The Place You Spend Your Time

South Coffeyville Salebarn was sold some time ago, as well as the Southern Supper Club. I spent 21 years riding at that salebarn, watching the club open in the afternoon and often going there myself, where the order buyers would buy us drinks – some times as long as we would drink them. I made some forever friends and had some of the best – and worst – times of my life there. I loved every minute of it.

When I first moved southeast of Vinita, the first job I had was filling in at a boot shop Gene Owen owned. It was not far from Vinita’s salebarn and one day Jimmy Folk came in and bought a pair of boots. In visiting with him, I found out he had a salebarn and asked if he needed any riders. He said he didn’t know but he would give my name and number to his yard man. I expected that would be all there was to it, but miracle of miracles, I got a call. That was the first time I spoke to Dick Edens. Dick is an old bullrider that had worked a long time at the salebarn. He lived there because he was the yard man. He wore a neck brace a lot the time as a result of riding bulls and he had two little horses that really didn’t look like much, but there was nothing done on the yard from sorting to opening any heavy gate with a low chain to penning a bad bull they couldn’t do.

On Thursday before my first sale, which was in January of 1995, I called to ask how to get there and find out how many horses I should bring. Wonderful Cindy Folk taught me about the Childers cutoff and said since it was the slow time of year, one horse ought to do it. I took a pickup horse. Good thing he was in good shape because it turned out the sale lasted until 1 a.m. It was the killer cow sale that took so long. That’s the night I met Lonnie Wood. We penned the cows together and back then it was mostly all the old wooden gates, which were not really horse friendly to open. She was riding a yellow mare and she was a good hand. I guess just by chance someone had brought a bunch of older cows that weren’t wintering too well. It was cold. I learned some things that first sale. I needed something warmer than my regular boots. Always bring one more horse than you think you need…provided you have that many. If you don’t have that many, people are always willing to get one ridden at the salebarn. Those often turn into the worst times I mentioned. You need several pair of gloves. If they don’t get wet from the outside, you may sweat them wet from the inside. Wet gloves freeze if it’s really cold.

On my very first day, Jim Roberts opened all the gates. The next week I asked if he didn’t want to take turns. That’s how we got started rotating gate openers an hour at a time. That meant you had to know where all the pens were and have a horse that would work gates fast and smooth. In the beginning the sale wasn’t too long, especially in winter. But as time went on that changed. In the beginning Jack Lowrey and Danny Slinkard were sorting. That was before Jack got his leg broken the first time at the salebarn. When he came back after it healed, Jack told Jimmy if he was going to work, he needed to do it from a horse. That started my long and wonderful friendship riding with Jack Lowrey and Jim Roberts. The Bond family worked with us at that time, too. Three generations of Roberts and Bonds worked at Southtown (the local name) and four generations of Lowreys. In the beginning, the smallest calves were penned in wood pens under the roof and Barbara Bond would run that alley by herself.

Soon, Sam and Nancey Lain worked the north sorting alley. Sam sorted and Nancey and her dog drove the cattle to the ring. For about two years I thought Nancey didn’t like me because she never said too much. Eventually both Sam and Nancey came to ride the pen back side and we became fast friends. Of course they were already longtime friends with everyone else. As time went on we dayworked together as I did with many others. I had the opportunity to daywork at some wonderful big outfits because I worked at the salebarn. Nancey makes the best cinnamon rolls and sometimes if Sam didn’t wipe them out at home she brought them with her.

I started my own cow herd from four heifers. They were open and I had no money and no bull. Nancey had two of the best Corriente bulls I’ve ever seen and she told me if I would keep them both through the winter I could use them free. That’s what I did. I still have some cows carrying that blood.

Awhile after we took the bulls home, Nancey called me one day and asked if I wanted some hamburger because she had hundreds of pounds of it. Of course I did, but how, I asked, did she come to have so much extra? Nancey said one of those bulls threatened to hit her on her horse, so she shot him. The whole carcass had been ground. Nancey doesn’t put up with much foolishness. That was some good hamburger.

Over the years we rode with some really good hands, some not so good hands, and some hands that didn’t even know what they were doing there. Guy Allen helped us a little when he would stay with Jimmy. He told me once in the cow sale that he’d never had any idea how hard it was to pen sale cows. Tim and Clayton Zibell both rode with us. I don’t even know if Clayton was born when I started riding.

John Blount came to ride with us after he retired and he and I are almost as close as he and his own kids. I call him Daddy and we had many great days riding together. He had a one-eyed horse, named Good Eye of course, that was as fine a cow work and day work mount as I ever saw. There was no eye in one socket and I suspect he was born without it. Didn’t bother him at all.

There is no sale at the Southtown barn now, some guys bought both it and the Coffeyville barn and now the sales are all held there. That’s really sad for me and maybe for some of the other friends I have mentioned here. Work done in all kinds of weather in sometimes tough circumstances makes for the closest of relationships. I spent a third of my life working at that salebarn. I loved every minute of it.