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Re-tracing Grandpa’s footsteps in my travelsHello! It’s good to be back in the Tristate Area. This is the first time since I started writing for the Daily Republican Register back in July of 1991 that I have missed writing two Historically Yours columns in a row.It was good to be able to travel through the Southwest United States. Part of that 5,000 mile auto trip was to retrace Grandpa Frank “Ed” Crum’s footsteps.Back 100 years ago, Ed, a local Spanish-American War veteran, and his pa, William Anthony Crum, a local Civil War veteran, went to south-central Oklahoma. Younger brother George Crum joined them. These Friendsville-area farmers bought a farm from the government near the Washita River and they stayed several years before returning to Wabash County.One of Grandpa Ed Crum’s ventures was buying and selling real estate and insurance. He also served as a deputy sheriff and jailer during those rough days of the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. Another venture was to buy town lots in an up-and-coming boom town near Wichita Falls, Texas. That town was toHISTORICALLYYOURSBY DALLAS KRUMMhave railroad maintenance shops, like Mt. Carmel did at that same time back in 1906.Over the 100 years since Grandpa Crum came back, the family has sold all the town lots except one. This inherited town lot made a fine camp site for me. Camping has been the only family benefit from that land investment.There was a rattlesnake hunt and festival in that town the weekend of my visit. I got to see the snakes in cages and hear the rattling. Also, I got to hold one and be photographed with a defanged 4-foot-long Diamond Back and. later, eat a 6-inch chunk of batter-fried Rattlesnake.There were exciting snake sacking contests and biggest and smallest snake measuring contests. The wild snakes were being handled with a special stick and bare hands. This annual event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Please contact me for more details.Please turn to page 2
Newspaper Details
Mount Carmel Daily Republican Register
Mount Carmel, Illinois, US
Mon, May 01, 2006
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
George C.
VA, USA 28 May 2017
Other Publications Near Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel Register
Mount Carmel Daily Republican Register
