By DON THEMER,
FHPL Board Member and Staff Writer Gradually, it has become so, so apparent that the HISTORIANS (all types), who have contributed what Mr. Flook calls a “treasury of facts, documents, and photographs,” have begun a great collection that has great room for more additions. Will you answer the call?
The information we have in Mr. Flook’s FORNEY COUNTRY (ending around the close of the World War II years) and in the Spellman Museum of Forney History (ending mostly around 1970) is wonderful to read and see, but leaves out (lacks) some information after “the war” due to the fact that Forney was “not the same” for 20 or 30 years after the war. The town “languished” or “stagnated” somewhat due to the fact that many of the city’s farming establishment moved on to larger cities, leaving our city with a much smaller tax base and with fewer town leaders from which to choose decision- makers.
From what I have read and heard, not just the growth but also the survival of Forney was threatened! Some writings and folks from that era called the town “dormant”– and there are not many, if any, documents to peruse and figure out what was going on or not going on with our beloved town.
Many times I write about something historical, someone(s) will ask me, “Why did you not write about this person, or store, or farm, or church?” And my answer is nearly always, “I don’t know where to find that information, or no one wants to provide the photos or information or research desired.” And, I certainly understand! But, if you can provide help in any ways, please do so before any information/documents/ photos still available are lost!
**The blackland prairies of the Trinity River forks (Elm, West, East before settlement) presented exciting prospects: land virtually free for the taking to those who would make the efforts, land that, for the most part, could be grazed and/or cultivated without major clearing of stones or trees!
**Present-day Forney overlooks the eastern flood plains of the East Fork of the Trinity River on the divide between the Mustang and Big Buffalo Creeks. For those just getting here, Forney is about 25 miles east of Dallas, 12 miles west of Terrell, along the routes of the old Texas and Pacific Railroad of 1873 and U. S. Highway 80 of 1931. Lake Ray Hubbard is about 3 or 4 miles north of Forney and was constructed during the 1960s with an impoundment of the East Fork of the Trinity.
**Forney is about 470 feet above sea level and is “gently rolling and cut by slow-moving waterways” of various sizes, as determined by the dry and rainy seasons! Some folks, including “yours truly,” talk about hog and buffalo wallows (“buffalo wallers”) that have formed varioussized depressions and that at times hold water in fields and yards; however, it is pretty definite that the depressions are the results of expansion/ contraction/cracking of the “clay” (black gumbo) soils!
**Original Forney has been at one time or another part of 3 counties–Nacogdoches, Henderson, and Kaufman (present).
**Forney Country is located in the “Blackland Praiwith rie Vegetational Zone” with most of the soils being clays of dark colors as deep as 12 feet in some areas and probably originating when the Cretaceous Sea covered this whole area, like those areas found mainly in Alabama and the Ukraine, according to Flook. This black, waxy clay soil makes slick and sticky mud, which made early exploration and travel difficult during the rainy seasons. “Graded” roadways were uncommon early on, and if “paths” became too muddy, travelers just moved over and started new tracks!
**A good thing about this “yucky” black soil is that it is quite fertile and retaining of nutrients. A bad thing is that it is difficult to cultivate if it is too dry or too wet!
**The most successful early vegetable production was cantaloupes, black-eyed peas, okra, popcorn, and onions.
**Forney area’s first commercial crop on a major scale was “Blackland Prairie Hay,” which was held in good shape by “dry-season prairie fires” that kept competitive shrubs, trees, and other “woody” pests under control.
**Forney’s climate is one of EXTREMES of “wet” and “dry”–sudden cold spells and long heat waves! Apparently, winters years ago were more extreme and longer in duration, and summers sometimes seemed to “last forever” with water sources drying up!
**NATURE was abundant with thousands of wild mustang horses and buffalo (American bison) in so many areas, from White Rock Creek and all across the creeks and timber lands east of Dallas and many going north in a solid mass–deer and turkey were plentiful and nearly always in view during normal outside activities– bears were not uncommon to the viewers, along with wolves and buzzards–the river areas provided an abundance of various types of fish, from “minnows to 8-footers” (probably gar)–and deer were abundant but began growing rarer after 1890!
**And, we should not forget that there were plenty of prairie chickens (flocks of thousands), turkeys, jackrabbits/swamp rabbits, bunnies, squirrels, racoons, o’possums, prairie dogs, and many types of waterfowl.
**And, there were predators: rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads, coral snakes, venomous spiders, bobcats, cougars/panthers, wolves, coyotes, river otters, and sightings of alligators.
**Some notable NATURE happenings: 1854–April 10 begins the GREAT FREEZE, destroying most crops.
1857–TORNADO destroyed over half the East Fork Bottoms timber.
1860–July 7, 8, 9–Heat wave with temperatures measured at 112 degrees in the shade helped the terrible drought to continue to get worse.
1861–The GREAT DROUGHT continues.
1866–Late May/early June found farmers harvesting wheat in overcoats.
1876 or 1877–Grasshopper Plague, with dense swarms obscuring the sun; “grasshopper storm” stopped trains on their ways between Ft. Worth and Dallas. According to John Cullom: The grasshoppers “made a clean sweep” of everything that was “vegetation.”
1898–June, Markout area–Moore Brothers Gin completely destroyed by a “twister” (tornado); also November– Lone Elm School totally demolished by a northeast WINDSTORM.
1899–February 11th GREAT COLD WAVE– minus 10 Degrees measured in Dallas; livestock froze to death in barns, and soil froze solid to a depth of one foot!
1929–East Fork of Trinity River froze 5 inches thick!
1931–21st of August– Earthquake shakes Central and West Texas and STOPS CLOCKS in Forney!
1935–Tornado on March 4 cuts a path in and through Forney, southwest to northeast, extensively damaging the downtown area and demolishing most of the neighborhood east of downtown– fortunately only one life was lost!
1935–Worst DUST STORM in the recorded history of Forney, almost hiding the sun for several hours red dust–moving to the Panhandle and Mid-West areas, so that lights had to be turned on during the midday hours to continue to work and do daily household chores!
I will close this section with a poem by A. E. Morton that pretty much emphasizes what attracted the early settlers to come and stay.
“The East Fork of the Trinity River”–Across the years my memory/Spans over half a century./A barefoot boy with his fishing pole/Heading for the Old Round Hole./ Straw hat, overalls, worms in a can,/I can remember that little man/Happily watching his bobbing cork/On the shady banks of Old East Fork./The river was clear and flowing free,/As Nature must have meant it to be,/ From Sand Point with its mystery/Of Indian camps that use to be,/To Daugherty Lake, with its family/ Of flying squirrels, the first I knew,/ Beautiful to see and harmless, too./ A stranger came and shot them all/Just for the sport of seeing them fall./The woods were deep and the timber tall./Years were needed to learn it all./ Briscoe Lake and “Panther Hold” Slough,/Carter Flats, where the wild ducks flew./ Down the river was Old Fort Coon./We must start for home very soon./
••••••••• History in the Making: (Softball) I read an article that stated the following– Drea Wilson, a North Forney High School junior Infielder, who has committed to the University of Texas, hit .527 this season–producing 41 runs, 13 home runs, and 53 runs batted in (number 6 in the Dallas area), and a slugging percentage of 1.243. She was also selected for “1st Team All-Area Softball.
**Also, Eva Daniels (Jr.), Rylie Harris (Sr.), and Calley Slade (Jr.) were selected for 2nd Team All-Area Softball honors.
Harris was voted All-State, hitting .441 with 57 runs batted in and 7 home runs, and a slugging percentage of .793.
Daniels hit .454 with 5 home runs, 52 runs, 39 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases.
Slade was voted All-State and District 14-5A Most Valuable Player with a pitching record of 24 wins and 3 losses, 224 strike-outs, and a batting average of .361.
**Themer: I imagine that these players won many awards besides those I read in the article, and I predict that more history will be written about these young athletes in the future!
••••••••• Last, but not least, let me relate a conversation I had recently with Lincoln Teichelman after Church Service one Sunday when we were discussing how Forney “was” when he moved here a “few” years ago. He recalled buying gas at SONNY MILLER’S when heading out towards Terrell to the east and telling visiting folks that if they were at Sonny’s, they were about to leave Forney. And he remembered the truck stop and Subway Sandwich Shop at the entrance to Forney out right past the Stuckey’s building. And then we mentioned a few other places from his first years here. Of course, I “added my two cents worth” of other names.
**The conversation with Lincoln and others included Miller’s Truck Stop (1987 Annual), English City Café (1985 Annual), First Presbyterian Church still on Bois d’Arc at Brooks Street (2000 Annual), Country Smokehouse (1998 Annual), Forney Public Library on East Main Street (1993 Annual), Subway on Highway 80 at Fm. Rd. 460 (sandwiches) (1995 Annual), Buck and Daniel Crow “Hay Bailing” (2001 Annual).
MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK!
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