Cardwell MO. Bootheel area. (Washington, Ozark: house, theater, school)

[billr]

Just curious if anyone that is old enough to know anything about Cardwell Mo in the early 50s ever visit this board.

My name is Bill Reed

I lived in Cardwell and attended chool there in the early 1950s and can still remember a few people I knew but not very many. I did not graduate from Cardwell high as I left school during the 10th grade. I did get more education during and after my stint in the US Navy. Part of the time that I lived at Cardwell I actually lived on Gum Island and can clearly remember the old wooden bridges which we had to walk across before we could catch the school bus. Later I lived in an old what I call a dog trot house just around the curve and past the road that went to Gum Island. I saw when I visited the area a few years ago that they have some new bridges to the island now. Not sure if anyone lives on the island now or not.

I joined the USN in Oct 1955 and never lived in Cardwell again after that. I did however come back for a couple weeks around the Christmas season of 55/56 after completing my basic training and on my way to Catch my ship just out from Seattle Washington.

It was during that two weeks that I met the young lady from North Eastern Ark who absolutely stole my heart in one evening. However it was not meant to be and she married someone local and I have never heard from or about her since I saw her and her husband for a couple minutes in Paragould Arkansas about a year later. I hope that she has had a very happy and long life. Her name was Narline. I on the other hand after beating myself half to death over love lost for about two years, went on to marry a total of three times and raise two fine sons. I am still happily married to my third wife.

After my visit back to Paragould Ark I never returned to the area until some time about 1998 or maybe 99. I was on my way to Minnesota and decided to travel through MO and stop over in the area of Cardwell just to see what had changed after 40+ years.

I have often wished that I had managed to stay in touch with at least a few of those whom I had known when I lived there, but never seemed to happen. I was living in the central Fla area in the early 60s and happen to bump into a fellow that knew me from when I lived at Cardwell. For the life of me I can not think of his name now. But other than that the only person I ever ran into who I went to school with was a guy named Raymond and I can not remember his last name. I ran into him out in San Diego Calif.

Some of the things I remember about Cardwell and still miss today.

The walk in theater.
The old Blue Mon cafe
The little drive in at the end of town.
The old night marshall with the last name of Hill .
Little old shack next to the Blue Moon Cafe where the old man would sell some of us kids some of the home brew which he made on a regular basis.

There were many more names but it seems that a combination of age and the bit of a loss of memory after my recent heart attack has made them fade into the shadows.

Some of the people that I remember from back in the first half of the 50s. Not all of them went to school there, but just people that I knew.

Gerald Summit
Barbara Parker (coach Parker's daughter)
Darryly and Jerry Crossno ( Not sure about the spelling of that last name)
Pete Luther
Sam Vance and Bud Vance (brothers) and their cousin Bert Vance. I think Bert joined the Navy sometime around the mid 50s also.
Virgil Cross

I know this post would not mean anything to most people but would like to hope that some one from that time and place may happen upon it and reply.

[Hockeynut]

Wow. What a great story billr. I hope you get a reply from someone you know in your past or at the very least someone who knows them. I hope you make a full recovery from recent illness. Please keep in touch I am very interested in finding out if you get in contact with those from your past, that is of course if you dont mind sharing it. This is a great place to post and I think you will find that your post will mean alot to all the other great people here. I got my fingers crossed for ya.

[billr]

Thanks Hockeynut
I will keep check on it to see what happens.

It has been a lot of years and I know a percentage would no longer be alive.

In fact a few years ago I learned that Virgil Cross had died and also that Bud Vance had passed away.

Also a few years ago I heard that Jerald Summit was I believe a vice president or president of a bank in Pocahontas Ar but that he also had health issues. Never heard anything else.

[Thomas Crossno]

billr, was looking for some family geneaology and stumbled across your post , i am the nephew of darryl crossno he is my dads brother. e-mail me at crossno22@yahoo.com and i will give you some information.

[Darlynn0217]

Isn't c-d great! I am happy to hear that you guys made contact! Makes my heart sooo happy!!

[billr]

Hey Thomas,
Sure glad you found the thread.

I would love to hear any news relating to Darryl and any others that you can shed a bit of light on.

I sent you an email a couple hrs ago.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Bill R

[billr]

Just a few minutes ago I sent you another email since I did not receive an answer to the first one I sent on Dec 5 aafter finding your reply to my posting.

Hopefully you will receive this one.

Bill R

Originally Posted by Thomas Crossno

billr, was looking for some family geneaology and stumbled across your post , i am the nephew of darryl crossno he is my dads brother. e-mail me at crossno22@yahoo.com and i will give you some information.

[steveb1627]

Bill R, are you still "out there"? I grew up in Cardwell in the 50's. Was actually born in Paragould in '47 because, of course, Cardwell didn't have a hospital, just Doc English.Let me know.ThanksSteveb

[billr]

Originally Posted by steveb1627

Bill R, are you still "out there"? I grew up in Cardwell in the 50's. Was actually born in Paragould in '47 because, of course, Cardwell didn't have a hospital, just Doc English.Let me know.ThanksSteveb

I wish I had revisited sooner but if you are still around reply and I will certainly try to get back in touch with you. You would be about 11 years younger than I am it appears so I am not sure we would have actually known each other back then. You should have only been about eight years old when I left Cardwell to enter the Navy in Oct 1955. I never spent much time in that part of the country after that except for 3 or 4 short term visits over the years.

I lived in Mountain Home AR before going to Cardwell MO. I loved it when I lived at mountain Home as an early teenager. I have actually moved back to Arkansas after all these years. Made the move in Aug 2011 and wound up in the northeast corner of the state. Love it here and I am for the most part glad to be back in Arkansas. Mainly because of all the beauty of the Ozark Mountains and the clear streams, rivers, and lakes.

Hope all is well with you and yours.