Tate, George M 1984, 1990
George M Tate, former South Plains resident, discusses farming, maize, cotton, irrigation, Texas Tech and dairy operations. He then reviews his experiences in the West Texas ranching industry.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: George M. Tate
Additional Parties Recorded: None
Date: October 11, 1984; March 29, 1990
Location: Weatherford, Texas
Interviewer: Richard Mason and Robert Clark
Length: 2 hours 30 minutes
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1: George M. Tate,
Born: December 9, 1911 in Okeene, Oklahoma,
To Akin,
Reasons,
Land promoters,
Farm,
Size,
Location,
Akin School,
Students,
Neighbors,
Crops,
Irrigation well,
Pump,
Description,
Irrigation technique,
Cream,
Transportation,
Arch Lamb,
Maize,
J. E. Mackelroy, elevator operator,
Thrashing machine,
Kaffir corn,
Description,
Hygira Maize (early 1970s),
Cash crops,
Feed crops,
Cotton,
Cash benefits,
Team animals,
Horses,
Reasons,
Advantages over mules,
Equipment,
Two-row Lister,
Tractor (1923).
Tape 1, Side 2: Harvest,
Technique,
Thrashing,
Technique,
Winter wheat,
Kansas,
Black hull wheat (mid 1920s),
Cotton (again),
Irrigation (1918-1927),
Varieties,
Storm proof,
Gin (Akin, Texas),
Pearson sections,
Colonel Pearson,
Texas Land Development Company,
Description,
Labor,
Operations,
Texas Land Development Company (again),
Demonstration farms,
Colonel Pearson’s death,
Thrashing (again),
Custom work,
Weather,
Blizzard,
Description,
Cattle,
Sandstorms (1926),
Black Sunday (April 23, 1935),
Tate (again),
To Texas Tech,
Living quarters,
Garvin Tate, cousin,
Free ride,
FDR’s NWA program,
Financial assistance,
Mr. Ford,
Cotton farm,
Texas Tech (1930),
Description,
Campus life,
Anecdote: about the boys chasing a rabbit,
Curriculum.
Tape 2, Side 1: Tate (again),
Animal Husbandry, his major,
Vocational Agriculture, minor,
Teaching career,
Eola, Texas,
Texas Tech (again),
Anecdote: boys’ involvement in an eraser fight,
Instructors,
Incident: Masked Rider,
Origin,
Arch Lamb,
Need for a pep squad,
Switch to the Red Raiders,
Pete Cawthon’s idea,
Arch Lamb (again),
Red Raider Rider (September 26, 1936),
Crowd’s reaction,
Saddle Tramp organization,
Red Raider (again),
Uniform,
Tate (again),
Teaching career (again),
Job opportunity (Spring 1939),
Interview (Fort Worth, Texas),
Ranches,
To Weatherford, Texas (again),
Housing,
Wages,
Ranch,
Hired hands (laborers),
Tate’s raise,
Operations,
Cattle and goat buyer,
Acquisition of new ranches,
Apache Ranch,
Fruit and vegetable industry,
Onion crop.
Tape 2, Side 2: Onion crop (continued),
Slaughter’s Veal Ranch,
Size,
Sale,
Other ranches,
Tate (again),
Ranching interest,
Feedlot business (1968),
Family life,
Drought,
Goat business.
Tape 3, Side 1: Background,
Born: 1911,
Parents,
To Texas,
Grandparents,
Immigration,
Grandfather,
Oklahoma settlement,
Family to Texas Panhandle (1914),
Texas Land and Development,
Children,
Education,
Attending Texas Tech,
Employment,
Garland Tate,
Return home,
Getting shot by neighbor,
Help from National Youth Administration to finish college,
Employment,
Teaching vocational agriculture, Eola, Texas.
Tape 3, Side 2: First ranching job with Wyatt Hedrick,
Expansion of ranch properties,
Wyatt Hedrick,
Death,
Character,
Personality,
Operating Apache Ranch, Kansas (1973-80),
Building ranch for daughter, Weatherford, Texas,
Tech career,
Development of Masked Rider (1936),
First ride at TCU game,
First Tech Rodeo,
Hackberry Johnson,
General Reminiscences.
Range Dates: 1911-1990
Bulk Dates: 1911-1990
Access Information
Original Recording Format:
Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.
