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In the pioneer days of West Texas, Will and Lucy Leach, and their two daughters, Irene and Erma Mae were living out in the country from Killeen, Bell County, Teas, in the little Noland Community which they dearly loved and felt so much a part of. A brother and a sister of Mrs. Leach lived in Dickens County, the sister Mrs. T.H. Cherry lived on a farm northwest of Spur in the Dry Lake Community, the brother, I.S. York and his family lived in the Spur Experiment Station, as he was the first superintendent. The two families often wrote the Leaches about the wonderful, fertile farm land, and the tall grass of the range land of Dickens county. Irene and Erma Mae became very concerned as they would listen to their parents discuss the possibilities of the Western county, as they were not interested in moving away from Bell County.
Mr. and Mrs. Leach and another of her sisters, Mrs. R.J. Hairgrove and her family began to entertain a desire to move to the western county, in time they rented an emigrant rail car to move their possessions and they boarded the same train for Spur, a little town only two years old, in Dickens County.
On October 10, 1912, Mr. and Mrs. Leach, Irene, age 18 and Erma Mae age 14, along with Mr. and Mrs. R.J. Hairgrove and their two sons, Dee, age 18 and Emmitt, age 16 arrived in Spur. Mrs. Leach said that as she looked out upon the vast open spaces, the few small buildings that made up the town, then at the homesick expressions on the girls faces, she wished with all her heart they could just stop the train, and return to their old home, wonderful friends and the beautiful trees of Bell County.
They joined the Yorks and Cherrys who had come to meet them. After a few days visiting and riding over the county, seeing the tall grass with no section lines or fences, with a few trails to the sparsely settled houses, to Spur and to the County seat, Dickens, they rented adjoining farms three miles south of Davis from Mr. and Mrs. Sol Davis who owned and operated a dry goods and grocery store in Spur.
Mr. and Mrs. Leach were soon at home in their four room house. They began to make friends in the community. They were ready to help when there was a sickness, or swap out on work on hog killing days.
Often at night the neighbors would gather to play checkers, play the harp and sing. How the young folks enjoyed getting together at one of the homes on Saturday night for a party, then attend Church at the Dry Lake School house on Sunday, often having dinner on the ground after Church.
At most of these occasions, a certain good looking young man was always there, he had a pretty horse and a new buggy which was unusual as most every one traveled on horseback or in wagons. His name was Joe Draper, he and Erma Mae began to date, but Irene was always the life of the crowd.
There was always lots of work to be done, mesquite beans were gathered for the horses to eat, the crops gathered in the fall, ad the land cultivated for planting in the spring, then the planting and the cultivating was done.
In June of 1913, a baby girl was born, she was named Jessie, and being the only little child, she had plenty of attention. The family had others things to think of though since Erma Mae and Joe were making plans to be married in December.
There was a fair in the early fall just south of Spur, everyone wanted to attend and take some of their prize winning possessions such as quilts, embroidery work, or the large pumpkins, corn or maize that had been grown. There was always a carnival. There was a horse race, which always interested Mr. Leach, as he had a beautiful bay horse, named Dutch that he had ready to enter in the race.
It was at this fair that Irene met a young man by the name of Arthur Spraberry. He lived at Kalgary and had to travel to Dickens horseback, the distance didn't matter, and he became Irene's steady boy friend.
Now the fair was over and it was time for every one to get busy and gather the crop which was almost a complete failure. Mr. Leach was so discouraged, he was almost ready to move back to Killeen but decided to stay a little longer.
It was almost Christmas and Erma Mae and Joe's wedding was set for the twenty firs, for which Mrs. Leach had been sewing. The wedding over, they could concentrate on Christmas, they got a cedar tree and decorated it, Santa always came on Christmas Eve, they enjoyed a delicious dinner on Christmas day. Erma Mae and Joe moved several miles away in the southwest corner of the Dry Lake Community.
That fall there were wedding plans in the Leach home as Irene and Arthur were planning to marry in November. Again the household was busy. After their wedding Irene and Arthur moved to the northern part of the Dry Lake Community. After making another crop, Mr. and Mrs. Leach decided to buy a farm in the Dry Lake Community, they moved to it themselves. the net year they bought another farm and Irene and Arthur moved to it. By now they had accumulated several cattle and horses, and during the winter a terrible blizzard blew up, Mr. leach went to the windmill to water the animals, and the snow was so bad that he could hardly see his way back, his feet and hands were almost frozen when he got to the house.
They bought another farm in the very heart of the community, and moved to it, by now the community was being settled fast, it has been surveyed, cut into sections and fences were built around each farm, roads were built, and not unusual for a house to be on each 80 acres.
In the early times of the community, there was a two room school house, now that homes were being built and more people were settling, there was a need for a larger school, they added another room and a stage to the building.
In the fall and winter of 18 and 19 there was a flu epidemic. There was sickness in almost every home, Joe and two of their children had very serious cases, Dr. Blackwell was the attending doctor. Snow was so deep on the ground that it was up to the windows of most houses. Arthur never had the flu, he would bundle up and make the rounds of the community to see what their needs were and go into town and get the supplies and bring them back.
In 1918 the Leaches bought their first car, a Model T. Ford. Mr. Leach ran it through the garage wall while learning to drive.
The Methodists and Baptists each held church services in the school house, soon the Baptist built a church just across the road from the school, later the Methodists decided to build also, Mr. Foreman donated the land for the church, and it is called Foreman's Chapel. The Leach family have many fine memories of attending church there.
Mr. and Mrs. Leach were very proud grandparents, and enjoyed their grandchildren. The grandchildren and Jessie attended school at Dry Lake.
In 1922 they built a new home, it was only one fourth mile from the school. By this time almost every one had phonographs with lots of records and Mr. and Mrs. W.P.T. Smith were the first in the community to get a radio, before long almost every one bought a radio.
When Jessie was in the fifth grade a new family moved into the community, three children started to school, one of these children was Lloyd Hindman, and their courtship actually began at school recess, playing flying Dutchman. Jessie finished grade school, and the family moved to Spur for her to go to high school, they were ready to retire anyway, so they rented the farm to Will Stacy and moved into Spur. Jessie graduated from Spur High School and a year and a half later, she and Lloyd were married and moved on one of the Leach farms at Dry Lake, from no special plan, it just happened that each of the daughters started housekeeping in the Dry Lake Community.
Sometimes as Mr. and Mrs. Leach would reminiscence they would speak of the wonderful years they had together. They had witnessed the growth from a few people to a thickly populated community.
How each of the early settlers, such as themselves had a part in changing the trails into graveled road, and pasture lands into cultivated fields, kerosene lamps replaced by electricity, and mail being delivered to the rural families.
The Leaches were very proud to have had the opportunity to live in Dickens County.
Source: History of Dickens County; Ranches and Rolling Plains, Fred Arrington, ©1971
Funeral services for William Sherman Leach, 86, were held at the Spur Methodist Church on Sunday, April 28, 1957. Rev. Cal Wright, pastor officiated, assisted by Rev. Riley Fugitt and Lester Garner.
Leach was born May 27, 1870 in Missouri. He died April 25, 1957. As a child he moved to Lavaca County, TX and was converted to the Christian religion at the age of 16. He was married to Miss Lucy York on Oct. 7, 1881.
Mr. And Mrs. Leach moved to Dickens Co. in 1912 and settled in the Dry Lake Community. In 1928 they moved into town. Since the death of Mr. Leach in 1940, he had lived with a daughter, Mr. Joe Draper. Survivors include two other daughters, Mrs. Arthur Spraberry, Porterville, CA; and Mrs. Lloyd Hindman, Spur. 5 sisters and one brother, 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 2 great-greats.
Pallbearers were W. H. Hindman, Ellis Draper, Joe Kidd, C. W. Barclay and John Albin.
Campbell Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Leach was loved for his kindness and cheerful attitude toward life.
©The Texas Spur, April 2, 1957
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay
Funeral rites will be read today from the Spur Methodist Church for Mrs. W. S. Leach, who died at her home in the city Wednesday morning about eleven o´clock, officiating will be Rev. E. K. White, former pastor, Rev. James K. Harrell, pastor, and Rev. John C. Ramsayk, Presbyterian minister.
Mrs. Leach was born Lucy Lodgska September 5, 1872 in Carthrage, MO and while a little girl moved with her family to Texas. At the age of 19 she was married to William S. Leach in Moulton, Texas in Lavata County. They came to Spur in October, 1912, and it was here that they reared their family. There were five daughters born to Mrs. Leach, two of whom preceded her in death.. Surviving are her husband, W. S. Leach; three daughters, Mrs. Irene Spraberry, Mrs. Erma Draper and Mrs. Jessie Hindman; seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Pallbearers are Gary Draper, W. H. Hindman, Preston McClannahan, Jim Smith, J. A. Bell and Dee Hargrave. Flowerbearers are Mrs. M. H. Costelow, Mrs. Tyree Thomas , Mrs. Floyd Smith, Mrs. Morris Yandell, Mrs. Bernard Smith, and Miss Ruth Hindman. Campbell Funeral Chapel will direct the services and interment will be in Spur Cemetery.
©The Texas Spur, February 1, 1940
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay
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