St. Clair County
Remnants Of The Past

Going to Monegaw Springs on Sundays, 1930s -40s

Missouri Chigger
August 2005
This was the best time of the week – going to my aunt Mabel Parks. She lived southwest of Lowry City, down in the hills. Boy, could she cook those large biscuits! They were like cake – darn they were good.
Not too far from Mabel and Frank’s place, there was a cave that us kids would play in and around. This creek that ran by had a lot of young tree saplings around 15 to 20 feet tall. As kids, two or three of us would climb up as far as we could, causing the tree to bend over due to the weight – almost to the ground. So, while holding it down, one of the other would grab and hang on after the others released it, causing it to spring back with that kid holding on for all he had. Now that was fun. No, not a one got killed. Not even a broken bone or a bleeding nose.
Most times we would have picnics down by the Sulfur spring. This place was like a good sized park by the river and just off the side there was a big spring running out hundreds of gallons of water a day. It smelled like a rotten egg; as some would say, but everyone seemed to like it after a while.
The spring had a roof with post and seats all around in a circle (Gazebo), so all the locals could spin out the yarns with a tin cup hanging on each post. They would sit there and chew that tobacco, spitting on the floor. They didn’t spit in the spring, I don’t think. However, everyone used the same cups.
They didn’t clear out their mouth before drinking. Just rolled it over to the corner. However, it didn’t do any harm, as we didn’t have Aids then.
Those days were like today, teens in those days, had horses not cars. They would come like the devil, running right at the spring, with all those old men sitting around. Being dusty as heck, here they come, just flogging the heck out of those horses and stirring up the dust. All the way they would go.
The folks would lay a blanket on the ground for the babies and to set on. Dad was with the old men spinning yarns, just like the others. We would have fried chicken, those big biscuits, came, pie (but no Coke, just spring water), canned green beans, or sometimes Pork & Beans, in the can or just maybe some cheese and crackers. What a time!
By Mel Jones