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MHS ALUMNI STORIES……….Year 2010
1ST IN 10 PART SERIES
Background 1835 up to 1890

Studying Old Greer County school history without discovering Texas history and how it affected Oklahoma is impossible. One hundred and seventy five years ago, Texas gained her independence. Why does this interest an Oklahoman, especially a Greer County person? The reader will learn that Moses Austin asked Spanish officials in San Antonio if he could establish a colony of Americans in Texas. However, he never lived to see the results of his actions. He died before he saw his son, Stephen F. Austin, carry out the plan, bringing 300 families to Texas.

When Mexican officials became alarmed by the increasing number of settlers from the United States, they halted American immigration to Texas. From then on, relations between the American settlers and Mexican officials grew steadily worse. General Santa Anna, a Mexican politician and soldier, overthrew Mexico’s constitutional government and made himself dictator. The next year American colonists in Texas revolted against Mexico.

Thus, Texas organized a temporary government in 1835 and captured San Antonio. Santa Anna was alarmed at this change; he and his army marched on San Antonio capturing the Alamo. As a result of this battle, Texas leaders met and declared Texas independence from Mexico. Santa Anna wanted to swiftly end the revolution and he ordered more than 330 Texas prisoners shot to death at Goliad. However, the Texans continued to fight, led by General Sam Houston, inspired by the battle cries of “Remember the Alamo” and “Goliad”. After a long retreat, the smaller army of Sam Houston camped near Sana Anna’s forces and took the leader by surprise. Not only did they capture Santa Anna, they crushed his army in the Battle of San Jacinto. This victory ended the war and guaranteed Texas independence. From this Battle, a soldier named A. S. Mangum emerged; later Mangum, Oklahoma, would be named for him by his friend, Mr. Sweet.

This new Texas Republic had serious financial problems, with raiding Indians and Mexicans threatening its people. Sam Houston became the first president and they voted to join the United States. European forces such as France and Great Britain wanted Texas to remain independent. They feared the United States would gain control of the Southwest. The Southern States wanted Texas to join the Union; but the North objected because Texas allowed slavery.

Texas remained independent for 10 years while most of its population were farmers. In 1839, Texas passed the first homestead exemption act, which many states later adopted. This law prevented farms from being seized for payment of debts.

In 1845, Texas became the 28th state in the Union. Mexico then ended diplomatic relations with the United States. During the 1850’s, pioneers pushed the frontier westward and organized 89 new counties. Northeast Texas and the region east of Waco and Ft. Worth attracted the largest number of settlers.

In 1861, Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. The Civil War and Reconstruction period (1861 – 1865) shows the last battle of the Civil War was fought at Palmito Hill, hear the mouth of the Rio Grande on May 13, 1865. The soldiers had not heard that the war had ended on April 9, 1865.

In the mid-1860’s Texans began cattle drives into Kansas and Missouri through the 1870’s and 1880’s. Congress readmitted Texas to the Union on March 30, 1870. Reconstruction ended in the state in 1874. Indian raids slowed the settlement of the western part of the state.

By 1880, the tribes were subdued and cattlemen began to occupy the Panhandle and the western plains. Railroads crossed Texas in the 1880’s, thus ending the cattle drives and aiding settlement. Pioneers followed the railroads west and began farming. The Texas Rangers began protecting western settlers from bandits. The early 1880’s showed Texas increasing its railroad mileage and road system. They developed irrigation and farming on land previously used for raising livestock; oil and gas industries began.

Greer County, Texas, had two early day capitals: Quanah and then Mobeetie. Early day settlers and pioneers were already living in these areas hunting buffalo. It was the land of Indians and generally single while males venturing west. As these early adventurers were coming in from the northwest part of Texas, train loads of white families were entering Old Greer County via the Waco and Ft. Worth area.

A. S. Mangum, a survivor of the Battle of San Jacinto, was given land for his military time. Being elderly by that time, he asked his friend, Henry Sweet to scout the land, survey it, and when this was done, the family of A. S. Mangum gave Sweet ½ of the land which was to become Mangum, Oklahoma, in 1907, at statehood. Sweet named the community “Mangum”, after his friend. (Note: The Mangum heirs were disappointed when Mangum became Oklahoma. Today, there is a Mangum, Texas, listed on the Texas maps labeled as a ghost town.) Many many pages have been written about the uniqueness of the real estate of Old Greer County. The history evolves around determined and spirited men and their families who decided they could have a better life by going west. Many stories tell of sufferings and sorrows of making this choice, but, in the end, Mangum and Southwest Oklahoma has held its own to become a viable link between Texas and the west coast. Those that were locally born write volumes about what it meant to grow up in Greer County and the surrounding communities that made this a very large and bustling piece of real estate at one time.

Mangum’s first school began in 1886-87, in a dugout on the SW corner of today’s square with Prof. J. R. Nye (1886–1888), a Baptist minister, as the teacher. Note: (name spelled J. R. Nye in early Mangum Star articles by Wade H. Shumate AND Miss Tom Johnson, both early day principals). Other research shows “Nigh” as the official spelling.

A wooden building was given by John Rose the following year for classes to be held. (Other reports say the families purchased the building). “There were thirteen students including a Mrs. Baumgartner, Mrs. Dan Cullins, Mrs. C. P. Hamilton, Mrs. L. A. Johnson and J. R. Crouch. “This building was destroyed by fire,” according to Mr. Shumate.

By 1890, parents were earnestly deciding about building a school. The mothers got together and organized the building of the first rock school building which stood behind today’s new high school on North Oklahoma. (pictures of 3 high schools and old rock school enclosed). The materials were carried up from the river beds south of Mangum to construct the building. Years later the old school was demolished and newspaper articles say “it was so structurally unsound, one could put an arm through the cracks in the walls.”

School attendance increased as families moved into the area. Students who were finishing sixth grade had a good education and were able to make a living in the adult world. Many students could read, write and do arithmetic at the level of most high schools today. Many of these students went to blocks of 3 or 4 months at a time and may have completed a year of schooling in one of those blocks. Families who farmed may have only sent their children to school part of a year. There were very few extra curricular activities in the 1890’s. Schooling was only offered for eleven years. Most students finished by age 16. Therefore one could become a teacher by the age of 18 or 19, and many did.

Note by this writer: In a recent interview with Annette Powers Meador, MHS 1941 Grad, of Mangum, grand-daughter of the late Judge James Alonzo Powers and wife, I learned that Judge Powers gave the land for the schools standing in Mangum still today along with the land for the first park known as Powers Park, later Harmon Field and today Jewett Scott Park. Judge Powers acquired many acres of land upon arriving in Mangum, Greer County Texas, in 1888. Ms. Meador says his clients paid for services by trading merchandise or belongings. He and his family were tremendously generous to this community. Living in the “Powers Addition” would be an honor to this day. More will be written about the Powers family during this series.

Series Two will cover the 1895, 1900 and 1905 years which included the opening of the first new high school in Mangum, Oklahoma Territory.

Researched by MHS Alumni Historian, Joy Hall Grant, Class of 1957