Melville/Qulin Historical Society
Volume 4 Issue 6 |
June 2008 |
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Our Mission Statement The mission of the Melville/Qulin Historical Society: to preserve and perpetuate the history, artifacts and heritage of the Qulin, Missouri area; to raise and expend funds for this purpose; to solicit memberships and to disseminate information and knowledge to the general public; to present various programs, performances and productions which are designed to heighten public awareness and appreciation for our heritage. |
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This letter is to inform you of some changes that need to be made.
Since the introduction of the current Newsletter in November of 2005 we have had the majority of our publishing and mailing costs paid for by a couple of members. This will no longer be the case in the upcoming year so this is one change that needs to be made We are well aware the newsletter is not of any Historical significance nor does it contain any earth-shaking news events. It was started, to publish stories about the History of Qulin and the Folks who have, and still do live there.
There were very few submissions of stories but I do want to thank those of you who did submit stories. A couple were submitted that weren’t used because they were written in long hand and I did not have the time to type all of the submission.
http://qulintimes.com
Each newsletter is posted on this web site. All you have to do is go there and click on Newsletters and a index will appear, then You just click on the month you want. The newsletter will no longer be mailed unless you specifically request it.
Listed below are all the Current members of the Melville/Qulin Historical Society.
This month is our annual meeting at Ann’s Restaurant on June 19th at 7.00 P.M. with Dutch Treat Dinner at 6.00 P.M. Everyone is invited. This ballot is being sent with this month’s newsletter. We are asking for your participation in electing new board members. Just mark seven (7) names with an X that you want to serve on the board of directors and the seven with the most votes will be asked to serve for one year. After you have marked your ballot just put it in the stamped, addressed envelope and drop in the mail so it arrives to us before the 15th of June 2008. Thank You for your participation.
NAME |
X |
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NAME |
X |
Austin, Charley |
Hefner, Wytha |
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Austin, Joan |
Hudson, Mary |
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Barker, Charley |
Jackson, Betty |
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Barker, Kate |
Janes, Joe |
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Bradley, Darryl |
Janes, Wilma |
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Bradley, Pat |
Johnson, Linda |
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Brown, Elonzo |
Lundstrom, Debbie |
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Bruce, JoAnn |
McGee, Bonnie |
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Bruce, Marvin |
McGee, Larry |
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Bruce, Melvin |
Moffitt, Patsy |
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Bruce, Nellie |
Montgomery, Faye |
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Carr, Irvin |
Robertson, Alberta |
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Carter, Ruthie |
Rodewald, Fleeta |
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Cato, Adruain |
Scott, Joe |
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Cato, William |
Scott, Ken |
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Chamberlain, Martha |
Sedrick, Glen A. |
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Chamberlain, Robert |
Sentell, Maxine |
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Christie, Aubrey |
Stockton, Bill |
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DeGeare, June |
Stockton, Marcella |
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Fincher, Donna Sue |
Vancil, Kenneth |
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Hall, Charles |
Vancil, Marilyn |
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Hall, Iris |
Vaughn, Margaret |
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Hall, Robin |
Wright, Frank |
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Harrison, Frances |
Wright, Iris |
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Haynes, Lola |
Wright, Sue |
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Hefner, Georgia |
Yarbro, L.E. |
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Hefner, John |
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Hefner, Louise |
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Hefner, Slug |
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Do you get angry when you have to fill your car with gasoline?
Here is something for you to think about.
Just a little humor to help put things in perspective.
Lipton Iced Tea 16 ounce container-$1.19=$9.52 per gallon.
Diet Snapple 16 ounce container-$1.29=$10.32 per gallon.
Brake Fluid 12 ounce container-$3.15=$33.60 per gallon.
Gatorade 20 ounce container-$1.59=$10.17 per gallon.
Pepto Bismol 4 ounce container-$3.95=$126.40 per gallon.
Scope 1.5 ounce container-$0.99=$84.48 per gallon.
Ocean Spray 16 ounce container-$1.25=$10.00 per gallon
Evian Water 9 ounce container-$1.49=$21.19 per gallon.
Evian spelled backwards is NAIVE.
The next time your printer runs out of ink calculate the cost.
It is somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,000.00 per gallon.
BE GRATEFUL OUR CARS DON'T RUN ON PRINTER INK.
The meetings for the 2008-2009 year will be held on the following dates.
June 19th 2008 at 6.00 P.M. at Ann’s Restaurant with Dutch Treat Dinner at 5.00 P.M.
September 18th 2008 at 6.00 P.M. at the Qulin Museum
December 18th 2008 at 6.00 P.M. at the Qulin Museum
March 19th 2009 at 6.00 P.M. at the Qulin Museum
June 18th 2009 at 7.00 P.M. at Ann’s Restaurant with Dutch Treat Dinner at 6.00 P.M.
In Honor of our Traditional Father’s Day, and as a tribute to all fathers every where, I offer the following:
By: Lola Ruth (Scott) Haynes
A Father’s a friend, who will stay by your side,
A loyal companion, a teacher and guide.
A warm-hearted listener, whenever you’re blue,
And ever and always, a guardian to you.
A Father can strengthen, console, and inspire,
He’s someone to honor, to love, and admire.
A Father’s a poet, a storyteller too,
My Father told this one, I’ll tell it to you.
(As told to me by my father, Guy E. Scott of Qulin, MO.)
It all began on Easter Sunday morning, the last day of March, 1912. About 5 o’clock in the morning the party-line telephone rang. No, it wasn’t Mr. Smith’s ring, but because it was so early on Sunday morning, he sensed that something might be wrong. Mr. Smith and his family resided on a large farm which belonged to Mr. Fred Hurst. Mr. Smith was the land overseer, and the farm manager, for Mr. Hurst. Mr. Hurst was a well-to-do farmer who lived in Charleston, Missouri and owned many acres of good, rich Mississippi River bottom land. His land lay south of Byrd’s Point, and Wyatt. Byrd’s Point was a hustling, bustling little town which lay on the west side of the Mississippi River in Illinois, a few miles north of Cairo. Mr. Jeff Burns owned and operated a store, in Byrds’ Point, called the “CARRIER BYRD.” Mr. Burns’ home was about one and one-half miles down river from his store at Byrds’ Point, and this area was called “Byrds’ Orchard.” There was a post office in Byrds’ Point, and two railroads came in: one from Malden, MO, and one from Poplar Bluff, MO. A river ferry, located at Byrds’ Point, was called “The Three-States Ferry.”
A big log-yard was located on the banks of the river at Byrds’ Point. Huge logs were hauled in from the river bottoms to the log-yard, on log wagons which were drawn by mules. These logs were unloaded from the wagons and stacked on the yard until a quantity of them was gathered together. When a sufficient amount of logs had been deposited on the yard, they were then rolled into the river, where they floated on the water. After all the logs has been rolled into the river, large tow-boats would push and guide them on down the river to Mound City, Illinois, to the log yards of the Mound city lumber company, where they were processed into lumber. Several such log piles were deposited along the riverbank, one being south of Wyatt, near Mr. Hurst’s farm. Nine men were employed by Mr. Smith to help with the farming and caring for their twenty-two head of farm mules. Two of these men were Guy Scott (my father, 21 years old and single at that time) and Jim Owens. These men lived in the three upstairs rooms of the Smith home on the farm. Mrs. Smith prepared meals for the men. Their wages were $1.00 per day, with room and board. Each ring of the telephone seemed to send out an S.O.S. more urgent than the last. Mr. Smith knew that something terrible had taken place! He sprang from his bed and picked up the telephone receiver and listened as the caller told of the tragedy! The caller was telling a neighbor that the levee had broken, about 6 miles above Byrds’ Point, and the whole “Drink Water School District” would be drowned out! About 20 minutes later the levee broke again, about three miles above Byrds’ Point. Approximately 3 miles of the levee washed out and flooded the whole area, including the farmland of Mr. Hurst.
When Mr. Smith told his men of the broken levee, all the employed farms hands left out, except Guy Scott and Jim Owens. These two men and Mr. Smith worked furiously, trying to build a raft large enough to float their 22 head of mules, to prevent them from drowning. The closest available lumber they could get to was a barn pattern which was stacked and ready to build into a new barn on the farm. They loaded the lumber, spike nails, saws and hammers into their wagon, and hauled them down to a log yard on the river where logs were stacked, ready to be rafted down stream to the mill. They used these logs to build a foundation for the raft which they build out of the lumber. A flow was made from the lumber and nailed to the logs. The water was already coming in on them by the time the raft was completed. They hurriedly guided the 22 head of mules on to the raft. They tied the raft securely with heavy ropes, to a large sweet gum tree, to prevent it from washing away down the river with their mules. They put their cattle, pigs, and chickens in the large attic of the feed barn to prevent their drowning or being washed down the river. After the other employees had left, and the raft was completed, Mr. Smith and his family also moved out to Charleston. Mr. Hurst needed Guy and Jim so desperately to help care for the stock that he offered them $2.00 a day (double wages) and room. They stayed in the upstairs rooms of the big house, alone. They moved the cook-stove upstairs and cooked their own food. Guy and Jim would go by boat to feed the stock. When the water got deep enough to get up into the house, Guy and Jim would paddle their boat from the barn to the house, INTO THE LIVING ROOM, and tie it to the stair case banister. One morning they woke up and found that the water had risen above the top of the doorway of the living room and they could not get the boat out of the house! They used their hand axe (which they always carried with them in the boat) to chop a hole in the wall above the door and made the door high enough to get the boat outside. They had corn, wheat, oats, and alfalfa hay (which they grew) in the feed barns to feed the stock. The mules were fed on the raft, from the boat. The mules had to be kept on the raft for 5 weeks and 2 days, until the floodwaters receded enough they could be taken off the raft!
So, “WHAT IS A FATHER?” We sometimes inquire;
He’s someone to honor, to love, and admire!
On this Father’s Day and each one to follow, let’s remember not only our earthly fathers, but our Heavenly Father who has done and continues to do so much for each and every one of us everyday.