"Growing up Clinton and Oakton"

Growing up in Clinton and Oakton we did not have computers, cell phones and Ipads but we had other things that kids today can only dream about.

Clinton had five stock yards and we might be found at any or all of them on a given day.  We loved to sit on the top plank of the fences and watch them unload small local trucks and load the semi`s for shipping out.   It was fun to watch them move cattle and hogs.  I assume they were separating them by grade and where they were headed. 

Later I washed and cleaned trailers and put new bedding for some. I rode shotgun some with Forrest Jeter.  My family and the Jeter`s were close friends.  Most of the cattle ended up being hauled to St. Louis stockyards and Chicago as well with the hogs mostly going to Greenville, SC and Atlanta, Ga.  That is when I found out that the only thing more stubborn than a old sow is an anvil firmly bolted down.

Almost any day would find a visit to the cotton gins.  They had powerful fans that would suck the cotton out of the wagons and truck beds into a holding building.  Later it was cleaned and baled with Mr. Hop Bryan doing most of the baling.  I fell on some telephone poles once when one rolled and my leg was trapped.  My pals Johnny Walker and Bobby Vaughn could not budge it so they got Hop to help.  After manhandling bales of cotton for years it was no challenge.  In order not to hurt me he picked up the base end and literally threw it off of me.  I am sure some of it was adrenalin but mostly it was one very strong man.  I am not sure but I believe the bales he handled were weighing 3 to 5 hundred pounds each. 

Hickman County had three gins at that time with two in Clinton and one in Oakton and we kids spent a lot of time at each.

I think one of the most fun things though was hanging around the depot.  They had these big freight carts for freight and baggage and though they looked cumbersome and hard to pull they were quite easy.  I used to hang out with the telegrapher Mr. Cook and he was very patient.  I sat by the big pot bellied stove and questioned him. Once I asked him what was the purpose of the empty Prince Albert tobacco can behind his clackers.  He explained that all telegraphers used them to amplify the sound so if he was in the john or outside on the deck he could hear if he got a call.  Each operator had a certain signal and they could all recognize the others hand on the key.  I could never pick up code by clacker even though I did learn Morse code by tone.  There were many more trains then and the locals came through and it was cheap to go by train to Fulton or Cairo to shop or go to a movie.   Some folks went for other things that were illegal here. 

Thinking of the depot and stock yards reminded me of the barber shop across the creek from Brown and Wayne stock yard and behind Coy Evans stock yard.  I think the barber was “Foots” Jackson not sure about that though and don’t know his first name.  There was the shop under the Clinton Bank building and there was one next to William`s hdw.  There was another one on Jefferson st across from Tip Johnsons hdw store.  The one under the bank and the one across from Tip`s had shoe shine stands.  One shoe shine man who stood out and I know he could make shoe shine rags make music to about any tune.  He was Albert Hughes who worked in the big shop under the Clinton Bank building.    Oakton had two shops midtown that were across the street from each other.