Pictured at right is the Tribble House located at 521 South Third Street in Rogers. Mrs. Allan Y. (Letsie) Tribble is pictured at lower right. Letsie and her youngest daughter Sadie lived in the home for over fifty years. Her son Henry, the Tribble’s youngest child, died there in 1960. Ownership of the property has today passed outside of the Tribble family.
The story of the Tribble family in Rogers began in 1881. Although the Frisco train line had reached Rogers by this time, settlers such as the Tribbles continued to make the difficult and long journey by covered wagon.
The
Tribbles were part of a group of related families from Shelbyville,
Tennessee, which included W.H. McFarlin, Joseph McFarlin, Robert Carson,
Bob Thomas, and James Dean Pace. They chose to move to Northwest
Arkansas since they previously knew the Sikes family in Tennessee.
During the trip, the McFarlins contracted fever and Mr. Tribble agreed to
drive the McFarlin wagon while Letsie drove the Tribble wagon. She did
so at the age of 20 while holding her eldest daughter, Alice, on her lap
for most of the trip.After
settling in Rogers to raise their family, Mrs. Tribble contributed to
the growth of the Methodist Episcopal Church located at North First and
Chestnut Streets. In fact, she was the last surviving charter member of
the congregation by the time of her death. Earlier in their lives in
Rogers, the Tribble family also lived on a farm on War Eagle Road and at
417 South Arkansas Street.
Mr. Tribble died in 1924, but Mrs. Tribble lived until 1956. Mrs.
Tribble is not only a part of the history of Rogers and the Tribble
family, but also an example of individual strength and determination. It
is worth remembering that the house at 521 South Third Street was the
last home of an early Rogers settler.