1913 Platter, Bryan County, Oklahoma
The Fisher Family
Contributed by Kathleen Bradburry
Author Unknown
Fisher Photos Located On PhotoGallery

1913 Platter, Oklahoma
Thomas (Tom) Fisher moved to Platter, Oklahoma in 1913 from Fort Worth, texas. Alice Ann Fisher, Tom Fisher's wife said; It took a week to come from Fort Worth, Texas to Platter, Oklahoma. They came here in a wagon and team. On a good day they would travel 30 miles, but in Texas in those days the roads were not straight. They curved around and you may have to go around a farmer's farms which could be 2 miles out of the way.
Most of the time the wagon would travel about 10 to 15 miles a day, as the crow files, from daylight to dark.
She said; we lived on a river at Zable's, Texas close to Mount Pleasant, Texas; we lived off from everybody. There were a lot of negroes who lived there. I was scared to death of the negroes, but they never bothered us.

Texas was awful, but when we moved to Platter, Oklahoma, it was uncivilized. We moved on a farm northeast of Platter.
Buster was born there. It was on the prairie. Jack-o-lanterns or foxfires jump up and danced all over the prairie. There would be 5 or more Jack-o-lanterns dancing at one time. We would watch the Jack-o-lanterns at night.

Right after we moved to Platter, Tom and I went to a dance, southeast of Platter. In those days people had beds in their front room and some in the kitchens. When a family would have a dance, they would move all the furniture out of the front room and pile the furniture in the bedroom.At the dance, the men would line up against the wall, who wanted to dance, and the other men would set on the front porch or in the yard drinking Choc Beer (Indian Beer) and moonshine (homemade whiskey). The women would stand in the center of the room and the women who did not want to dance, set in the kitchen.

Two men got in to a fight, one man killed the other. They took the dead man, threw him behind the bed in the other room and went on with the dance. The next day the men got a straight board out of the barn (which they kept for that purpose). Took the board into the house. The women laid the dead man on the board, gave him a shave, haircut and a bath. The men then went to the barn, for some boards off the barn and made a box (there were no lumber yards close by). Some other men dug a grave behind the house.
They put the dead man in the box, put the box in the grave and covered him up. Going on about their daily work. Not having a preacher say a word or anybody else. There was no law, the law was miles away.

Alice Ann Fisher told Maggie Fisher; This place is terrible. Maggie said; you should have been here when we first came. After dark you and your children would not dare stick your head out of the door for the fear of stray bullets. All the men would go down on Sandy (Sandy CreeK) and gamble all night. The men would have so many fires on the creek that the whole sky would light up. The creek would look like a town. The men would drink whiskey and beer, gamble and fight all night.
Buster ZABLES said; In those days everyone carried a gun, even the women. He said' Maggie Fisher dropped Mabel, her oldest daughter while drawing for her gun. Mabel was crippled for life. Maggie was riding a horse with Mable, when a man grabbed the bridle reins of Maggie's horse and would not turn them loose. The horse jumped and reared up as Maggie went for her gun. Maggie dropped Mable. Buster said; Women wore their guns over their aprons. The men and older boys wore their guns down to their knees.

At one time these were some business' that were in Platter.
First Post Office, Adam HORNBACK Gro., G.O. REEVE'S Gro., Pedro CHILDRESS Drug Store where Townsend is now, W.S. WILLIAM'S Gro.

Author Unknown

I wish that this information could have been requested while my father lived. He could have told enough to fill a book.

My father, Charley Henry Fisher was born in Neosho, Missouri, October 3, 1880. His parents, Dave and Christing Fisher, came to this part of Oklahoma in 1886. He had one brother, John and three sisters, Rosie, Nettie, and Lillie. Caddo was the largest town. This was Indian Territory days, before Oklahoma became a state. Denison, Texas, had a box car for a train depot.

Dave and Christing  (Bridges) Fisher built a hotel in Platter which was called Glory at that time. At one time there were 14 stores in Platter, one drug store run by Pedro CHILDRESS, and three corn grist mills. People came from miles around to have their corn ground into meal. C.H. Fisher, George MARCH, and Abner FARMER had one each. There was also a cotton gin in Platter.

Charley Fisher ran away from home when a young boy and went into business in old Kemp. Later, he was in the undertaking business in Woodville, Oklahoma. After that he settled in Platter and operated a general store, pool hall and moving picture show. He delivered the first car that came to Durant to a doctor at Kemp and bought the second car that to Durant. I don't know the make of the car. He owned several cars of different makes at different times. I do know of a Coronation and a seven-passenger Chandler. His mother owned an Interstate in 1918.

Charley built a new store in Platter in 1916 and another in 1947.

Charley Fisher married Edna L. FARMER in Greenville, Texas in 1914. She passed away August 22, 1966.  She had been Postmistress in Platter, Oklahoma for thirty years. Charley Platter passed away June 4, 1974. The had one son, Charles B. Fisher.

Rosie Fisher married Tom LEE. Nettie Fisher married Fred ZABLE. Lillie Fisher married Louis HODWIN. John Fisher married Maggie CORBIT.
by Charles B. Fisher