Dark Corner Springs

There were many springs in the Alberta Creek area, but the lake covered part of them. My dad, Arch McWilliams found most of the arrowheads that I now have, near Poison Spring. That spring was located north of the existing railroad, near the bridge. It was not actually poisoned, as people drank from it. However, there had been a large number of Native Americans who had died near the spring from some unknown disease, thus the name, "Poison Spring."

The Cane Spring was a very popular site for fish fries and picnics. It was located between what is now known as Catfish Bay and the west end of the railroad fill. Back then, the creek was known as Rooster Creek. It reportedly got its name because someone had moved and left at least one rooster behind. The rooster made its presence known before daybreak each day and periodically throughout the day. (Maybe it was lonesome.) Rooster Creek emptied into the Washita River not far from the Cane Spring. There was an abundance of water cress that grew on both sides of the stream of water that gushed out of the ground. The water must have been pure because everyone drank from it with no ill effects.

One reason that this area was so popular was the great fishing. An interesting story that my grandmother told was about a fish fry, and it concerned Fred McCuan and Jack McCuan, when they were infants. Fred's mother, (my grandmother) Eunice (Sullivan) McCuan and Jack's mother, May (Rice) McCuan both liked to fish. I doubt that many women have tried to feed a baby and fish at the same time, but my guess is that it would present a challenge. However these ladies, not to be denied their pleasure, took turns fishing. One fished, while the other would nurse both babies at the same time.

The Sullivan family lived near what is now the south end of the airplane landing strip at Lake Texoma Park. (30) They had a spring or two near their house and dug well, lined with native rocks. The well is about 200 yards west of the Rooster Creek Bridge. (It's still there)

The Tomerlin Spring was on higher ground and would have been east of what is now known as Old Indian Trail Rd. It was about 200 yards north of the present railroad. This spring didn't exist until the trees were cut down to clear out a field to be cultivated. Once the trees were all cut down, the water that normally would have been used to feed the trees broke out at the lowest point in the field and became a valuable source of water. It is hard to believe just how much water is consumed by a single tree. People who didn't have a dug well used many of these springs. My grandmother went to this spring to wash clothes when my mother was just a little girl. Mom's only chore was to carry a bar of lye soap. Ma, as we called her, looked back and asked my mother, "What did you do with that bar of soap." Little Alice piped up, "I laid it on a stump and a black dog got it." Ma retorted, "Well you go back and get it." I think a small switch helped in the retrieval of the soap.

McCuan Spring was walled with brick and had a wooden cover over the top with a hinged lid that was about three feet square. It was about 75 yards southwest of where McDuffee road terminates in front of the old Moody McCuan home, (16) where Mr. and Mrs. John Foreman now resides. (That's two miles east of the Dark Corner Store.) (24) The spring dried up in 1941 when the railroad track cut through the area to the north and cut the water vein. A trail led from Moody McCuan's house, past the spring, behind what is no called "Lost Acres" (13) and on down to the Stove Point (2) launching ramp on the north side of Alberta Creek. This was a favorite swimming hole for my family. There was a large hollow stump about twenty yards south of the spring. Red Wasps nested in the stump and there was always a stick protruding from the top of the hole. The first ornery kid down the trail usually gave the stick a quick stirring and then ran. The air would be full of wasps and everyone lagging behind had to hit the briars and go around the stump. Do any of you who know me think I ever had my hand on that stick?

Another story about McCuan Spring concerned Moody's brother, Ben McCuan who was Maud (Arrington) McCuan's husband. Ben took a tick and placed it in a ball of red clay and put it in the stream of water below the spring. Two weeks later he retrieved the clay ball and opened it us and the tick started crawling around.

Maud had taught school at Dark Corner in 1912. Prior to that she had taught at Valley View around 1909. Valley View was on the Red River west of Willis and Fobb. Brenda (Reese) Jackson of Kingston is Maud's granddaughter. Brenda is much like her grandmother, kind, sweet, and soft-spoken. Another granddaughter is B.J. (McCuan) Smith who now with her brother and sisters owns the site where the original Noge McCuan house was built.

Sand Spring was the next spring west and was at the head of the cove west of Lost Acres on the north side of Alberta Creek. (That cove, to all of the old-timers is known as Sand Spring Cove.) (4) Here in my computer room is a hand-made red oak shingle that came from the top of a three-compartment hog shed (farrowing house) that was built by my father and Sand Spring. The shingles were made with a Froe. (Everyone knows about or owns a froe, right?) The spring was just east of the old Dark Corner ball diamond (29) where the Dark Corner Tuffs played.

After the death of my father in 1941 we moved about a mile to the west. My Uncle Elbert McCuan owned the house and land where we had been living. He offered the land for sale through a realtor and it was advertised by that realtor as having a 3 room cottage on the property.

Just about straight north from the upper end of Alberta Creek was the Beef Trail Spring (27). This was the source for the original water system for Lost Acres. A new resident of the Alberta Creek area, Don James, has helped me with a different story concerning the Beef Tral Spring. More about this spring appears in a later chapter.

Turkey Spring! (Can we just skip over this one and not mention it?) Turkey Spring (26) was located about 200 yards from the Dark Corner School House (19) and almost straight south. (From where Timberline Trail Rd. now intersects with McDuffee Rd. it would be about 200 yards to the southeast.) Jack and Ruby Taylor lived in a little, one-room log house just a few yards northwest of the spring. It was summertime and three little barefoot boys, two brothers and a cousin, were on the prowl. Jack and Ruby were away from home, but they hand 2 one-gallon jars of goat's milk cooling in the spring. An inquisitive little boy had never tasted goat's milk and his curiosity got the best of him. He pulled a jar out of the rock-lined spring with the cord that was tied around the top. He removed the lid so he could get just one little sip. He just had to see if it was all that different from cow's milk. However, it was about 30 years later before he discovered that there is a difference in the two. The wet jar slipped out f two little hands, hit a rock, broke, and turned the pure clear water to a not so pretty white, about the color of his face at that moment. His two older companions fled, and he wasn't far behind. I'm sure that the Taylor's looked upon it as an act of mischief, never knowing that it was an accident. (I can still picture the spring with the rock walls and see those two jars. A strange things just happened as I sat here reminiscing. I had a mental flash-back and saw a couple of crawfish scooting backwards up underneath the overhanging bank. I had forgotten about the crawfish that inhabited some of the springs. People drank the water and never seemed to mind that some small fish and crustaceans often lived in the springs.)

Will French and wife, Laura (McCuan) French lived just north of the Dark Corner school. Aline (French) Dillow said she would slip off and go over to the school before she was old enough to attend classes. She would sit with Claty (Lemmons) Russell. When her mother would miss her she knew where to find her.

The school children got their drinking water from the spring. I can almost hear the school Marm: "Fred, run down to the spring and bring us a fresh bucket of water." The bucket would probably have been made with cedar slats.

The Steele Spring (28) was just north of the railroad, about 300 yards west of Timberline Trail. For you old timers, the Timberline Trail is just down the hill to the west of the old Ruel Blankenship place. It's just west of the old cow lot where Loyd B rode the young bulls when her was about knee high to a beagle pup.

In 1942, we moved to the "White House" (21) which was on the west side of the old well that is in front of where Marvin and Elaine Joiner now reside. Before we dug that well, which was 26 feet deep, we had to carry clothes to the Steel Spring to do our laundry. As a child, in my mind, I just knew that I had helped dig that well. When I got older and had a four-year-old child, I realized that I was probably more in the way than helpful. Moody McCuan, my grandfather who became my father figure after the loss of my dad, did most of the work digging the well. Richard and Wendyl, two of my older brothers, did their share of the work. We all helped haul brick from the old abandoned buildings in Woodville, which were used to line the walls of the well, plus the cellar. That well was a precious sight. No more treks across the field to Steele Spring to fetch water or to wash clothes. Carrying the wet clothes back to hand on the barbed wire fence was what presented to problem. Steele Spring was our water source until we dug the well. My brother Wendyl said that he could remember the hot sand in the old field burning his bare feet as he carried water from the spring. He would pour some of the water on his feet to cool them as he crossed the field.

The moonshiner's in the area ran a still near many of these springs at one time or another. I once found two-dozen jar lids and zinc rings at the Steel Spring. Wendyl said that he remembers a bunch of dextrose boxes near the spring. Dextrose was a sugar substitute used during the war.

On a recent trip, my brother Richard and I visited our two sisters, Dorothy and Judy, who live on 15 acres in the Ozarks south of Colcord, Oklahoma, which is just west of Siloam Springs. They lived about fifty yards from each other. There is a beautiful spring-fed stream, lined with water cress and mint that runs several thousand gallons of water per day, just below their houses. The word serenity and tranquility probably best describe their domain. In addition to the creek, they have a well that is the best water I have ever tasted. Somehow, it doesn't seem fair that they can just open the tap and get good well water. My memory of well water involved hauling up a bucket on the end of a rope. My sisters graciously sent me home will all of the good well water that I could haul. There is just nothing that satisfies the thirst like good spring or well water.