In the spring of 95 AF a pioneering force set out from Fort Worth in northern Texas for the 220 mile trek north to the ruins of old Oklahoma City following the path of the Route 76 Road.
John McQuade -Fauntroy was keen to be appointed Governor-Overseer for the Oklahoma Territories and used his family connections to form a body of settlers at Fort Worth with many drawn from the inhabitants of the ruins of Dallas City. These folks were many salvagers from Dallas ‘reclaimer families’ that made their living by retrieving lost treasurers from the sprawling ruins of the old pre-fall city. This dangerous but potentially lucrative trade made them tough fighters but poor country folk. Fauntroy formed the Oklahoma Regiment from his own family funds and offered lucrative land grants to those who would march with him, attracting many would be homesteaders.
They set out across the Red River under the inspired leadership of John McQuade -Fauntroy to much fanfare with even a correspondent and photographer from the Lonestar Gazette accompanying them. The column made slow progress and many of the ill equipped pioneers started to live off the land as soon as they crossed the Red River and left Texas proper. This led to friction with the local Oakies which escalated as time passed till the Oklahoma Regiment was deployed to keep the peace with much resultant bloodshed. By the time the column was three quarters of the way to its goal it was in poor condition and in near constant conflict with the belligerent Oakies. At this point disaster struck, a spring tornado hit the column with little warning devastating it and causing great loss of life.
In the immediate aftermath Fauntroy had to decide whether to push on to his goal or to retreat back to Texas. There were many wounded and supplies were low, John McQuade –Fauntroy hesitated, ordered a general consolidation and entered in to talks with the local Oakies that ended in failure. Eventually he collected the core of remaining able bodied men and women and pushed on to Oklahoma City which he finally reached well over a month after the start of the march. His much reduced force captured the ruins of Tinker Air Force Base and desperately repaired the landing strip so that supplies could be flown in and wounded evacuated using a handful of pre-fall relic transport planes.
Those that Fauntroy had left behind after the tornado tried to limp back south to the Red River border on overloaded wagons stacked high with the wounded and the dying. This weakened force was preyed upon by vengeful Oakies who had been antagonized by, as they saw it, the Column’s previous pillaging and looting. Henry Benjamin-Caxton of the Lonestar Gazette had suffered a broken leg during the tornado and was part of, what he called, the ‘wagon train of misery’ where he saw women and children ‘dropping like flies’. After a horrendous journey they finally made it to the Red River and safety though at a high price.
The Oklahoma Column did reach its goal but in such a weakened state it had little control beyond Tinker Base with the local Oakies in a state of hostile revolt to any Texican influence. The account of the ‘wagon train of misery’ was published in the Lonestar Gazette with such a public outcry that John McQuade –Fauntroy was summoned back to Texas City for a formal inquiry. His coveted post of Governor-Overseer for the Oklahoma Territories was lost to him forever while the McQuade clan lost face in front of their political rivals.
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