Interview with
Joe Woolford
July 24, 2006
By Joyce McBride
Show Low Historical Museum
Joe Woolford: And they had the store building there with the post office and he also did all his work there.
Joyce McBride: So, he was Deputy Sheriff and he was also running the store?
JW: Right
JM: Or, your mother was running it?
JW: Mother was doing more of the running that he was. And then, my brother George was old enough by then that he could drive the old Chevrolet, 1929 Model Chevrolet that we had, '28 Model I guess it was, to Holbrook to pick up groceries once a week, and gas.
JM: Was he older than you?
JW: Yes, he's 7 years older than I.
JM: Oh! So, did you get to ride along with him on these trips?
JW: No, they didn't ever let me go with him. Because, I guess they didn't know if there would be any trouble or anything. But anyway, he, my brother George would go down and take groceries and come back. We also had cattle at that time. Dad had an area up at Pinetop, above Pinetop. It was the old Gaffney Ranch up there that he rented from the Gaffneys. And we had 150 head of cattle on it. And he, during the summers I would go up there and stay for a couple of weeks at a time. Did fine, helped keep up the camp and everything. We had two. Dad had two cowboys up there. One of them I guess stayed around with us until he died. He was more or less a guardian for me, I guess. His name was Porter Adair. He was half-breed Indian. And then the other one was named Smitty and I never did know what his full name was. He was a little guy and he stuttered and took a bath about once a year, I think. But anyway I decided one day I to clean up the camp. They always had a big old coffee pot on, and so I took the lid off of that coffeepot and oh! It looked terrible! So I dumped everything out of it. And it even looked like there was an old sock in there. I dumped it all out, cleaned it out real clean, put water in it and put it back where the fire is was. I thought I was really doing them a favor. When they come back, oh they were mad! I had dumped out the grounds of their coffee. (laughs) So I got to come home.
JM: They'd had enough of you!
