In 1986, I became interested in coal company scrip, the “company money” used by the coal companies during the first half of the century and I started a collection of scrip from Harlan County, Ky. I then joined the National Scrip Collectors Association and met the real professionals of this interesting and fantastic hobby.   I approached a scrip dealer to purchase a set of Yocum Creek Coal Company scrip. I found the price had gone up considerably from when I sold the bulk of this company scrip well over twenty years before. The memories of the early days of 1966, when I first sold this lot of scrip, along with information I discovered later, makes for a most interesting story that I would like to add to the legacy of scrip collecting and Harlan County History.

In 1966, I met a man by the name of H. Fredric Lange at a coin show being held in Bristol, TN. He had a large display of coal mining scrip and was advertising to buy more. I told him that I probably could supply his need because I knew I could obtain large quantities from my home county of Harlan. Nr. Lange said he would pay $.15 per token for what I thought was worthless coal company scrip. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want scrip, of all things. I returned to Harlan County with the greatest anticipation of making a lot of extra money selling scrip to Mr. Lange.

I was teaching school at a local high school and told all my students that I would pay them $.10 for any piece of coal company scrip they could bring to me. I also advertised in the local newspaper and within one month, I had purchased over 2,500 different pieces of coal company scrip. I called Mr. Lange and he bought each piece at his promised price and said to call him when I had another lot to sell.

One evening, in late fall of 1966, I received a call from the late Glen Short, a friend of mine in Evarts, Ky., the home of Yocum Creek Coal Company. He asked if I could use a large supply of scrip at my $.10 per token buying price. I assured him that I would buy every piece he could produce. He informed me to bring a lot of money and meet him at his residence in Evarts, Ky. When I arrived, glen took me to his storage building and produced a large wheelbarrow full of Yocum Creek Coal Company scrip. We proceeded to count the rolls of scrip, settled on the price, and I returned to Harlan with the heavy load of “company money” of Yocum Creek Coal Company. I called Mr. Lange and awaited the payoff for my latest conquest. Again Mr. Lange visited my home and left with the hoard of Yocum Creek scrip.

Following this transaction with Mr. Lange, I never saw him again. The scrip gradually became harder and harder to acquire and I abandoned my quest to purchase scrip. The Yocum Creek scrip became part of my past. At this time, I knew nothing of the story of Daisy Mae and Dogpatch. I had no idea that I would ever get involved with collecting scrip or ever see or hear tell of the Yocum Creek Coal Company scrip ever again.

With all this background information behind me, the story of Daisy Mae from Yocum Creek can begin. The story began in April, 1987, when a scrip collecting friend in Oak Ridge, Tn., Mr. R.R. Tippy, mailed me a letter file once belonging to his friends, the late H. Fredrick Lange. In the file were two letters from the famed American cartoonist and satirical writer, Al Capp to Mr. Lange. The letters referred to the story about “Daisy Mae from Yocum Creek”. The “story” fascinated Al Capp and he thanked Mr. Lange for sending him a set of Yocum Creek scrip and the story about Daisy Mae. But what was “the story”? Mr. Tippy could not add any information but insisted that I try to find out what the story was. I started inquiring about Daisy Mae and after what turned out to be countless hours and weeks of research, I uncovered the facts about a story that had been lost and forgotten for over twenty years. The story was interesting as well as fascinating and I knew it must be preserved.

All good stories always begin with “once upon a time” and so does this one. Once upon a time, In Dogpatch U.S.A. , Daisy Mae, from Yocum Creek, was a real person and Dogpatch was a real place. The story is little known today, even in Harlan County, Kentucky, where it was lived out. This is due to the fact that the participants of this real life story have now passed into history, much like the Dogpatch of the Li’l Abner comic strip fame.

I must “back track” momentarily for one to put everything into prospective. The events that made possible the story of Daisy Mae started in 1934 with the creation of the much loved and long running comic strip, Li’l Abner. From the brilliant mind and through the artistic pen of Al Capp, Boston, Ma., came the characters that most living Americans of the 1930’s to the late 1970’s recall with more than fond memories.  Li’l Abner, Daisy Mae, Mammy and Pappy Yocum and their other “HillBilly” friends from Dogpatch U.S.A. made reading the daily newspaper an anticipated evening event. This comic strip community came to life in Harlan County, Ky. in 1939 with the formation of the Yocum Creek Coal Company, called “Old Push and Grunt” by the employees of the day, the company opened three company stores and began issuing company scrip to their employees. With the mines and stores came the mining camp and Dogpatch became a reality.

In the mining camp of Yocum Creek Coal Company lived a beautiful blonde haired girl, reportedly having a “Daisy Mae” figure. She patronized the company store and instantly became known as “Daisy Mae” from Yocum Creek”. The name “Dogpatch” was shortly added as the name of the mining camp. The company stores were named the “Daisy Mae Supplies” in all official circles. For as long as the company operated, until 1958, Daisy Mae from Yocum Creek lived in Dogpatch, Harlan County, Ky, U.S.A.   With the closing of the mining operations of the Yocum Creek Coal Company the story of Dogpatch and Daisy Mae faded into history.

With all the events put into proper perspective, one can now understand the story of Daisy Mae from Yocum Creek. Does it end here? Is there more to the story? Time will tell. For me, Mr. Tippy “sparked” the flame of inquiry. What other unknown, long forgotten and equally interested stories are waiting to be rediscovered that could affect the field of scrip collecting? Again, I don’t know, but be assured that I’m “hot on the trail” of these stories, only time will tell if success or failure will be my end result.