|
The Bone War of McCurtain County
title is enough to draw you into this unique story. It is
a war; a war with corporate America. Everyone likes to read
about the underdog, right? Throw in a little humor just enough
to give your pulse a rest and you’ve got winner.
This
is a true story. It will provoke you and rivet you at the
same time.
Two small
town residents, Arkansas logger, Cephis Hall, nicknamed “the
Crystal of the Ouachitas,” and his friend, Sid Love,
a Choctaw Indian from aristocratic background, excavated the
most celebrated fossil discovery in history from an industrial
waste site near the edge of the Mountain Fork River. The bone
was the Acrocanthosaurus, larger than the T-Rex.
The story
begins with background information on both Cephis and the
society in which he lives and leads into the mindset of the
two’s interest in paleontological pursuits. If you are
not that into the historical dialogue, stick with it, the
story unfolds into an interesting tale of two men’s
pursuit to fight for their rightful place in history. Based
on a tip from a friend named Pruitt, Cephis set out one morning
in 1983 to find an industrial site where Pruitt claimed he
had spied a shiny object when he had flashed his light into
the pit. As he arrived and surveyed the site, Sid drove up
in his 1970’s pick up. Cephis climbed into the pit and
saw the shiny ore. His heart pounded and his emotions soured,
he knew he had found something measurable. Sid complained
and dismissed his interest. But, Cephis knew he’d be
back, but next time alone. And that’s when the story
begins.
This
is one of those tales that drives you to distraction. It gobbles
you up and just chews on you for a while. Don’t worry
you’ll get spit out in the end. But, hang in there with
Cephis, it’s worth it!
(As a side note, there is a memoriam in the beginning of the
book to Cephis Hall: It is with great sorrow that the author
must acknowledge the passing of the last surviving hero of
this book, Cephis Hall. Cephis passed away on Christmas Eve,
December 24, 2013, in Oklahoma City, from complications of
a minor surgical procedure. His dear friend and partner in
this adventure, Sid Love, had passed away on November 21,
1997.)
|
