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Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: April 23, 1937
Name: Caleb Burnett
Post Office: Ryan, Oklahoma
Residence Address:
Date of Birth: 1861
Place of Birth: Denton County, Texas
Father:
Information on Father:
Mother:
Information on Mother:
Field Worker: Warren D. Morse

I was reared around Wichita Falls, Texas, just across the river from the Indian country. Burk BURNETT was my relative. He had a ranch in south of Lawton and that's where I started as a cowboy. That was along in 1880.

One time I was driving some cattle across Red River. All the cattle were out in the water and when I rode my horse in, he went clear under. I floundered around and got hold of a steer's horns and the water was so swift, it was taking us both down stream. I managed to get on this steer but by that time the water had knocked the feet from under him and he hit every whirlpool. I was carried down the river a long way when some one saw me and yelled "yonder is Caleb Burnett, we have got to save him or he is going to drown!" I tell you what I lacked being drowned wasn't much. We lost some of the cattle. I would have been lost , too, if they hadn't come out in a boat and picked me up.

I have been up the old Chisholm Trail many times and have stayed all night at the FITZPATRICK ranch several times.

It is funny how they have the cattle trails mixed up. Where did they get the idea that that trail that went out by Lawton was the Chisholm Trial? Who ever is writing all this trail stuff must have been dreaming. They print anything. They don't talk to the old cattlemen. I want to tell you now that trail that went by Lawton was called the Western Trail. The reason it was started, was a bunch of cattlemen down in Archer, Wilbarger, and Throckmorton Counties had to get out and find some grass somewhere. The dry weather had got most of the grass. They came across there by Doan's store, known as Doan's Crossing over into Oklahoma and grazed their cattle on the way to market. They have a marker placed on the trail, too, as the Chisholm Trial. Chisholm didn't take cattle over that trial that I know of until a long time later.

We worked with Burnett a long time. We called Ed BARNES, "Wild Goose". Every time we had a round up or branding, Ed would be off chasing and roping coyotes. One time he went up above Lawton, got on a drunk, and was shooting his pistol here and there and yelling like an Indian. he fired toward the ground and shot his own horse through the neck.

I know old Henry TUSSEY. He had a brother who had married an Indian. They lived on Mud Creek. Old Henry and I were just a couple of over grown kids. We were all the time pulling crazy stunts. One time we decided to steal some wild hogs and sell them. I told Henry to locate the hogs and I would go over to Red River station and get a barrel to put them in. I went over and brought the barrel back. We had our hogs spotted and had our barrel ready. That night a hard rain came and the next day we couldn't find hogs, barrel or any sign of them.

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Rusty Lange and transcribed by Geraldine King, December 2000.