Miriam McFate Travel Journal - 1926

Sun, Nov 14, 1926

Didn’t rain only a light shower. The bird sing here in the early morning, like they do back there in the early spring. Everything is so green here and so warm, one all most thinks its spring instead of fall. We have often heard how the people in the south build hen nests in the trees. Here we had a chance to see this with our own eyes. The kids thot this quite a joke. Had nail kegs up about 4 feet from the ground with a little approach built out from each one. Of course they kept Leghorns or otherwise these would have been useless.

Started at 7:15. Drove on into Sweetwater. The roads are very rough, so many pitted places. Very hilly too. After leaving the city the road were about the same. Quite a lot of cotton thro here. The station keeper told us land was worth from $30 to $50 an acre. I think its dear at any price. It is very poor. Lots of rock and stones. After leaving the little town of Roscoe Tex we had paved roads again. It is very level thro here. Some farms scattered along here ever few miles. Pretty fair buildings. Mostly all cotton for crops.

The towns are getting further apart, every 10 or 12 miles. At Colorado City Tex we passed another large oil refinery. After leaving this place we came into the hills again. Some of these are like big knobs. They sure look funny. Some of the rocks in these hills are large boulders. On most of these massive one are painted signs. On the largest of these here, printed in big white letters read “God is Love.” Yesterday I say one printed way up 30 or 40 feet high. It read “Are ye prepared”, then down below it about 10 feet on another big boulder, it read “Jesus Saves”. Don’t see how anyone stood up there on the projecting rocks long enough to paint these. The ledges, one would have to stand on were very narrow. You can read these quite a distance away. One little hill we came down this morning was just like stone stairs. One layer projected out just a little further than the other. There were about 3 about as wide as an automobile. It would make quite a pull for a car going up. We have struck real sand roads now. The sand is as fine as dust. Some places the road will have a good hard bottom then again it is all loose sand. This takes lot of power. They have cotton all along here. We have come to the conclusion that cotton will grow anywhere, in any kind of soil. Quite a lot of house along this road now. Some are nice ones and some are just shacks. Signs all along here for cotton pickers. One place it read 1,000 cotton pickers wanted. It looks like they would need that many if they ever get it all picked. After we left Westbrook Texas the road here were not so good again. Nothing very interesting along here. No houses of any kind, nothing only a few small bushes on one side, railway on the other. Very few cars coming or going.

Instead of building culverts like we do in Iowa, they cement these low places in the road. It makes a place for water to run across the road over the cement. I guess they get so little rain they don’t need much of a drain. We can see more hills ahead again. They just form a semi circle around us. Our road leads right into them. These are not such steep hills, very flat on top. Small shrubs growing on these.

The road wound right around between these hills, up grade all the way. This is very steep right at the top. It is paved from the foot of these hills on. Drove on to Coahoma Tex. this was the next town. After we left here there was not a sign of life thro this stretch, all we can see is hills and prairie. The railroad runs right along the road. This surely is Texas God forsaken country. Drove on into a little town. Here we stopped and got some bread for our dinner. The land west of this place is better. This country is full of tiny little sand burrs. Then you get these on you they stick like blazes. Then they smart. They sure can make you dance. Lots of cockle burrs here too. These are about twice as large as the ones we have back there. Some fields are brown with these.

Drove on into Big Spring Tex. Stopped for gasoline here 22 cents. We drove on, country is about the same. Some farming in spots. Most of the land is hilly and full of shrubs. Drove out into the wilderness again. Big Spring is 22 miles from the next place. If you could see some of this land out thro here, you could get some idea of what it must have been like when the people crossed here for California during the gold rush. You can see for miles and miles again. Nothing only shrubbery and grass. The grass here isn’t very good either. No water, no shade. Just one vast prairie. This way most 22 miles to Stanton Tex.

This place is not very large. Drove on thro here. Came out into a better farming district again. Very level. A great many fields of cotton. Better farm buildings. Our next town is Midland 20 miles. Drove on into this town, could not find a camp to suit, so drove on out. Drove about a mile and pulled on to a free camp ground 5:30. Three other parties on this camp ground to night. It is very chilly and windy.