We're in Wewoka, Oklahoma -- capital of the Seminole Nation and site of the annual "Sorghum Days" festival.
Here, the mules go round, sorghum cane is fed into the press, and juice plus considerable scrap are produced.
The fellow with a pitchfork is historically accurate. The tractor with front end loader came later; much later. The
sign on the building in the background says "Fry Bread and Indian Tacos." Both are popular treats in Indian
Country, though I think neither are traditional. Making fry bread takes wheat flour and a deep fryer, and I doubt
Native Americans made tacos with Iceberg Lettuce and Cheddar Cheese. But then, Chow Mein isn't Chinese.
The juice is boiled down in these pans to produce sorghum mollases. Until the 20th century, molasses was the
primary sweetener for Americans, because for most folks white sugar was too costly for everyday use. My Dad
shared an apartment in the 30's with friends who kept a bucket of "sorghum" at the table. Whether they were having
biscuits or beans, generous amounts of molasses were added.
The use of forge, hammer and anvil to fashion metal objects is being demonstrated by a blacksmith.
Law enforcement was on hand, too. This "Oklahoma Highway Patrol car" looks fast enough to catch bad guys.
A gospel singer performs at the former railroad depot. The "Wewoka Switch" sign refers to a bit of Oklahoma
history. During Wewoka's great oil boom days, the town's train yard (the "switch") was overloaded with freight
cars holding drilling equipment and other goods. It could take weeks to get a much-needed shipment out of the
traffic jam. The phrase "caught in the Wewoka Switch" came to mean any predicament that's hard to get out of.
But we didn't get caught in the Wewoka Switch, and swiftly returned home.
