Audio
Oral History Interview with Clara McKay (Hokie Lightfoot)
Transcript
Abstract: Hokie Lightfoot, also known as Clara McKay, came to Ochopee, Florida from Georgia in the early 1950's. Upon arrival, she and her husband Randall started a bait and tackle business. Her father was Cherokee, and she is locally famous as the “Beer-Worm Lady” due to a sign posted by her home that advertises beer and worms for sale. She is also known for having lost her right arm to an alligator. In this oral history interview she talks about the alligator attack, her parents, running a shelter for homeless men, and caring for children in the community. She concludes the interview talking about Big Cypress National Preserve, and its effect on the residents of Ochopee.
ERICA LYNNE: Ok, Hokie do you want to tell the camera's and microphones tell you name and spell it. This is a recording check.
HOKIE LIGHTFOOT: Lady I can't understand what you are saying.
LYNNE: I'm just asking you to say your name and spell it.
LIGHTFOOT: Oh so you can go—
LYNNE: And then I'm going to check and make sure everything is working right.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, well which one Hokie?
LYNNE: Both of them. [Laughter] Hokie isn't that the name you like?
LIGHTFOOT: Yes that's the name I like but that's not really my name that's just a nickname you know Clara was the name was give to me.
LYNNE: Right.
LIGHTFOOT: I don't really know what these other people use. I think they use both. It don't matter what they do it's what you do that counts.
LYNNE: I know you as Hokie Lightfoot.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea.
LYNNE: Do you want to spell that name for us?
LIGHTFOOT: Hokie Lightfoot, my God.
LYNNE: I'll spell it.
LIGHTFOOT: A million times I've spelt that name. Hokie Lightfoot. Hokie Lightfoot. LYNNE: And you're also known as Clara McKay right?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea. My name now is Clara Clara McKay. Clara McKay.
LYNNE: Ok just let me double check make sure we're running here. We are running.
LIGHTFOOT: It's all running is it?
LYNNE: So Hokie you want to tell me a little bit about yourself and where you grew up?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, well the most important thing I guess would be where I grew up. And I'll tell you what it wasn't no bed of roses. It was tough, hard working but it was good. Nobody had to worry about tomorrow for bills or anything cause we had no bills. We worked and made what little we had to eat and everything and had our own water and burning wood for electricity and all that kind of stuff. In other words we lived there and it come a lot easier than what today's world is. But still now we're all used to what we have now we couldn't go back to that cause it wouldn't be very good for the people.
LYNNE: So where did you grow up?
LIGHTFOOT: In Vidalia, Georgia where they make the Vidalia onions and they are delicious the Vidalia onions are real good. Of course I was not in the town I was in the country part of Vidalia. And now it's grown to be a pretty good size little city a small city and got a lot of new things coming in there. There was hardly anything when I was growing up which was a long time ago.
But anyway and anyhow I think the best thing that we could do is to remember them old time ways and things because actually we grew and did better health wise by walking a lot and talking a lot and being friendly everybody was friendly and nice and we didn't have to worry about tomorrow coming having nothing because we didn't have nothing much today. Then tomorrow would be the same way and the same thing. That kind of life is only for the people that like to live that way. Not many people live it now like that it's just no more it's just one of them things that's gone not to return.
We even used the pine herbs, pine needles, the pine tar and all kinds of roots and berry's and things for medicine [inaudible]. We you got sick you didn't call the doctor because you had no money to pay the doctor. So anyway that kind of life when you lived it it growed on you and you liked it and you didn't really want to get away from it. But time changes and you have to move on as things goes on. And today I live here now for a little more better convenience but it's quite and understanding and nobody bothers you to much and I think it's a oh better, better in that. But if all was young that was a wonderful place. I never dreamed about ever wanting to change or making any different because it was so much you had and nobody had no more. You didn't have to say "Well, I don't have it but the other people do." Everybody was just like you. Growing up and working the hard hard way. But when it come night everybody went to bed, went to sleep till morning get up and start all over again for the same thing. Seeing the flowers and all the beautiful birds, wildlife flying around and you're out there in the field working and making the food that you need to eat for the year to come. And it was all very good everybody worked from the oldest to the youngest. Everybody shared what they had with the other one. No one had more than the other and everybody was alike and enjoyed living that kind of life.
Go up to the creek sometime and catch a few fish there and sometime go in there swimming. I never cared for the creek swimming but the rest of the people did. I didn't like that. But anyway I would go with the crowd to have the fun and laugh and tell jokes and sometimes play games and all that kind of stuff which was all enlighten for the people to see that didn't do that come in. They couldn't believe it would be so that people could live like that. They keep on surviving. That's the way that people as far back as I know and now it got better but it's really not as good because it's so convenient that nobody wants to work no more. Everybody wants to play around and not work to make what they have to have.
I guess I sell worms and beer now and that's very little income but I enjoy being here being my own boss and not have to worry about people coming tomorrow saying "you got to get out you got to go you got to make another place."
LYNNE: Tell me about when you first came to Ochopee. How did you come to Ochopee?
LIGHTFOOT: Well my husband was sick in Miami and had to quit work and so we come to Ochopee. He liked it and wanted to get out where he thought he could be able to go fishing but he never was able to go fishing. He was sick and stayed in the bed mostly. And that's the reason why we come here but I thought it was so horrible cause it was during the time the mosquitoes was so bad and I said "only crazy people would stay in a place like this where the mosquitoes are so bad." Well everybody told me "Hokie you'll get used to that after awhile you'll get used to it you won't even pay no attention to the mosquitoes bothering." And which it did. You pay attention sometimes cause some of them hurt worse than the others but not nothing like it was. If it was up to me I would have done and left but after forty years you grow accustomed to it and you get used to it and it don't seem to bother you as much. But that's how come me to be here in Ochopee. But I said when I come that I wouldn't stay. But like everybody else I didn't want to leave and now then I suppose I'll stay the rest of my life which can't be to much longer cause I've already had the eighty-fourth birthday so I'm looking forward now to mostly the end instead of the beginning.
Cause it's all behind me and everything so it's like I'm saying what would be a good subject sometimes I would have a lot of men here waiting for a haircut and cut all the men's hair cause there was no barbershop nowhere around at that time to cut their hair. And everybody had a good time laughing and talking and waiting for their haircut. They went away looking good and talking happy and joyful that they had got their haircut and didn't have to go so far to get it cut. But today since I don't have but one hand it's almost a matter of impossible however I wish that it could be possible. That I could do these things the rest of my life to benefit somebody else with. But I guess the Lord seen fit to change it for what reason I do not know. Well it's like I say I don't reckon you would want me to tell the story about the alligator?
LYNNE: Do you want to tell the story about the alligator?
LIGHTFOOT: Well I ain't a wanting I'm just trying to find out cause my whole thing has just stopped.
LYNNE: You're just feeling, do you want me to turn that off and you just talk to the tape, would you be more comfortable?
LIGHTFOOT: No, no that ain't a bothering me that's not bothering but I just can't think of nothing else if you tell me what to talk about I'll.
LYNNE: Ok, tell me about the alligator?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea well from the beginning I'll tell ya. I got up that morning I went into the bathroom and I found the water about six inches deep on the floor of the bathroom so I sit down I looked at all the fixtures to see where the water was coming from, I could not see no water no place. So I comes out and there was a beer customer by the name of Jake out here and I said to him "Jake go in there and see if you can find out where the water is coming from?" He said "well Hokie if I did I can't fix it cause I don't have my tools with me." He says "I'll go in and look at it and I'll come back tomorrow and bring my tools and fix it for you." And he went in and he couldn't see nothing where the water was coming so he come back out and said "I'll turn the water off so you won't have to get water all day long." So he goes out and turns the one cut off valve off but the government had come and put another one a new one on and he didn't know that and I had forgotten it. So all day I dipped water, mopped water brought it all out here and [inaudible] a hundred dollars worth of water that day come just pouring out. So about 5 o'clock I said "this will never do, I can't let this go on all night long like that, I'm gonna call the waterman let him come down and see what he can do." So I called him and he come in the yard and said "I know what you've done Hokie, you've not cut off the right valve." Cause I've got two water valves back there. One of them will hold and one of them won't. I said "well whatever it is I didn't do it Jake did. And I guess he cut the one off that don't hold because it's not holding you see the waters everywhere." He said "Yes and you look like hell Hokie, you better go get you some water pick up that bucket" he said "sitting there." Cause the water was high in the canal up over the bridge "and go out there a dip you a little water because I done got this water cut off and wash up a little and go to bed because you look terrible."
And I agreed with him that I did. After he left I went and got the water and come no I went and got the water and listened to a dog or a cat hollering back this way so I said I knew there was an alligator under that bridge all the time so I said now since it's high water under the bridge he has come out from under that bridge and caught my dog or my cat. And so I turned my head to see if I could listen to see then I was going to come and see. But the minute I turned my head the alligator grabbed my arm from the canal so I looked back that was a big alligator on my arm, pulled my flat down on the bridge. So I knew I could not do nothing but I've often heard when the alligator grabs you he pulls you down and into the water so he could eat you as he wants you or kill you then or whatever. And he didn't pull me off of the bridge I was still laying on the bridge and I was so thankful for that that it did not pull me off in the canal. So I went to hitting him on the head with the other hand and telling him "please don't pull me in that canal because it's ten feet deep and I'll drown." And over and over I said the same thing "please don't pull me in the canal because it's ten feet deep and I'll drown." And about that time he wrung the arm off and it did hurt when it wrung the arm off and I seen him turn and go down towards the sunset, sunrise I said thank God I won't be under the bridge when they get up it's tomorrow morning the people do and they would wonder where in the world where I'm at because they couldn't find me that I won't be under the bridge. But I said "I'll be on top of the bridge because I will bleed to death right here" cause the blood was just going like a river over in the canal and all my blood will be gone and I'll be dead in a few minutes. And I lay there on the bridge and the next thing I know I heard a voice say "Hokie I'm not ready for you yet, I don't want you now. I want you to get up and go in there and dial 911 so somebody will come and get you." I screamed out "I can't, I can't, I can't." "Yes you can Hokie, yes you can" the voice said. He said "get up Hokie and go on in there and dial 911." So I got up I don't know how I did but I got up off of the bridge walked across the yard into the side door, it was so dark inside no lights or nothing was turned on. But I went straight to the telephone and I dialed and when I dialed I heard the voice say again "Hokie you didn't dial 911 you dialed 611, nobody will come and get you with that you'll have to dial it again Hokie 911." And I screamed out again "I can't, I can't, I can't." "Yes you can" the voice said, "yes you can you dial it again." So I turned and dialed it again 911 and when I dialed it again somebody answered me and I told them what had happened and I wanted them to come and get me and take me to the hospital. So then I laid the phone down and walked out of the house and come out here and sat down under the chickee and a few minutes the ambulance was here and they said I don't [inaudible] but they said I was saying to them "boys if you don't hurry up and get here I won't be alive in a minute because my blood is all gone and see there is not a drop of blood coming from the arm no more no blood." And I said "I don't felt no heart beat no more. So I'm gonna be dead in a minute if you don't hurry and get here." But they were already here they said. So they told me they could not come until I called them and when you called us we were here as quick as we could get here. But they give one look at me and they said "she'll never live to ride in that ambulance to the hospital, she'll be dead." So they went the phone they called the doctor and told him what kind of shape I was in, the doctor said get her in the ambulance and start glucose cause if the blood vessels collapse we'll never get them open again. Start the glucose so it'll keep the blood vessels open. Then put her take her in the ambulance to Carnestown we'll have a helicopter there at Carnestown and then change from the ambulance to the helicopter and they'll make it here maybe before she dies. So they did, they made it there before I died. But when, I stayed three weeks in the hospital. And when I started to leave my doctor told me "Hokie, I'm so happy to see you leaving the hospital because when you come in here you had four more minutes left of life. And if we hadn't have worked hard and fast you would have never made it but we did. Two doctors and three or four nurses so you see now you're walking out and leaving the hospital." So it's been on since then so that was the story of that alligator. But they took pictures of the alligator after they killed him that night of my had still in her mouth, she hadn't even touched it. They even took it out called the hospital and told them it hadn't even been touched or nothing could they use it to sew it back on the hand so I'd have a hand. They told them no after forty-five minutes it's dead we can't use it it's been well over two hours so we can't use it so do whatever you want to with it cause we can't put it back on the hand. And whatever went with it I don't know but today they have the pictures of the alligator and the hand up there at the police station at Carnestown. And they told me one time they'd bring em down here and let me see em. I said I wanted to see it but the head man up there said "no that wouldn't be no good for Hokie to see that be to excited or something." Anyway they never did bring and wouldn't let me go up there to see it. I feel safe and I think I would have like to have seen it. My hand laying in the alligators mouth. You know that would be a pretty good sight wouldn't it? Didn't even touch it.
But the reason for that she had three little alligators about that long underneath that bridge and she couldn't find nothing else to eat that night so she did get that hand so she was bringing it to them three little alligators that's the reason she did what she did. Yea but they didn't know why she hadn't touched it but after I come home and the little alligators began to come out looking for something to eat and so there you've seen the whole story. She was after it for them little alligators. So I lost my arm and hand to the alligator.
But that's alright I can make out I can do somethings and keep going cause life is short now don't make a lot of difference no way. I guess I'll have to keep on trying trying to the bitter end to the last day comes whatever time that might be.
LYNNE: I read that they got your wedding ring back.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, yea they brought it back after I come home they brought the wedding ring and engagement ring and I put the engagement ring on and wore it but it's wore into and so I had to take it off I had to take it off. I had to take the whole thing off and put it up. It was the engagement ring was to old I mean they could have fixed it back but it costs a lot and it wouldn't have meant that much to me no way. If I had been just married a year or two married it would have been different but like it is in my life today nothing makes much difference. I remember when my dog got sick and I was sick and we did take him to the doctor so sadly and come back then he went away never to come back, never, so sad. Like a child I'm not very [inaudible].
LYNNE: You really miss Randall.
LIGHTFOOT: Hua?
LYNNE: You really miss Randall.
LIGHTFOOT: Oh my God there baby nothing in the world I couldn't miss nothing in the world I don't think I'll ever get over it really. I think about him all the time I'm awake. You know it's constantly on my mind and when I go off like I went off this morning over there to Steve's and come back the little fellow was so happy to see me come back you know he'd jump around put his little feet up for me to take him and go take him for a walk and that kind of stuff you know so happy to see me come home. And I miss that so much. But you got when things happen you just got to live beyond it and keep on going because if you give up you die too. I still would like to have known just what was wrong with him. That doctor didn't say anything to you while you was in there when he was doing whatever he was doing did he?
LYNNE: He told me had a bowel blockage. You know that his bowels were blocked.
LIGHTFOOT: Well did he say he got it unblocked?
LYNNE: No remember you were giving him that medicine and they were hoping that that would make it work but he wasn't very optimistic. You know because he said he was old and sick.
LIGHTFOOT: He was afraid he was going to die.
LYNNE: He was.
LIGHTFOOT: Well you know what honey he was fourteen years old and never been sick in his life. Never been sick. But I gave him garlic every almost every other day not every day. And he was healthy and just taken sick all the sudden like, I don't know what was wrong. But anyway and anyhow I've got to live long until my time comes to go and I'm sure he wouldn't want me to grieve after him on and on. But I think I will.
Maybe this other dog will help. He's much bigger and he don't look no ways like him. I was hoping I could get another dog that looked like him. You know maybe I thought that maybe that would help some. Get another dog that looked like him. Well I have no way of going and looking you know no way. Even if I looked any place I couldn't have went seen about it.
LYNNE: Yea this dog is pretty big.
LIGHTFOOT: Hua?
LYNNE: This dog is pretty big. You should have a little dog. I think you need a little dog.
LIGHTFOOT: This is a pretty big dog.
LYNNE: For I think yea.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea it's a pretty good size. But it seems to want to try to mind you know and listen if he don't pull me. If he pulls me I can't do that you know when I'm walking. And I keep thinking well I just got him last night and I was gone this morning to nearly dinner. I keep thinking that maybe he will get acquainted or whatever you might say to me and would understand to walk if he'd just walk and not pull because I can't take that if he pulls me down. He's strong dog. What kind of dog do you think it is?
LYNNE: I don't know.
LIGHTFOOT: I've seen dogs like him before but I don't know what they are. I can't understand why how people can raise a little puppy which I reckon they did him and up until now and have all kinds of medicine all kind of play toys and everything a little ole shopping bag full of stuff, medicine and everything else and then take that dog and carry it down to the, it ain't the pound what do you call it?
LYNNE: Animal shelter they call it.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea shelter, animal shelter. Lord I couldn't have done it. Oh somebody would had to kill me before I'd take Randall down. They'd have to kill me first.
LYNNE: Hokie can you tell me about your parents? Your father was a Cherokee Indian.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea my daddy was full blooded Cherokee Indian and then that's where he got the Lightfoot name that's a Cherokee Indian name from South Carolina or North Carolina one of the two but both of them have that. He married my grandmother which was not Cherokee Indian she was English or Irish or something like that she was just like normal people. And they lived together until my daddy was three or four years old then he wanted to go to Savannah where he could find work. He couldn't find anything much there in Bartow, Georgia. So my grandmother told him I don't want to go because I got my mother here. I think they had she said rose cancer of the head and she said "I can't leave her by herself and go to Savannah" and take Jim or James they called him. They called him Jim mostly but his name was James "and go to Savannah and leave her by herself." So my granddaddy said "well if you won't do that I'm gonna go home without ya and I'll send you some money for the boy and I'm going to stay in Savannah." So he did he stayed in Savannah he got married he got divorce and got married again. Well my daddy got grown and was out of school at the time he said to my mother "I want to go to Savannah, Georgia and get me a job." I reckon he wanted to see his father but he didn't know where his father lived but he knew he went to Savannah. So when he went there he got him a job as a carpenter's helper because he said he knew his daddy was a carpenter and that's what he went there to do was to carpenter. He said "maybe I'll run up on him that way." So when he got the job one day the foreman said called out "Lightfoot come here." So my daddy and his daddy both went to him so when they got to him my daddy said to him "he didn't call you he called me, he called Lightfoot." And then my granddaddy said to him "well he didn't call you he called me, my name is Lightfoot." And they found out right then and then that it was daddy and son. That's the way they found out right then so my granddaddy said to my daddy "you want to go home with us tonight and meet some of your little half brothers and sisters I have two or three kids" something like that. He said "yes I'll go home with you and see them." So he went home with him and seen them but it wasn't exciting to my daddy because he was raised alone and I don't think that he cared to much for them. And so after awhile working there, I imagine to get money enough to get back to Bartow he gets on the train then and goes back to Bartow, Georgia. Well Savannah was in Georgia too and left em and he never did go back down Savannah to look for him. But he had always wanted to see what his father looked like because he had seen him but he hadn't remembered seeing how he looked and wanted to see how he looked. So he found out though that he was what you might call the spitten image of his daddy and his daddy was so proud to see him after he got grown and see how that you made you know made man like him favored him that kind of stuff.
So the times all go on he met my mother then and she had been married before and had two kids a boy and a girl, Addie and Robert. So he went with her for a long time and my grandmother Lightfoot did not want her boy to marry a widow woman with two kids. She said "son you will have to take care of them two kids, the other mans kids and I don't want you to do that. I don't want you to have to raise the other fellows kids. Raise your own but not theirs." So my daddy agreed with her that that wouldn't be so good but on the other hand he went with my mother I think about seven years it was a long time from what they said, a long time. So my grandmother said to my daddy one day "you know I have an idea, I'll take what little money I have" which wasn't very much, "and I give it to you to go to Savannah and stay down there one solid year so when you come back you won't care nothing about that widow woman and them two babies, them two kids. You'll be married maybe you'll find somebody else there and you'll marry them before you come back." So my daddy agreed and he left my mother went to Savannah to go to work to forget about her. But during the time that he was there doing that my mother and him was writing back and forth all the time. He knew what she was doing they knew what each other was doing the whole time so when a year was up it happen to be right at Christmas time so he wrote my mother and told her meet me at Bartow at the train station and I'll go and get the license and we'll go get married over at the Courthouse.
Get the old man and the old lady to bring you to Bartow to when I get off the train and we'll go get the license and get married. So that's what happened they got married at night but she was so disappointed he wanted to go on then to see his mother and so my mother went with him and had to take the two kids and when they got there my grandmother Lightfoot's house she didn't even want my mother to go in because she didn't not want my daddy to marry her and that's the reason she sent him off for one year so he wouldn't come and marry her and that's the first thing that he did, come back and married her. And then took her to her house. So that only shows you one thing for the one person that you are supposed to get there is no was you can forget them or somebody else can take them because it's for you and you alone and that's what will happen to you down the line regardless of what you do or how you have to turn things around. But the whole thing winds up that the kids got grown. All them and my daddy and mother are all dead all dead and gone now into another time another place and another time.
Yea that's the way all that happened. And Addie and Robert they both got married of course to men and women and Robert had eleven children and I told him over and over "I said Robert if it was me I'd have one more or I'd have got one more to make it a round dozen. Cause you got eleven just one more would make it a dozen." So he'd have that many. And he said "no I'm just going to leave it like it is eleven." That's what they had eleven kids. Addie didn't have but three, she had three. She didn't have so many. Like I said baby today I'm not even thinking but anyway, mosquitoes [inaudible] to. Usually I could think of a lot of things.
LYNNE: I'm remembering another story you told me about your mother's house burning.
LIGHTFOOT: My house, when I was—
LYNNE: When you were little.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea when I was a young girl at home. After my mother died then an elderly couple come to live with me cause I was by myself and we had a turpentine still not very far walking distance from the house so we'd go down there and get what we called [inaudible] the skimmings out of the top and put it aside and you could take and burn that to start a fire with it. It's all you could burn it for cause it was just a flash. You put wood on it it really would start a fire. So he had a little heater in his room and he would get that [inaudible] and put in his heater. So this particular day which was January the 4th taken some and put it in there and I reckon he must have put to much fire went out the flew and set the house on fire set the shingles on fire. So his wife and I I pumped the water and she carried it and tried to pour it on the fire it was like the blind leading the blind. Neither one could do nothing. The house burnt down and that was the most horrible thing that I ever experienced. That burnt up everything I had there then. Had nothing absolutely nothing left when the house was out it burned down no stopping couldn't stop it. All went down I didn't know whether I wanted to live anymore or die because it was so horrible I had not a penny. Even burnt up my shoes because I was going barefooted to try to save my shoes to go to church and to town and so my shoes was in there and my good clothes was in there, burnt them all up. And there I was barefooted and rack of a clothes on. But anyhow it's what I say you got to keep fighting on and on and on.
I went from there took [inaudible] again to Savannah. He got me a job and went to work lived there for about six months with some friends. So one day the lady come in she says "somebody want's to see you at the house." And I went to see it was a man I had known over the years but I hadn't seen him in years so he says "well I guess we're supposed to get married we're gonna get married are you gonna marry me?" Well he had wrote me before that, ain't that a beautiful butterfly sitting right there?
LYNNE: It sure is.
LIGHTFOOT: He said "well I've come to marry you and we'll go back to Miami, Florida." So that day we went to Savannah courthouse and the man in there married us. We got on the evening bus and come back to Savannah, he come back. Both of us got a job in Savannah, he got out of the service and I [inaudible] work [inaudible] and he got a job plastering. We went from living from there and we had a house a place to live so it was home I got a home again after having everything burn up and gone. So that's the way that I was raised, never stop. Keep pushing forward cause there is always something ahead. If you work towards it and help yourself to make the day and make it go it will go and you will survive so till now there I sit the things that are all behind me have nothing to look for tomorrow only tomorrow. Anyway whatever it is I'm ready for whatever makes the day I ready to make it. With two, three or four kites which ever and a dog now. Whether I'll be able to keep the dog or not it's a strong dog. I will try and see if I can and see what is ahead.
In a way it's dangerous to wait and see what's ahead of you cause a lot of time it's completely changed from what you thought it might be. It's harder or else it's lighter easer or something. Like I was when I was standing in the crisis in Savannah working so worried I had no place to stay right at that time. Some lady come in to buy hosiery I was on the hosiery counter and she looked at me and she said "is is this Hokie Lightfoot from Vidalia, Georgia?" I said "yes, lady this is Hokie Lightfoot from Vidalia, Georgia why, who are you?" She said "this is Emma Atkins that used to be living next door to you when you was a little tiny baby. I remember you when you was little, when you was growing up I'd go back there to see my mother she still lived there for a while and you was still there. And now you're all grown and left there and come here. What was the reason because I know your mother and daddy would have never let you come down here and got a job and went to work?" So I told her in brief what had happened and she says "well don't worry about a place to stay I'm going to leave here right now and go to the furniture store and get you a bed, mattress and pillows and sheets and everything that you need for the bed and have it sent out to the house and I'll be back here when it's 6 o'clock comes waiting for you to get off from work and I'll take you home where you won't have to worry about a place to stay cause you can stay with us." And so that's exactly what she did so that was worth more than a million dollars for me at that time. And it was a lot bigger and better than a million dollars if she had a given me that because I was worried so bad not knowing where I was going or what I was going to do. But life is a secret you have to keep looking and waiting for something to open up and it will if you keep pushing forward and never give up. Don't look back because there's nothing behind you but what you've seen. Look forward for things you didn't see and life will be much easier and better.
Although I have nothing to look forward to today but I may see tomorrow hoping that it will be a beautiful day like today has been. And then having somebody to come sit and talk with me like the lady that's sitting here now that's a wondering what she's going to do tomorrow or how she's gonna do tomorrow. But tomorrow will all open up for a brighter day or so we hope. We look forward to that a bigger and brighter day. We'll start out looking for things like that not looking for just sad things cause the sad things comes often enough.
LYNNE: When you first came to Ochopee you told me all the land was under water and you had to dredge out to make solid ground to build your house?
LIGHTFOOT: Well four feet of fill was put in right here, four feet. You know that's about that much I imagine.
LYNNE: Four feet of fill you had to have put in here.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea because you step in it and your feet your legs would go up above the knees you'd just go right down soft you know. And of course we had to have trucks and things to come in and we bought fill bought from one of the places and then we dug a little canal right over there on the side and had a man over there with a machine throwing fill back over this way to. And that was a cost in fact it got so we took everything we had. [Side 2] LYNNE: You came here in 1953 I think you told me?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea well it's over there on that thing. Yea, yea that's what it is 1953 it's almost faded out it should be all that should be repainted over and over it's never been repainted that I know of. That one particular top the bottom has been repainted but not the top.
LYNNE: And you all bought land that was under water?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, yea, yea well that was better than what it could be at that time they were trying to put in canals in the back to dry the place up which didn't help a lot to dry the water up because it run off and went into the Gulf over there. And the people could then plant vegetables and had vegetables, tomatoes and cucumbers and things like that growed right out in the woods. They'd go out there and block em off a place and start setting out tomatoes and cucumbers not cucumbers but tomatoes and okra stuff like that. And it done real good because it was new land done real good. Especially after they got the canals all in but now the government will block them canals off now it's making the water back up and come back so it's not going to be to good for none of it. But anyway and anyhow we were here to wait to see what's going to happen next what will come around and happen next and everything.
LYNNE: In Ochopee you and your husband opened a store right?
LIGHTFOOT: Well small things like going fishing you know like sardines and crackers and things like that and candies and crackers and soft drinks and beer if you wanted it and worms and all kind of things to fish with.
LYNNE: It was a fishing store then?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea. Bait and tackle.
LYNNE: Bait McKay's Bait and Tackle.
LIGHTFOOT: Everything to fish with and so that's what we had. We did pretty good at that time cause there were a lot of people here we sold a lot of stuff. But now there's just nobody and nobody to sell to so everything is dying out going back instead of going forward.
But the days will return but not in my time. I think to tell you the truth really the government when it gets the whole thing in their hand like the want it then I think they'll rebuild fix something here for a small town to earn a living again. Because you know just this land laying up here ain't going to bring em a dime. So if they put people and things to work with like some kind of factory or something they could make a living the people be here where they can get money from that. And I don't think their going to let this stuff lay out right on and on and on without wanting help to put a thing in their pocket taking it out all the time. But I could be wrong myself I'm wrong a lot of time. I think that's what they'll do when they get the whole thing in their hand, yea the whole thing.
LYNNE: You also told me about having some houses in back and caring for people who didn't have a place to live?
LIGHTFOOT: Oh yea, oh yea I had some little trailers mostly and some rooms back there and when these old men would come walking on the highway and come in they was old men. They were give out they were hungry they had no place to stay. Would say to me "lady do you have anything that I could eat?" And I would say to them "yes, if I don't have something cooked, I will cook it for you." And I always usually had something cooked maybe some of the time that I had to cook something because there was eleven of them at different times come. And whatever I did I fed them then whenever I'd feed them they'd go to sleep and want to know if I had anywhere just for them for them to lay down so they could rest. And they'd get up and go again. So I'd go around from door to door back there where the other ones that I had "can you have room enough for John or Tom or Ben or someone?" "Well Hokie there is somebody else out there wanting a place to stay, yes, yes well yes we got a place big enough for em to lay down bring him on in and lay down an go to sleep until tomorrow and we'll fix him a place we'll get him a place somewhere somehow or something. So that would be what he would do, go back and lay down and go to sleep. The next day we would find some kind of a trailer, fix some kind of a room, do something where that one could have a place that he could stay of his own and then he'd cook and eat what he had the food and live there for the rest of his entire life until he was old for sure and died and I took care of them all, everyone. Cooked for them, washed for them, sewed for them. Carried them to the doctor and went with them to the funerals and that was all that I could ever do for them. But I enjoyed it because I was young and strong and all that work was a pleasure to help somebody that couldn't help themselves. And today I'm about the same way now I can't help myself but I do the best that I can with what I have to do with. I think he's a pretty cat, don't you?
LYNNE: Yea that's a pretty cat. When you were taking care of these men, did you have your store too?
LIGHTFOOT: In what?
LYNNE: When you were taking care of the men, the homeless men, did you also run the store?
LIGHTFOOT: Oh yea, I not only taken care of them I run the store. I had from twenty-five to fifty kids out here. I had business I had my husband laying in that trailer in there. I taken care of him like a baby bathed him. I got up a 4 o'clock in the morning and bathed him put him on clean clothes and he never would put on a pair of pajamas unless it was starched and ironed so I had to do all of that and every morning that's what I did. Bathed him and shave him put him on his clean clothes put his pajamas on and he was ready for the day. And lay there and whatever he wanted to do. Talk to people that would in and listen at him or whatever. While I was going from this one to that one and helping the other old men and helping the kids and one of the kids would holler "Momma" I'd run and see what was wrong with them. Some times one of them would be sick but never of them ever got hurt bad thank God, while I had them.
LYNNE: Which kids were these? Children in the neighborhood?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea the women would get em a job see like I told you this was just like a little town. The women like now you know men can't hardly make a living without the wife working harder today. Well it was even worse then it was harder to get a job. The women would get jobs mostly from hotels making rooms, cleaning hotels that was most of what they had cause they didn't have no degree of no kind they had to work hard labor and so that is what they would do. And so whenever they'd get a job they wouldn't come up there and say "Momma Hokie would you keep my kids I've got a job to go to work tomorrow?" They'd bring the kids put them out "Momma Hokie take care of my kids till I come to get them." And they'd go on so there would be like I say anywhere from twenty-five to fifty kids playing and having the fun of their lives in this yard. So one day one of em's mother was here, she's dead now, but her name was Mary Ellen so the youngins was screaming and hollering like youngins would nothing wrong but just excited and playing, I said to Mary Ellen "Mary Ellen please go out there and make them children hush for one minute I can't even hear myself think." "There not my children Hokie, their your children, you go out there and make em hush because their not my children." I said "well I guess you said about enough. I'm going to go out there and make them hush." So I walks out here and I stomp my foot on the ground "youngins I'm sick and tired of all this noise I want you to give me five minutes of rest, be quite and don't say nothing out loud hollering at one another for five minutes and after the five minutes is over then you can start back to having fun again." Them youngins would get quiet and sometime it would be an hour before they'd start up because they didn't know how long five minutes were. And we'd sit out here under the chickee the youngins are so quiet so quiet so quiet waiting for that five minutes to get out. And you know but all of the sudden they'd get together and it would break loose they'd think well the five minutes was out. So the whole thing would happen and that's what happened. That happened a lot of time that I'd have to do that and I'd do that when there wasn't no mother's here when I wanted them to get quiet because they would drive me crazy sometimes I wanted to get a little rest from hearing the youngins scream. They didn't know how long five minutes were. Clinton you hungry baby? What time is it do you know?
LYNNE: I've got a watch, it's 2:30.
LIGHTFOOT: You hungry darling?
LYNNE: Do you remember any of the other families around here?
LIGHTFOOT: Do I what honey?
LYNNE: Do you remember any of the other people who lived in Ochopee?
LIGHTFOOT: Yes I guess I do honey I've taken care of all their youngins I should know some of them. Yea but they didn't never come over to see nothing about em, they didn't, I'd have to worry if one got sick sometimes two or three days before they could get in touch with their momma and daddy to come and see about them getting medicine or get them to the doctor. They figured as long as I had them that I'd take care of them which I did until they found out you know that they were bad sick.
LYNNE: You mean they didn't pick their kids up at night?
LIGHTFOOT: Sometimes they would and sometimes they wouldn't. They didn't care. I tell you the way I think they looked at it. If Momma Hokie's got em we don't have to worry they've got something to eat and go to bed. See cause I'd pile them up in there you know in our bedroom for them all pad it down on the floor, put them all down on the floor.
LYNNE: Were these black children or white children?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea they were white, they were Indians and Mexicans and white. All of them slept together you know I mean they didn't nobody lived in my house but white people but I mean you know different houses it was some Mexicans and some Indians and white people. So to go to work and that's where they'd bring the youngins all over to me. And they never did say how much you want for taking care of my kids or what are you going to charge me or nothing.
LYNNE: No they didn't pay you anything?
LIGHTFOOT: Once in a while if I mended something a pair of pants or brassiere or something. But it wasn't like paying a bill no. Well they figured I'd take care of them I did, took care of them. When they would come after them they would be clean washed and whatever the clothes that they had you know would be clean. I'd wash them, iron them have them ready. So I reckon well Mary Ellen told me a time or two "if I should die I want you to take my kids and finish raising them." But she didn't die until they were all grown. They was all raised before she died and she told me that but the others were probably were satisfied but I don't remember them ever telling me that.
LYNNE: Did you raise, I heard that you raised one of the Indian children?
LIGHTFOOT: Corey, Rosey's boy.
LYNNE: Did you raise an Indian boy?
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, well the it was a day before he was born Alice come over it's was when my husband was living, he was sick and that Cadillac out there was in good shape. She knocked on the door before daylight.
LYNNE: This is Rosa? Who knocked on the door?
LIGHTFOOT: Alice, Rose's sister and she said "Hokie if somebody don't come and get up and take Rosie to the hospital she's going to die. She's been two days trying to have that baby and she can't have it. That's her first baby and she can't have the baby by herself." See they always just have their babies by themselves and she can't have it if she don't get some where she's just passed out now she can't do nothing. She'd be dead in a little while. So I told her I said "Alice my husband is not able to drive to Naples but I'll tell you what he said he would do. He would get up and get his clothes on and take the car and drive over there and pick Rosie up and take her to Everglades City the fish house where the man where you people work sometimes and ask him to take his car and take Rosie on to the hospital." And he could come back home, he'd do that much cause he can't you can't go up to Everglades City. And she said "I sure would appreciate it." So I got him up and helped him to get dressed and eat a bite and then he went and got in the car and went on over there and picked up Rosie and Granny and Alice and take them over to Everglades City to the fish man place where they had worked and he got them in his car and took them on to Naples. And when they got to Naples Rosie was so near dead they said she didn't know whether she'd live or the baby would live because it had been in birth so long. But they cut her stomach open and taken him out of her side and of course them Indians being tough she survived it still living and Corey came out jumping and hopping. But that's when I come in again. Rosie wasn't at home but a couple of days before she went right on back to work again and when she went back to work again I'd go every morning and get little Corey and bring him over here and bath him and dress him and fill a bottle and take care of him all day long. And Rosie would come in from work and come over "Hokie have you seen my baby today?" "Yes I've seen my baby Rosie but I ain't seen your baby but I'll tell you what, if you be good and promise me you'll be good to my baby you go back home and take a bath and fix yourself something to eat and eat and then come back and get my baby and I'll let you take him over there and sleep with you tonight providing you leave things out where I can pick it up early in the morning as soon as you leave to go to work and bring him back home." So Rosie would go home fix her stuff like I told her and leave Corey out where he could get everything everything he had to for me to bath him and put on more clothes and all that kind of stuff and go on through the day and then till that boy got big big boy was going to school and everything else. He thought this was home, this was home to him. He slept at home and stayed over here. That was the way was. He's 32 I think 32 years old now. Clinton, baby do you want to turn it off let me see if I can feed him. And then after I feed him I won't try feed the other cats. Clinton you hungry? Clinton? Clinton, come here, you hungry? I fed him about 6 o'clock this morning, come on. We'll talk a little more another time you know.
LYNNE: I could except like I say their sort of ending my program here.
LIGHTFOOT: You got what hon?
LYNNE: Their finishing up my part of the program here, they aren't going to let me stay any longer so I'm going to have to leave here.
LIGHTFOOT: Well shoot em! My God why aren't they going to let you stay longer because you stayed there while you were doing for them. And you could have stayed you know what it would be if you wanted to stay some after they were gone. That ain't even right.
LYNNE: Well but that's the way.
LIGHTFOOT: That's business?
LYNNE: That's business and that's the way it is right now.
LIGHTFOOT: Terrible business but that is business I guess baby cause that's my life to. When the business ends you get out and go. Oh there was a little colored girl that was living up there. After you left two or three days after we cared for Randall when Randall was still sick he hadn't died and she come down here. She was living up there and she had some plants. Well is she still up there?
LYNNE: I don't know there is only one, was this Teej? TJ? Did she wear a bandanna on her head?
LIGHTFOOT: Well I think it seem to me like she did. And she had vegetable growing in window boxes that she had made. And she told me she had oh some kind of unusual vegetable that they use up north and she was raising that it wasn't dandelion that's something.
LYNNE: She brought them for you?
LIGHTFOOT: No, no she said she would but I never seen her no more.
LYNNE: Did she stop by here?
LIGHTFOOT: She stopped by and bought a box of worms.
LYNNE: Oh she bought some worms.
LIGHTFOOT: She said she was going to put the worms in the boxes in the window boxes where the vegetable was growing.
LYNNE: Yea there is only one black woman up there and her name is TJ she works for the fire crew.
LIGHTFOOT: She was a fireman. Yea she was a fireman.
LYNNE: Ok it must be TJ then. If I see her I'll tell say hello for you.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea, yea she was a fireman, that's right. Her name now as you said was TJ because I had a nephew by that same name. His name was Thomas Joseph but we called him TJ for short.
LYNNE: Sometimes the call her Teej. Like they've you know moved them together.
LIGHTFOOT: Well she was very friendly.
LYNNE: Nice lady.
LIGHTFOOT: And what it seemed like now that it was a dandelion. Do they grow dandelion wild up north?
LYNNE: Dandelions do grow wild up north.
LIGHTFOOT: And they eat it don't they?
LYNNE: Yea.
LIGHTFOOT: Well I think it must have been dandelion cause she said she wanted she really loved it and she went back up there to get some seed just like she wanted. Well honey when Randall died that was along in September he died the 23rd of September so that's been a long time those dandelions ought to be grown and eat up and gone.
LYNNE: Well I'll have to ask her about them. Do you remember the town of Ochopee do you remember like the houses or the stores that were here? Before the Park came in do you remember who lived there or the stores or?
LIGHTFOOT: A lot of them yea a lot of them sold to the Park you know that's how come some of them to leave here how come the place has all gone down to nothing now because the Park people come in and people was crazy I tried to tell them, people want to buy your place and the way that they did it to make it exciting they would say "I will give you a hundred dollars for your place and I'll give you seventy-five dollars to move out." Wasn't that something, give you a hundred dollars for it. Well you know it would be more but I'm just clamping it down.
LYNNE: Right.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea a hundred dollars for the place and I'll give you seventy-five dollars to move away. That's a gift to you. And the stupid people would think that that hundred dollars was going to pay for that place you see. But when they said it to them they'd get say what a hundred plus the seventy-five for the moving out and then when they'd go to buy them another place they could not buy them a place with the hundred dollars that they got for their other place so they'd have to pay down so much and pay right on and I think by now maybe they've got it paid off. If they ain't dead off. But that's what the government done you see it made it sound good I'm giving you something, I'm paying you for your place now this money pays you for your place but I'm going to give you seventy-five dollars more just for you to move out.
LYNNE: So how did you end up staying?
LIGHTFOOT: Well I didn't fool with the government, no. We were here a long time before the government come in. We bought it from Mr. & Mrs. Hire living right next door. They owned all of it then and we bought the place the land from them and filled it in and made it what it was. It used to be looking good you know when it was kept up but it's not kept up no more and we had a good business and all that was good. But the days have come and gone forty years makes a lot of difference in everything. And nothing is good anymore.
LYNNE: What do you remember about the Hires?
LIGHTFOOT: Well Mr. & Mrs. Hire were two nice people. They had a grocery store right across the street up there and run that grocery store and they would one would go in the morning and work the grocery store while the one would stay home and rest. And then in the evening the other would stay home and that one would go and run the store. That way they made out pretty good for a long time. But the first thing we knew Mr. Hire had a heart attack and he didn't die but the doctors told him he wouldn't never be able to work anymore so they decided then to sell the store out and sell this place out and go somewhere else. Up close to the lake where they could go fishing. Everybody had the idea of going fishing when they can't do nothing else. So that's exactly what they did but he was to sick after he'd got there he died pretty quick. And then she got married again. She come down here with her new husband after then. But wasn't to long about the next thing I heard then Mrs. Hire had died and left her husband and the little boy Charles Billy Indian boy that they raised they had him with him so he got what was left. He was forced to get what they left because he was adopted child as far as they was concerned. They didn't have no children. They raised him.
LYNNE: Who was Charlie Billy's mother?
LIGHTFOOT: Charlie Billy was Granny's grandson her baby boy's boy. He had married and the woman had had two or three kids and then when Charles come along she died. You know that's what happens out in the woods when women had a baby by themselves. A lot of the time they would die so she died and left him with three or four little Indians and Charlie a baby so Granny took the baby over and she finished well she finished raising all of them and Charles as far as that was concerned. But then now the younger kids are all gone and Granny now is dead, I didn't tell you?
LYNNE: Yea I know she died this fall. What do you remember about Granny?
LIGHTFOOT: What honey?
LYNNE: What do you remember about Granny?
LIGHTFOOT: Well she never learned to speak English but when we come here forty years ago I knew that her husband had worked over at the sawmill over there so I told Rosie and Alice and I said "if you'll get Granny together" because at that time the Social Security people come to Everglades City every Thursday I said "if you'll get her cleaned up and you go and I'll do the best I can of cleaning up and we'll go over to Everglades City and I'll do the talking for you people." Because Rosie and them couldn't speak much English but now they can talk good English. But Granny couldn't speak any English. So I said "I'll do the talking to the Social Security woman." I said they didn't even know how old Granny was. I said "I know Granny is old enough to be sixty-two and her husband is done dead and gone and she should be getting his Social Security." So here we go to Everglades City to the Social Security lady and the way that she found out how old she was, Rosie would ask Granny in Indian how long did you stay at Mr. Brown's place? She'd tell her ten years to twenty years. "But how long did you stay at Mr. So-in-so's place?" Until the Social Security lady says "you don't have to ask her how long she stayed anywhere else, because I've done counted her up to be seventy-five now. So we don't need, we only need sixty-two so we've got seventy-five." And she said "we might as well just let it go now." So that's what happened and Granny from that time on till she died she got Social Security which was between two and three hundred dollars. Which helped them at that time they were awful poor and had nothing except for what they'd work out. And Granny wasn't able to work to good. So that was big help to her and they would have never thought about taking her up there and doing all that. But me I was raised all of my life honey, looked at the other fellar I never thought about myself at all, look at him and see what I can do to help you or to get or help you get some help for something. Or anything, anything so when I come here I seen that old lady walking around here trying to work and hungry and in every other kind of way so I figured out something that she could get that she wouldn't have to worry to much about getting food and that's exactly what we did went to the Social Security woman and got that Social Security. And Granny lived happily ever after cause she was getting over two hundred dollars and see they don't cost nothing for them to live no where. Don't have to pay no rent and nothing else and at that time they didn't have no lights or no water. They dug they own well and they used lamps for light and all that so they didn't never have to worry about nothing. And they still do that they have electricity over there now because they all working making good money and as far as I know would be doing that right on for a long time. And all are pretty healthy too. But they were kids at that time they're all grown and married and got kids, time goes on, goes on, goes on. Comes no end. But there will be an end to time to. When it change be another world I suppose imagination time tells us all that I guess.
There used to be a pretty nice place here to live when they had them stores over there and they had grocery stores and Indians had a big store that they could had all their goods there to sell. Then they had a big nice liquor store which wasn't very charming to me but it was there for people that did want it. So people a lot of people lived around here in and out and all around to work in the fields you know where they were making not corn, cucumbers, okra and tomatoes. That's about what they could grow because it was a fast quick crop and they made a lot of money on it. They sent it up north because they could make it down here during the winter and send it up there when it was freezing cold and they'd all have plenty. So that was what Florida was good for at that time and still is. But they about quit doing any hard work and now and the Indians got that big place down at Forty Mile Bend that they put on shows off and on all day long. Have you ever been down there?
LYNNE: Yea well it was not the season so it was kind of empty and they didn't have all their exhibits up. But I saw some sewing and some jewelry and saw the alligators.
LIGHTFOOT: Yea they have alligator wrestling.
LYNNE: Yea alligator wrestling.
LIGHTFOOT: Well it's like I started to say now Rosie is over here at the house and she makes skirts and blouses and everything over there. But she if you want to buy any she would make them cheaper than they sell them down there cause when she make them she sells them to them and then they put more price on it and sell it to you. Aprons, anything she makes you know she'd sell it to you cheaper than you could buy it down there. And it's the same stuff because they got it from her. But she'd probably let me well I had a skirt in fact I had two skirts and several aprons, Indian. They hardly ever wear out so many little pieces and the seams and all and makes it last longer and better I suppose in that kind of stuff. But you know it's interesting to see how they live and how they cook and all that. The food is real good, the food is real good I mean to me because that was more or less the way I was raised so it does taste better cooked slow on a wood fire.
LYNNE: Do you remember the postmaster Sid Brown?
LIGHTFOOT: Oh Sid Brown he was the postmaster when we come here.
LYNNE: Yea.
LIGHTFOOT: Yes he was. So how come that Post Office [inaudible] he had another Post Office there big big hurricane come tore up everything around here including the Post Office. Just tore it to smitherings so when the mailman would come and bring the mail every morning they'd have to take it over to Mr. Brown's house then everybody didn't have no mail delivery but everybody would have to go to his house to get their mail. So he put up with that only a short time, something like two or three weeks and he told the man that delivered the mail you're not going to build me no Post Office I'm gonna make my own I'm not going to ask you to make me a Post Office. How are you going to make a Post Office Mr. Brown?" "I'll show you, I'll make my own Post Office." So he goes into the back of his field takes his wheelbarrow gets his tool shed, gets somebody to help him put it up on the wheelbarrow help him to hold it and push it across the road, highway across to where it's standing now. He got that tool shed out of the wheelbarrow and set it up. He cut him some windows in it already had a door. Put in some windows in it he went to painting Post Office all over it, Post Office. So the next day when the postman come he met him down the road a little piece he said "you don't have to go to my house anymore put my mail in the Post Office up there." "Post Office" he says "where you don't got a Post Office." He said "I got one and I've just painted it inside and out so be careful that you don't get paint on you." So the postman come and looked at that tool house sitting up there and said "That's an awful looking Post Office to me but I'll leave the mail here." So he has been leaving mail there at that Post Office every since. So that must have been better then forty years ago that's that been the same Post Office been refixed repainted and now it's always been that you could only get two people in there at one time the Post Master and you and you'd have to turn around to get back out again. But anyway the Post Office and Mr. Brown didn't like for people to go to his house and ask for mail. He was the cutest funny old man he just didn't like for them to go in there tramping backwards and forwards he said in the house and bringing dirt and stuff in there. Then he'd have to start cleaning up again so he made his own Post Office and that Post Office is world wide now. It's the smallest Post Office in the whole world not just the United States but in the whole world the smallest Post Office so it carries the name. And there are four and five trailers comes and stops by there nearly everyday. People get off and take pictures and buy stamps and buy cards and everything from there and mail cards and everything from Ochopee, Florida because the pictures of the Post Office shows ya that it is the smallest one in the whole world and everybody is doing their best to shop there.
And Mr. Brown [inaudible] but he didn't know that he was making the notorious Post Office in the whole world. But it still works today carries more mail than any other Post Office around here. It carries it has more mail in it there than Copeland or Everglades City put together. Because they deliver it all out in the woods you know and Geri is going all day long delivering mail to different places and so that's the reason they say it had more mail more mail than any other. Is that my cat or is that the Indian cat?
LYNNE: That's your cat.
LIGHTFOOT: He's running back he's scared of them. If it had been the Indian cat he'd a been going after them.
LYNNE: So did you walk over to get your mail?
Then yea, they didn't have no mail delivery then you had to walk over there. And that was the reason why we got such a thing I don't know what you might call it, but Mr. Hill would build a house he was a man come and turned the electricity on which he was the electric man involved in that and so he said to my husband which was in the bed sick all the time. "Tony I'm going to put this in house electric it won't cost half as much as business cause business cost more. And you're not able to work and there's only Hokie working doing everything here. I'm going to put it in house electric and as long as you two don't say nothing about it nobody will ever know it and you'll get it at half price." So at that time I wasn't thinking when people would come by and say "Hokie we're going to the Post Office you want us to ask for your mail?" "Yea, yea, yea." Because that way I won't have to walk after it. So some of the time they must have got my electric bill at that time it come on a card electric bill was on a card and you could see just exactly what the other fellow's bill was. So somebody got that card they brought it to me I don't know who it was myself but they turned it in to the electric company that this place was running a business and was having only to pay house electric. Then after the man come out they had Mr. Hill come back out Mr. BeBe was up there and had a stroke and I was up there bathing and dressing her and fixed her something to eat so he come here looking for Tony to tell him what he had to do. Tony said "don't tell me nothing because I'm sick man and I'd get excited and throw up tell my wife whatever you want to tell her." He said "well where is she at?" "She's up at Mrs. BeBe's where she's had a stroke and helpless and she's up there fixing her something to eat and bathing her and putting her on clean clothes." He said "well how long will it be before she gets back?" He said "Oh I have no idea when she gets through." He said "well I can't wait I better go on up there and talk to her up there." He said "that would be a smart idea." So here come Mr. Hill and told me "Hokie I hate to do this so bad but I must do it." Well I said "what?" And he told me, I said "Mr. Hill if I get to where I can't pay you the electricity bill I'll call you up two or three days before and I'll tell you come and cut the light off Mr. Hill because I can't pay em." And I said "you have nothing to worry about." So—you better get away from there.
Anyway he went and put it on and now I pay the double and I have no business at all but I got license. Got license saying it's a business you know. And so that's the way it goes. All these many years I've paid as a big business would have to pay on it. Tommy, Clinton leave that cat alone. I'm still looking for a turn in my life that things gonna be easy, they ain't going be nice but I don't know what day that going to be.
[End of Tape]
Description
Clara McKay, also known as Hokie Lightfoot, came to Ochopee, Florida from Georgia in the early 1950's. Her father was Cherokee, and she is locally famous as the “Beer-Worm Lady” due to a sign posted by her home that advertises beer and worms for sale. In this oral history interview she talks about the alligator attack, her parents, running a shelter for homeless men, and caring for children in the community. Interviewed by Erica Lynne on December 6, 1994
Credit
Big Cypress National Preserve
Date Created
12/06/1994
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