Barnsdall Graduate Centenarian

It's interesting to come across names and photos of people when I search for one thing and come up with another. One of these interesting finds was an East Sacramento resident by the name of Genevieve (Moore) Cobb. Her story was printed in the Valley Community Newspaper in December 2010.  Sadly, Genevieve passed away on December 14, 2011 but I thought her story was worth writing about. Born in Greeley, Colorado on June 27, 1908 to Delbert and Effie (Wotring) Moore, she was the first of five children born to the couple.

1908, Greeley, Clorado. Grandparents with mother and father.

She lived in Colorado for three years until her parents decided to move to Roseburg, Oregon. Her father Delbert, a former railroad worker supported the family by cutting wood in the forest. To help stabilize the finances of the family, Genevieve's mother would can fruit to be sold from the farm they lived on. Hoping to improve their financial situation the family moved to Oklahoma during the oil boom and settled in Skiatook, Oklahoma but relocated when her father obtained work in the oil fields around Bigheart, Oklahoma.

1921 during their time in Bigheart, Ok.
L-R: Meredith, Juanita, Delbert, Genevieve, Effie and Randall. The fifth child, Darrell had not been born yet.

 Genevieve recalled the time in 1922 when the name of the town was changed from Bigheart to Barnsdall cause of the Barnsdall Oil Company that operated the local refinery. Checking the Barnsdall school graduating classes, her name shows up in the class of 1926 as Genevieve Moore. After graduation she attended Oklahoma University and obtained a teaching degree where she moved to Skiatook, OK. and began a teaching career in the Skiatook Elementary School. It was here she turned down the offer of principle of the elementary school. She would meet her future husband Rodney Cobb and later be married.

Rodney and Genevieve after their wedding.

 Rodney served in the Army in Panama for 13 months and afterward was transferred to Fresno, California. Genevieve moved to Fresno to be with Rodney until he was discharged from the Army. They moved to Colorado Springs where Rodney attended college and obtained a degree in Botany. Rodney's desire to get a Masters degree soon sent the couple to Seattle, Washington where he would get his Masters degree and find employment with the seed supplier Burpee and Company in Lompoc, California. In 1953, the couple moved to East Sacramento where Rodney was hired by the Department of Agriculture. Genevieve also became employed by the state, first working for the Division of Highways and then for the California Public Employees Retirement System. Rodney and Genevieve retired in July 1969. After a long retirement, Rodney passed away in 2000. Genevieve, who is of Irish and Dutch ancestry was related to the second president, John Adams and credits her long life to her family genes.

1926 BHS graduate, Genevieve (Moore) Cobb

Kelley School

Traveling north out of Barnsdall I turn west onto the County Road 2401 in search of three sets of steps located about 4.5 miles north of town which at one time were part of the Kelley School. With information in hand on their location, I travel north along CR 2401 until I reach the top of a hill where the road turns to the east. It was near this point that I was to see the set of steps on the east side of the road about 30 yards into the brush and trees. Moving at what seemed to be a turtles pace with my eyes cutting through the brush, I spot a pile of small sandstones stacked on top of each other. With the vegetation surrounding the area it was hard to say if it was a set of steps or not, let alone three sets of them. Not sure if this was what I looked for, I kept traveling along the road until I turned right onto a lease road where there were foundations jutting up through the tall grass and brush. It was my assumption this was the Barnsdall Oil Company  #285 Lease Camp that  sat north of Barnsdall.

Barnsdall Oil Company Lease Camp #285. Fred Goughler, fifth from the left and his crew at the camp. Fred, like many of the men lived in the company homes around the lease.

Water tower cooling basin. Most likely the one shown in the Barnsdall Oil Co. Lease photo above.

As I parked my vehicle, I scanned the area and with camera in hand and set off through the area snapping off photos. Walking through the foundations, I walked west to the edge of the lease and came upon an old fence which had fell down and small narrow sidewalk.

The sidewalk was near two feet wide went along for about 80 feet until it came to the main sidewalk and steps

At the end of the sidewalk and just to the right stood a set of steps which could clearly be seen as I walked towards them. There was no doubt that this was what I was looking for to begin with. Snapping off a few more photos, I looked for the two other sets of steps and found them north of the main steps.

Main steps to the Kelley School

The sets of two steps was what I was interested in. It was there that a photo was taken in 1933 of the schools students. Walking up to the top of the main steps I surveyed the area to the north and spotted the other steps. It was then that I could see how small the school really was and in that area which I looked over, there sat a two room building that would house around 40 people.

Northwest steps

Northeast steps

Student body of the Kelly School. Photographed on the north side of the school between the set of two steps.

According to Fred Goughler, his dad Lawrence, aunt Ester, Dub Jones and Everett Swalley are in the photo. The school housed the 1st to 6th grade, after which, students would attend the Barnsdall School. 

If others can be identified, contact the Barnsdall Oklahoma History page on Facebook or through a reply message on this blog site.