Some memories of George Tipton Information by George Ellis Tipton----written by Irma Dragoo In the fall of 1908 a caravan of covered wagons left Arkansas for Texas. It consisted of two Tipton families, Walter, his wife, De Lecta, and children Ruby, Mae, Grace and Clarice and Monroe,.his wife ,Luraney, and children Annis, George, Virgie, Carlas, Oda, and Omar. Walter had two wagons driven by himself and Lecta. Monroe had three wagons, he drove one and the "boy" drove the other. When they got to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, they knew they couldn't get to Texas before winter so they rented a place with two houses. To help out with expenses Walter and Monroe started hauling corn. Lurany got sick with Typhoid Fever and died on November 2, 1908. Monroe was ready to go home; he sold one team of horses and one wagon loading every thing on the other two. He took Lurnay's body and the younger children back to Arkansas on the train, leaving Annis, George and Carlas (ages 17, 16, and 12) to bring the two wagons home. On the second day the boys got lost and ended up in a deep valley. There was a saw mill there so they spent the night. The next morning they had to hitch both teams to the same wagon to get them back on the trail. Needless to say there was no signs or road to help them find their way. On the fourth day Monroe, borrowing a mule from his father, found them and guided them home. Walter wasn't ready to give up their trip so they stayed there. They were gone for six months and never completed unloaded their wagon while they were gone. When Annis and George was about 4 and 5 years old Monroe sent them to sow peas in the burrows he was making. The crop was for pig feed. After a while the boys got tired so they made a big hole and dumped in all the peas. They told Monroe that the hogs could all eat together. Almost every Sunday there was a big crowd at the Monroe place. The young men for miles around would try to ride the (unbroken) mules and horses. George said it was like a rodeo every week. They wasn't allowed to ride the work animals. One Sunday George wanted to go to Enony to play croquet. The mules he got that day was a stubborn one. Monroe had to whip to get him started. When he started he took off through the trees first rubbing his legs on one side then the other, tearing his pant legs as they went, then back to the barn he went. After changing his clothes he started again. Before he got to Enony there was a fork in the road and the mule stopped again? George said there was some tree limbs close so he got a switch to help him along the way. When he got to Enony it was to late for croquet but the horse got a good workout.