Fourth of July Memories of Yesteryear

 Ball Diamond Hill is located about a mile and a half west of Mother’s place. Later the Big Bend Baptist Church was located nearer Big Bend Road just south of Ball Diamond Hill. Baseball games were held regularly on Sunday afternoons during the summers throughout the first half of the 20^th century. Otis Goad’s descendants have said their grandfather earned his nickname, Babe, during games when he swung the bat like the icon of those days, Babe Ruth, the Yankee slugger.

                Fourth of July celebrations in the Big Bend were held on Ball Diamond Hill. Edmund Gates, Jr., my father, anticipated that summer holiday. Until Dad was in his latter teen years, his family worked seven days each week. Dad always liked Independence Day. Without fail, Dad loudly whooped early, “Hurrah for the 4^th” every year. July 4th reminded him of the one holiday that Grandpa Gates observed, allowing the kids a day off from the summer field work. Grandpa originated the loud proclamation of “Hurrah for the 4^th!”

I am indebted to Roger Noble, her grandson,
for this beautiful portrait of Mrs. Mayse.
 Roger was only 6 years old when his beloved
 grandmother died. 

                After fully awakening us each Independence Day, Dad recalled his neighbor, Mrs. Mayes. She owned a place southwest of the Gates farm. Ida Mae Rogers was born on October 18, 1882. Her father, Thomas J. Rogers, had been born thirty years earlier in Ireland. Her mother, Lillie A. Captain Rogers, had been born in 1864. Lillie’s father, Augustus “Ogeese” Captain, a highly revered Osage had died in 1877. Little Ida was born to her mother just a month before Lillie turned 18 years old. When the little one was only 18 months old, the unthinkable occurred -  her mother died.

                My father did not know the sad background of his neighbor that he knew as Mrs. Mayse. My father, as a kid, only knew Mrs. Mayse made Independence Day one of the most fun-filled, special days of the year. Dad remembered that Mrs. Mayse bought 100 bottles of pop and furnished the ice.  A tank was filled with ice and the pop was put in the icy tank.  Everyone else was so poor and no one had any money but her.  Dad recollected the entertainment involved terrapin races but mainly the baseball game.

                During the Great Depression, Mrs. Mayse and her family were one of the few Osage families living on their original land allotment in the Bend. Congress had passed the Osage Allotment Act in 1906, that changed the tribal ownership of their land to individual ownership by Osage allottees. In 1907, Principal Chief Peter Bigheart negotiated retention of mineral rights for the Osage Nation. This resulted in quarterly payments to the allottees when the Oil Boom came to the Osage.

                Mrs. Mayse shared big-heartedly and graciously with her neighbors not only on Independence Day but gave readily to any worthy cause in her community. Dad always commented on her kindness to him and his siblings. As I reflected on her sharing lavishly with the little ones in the Gates family, I recalled Paul’s advise to the young pastor, Timothy, as he ministered to early-day Christians who had been blessed materially. This verse from I Timothy 6:18 seemed so appropriate to describe Mrs. Mayse’s lifestyle.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.

Roger shared this family photo of Bennett Noble, his father, and George Noble,
his uncle, with his grandmother, Mrs. Mayse standing behind her sons.

Pictured below are Ann and Alex Noble, as I remember them when I rode the Bend bus as a first grader. I was in awe of this high school junior and sophomore.

They were both children of George Noble. Photos from my first yearbook.

                                                                      

After reading this post, Roger Noble, Mrs. Mayse's grandson, recalled innumerable times he spent with his grandmother. His father worried about her living alone as a diabetic. Roger described her as "a wonderful grandma" with her caring, generous nature. She always had Grapette pop for the little boy she loved dearly. His grandmother lived in the Bend until she moved to Pawhuska about six months prior to her death.