Henry collects bounty in first visit to Panhandle county

By John David Sutter

Published: July 17, 2008

BOISE CITY — Gov. Brad Henry drove up to the wooden storefront of The Boise City News on Wednesday in a Cadillac Escalade.

He stepped out of the sport utility vehicle with his entourage, turned to the television cameras that had lined up on the dusty street in the far-away, drought-stricken town, and said:

"My name is Brad Henry, and I'm here for my bounty.”

C.F. David, the weekly newspaper's publisher who recalled that scene, said he handed the governor an oversized $50 check, in answer to a bounty he'd been printing for anyone who could prove that Henry ever had visited sparsely populated Cimarron County — at the far end of the state's Panhandle.

The governor showed up Wednesday. It was his first official visit to the 2,664-person county. So he collected the bounty in person.

Henry accepted the $50, but said he would donate it to a local charity that works with older residents of the county, David said.

Henry's visit was on the more serious matter of an ongoing drought that has been compared to the devastating Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s.

Grain elevator operators say the Panhandle's wheat harvest was less than half of normal, and cattle ranchers have been selling off their herds because there's no grass for them to eat. Scarcely any rain has fallen near Boise City in more than a year.

On June 16, the governor called for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make a federal disaster declaration for several drought-hit counties in western Oklahoma.

But Wednesday, residents said they were just happy the governor noticed their plight and took time to acknowledge it with his presence.

"When a man's down and doesn't feel like he's getting any thoughts or help, it starts wearing on him,” said Mike Munsch, manager of a local grain elevator. "Our community's on a slow death pattern anyway and to feel like we're ignored, it's tough.”

Munsch said the governor's visit was "tremendous.” He left work to see the hoopla, but had to return before he heard the governor say much because Henry was running about 45 minutes behind schedule, he said.

After meeting with the media and the newspaper, Henry walked to the courthouse square in Boise City to speak to a crowd of about 50 residents, observers said by telephone.

From there, Henry toured the county to see how dusty the land has become. Some rain has fallen in recent weeks, but climatologists still say a record drought has taken hold of the area.

The governor said long, steady rains and some help from Mother Nature will be needed to alleviate the conditions.

"We are doing everything we can to help Oklahomans impacted by this drought,” the governor said in a news release. "Unfortunately, the best remedy for this disaster is rain.”

David, the newsman, met with the governor after starting his day printing and distributing his newspaper at 2 a.m.

His Wednesday headline: "He Finally Made It!?!”

David said he was surprised that the governor took notice of his plea for a visit, which he started in 2006. Most recently, he sent the governor a map, outlining the route to Boise City.

David said most of his efforts are half in jest, but that it's good to be noticed — especially since the drought conditions are affecting so many people. They've been labeled "exceptional” by government forecasters.

"It's memorable,” David said of the governor's visit.

"Unless I lose my whole mind, I'll remember it all my life, probably,” the publisher said.

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