Krischke, Pete 1969-08-11
Pete Krischke recalls his family and Brownwood’s early years, including droughts, floods, businesses and changes in the town. Among other things, he expresses his opinion on various topics, reminisces about his father’s experiences, the Brownwood area, old friends, and his own experiences.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Pete Krischke
Additional Parties Recorded: None
Date: August 11, 1969
Location: Blanket, Texas
Interviewer: Fred A. Carpenter
Length: 3 hours
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1: Family background,
Parents were German immigrants,
Moved to Brownwood from Iowa (1891),
Flood in Brownwood (September 1900),
Old photographs of Brownwood discussed,
First cars in Brownwood,
Sold or traded wood to grain mill,
Cotton gin and cotton prices,
Father’s carpenter work,
Old photographs (again),
Houses built by father,
Race track and park,
Houses (again).
Tape 1, Side 2: Buying land and hard times (early 1920s),
Childhood,
Home built,
Work experience,
Drought of 1898 recalled,
Water shortage,
Father’s carpenter work,
Early irrigation,
Selling wood to Mr. Renfro,
Dry year (1909),
Streets and street sprinkling,
Baugh (?) family,
Willing cutting incident and killing,
Supplies hauled from Austin,
Taber Ranch and family.
Tape 2, Side 1: Taber Ranch and Water Taber,
Coggin-Ford Bank and Henry Ford,
Loans to farmers (1893),
Drought of 1916-1918,
Hardships,
Jake Austin gives Krischke wheat seed on credit,
Early Brownwood,
Businesses,
First oil wells (1890s),
Jail,
Stores,
Sidewalks,
Wagon yards,
Anecdote about changes in Brownwood,
Bryan Bettis (?) family,
Higginbotham stores,
Business practices and credit.
Tape 2, Side 2: Attitude toward credit,
Wife’s death,
Attitude toward work,
Social security payments,
Owns caliche pits and cattle,
Attitude toward welfare,
Son,
Fought in World War II and jobs,
Attitude toward education and work,
Salt Creek community and work,
Myrick (?) family.
Tape 3, Side 1: Pete Krischke’s father,
Immigration from Germany,
Hardships,
Gets job as a carpenter,
Moves to Iowa,
Marriage,
John Jannis (?), banker,
Bank failures, money lost,
Belief in financial security,
Helps sick neighbor, relatives and friends,
Gets birth certificate,
Carmichael brothers get old-age pension.
Tape 3, Side 2: Anecdote about title to car,
George Hall’s prophecies,
Anecdote about his wife,
Clio community residents,
Dr. Gibson,
Burns family,
Slap Out community,
Name,
Holder community,
Changes in area around Clio and Holder,
Pleasant Valley Cemetery,
Cemetery Association organized (1909),
Zephyr cyclone mentioned,
Anecdotes about meeting old friends,
Pig market at Comanche.
Range Dates: 1891-1920
Bulk Dates: 1891-1920
Access Information
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Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
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