Wild Cactus bloom

I saw this wild bloom near the road. The mower
had ran over it but it still made a flower.

The Mayor, my friend!

This is Tyrone Williamson, mayor of Russellville.
He comes by school to check on us once a month
or so. His father was a janitor and he said he
started working with his dad when he was about
9. He still can't walk anywhere without picking
up all the trash. He says it's a habit he can not
break, and does not try.

Remembering!

I have been thinking about things that mean a
lot to me as a teacher. Things students
have given me or said to me. Not long ago,
a fellow teacher was at Wal-Mart and she said
a young man ran up to her to say ‘hello’. He
asked about me. He told her to tell me he was
in high school and ‘he was makin’ it and had plans to graduate.
My friend said…he repeated 3 times for her to remember
to tell you that he was still in school.

It meant a lot to me. She described the boy and his
mother. Mother was fat, poorly dressed, old. Boy
had black sort of greasy hair and was tall and skinny.
But, for the life of me, I could not remember him.
He is one of my jewels. The ones from whom I received
little gifts with joy.

It has always been my motto to show respect to the poor,
down-trodden, shabby dressed parents. The folks wearing
suits, ties and fancy dresses demand my respect and
they do get it, but I show respect to the old grandpa
who comes to my school trying to raise a grandson
perhaps dumped on his door. He may be driving a beat up
van, have no teeth, and dirty clothes. I always try to give
their little children extra TLC.

I still wish I could remember that black haired boy. The best
gift to a teacher is to see those she gave encouragement
and support—succeed!

God's Garden

In Matthew we find God lets his flowers grow

with the tares, but he will gather all in and

burn the tares in the furnace and take the

flowers to his barn!

Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the

harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the

reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind

them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat

into my barn.

Liz's Apartment!

Liz has moved to the second floor
apartment at Galla Creek. She likes
the security there. But says someone
keeps opening the door and throwing
papers at her!

Ingrid Graduates!

Ingrid graduated from preschool yesterday.
She will start kindergarten in the fall. I know
she will love going to school with her sister
each day. She says she will be a hair artist when
she grows up.

Council Oak~Dardanelle

John Jolley had to move from south of the AR River
near Galla Rock to near Dwight Mission (North of the River
near the Illinois Bayou) by the early 1820s. The Cherokee
signed away the land south at Council Oaks at Dardanelle.
One of the two oaks is still standing. I must go over the River
this summer and take a photo myself. The oak is about
about a hundred yards south of the Arkansas River.

Some time between 1820 and 1823, the Council Oaks
witnessed the scene from which they acquired
their name. U.S. President James Monroe ordered Army
Colonel David Brearly to send out a call to every Cherokee
village to send delegates to meet with Brearly to negotiate
boundaries between the Indians and the white settlers.
The twin oaks served as shade amidst a number of recently
fallen trees. There, under the oaks, Brearly and Arkansas
territorial secretary Robert Crittenden negotiated with the
Indians.

According to legend the most prominent of the
Cherokee negotiators, Black Fox (Ta-Kah-To-Kuh), sat on
the same log with Crittenden as they discussed the
boundaries. The story says that Black Fox continually
moved toward Crittenden, who became annoyed at having
to move toward the end of the log. Crittenden demanded the
reason the Indian negotiator encroached upon his space.
In response Black Fox replied: “That is the way with us.
Our Great Father (the President) has moved us from place
to place until we can go no further.”

The City of Galla Rock today!

Main Street of Galla Rock, today! The
only speeders are the cows. The Mo.
Pacific Railway went through Russellville,
Pottsville,Atkins, Morrilton, and the River
towns of Lewisburg, Galla Rock and
Dardanelle declined.

Trapnall Hall

A. B. Taylor's house at Galla Rock shows only a
few rocks from the foundation, but Trapnall where
he moved is still standing and beautiful. A. B. and
Sallie moved to Little Rock after the Civil War. They
left Trapnall to their Grandchildren. The foundation
of Galla Rock that was sheared away was the labor base,
slavery, but the death knoll came when the railroad
by passed them and went through Atkins, AR. Merchandise
began coming up the rail instead of the River. Galla Rock
went from a town with stores and 500 people to a cow
pasture.

Galla Rock Cemetery

Ben Embry and Aylett Buckner Taylor were
two men who owned much of Galla Rock. Ben
was A. B.'s son in law. Both are buried in a
private cemetery near the main Galla Rock
Cemetery. In the late 1850s Lewisburg, AR
was invaded by abolitionist from the north
and many big businesses moved to Galla Rock
to escape the harassment of the northerners.
You can see by the size of the headstones that
Taylor and Embry were wealthy men. A. B.
Taylor bought Trapnall Hall in Little Rock after
the Civil War and Embry moved his wholesale
business down the River toward our friend,
Annie. By this time, Embry was in partners
with his son in law, Dr. Scott. The Doc married
Kate Embry.

I wish Annie would go take a picture of Trapnall
Hall were the Taylor's lived for me. When the
foundation of Galla Rock was sheared away after
the Civil War, many of the land owners slide to
poverty, but the Taylors, Embrys and Scotts
found other ways to maintain their fortunes!

You can look at the folks by the stones and see
they are huge! What was the foundation of
Galla Rock that was sheared away? Why did
Galla Rock die?

Galla Rock Cistern

The town of Galla Rock had 500 people before
the Civil War. It was built on cotton and slave labor.
There were 4 community cisterns in the town.
I guess you took your bucket to the town cistern
and got water. All the cisterns but this one are
now under water in the Arkansas River. So I guess
the River has moved or widened. An old lady who
grew up here, wrote of the cisterns. She said you
could only use the water from the city cisterns in
months that had an r in them. So that is January,
February, March April, September, October,
November, and December. They tried putting
fish in the water to keep them pure. I guess they
ate the algae.

Galla Rock History Program

John Jolley's home across the Arkansas River.

Well, I went to the history program on Galla Rock.

It was interesting. I had my wires crossed on so much.

John Jolley lived south of the River. Yes, it was

near Galla Rock, but across the River. I took a

photo of where he and his brother lived. John

Jolley's brother was called Tolontuskee; Emmitt

Starr said he was 'Busheyhead", John Stuart's son.

The Cherokee that Grandpa Powell's sister took

care of was a Busheyhead. Nuttall said in 1819

Cherokee planters lived at least 7 miles along

River from Pt. Remove Creek to Galla Creek.

Dumb me, my thinking was 7 miles wide from

the River, no, they lived up and down the River

for 7 miles.