Through their eyes…Frank Leslie and “Mattie” Reed Story Part 2

Written by their oldest son, G.E. “Bud” Reed, in 1981

Hard times at the Star Ranch

“During the seventeen years that my parents lived on the Star Ranch they endured many hardships of hard winters, cheap cattle prices and dry summers. The first hard winter they endured here was in 1911, when the snows came early and every few days it would snow more until it was almost impossible for Daddy to get to town (Friona) for supplies. Mother told me how she worried about being stranded so far out in the country with two babies and what they could do in case of sickness; however, we all stayed well and had no problems from the standpoint of health. The major concern was food for the family and livestock. Mother said we had plenty to eat such as it was, but a very small variety. Caring for the livestock was no easy task and at that time very little farming was being carried on and due to this fact many cattle died of starvation. The next spring and summer the grass was good and the livestock that survived the winter had plenty to eat and did well. During the next few years more land was put into cultivation and also the cattle population increased and most people soon overcame their loss and began to look forward to a brighter future for themselves and their families. The winter of 1915 or 1916 was a rather severe winter which caused more loss and hardship, but not as great as in 1911 because people were much better prepared to feed and care for their livestock. Up to this time I was not old enough to realize much about any of the worry and hardships that the older people had to endure. I remember Mother and Daddy talking of the year 1917 being a good year as they raised good feed crops and a real good calf crop and got good prices for both cattle and grain.”

Christmas time

“The year of 1918, I shall never forget and so far as I know the winter of 1918-1919 was the most severe we have ever had here on the plains of Texas. We had raised a good crop of feed and had harvested it with grain binders and had the feed in shocks in the field, but before it was hauled out to be threshed the weather turned bad and the first snow came in the early part of November. Just before Thanksgiving we had a real blizzard with the snowdrifts almost covering the shocks of feed. Another snow came before the first snows had melted away and another big snow fell by Christmas time, and travel and communications were next to impossible. The snowdrifts were so deep in some places that we could not get through them with a two-horse wagon. A short time before Christmas, Daddy had gathered enough material and build a sled and with the help of four good mules, he made the trip to Friona after groceries and other supplies for the family and also some of our near neighbors.”*

1918 Flu Epidemic and rescuing the cattle

“The Spanish Influenza epidemic was very severe in the year of 1918 and nearly everyone in the country had that dread disease. I remember on Christmas morning of 1918 as we were having breakfast, Daddy told Mother that he was afraid he might be taking the flu, as he didn’t fell very well. He and his brother Earl Worm, who was working for us at the time, decided that we should move the cattle into the barns and corrals to make it easier on us to care for them during the bad weather. Daddy and I caught our saddle horses and started out to gather the cattle and Daddy asked to start feeding the cattle. The feeding of the cattle was a big job because the feed shocks had to be dug out of the snowdrifts with a shovel. By this time it had begun to snow again and it took Daddy and me until afternoon to get the cattle into the corrals. When we went to the house for dinner, Daddy was feeling so badly he could not eat anything. Mother tried to get him to stay at the house that afternoon as it was still snowing and very cold. He told her that we had to get the cattle separated and penned like he wanted them so in case he did come down with the flu it would be much easier for Earl and me to care for them. We worked until dark getting the cattle fed and for a nine year old boy, I had what I thought was a pretty rough Christmas day. By this time, daddy was completely exhausted and past going, and was so sick by the next morning that he could not get out of bed. For the next few days, Earl and I did very well caring for the livestock, although we could not dig as much feed out of the snow banks as the cattle could have eaten, we did manage to keep them from suffering from hunger. About the time Daddy was able to be up from his bout with the flu, Earl took the flu and was not able to work for a few days. My mother took Earl’s place with the feeding and with her determination and ability, plus what Daddy in his weakened condition could help, we managed to partially feed and take care of the cattle. Our cattle suffered from the cold and hunger but we did not have nearly as great a death loss as some people in the country due to the fact that we had gathered our cattle into the barns, shed and windbreak protection.”

Leaving the ranch

“After World War I, the farmers and ranchers in our area suffered from low prices in cattle and grain, for some two or three years then conditions began to change for the better. We raised several good crops and prices got generally better. Along about this time the land in Parmer County began to sell and change and more people from other parts of the country began coming here and buying land to put to cultivation. In 1924 Daddy and Mother sold their land at Lazbuddie to W.M. “Bill” Sherley, and bought land three miles north of Friona. We moved from the ranch to the new location in January of 1925. This was quite a change for our family as our livelihood on the ranch had been a lot of cattle and a little farming, and now the situation switched to a lot of farming and a little bit of livestock. I helped Mother and daddy with the farming until I finished high school in 1928, which was the year that Daddy bought his first farm tractor. We expanded our farming operation and broke out more sod. Then came the thirties with the depression and dust bowl days which was another hard blow to the farmers, but somehow we stayed and lived through them.”

*When it came time to buy groceries, the Reeds came to town [Friona] in the wagon and purchased enough food for a month. Her grocery list included foods by the case; 100 lbs. of flour, 550 lbs. of sugar, and other groceries in large quantities. She not only cooked for her family, but also for the ranch hands. She also did the washing and ironing for the hands in addition to her family’s laundry. She always made lots of cookies and doughnuts were a family favorite. At Christmas time, she made Raisin Nut Cake, her favorite recipe. From a December 1957 Star Feature article, here is her recipe:

Mattie Reed’s Raisin Nut Cake

2 cups raisins cooked in 1 cup water until dry—set aside

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons of butter

2 eggs

1-½ cups of sour milk (buttermilk)

1 level teaspoons baking soda

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoons each of cloves and allspice

1-cup nuts chopped

Cream together sugar and butter, then add eggs and milk; mix, then add the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle some of measured flour over the raisins and nuts and add these two ingredients to the mixture. Bake 1-½ hours slowly [300 degrees] Mrs. Reed makes a white icing for this cake.