major change is the old gravel road in front of the house is now highway 88 and a railroad is going through the property. Looks like it might have cut
through where the little house was on the south side of Sweetwater creek.
Thanks, Jim, for your efforts and bringing back good memories.
A few more things I remember about the farm . . .
We had a smoke house out behind the houses where we had a hand cranked cream separator. We used a team of horses and wagon to take the cream to Claremore to sell. One time when I was along, there was a Model A parked
across the street. It had a huge snapping turtle tied on the hood. It was alive and must have weighed 50 - 60 pounds.
***
We had a battery operated radio and Dad went to Tulsa and was on the radio discussing how to control chinch bugs. We did not get to listen to the radio except for news.
***
Going from school with some of the guys down to the railroad and watching a crew work. The cook on the work train gave us all a piece of cherry pie!!
***
Our dog, Fanny, getting bit by a copperhead and Dad packing her leg with chewing tobacco and wet mud. She survived and went to California with us.
***
Going Squirrel hunting with Dad along the creek bottom. I would have to go on the far side of the tree and move around while Dad stood still. This would make the squirrel come around to Dad's side where he could get a shot.
Merle Seigal
Dad - - -Cecil L. Seigal
Mom - - -Florence B. Seigal
Brother - - -Charles L. Seigal
Grandmother - - -Bertie E. Johnston
Step Grandfather - - -Harvey Johnston
My memories
From Jim Carpenter 8/7/01
In August of 1948, Mrs. Ruth Higdon was training union director for the young people at
Sageeyah Baptist Church. On this particular Friday evening we had a candle light service to
install new officers of the class. It was planned that after services, we would have a hay ride and
a weenie roast at the Dee's farm across the Verdigris river from the church. A flat bed trailer,
loaded with hay and kids, was pulled by a tractor. I can't remember whose equipment we used.
When we approached the river bridge, the adults noticed a storm approaching and decided to turn
back. We got back to the church before the storm and ate cold hot dogs in the church house.
Then the storm hit and the lights went out. Luckily we still had plenty of candles from the earlier
service so we lit them and had light.
I was about 12 years old and was having a good time when lightening hit the steeple of the
church and set it afire. The flames were soon extinguished by the heavy rain and the damage was
limited to the steeple.
My family's driveway was a quarter mile long and impassable after such a hard rain so no one
could take me home. I spent the night with the Phillips family who lived in a two story house on
the Sageeyah School road near the railroad tracks. Next morning I got up early and started
walking home when I met my dad walking toward the church, looking for me. He found me and
no harm was done. He seemed glad to see I was ok.
PS Richard G tell that story about the time Frank Falletti turned you down for employment, I though that was good.
Note: Because of large amounts of spam, I have removed my E-mail address from
individual pages. It is, now, accessible from the Home Page Only.