Remembering early settlers

<h3>Historical commission dedicates two replacement markers while celebrating rediscovery of historic cemetery</h3>

<b>By Libby Cluett</b><br><a href="mailto:lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com">lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com</a>

PALO PINTO COUNTY – Replacing those swiped two years ago by vandals, two new state historical markers once again stand in place east of Graford and southwest of Oran, honoring early Anglo settlers Simpson Crawford (1824-1908) and Alfred Lane (1827-1864).

Relatives of Crawford and Lane, gathered Saturday with many county residents, elected officials and members of the Palo Pinto County Historical Commission to remember and honor these pioneers at the State Highway 254 roadside park, not far from where both men once lived and lie buried today.

The PPCHC paid a total of $2,200 for the two new markers that replace ones dedicated in 1980, for Crawford, and 1997, for Lane. Crawford’s great granddaughters Patricia Perry and Lafritta Hutton unveiled his new marker while PPCHC members, who dedicated Lane’s original marker in 1997, unveiled the new plaque Saturday.

The two men were called friends by relatives at Saturday’s historical marker rededication ceremony. They came to the county via different paths, but were involved in one of Palo Pinto County’s main 1800s businesses – cattle.

Lane’s great-great-great-granddaughter, Andrea Smith, said he raised horses in the Keechi Valley. She said his horses were sought out and records show he sold one for $1,500 – according to the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator,” this translates into $19,677 in today’s economy.

On a drive in 1864 with his brother-in-law, Charles Goodnight, and others, Lane kept his mount, Driver, close at night. While others horses were taken in a raid, Lane’s mount, Driver, wasn’t according to Smith. She said the following day, instead of waiting for the others to get mounts, Lane chose to return home alone. He had dreamed the previous night that his family was attacked by Indians.

Goodnight soon came upon Lane’s dead body, apparently killed by an Indian attack, on Cement Mountain in southeastern Young County. Goodnight initially buried Lane near where he found him and later asked Crawford if he could bury his brother-in-law in Crawford’s cemetery, where he brought Lane home to rest.

After the historical markers were unveiled Saturday, a convoy of cars drove about two miles west of Oran to the old Crawford Cemetery on private land once belonging to Simpson Crawford.

Crawford was a cattle rancher whose land holdings grew to 3,100 acres. His former cemetery is home to several historic grave sites.

Around the cemetery’s perimeter is evidence of its age – an early form of barbed wire used in the county, which Bill Johnson called “ribbon wire.” The historic 1880s “wire,” which looks as if it was actually cut from flat sheet metal, still serves as a formidable boundary.

Several of Crawford’s descendants took the first surrey ride back to the cemetery to see the graves of their ancestors. This included an infamous family standard poodle, Tuffy, has a marble gravestone in the cemetery.

One grave covered with large pieces of sandstone, including a worn headstone, indicates that the resident, Nancy Stephens, died in 1857 at the age of 85 years and six months. This would mean she was born in 1772, which was a piece of county history that intrigued many working to clean up the cemetery, according to PPCHC co-chair, Mike Lewis.

Lewis’s wife, Cindy, took on the task of finding the cemetery through its county records. He said she spent at least two months digging in old volumes of land transfer deeds in the courthouse basement to find the deed and location of the cemetery. The deed showed that Simpson Crawford gave the 1-acre cemetery to the Palo Pinto County judge at the time and all future judges.

County Judge Mike Smiddy was on hand to survey his charge and the hard labor citizens put in to clear the land.

Once they found the site to be on Andrew Henderson’s property, several PPCHC members and recruits then took on the task of clearing overgrowth and cedar trees in the cemetery for Saturday’s event.

“I want to give special thanks to Mr. Henderson for allowing us access and being a gracious host, Jon ‘Hot Shot’ Johnson for his Paul-Bunyon actions (clearing trees), Precinct 2 Commissioner Ed Laney and Precinct 2 crew members and Barbara Upham and Bob Dempsey.”

Lewis said they cut away one cedar tree with a 12-inch diameter and found nine graves under it. Another tree still stands, growing right through a grave. Lewis said the county-owned cemetery would be taken care of in the future.

Although the cemetery lies on private land, the markers are available for all to see, read and enjoy at the tree-lined public road-side setting. And the PPCHC hopes they remain there.

One member of the PPCHC said although the markers are expensive to make, the cast aluminum markers have no melt-down or resale value.

But PPCHA still has issues with missing historical markers in other parts of the county. The latest are two markers reported missing last May.

In southern Palo Pinto County, just off Farm-to-Market Road 3137, the marker for Johnson League Ranch founder William Whipple Johnson is missing. Mike and Cindy Lewis said they found out that the cardboard reward sign for this marker was swiped over the weekend.

Another historical marker is missing from Farm-to-Market Road 4 north of Graford and in its place sits a reward sign. The marker recalls Reuben Vaughn – another early settler who, along with Oliver Loving, Goodnight and Crawford, Vaughn established a cattle ranch in the northeastern quadrant of Palo Pinto County in the mid-to-late 1850s.

Text Only