Hurricane Island Farmers - June 1973

 

 The large island, known as Hurricane Island, located in the Ohio River a short distance from the Tolu shore line has fascinated me for many years.  An interesting article from the Crittenden Press of June 14, 1973, by John Lucas tells some later day history of the island.  I believe the island is still used for farming.

Farming is by its nature hard work and one of the world's biggest gambles, no matter where one tries it.  But three Crittenden County farmers like to take those conditions and make things even a little more difficult.

They farm an island - the five mile long, approximately 1,000 acre Hurricane Island is the in the middle of the Ohio river below Tolu.

The three farmers are Douglas "Gene" Brazell, James Champion and Donald Champion.   While Brazell's upland ground is adjacent to the island, the Champion brothers must bring equipment from their farms which are several miles from Hurricane, this is an added problem for them.

The other islands in the county - McKinley and Cave-In-Rock - are farmable, but Hurricane is the largest operation.

Brazell farms about 200 acres on the island and the Champions 550.  They grow corn, soybeans and grain sorghum.

Timing is of the utmost importance in farming the island.  A week in the spring can mean the difference between gain or loss in the fall, according to Brazell.

Everything must be ferried to the island, and both Brazell and the Champions have their own barge and ferry tug.

Here Gene  Brazell, and his 11-year-old son, David, move equipment off Hurricane Island, part of which they crop.  

Loyd Brazell, Gene's father, keeps a watchful eye from the pilot house of their ferry, he was once a riverboat pilot.

 Brazell says he usually tries to put a tractor and fuel supply on the island in the spring before the water goes completely off the island and while he can still land at the top of the bank.

The island normally stands about 20 feet above the level of the river, and once the water goes down, it is nearly impossible to get a tractor up the steep landing cut until it is cleared of sediment.  This is the purpose of the tractor placed on the island early - to help clear the landing and assist getting the first of the other equipment ashore.

In the almost 25 years that Brazell has been farming the island, he says that he can recall only one year that water did not completely cover it during the winter.  By the time the river reaches a stage of 34-38 feet, it usually covers a large portion of the island.  

It is covering the island during the winter and spring rises that the Ohio acts as the farmer's friend.  The deposits that the river leaves are so rich that nitrogen is really the only fertilizer requirement, although starter fertilizer is usually used.  

The ability to get the crop off the island is also a limited factor when it comes to cropping Hurricane.  It isn't feasible to take each wagon or truck load of grain to storage bins immediately after it is harvested as one would do on upland ground.  Brazell says, too, that neither is it possible to store grain on the island the year round.  

The introduction of the sheller combine changed all that.  Today he said that he simply harvests all day, filling all his trucks and wagons and then moves them across the mainland at the end of the day.

In farming the island today, the practice is to alternate between the upland ground and the island, working them as the ground drys.

It hasn't always been such Brazell recalls when it was the practice to move over to the island in the spring, taking family chickens and cows, and stay until the crop was planted.  The target date, he said then was to have the crop planted and be moved back across by July 4.  This was continued until as late as 1938.   

At that time all the farming was done with a team or by hand.  Fifty acres were about all that a man and a team of mules coup crop during a growing season. And with the first tractors, 100 acres were enough for one man.

(I don't know who owns the Hurricane Island today and if it is still farmed or not.  With that rich soil, I'd say it is still farmed today.)

1918 Influenze Epidemic in Crittenden County

Recalling the 1918 Influenza Epidemic In Crittenden County

The history breaking event was getting worse in the late summer of 1918, hitting military installations first with epidemic influenza. As soldiers traveled home, they unknowingly carried the flu across the U. S. 

 

 In September in Louisville, nearby Camp Zachary Taylor (WW I's largest army training camp, with its 45,000 men, reported over 2,000 cases. There were several of Crittenden County Soldiers that died with the disease.

 

Most agree the disease affected over half the world's population as the most devastating epidemic in world history. Consider the thought that more died in 1918 of what was called the "Spanish Flu" than in four years of the Bubonic Plague (1347-1351). 

 

Kentuckians became aware of the deadly flu toward the end of September 1918 when troops from Texas debarked from an L&N train to check out Bowling Green. The soldiers unintentionally infected townspeople before returning to their coach.

 

This flu spared no one it could struck the weakest of the young to the stronger and most vigorous of the population. In October 1918 Kentucky Board of Health closed all Kentucky schools, saloons, and soda fountain stores. Mines closed due to the virus spreading in close quarters. Those not ill were kept busy digging graves until late at night. Deaths often occurred within hours or a few days. Undertakers ran out of boxes, even quickly constructed ones of rough lumber. Those in rural areas sometimes buried their children under a tree of in a field after constructing their own boxes. 

 

In January 1919, 2,143 had died. By April, death dropped to 509. Many deaths were not reported as flu, but as pneumonia which resulted from the flu or to other similar symptoms. 

 

If you are a genealogist, you probably have found that multiply family members died in 1918 and early 1919. Many children's deaths would only be days apart. As you walk through the cemeteries you'll notice the dates 1918 and 1920 appear on many older stones.  These two children's stones, sisters, are in the Crayne Cemetery.

 

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We are very limited on the history of events that affected Crittenden County during this devasting time period. The local paper at the time was The Crittenden Record Press and there are no issues available and none mirco-filmed from September 1918 (when the Flu epidemic was at it's worse) through (Crittenden Press) August 1919. The events and obituaries for that devastating time in our history are lost. 

 

From the State Board of Health Report for Crittenden County for the year 1918. The following information was found. This information would be from death certificates that the Drs. filled out and reported. There were probably several deaths that were not accounted for due to improper reporting of the information. 

 

Estimated population was 13,296. Total deaths - 171; Infants under 1 year - 27; Children age 1-4 years, 15; Aged 65 and over - 43; 5- 56 years old - 86. 

 

Preventable Diseases: Tuberculosis/Consumption - 14; Other tuberculosis - 3; Typhoid - 1; Diphtheria/Croup -1; Scarlet Fever - 1; Measles - 1; Whooping Cough -5; Pneumonia/bronchial - 18;

(sometime Pneumonia was named as death cause but was flu related) Influneza - 39; Meningitis - 3; Diarrhea disease- 6;

Other: Cancer - 7, Stillborns - 14; Other deaths due to old age, accidents and  murders - 58.

 

As far as I can find out, none of the Doctors that signed the death certificates caught the flu or died from it. It must have been a trying time. Some of the Drs. in the Marion area were, Dr. Frazer, County Heath Supervisor, Dr. J. R. Perry, Dr. C. G. Moreland, Dr. John L. Reynolds, Shady Grove had Dr. Jeff McConnell, Dycusburg, Dr. J. M. Graves, Tolu area Dr. Wm C. Davis.

Alfred Moore, Mattoon's First permanent Settler

The remains of the first log home before in was remodeled. 

The first permanent settler of the area of old Mattoon was the Alfred Moore family, who built a large, L-shaped 1 ½ story, hewn-log dwelling, on the west side of the Flynn's Ferry Road on the crest of the first small ridge or hill that marked the southern limit of the Mattoon flats or "skillet," about one mile south of the present highway junction.

 

Alfred Moore was commissioned Captain and Drillmaster of the 24th Regiment of Kentucky Militia in 1819. Captain Moore turned his large rolling field, directly in front of his home across the Flynn's Ferry Road, which was called Calvert Field, into a muster and drill field of the 24th Livingston County Regiment of state militia. Calvert Field was, from 1820 until 1842, one of the two foremost Militia muster places in west Kentucky. 

 

Part of the Alfred Moore's home is still there today. Jim Fornear purchased this property and restored the cabin. In 2006, his daughter, Becky Fornear, owned the property and had more rooms built onto the cabin and has changed the appearance of the old log home.

 

Calvert Field, which is directly across the road from the home's front yard, when it is in pasture, as it usually is now, must look very similar to it's appearance a century and a half ago. As the field's original size and shape have changed but little, if at all, over the years, it therefore takes only a little imagination to see row after row of men in predominately brown and buff homespun semblance of uniforms, strutting jauntily in their groups, and their wide-brim slouch hats giving them a certain sense of military bearing.

 

Alfred Moore’s son, Robertus Love "Bart" Moore, took advantage of the much used Flynn’s Ferry road and built a general store at the Mattoon cross roads. Moore’s store handled dry goods and hardware as well as the usual stock of food stuffs, and farm implement that was much in demand. 

 

Alfred Moore was born Feb. 19, 1790 and died Feb. 17, 1870 and is buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery.  His wife, Jane Love Moore, is also buried there.

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