I just got an email with old stories Marie told back in 1987. Here is an excerpt about reunions. I love it!
Please read posts at the bottom of this page for information about this year's reunion!
The Tradition of Family Reunions
The Byfords were a close-knit family. They had the tradition for getting together for Family Reunions. The idea is still held in high regards by their descendants. The last reunion was held in 1986. The favorite spot for such get-togethers was Sulphur, Oklahoma, which is 30 miles south of Stratford. Sulphur is the home of Platte National Park. This land was originally part of the Tribal lands of the Chickasaw Indian Nation. The Indians had held the land in high esteem for its medicinal mineral springs, and used the land for ceremonial rituals. Despite Indian ownership, the Federal Government took control of the land and established it as Platte National Park. The favorite spot inside the park for the reunion was, and still is, Travertine Island. Tall trees provide good shade there, creeks flow on each side of the island, and there are large concrete tables and benches, as well as fire grills, which provide convenience and comfort for large groups such as the Byford Reunion.
Travertine Island is very close to Little Niagara Falls, so-called because of water flowing over giant boulders and falling into a beautiful natural swimming pool at the bottom. The pool is deep enough for diving and has a sandy bottom. It has always been a favorite spot for the young people.
Older people always enjoyed the ride over to the west side of the park to the site of the medicinal springs of mineral waters (11 different kinds.). Sulphur water was the most commonly chosen for drinking by many because it was supposed to be "good for you." I liked Bromide better---it was not so smelly! The black sulphur water smelled like rotten eggs to me, but many people brought jugs from home to take some of the water back with them. At one time, there was a place where people could take Black Sulphur mud baths. I could never imagine how anyone would voluntarily get into that smelly mud and take a bath! I remember Aunt Ethel using the mud packs on her face to help keep her complexion looking nice: we all wondered how she could stand the smell of the sulphur. The first and only Artesian well in Oklahoma that I have ever seen is in the area of West Sulphur.
Now that I have told you about the site, I'll get onto the more important part of any reunion: the people. Word was circulated well in advance to notify everyone of the reunion date, which was usually around the 3rd Sunday in August. The Byford boys from out-of-town usually came without their wives and children because transportation was poor and uncomfortable. (The exception was Uncle George, who traveled by horse and wagon---they camped along the way). Uncle Andy came in from Arizona; Uncle Tommy came from Western Oklahoma; Billy and Johnny came from wherever they happened to be at the time, without fail. Mama, Doc, and Ethel lived in Stratford.
An over-abundance of food was always prepared. Everyone brought the foods for which they were famous. My Mom was famous for her chicken and dumplings---yum-yum! There were all kinds of foods, including meats, vegetables, salads, and deserts; plus ice tea and lemonade were always provided. The carload of people who left the earliest was responsible for taking watermelons to the creek to chill for afternoon eating. As you might expect, by the time you had a little taste of each special dish on the tables, you were definitely 'over-stuffed.' What's more, food was always left on the tables and anyone who wanted to eat at any time did so.
Reunions meant many things to many people, but some things were held in common for all, such as...
Reunions always meant a time for visiting family members you hadn't seen since the last reunion, as well as members who were brand new to the group, through birth, marriage, or friendship...
Reunions were a time for over-eating and then taking a walk to 'work it off'; or swimming in the cold waters of Little Niagara---to see if you could still "take it."
Reunions were the ideal gathering to take pictures and to have your picture made...
Reunions provided a chance to "sight-see" in the park, to see what features had been added to taken away since the last time you were there...
Reunions were the time to "catch up" on what important new happenings had taken place in families since the last reunion: marriages, births, and, sadly, deaths...
Reunions gave Uncle Tommy "a chance to size up the new generation of kinfolks and to speculate what their futures might be"...
Reunions gave special emphasis to "reminiscing of bygone days" and, of course, everyone talked about continuing the reunion next year...
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