How Highway 166 Changed the Life of One Family

When I want to know something about gardening or local people I always go to my aunt, neighbor, and friend, Norma Wesbrook Knowles. I asked her to tell me a memory about the Wesbrook family and this is the result.

Clarence and Edna Wesbrook lived 12 miles west of Cedar Vale. Their family included Cecil (my Dad), Mildred, and Norma. They were rather shut off from the world. To get out they had to open 3 gates, then drive north to Hooser, on north and west to Dexter or east to Cedar Vale. Edna would sometimes drive the model T up to Hooser to take the train in to Cedar Vale to visit Mrs. Frank Hubbard. She would take the train back later the same day. Clarence, in his younger days, played on a baseball team from Hooser. They had uniforms and played often.

Closest neighbors were the Metcalfs, Wesbrooks had to cross Metcalf land to get to the Hooser road. Carl Metcalf was Cecil's best friend.

When a family lost a loved one, neighbors came to their aid. Clarence set up all night with Mr. Metcalf before his service. Edna was called to get a neighbor lady, that had died in childbirth, ready for burial. There were 3 little boys in the family. The grandparents took the 2 youngest and the father kept the older boy.

Cecil was the oldest of the Wesbrook children. He and his sister Mildred went to country school, Glendale, where his teacher was Nellie McGill Mills ( he thought very highly of her all his life). After 8th grade he went to high school is Dexter where he graduated. He roomed with a Mrs. Marsland during the week, going home only on weekends.


The building of Federal Highway 166 changed this family's lives. Some of the Wesbrook land was purchased for this project. Clarence and Edna were happy about the highway even though it divided their land. It made life easier. They took the money (about $1000) and built a new home. This amazed me, but Norma said $1000 went a long way back then.

This was during the depression, the highway gave work to local men. My dad drove a dump truck for a while. A family from back east lived in a tent in the walnut grove north of the Wesbrook house. The father and oldest son worked on the highway. The oldest boy eventually married a neighbor girl (Gary Metcalf's aunt). Lots of horses with slips were used to move the dirt. The highway people watered the horses out of the Wesbrook pond.

After the highway was completed local men were given the work of mowing, they were still in the depression, so this was much appreciated. Clarence mowed 3 or 4 miles.

Mildred Wesbrook stayed out of school while the road was being built, then drove into Cedar Vale where she graduated. Norma wasn't in school yet, but later rode with neighbors to school in Cedar Vale. She said the car was just packed with kids.

There wasn't a lot of traffic at first, Norma learned to roller skate on the highway. Relatives would come for a visit on the bus, the bus would drop them off at the house and pick them up when they were ready to return. Norma would wave at the driver and he'd honk.

As a result of the depression there were tramps on the highway. Grandma would feed them, if Cecil's Police Dog Bill would let them come to the house. There were also Gypsies in covered wagons, they would trade willow stools for milk and potatoes.

Norma has an invitation to the dedication of the completion of the highway to take place in Arkansas City April 16, 1935. Dedicatory address by Governor Landon.