PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net This week a T&T Reader talked to me about the list of Grocery stores on my website. When I look at the old Ardmore City Directories at the Ardmore Public Library, one thing that catches my eye is how many small ma and pa type grocers there were in…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net One of the earliest merchants of Ardmore was Edward B. Luke (1869-1943), the father of Edward A. Luke (1909-1990).  On many of the old street scenes of the town, E.B. Luke’s sign is visible.  E.B. came to Ardmore, Indian Territory, in 1893 from Detroit. He had a…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Ardmore has some 14 parks, but the oldest, Whittington Park, is still the most widely used.  The city did not acquire title to Whittington Park until 1902, but it had been used for recreation and relaxtion as long as there had been an Ardmore.  The town’s first…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net On a foggy rainy evening April 22, 1966 the worst plane crash in Oklahoma’s history took place 15 miles NE of Ardmore in the Arbuckle Mountains killing 83 people. On board were 92 GIs and 4 crew members. A couple years before that day in 65 an…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net I received an interesting phone call this week from Ft Worth, Texas.  A Nathan Clayton was removing some outside wall on his house for repair, and hidden inside was an old sign from Peoples Building and Loan of Ardmore.  Nathan had been searching for any info on…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Gainesville Daily Register, Gainesville, TX – Feb 9, 1919:  RED RIVER BRIDGE MAKES HIGHWAY TO TEXAS A REALITY. The big wagon bridge over Red river five miles north of Gainesville, was turned over to the bridge contractors and is now open for traffic although it has not…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net March 6, 1970 The Wilson Post:  A District Court hearing was in progress this afternoon at 2:00 o’clock in Murray County to see whether or not a court injunction order be granted at the request of Gov. Dewey Bartlett to padlock Turner Falls Park for the weekend.…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net This week’s T&T is shorter than usual.  I have not been able to work on it much since I hurt my shoulder last Saturday working with 6 fairly heavy 10 foot treated wood posts and a couple of tree stumps that Jill is going to make something…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Albert “Al” Cullum was in Ardmore this week from his stomping grounds at Overbrook south of Ardmore. He brought by a book titled “Creek Seminole Spirit Tales”. The 44 page book was published in 1971 and Al’s book was signed by the authors, Jack Gregory and Rennard Strickland.…

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net This week I thought I’d have some fun trying my luck at FX trading.  FX trading is really scary if you try doing it on your own because you can lose money very quickly when it comes to trading the foreign exchange currencies.  But I’m using an…