Gary Courtney

The Historic Cookson Hills Dictionary: a Collection of Old Time and Slang Words and Phrases Gary Courtney

The Cookson Hills DictionaryOld Time & Slang Words & PhrasesbyGary D. Courtney A study in linguistics, lifestyle, sociology, and history of our heritage. "The Cookson Hills Dictionary" provides the reader an insight to the hard-working, God-fearing, ingenious, inventive, and adventurous pioneers, who built the foundation of the country we enjoy today. Over 3,500 terms and sayings like our grandparents used, and some we still use, today. Some of the terms we use now originated during Medieval times, over 600 years ago, and the source of terms are documented, where available. Originally begun and intended as a small glossary in the back of Gary Courtney's book on the Cookson Hills history, the collection became a full-fledged book on its own, thanks to the contributions of local residents and Gary's Oklahoma roots. Historical chapters pertain to the Cookson Hills, but the dictionary itself could apply to the language and pioneer lifestyle of all early America. The Cookson Hills, on the Illinois River in northeast Oklahoma, were: The site of a large population of ancient inhabitants (over 1,000 years ago), The new home of the Cherokee Nation (1828-1839), Sam Houston's home, before he left for Texas, Levi Cookson's open range for thousands of head of cattle worked by 200 cowboys, A favorite hideout of outlaws, such as: Belle Starr, Jesse James, and the Doolin and Dalton gangs (1880's), and Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Carl Janaway (1930's), The site of many family farms taken for Camp Gruber, during World War II, andScene of the book and movie filming of "Where the Red Fern Grows". The rugged limestone bluffs and crystal-clear, spring-fed streams are where Gary Courtney, a born adventurer, has walked, camped, fished and hunted, ridden horseback, SCUBA dived, and explored underground in caves, since childhood. The area is now a water sports, hunting, and trail riding Mecca, Intermingled with horse and cattle ranches and farms, the Cherokee Nation, and Northeastern State Un