The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 94, July 1990 - April, 1991 Page: 502

Southwestern Hzstorical Quarterly

vanish from the latter two-thirds of the book. Thus, the anecdotal style
detracts from the narrative, but this is not a major flaw if the reader
approaches the book from the perspective of a reminiscence, which it
is. There are a few errors in the spelling of proper names, most notably
Congressman Richard Kleberg's name was given as "Cleburne." This
mistake most likely resulted from the careless transcription of the au-
thor's tapes.
While not a scholarly work, You Meet Such Interestzng People will in-
trigue both scholars and the general public. To the former, it is valu-
able as a primary text for students of turn-of-the-century cultural and
social history, journalism, and women's history. A more popular audi-
ence will delight in the opportunity to meet Scott through her words.
No one will escape the conclusion that while Scott has known some very
interesting people, she herself is an interesting person.
Austin, Texas NANCY C. BECK
Oil Fzeld Child. By Estha Briscoe Stowe. Number seven in the Chisholm
Trail Series. (Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1989.
Pp. xv+181. Foreword, preface, photographs, illustrations, epi-
logue, acknowledgments. $13.95, paper.)
The story of life in the Texas oil fields of the 192o0s and 1930s is a
record of human endurance in the face of hardship and challenge.
Among the prospectors who moved westward in the Texas oil boom of
this era was the family of Estha Briscoe (later Stowe), who tells the story
of her childhood as the family moved from boomtown to boomtown in
Texas-Mexia, Wortham, Santa Rita, McCamey, Crane, Wink, and
Odessa-and lived briefly in Ardmore and Duncan, Oklahoma. No
other writer, the author states, had recounted the early oil boom saga
from the standpoint of the oil field worker's family, and that, she adds,
is her reason for telling her story.
Oil-patch families often lived in tents or in small, cheaply constructed
buildings furnished with bare necessities that could be moved in the
family car. Many roads were treacherous, and weather could easily
limit travel. Water was often not plentiful or conveniently accessible,
and medical assistance was distant or unavailable. Money was some-
times scarce. Schools, churches, and post offices had not been estab-
lished in most boomtowns, and if established, were not equipped to
hold the population overflow of boomers.
Despite such hardships, the child Estha reacted with innocent accep-
tance. She learned from loving parents to find strength in family ties
and to deal with an endless procession of" trying circumstances. The
story recounts numerous crises. A tent burned, and a woman died in

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