This and That Newsletter
A Weekly Publication

www.OklahomaHistory.net

Vol 16  Issue 789      Circulation 5,000       March 8, 2012

PO Box 2

Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net

580-657-8616


The old Bankers National Bank (today known as the Dunlap Building) is located in the SW corner of Main and A Street SW.  It first opened for business in 1906. The bank changed it's name to American National Bank and operated in this building until 1916, when the bank moved across the street into the Colston Building, later called the Little Building. City State Bank was in the "Bankers" building from 1917 until 1928. The Ardmore Chamber of Commerce then assumed occupancy until 1954. The Bankers National building is now called the Dunlap Building and has been owned by the Dunlap family since 1937.For the past month or so a crew has been busy re-modeling the wooden windows in the 3 story building.

100 W. Main St. ? Bankers National Bank became a casual meeting place for men in the oil business. Many deals were consummated as the men sat outside on the pipe railings facing A St. & smoked their cigars.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/DunlapBuildingWork030112a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/DunlapBuildingWork030112b.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/BankersNatBank4a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/BankersNatBank4b.jpg

We've talked about the Devil's Backbone a couple times the past few years.  That was the name given to an area between Ardmore and Lone Grove that was almost impossible to get over during the rainy seasons using a team of mules or horses.  The First Freewill Baptist Church sits right on top of the Devil's Backbone.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/DevilsBackbone8a.jpg

I was told this week this Devil's Backbone of the 1910 era is also known as the Viola Fault or Viola Outcrop.  It runs from NW of Ardmore to Plainview School and on SE and situated between the Arbuckle Uplift and the Wichita-Criner Uplift.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ViolaOutcropFault.jpg

I'm not sure when this train derailment took place, but on the back of
the photo reads the following: O.R. Chambless, Agent, AT&SF Railway Company, Dougherty, Oklahoma. I am guessing it took place around 1900 in the area of Dougherty.  Maybe a Reader knows more?

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TrainWreck1900s.jpg

This is a photo of the Ardmore Ice, Lights and Power Company.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ArdmoreIceLightsPowerCo.jpg

This is a 1970s photo of a parade in downtown Ardmore and you can see the old Hoyle Holt Refrigeration Company in the background.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/HoyleHoltRefrigeration.jpg

And I don't know when this photo was taken, but is downtown Ardmore when it had a trolley car system. We know the Ardmore Electric Railway Company began business in 1907, so this photo is after 1907.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ArdmoreMainStreet1900s.jpg

Ardmore business and civic leaders Mazola McKerson, June Brooks and Wilson Wallace.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/McKersonBrooksWallacePhoto.jpg

In a shot tower, lead is heated until molten, then dropped through a copper sieve high up in the tower. The liquid lead solidifies as it falls and by surface tension forms tiny spherical balls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower

Jill has been making some really great tasting buttermilk pancakes lately from scratch.  Light and fluffy the way I like them!  If you're a diabetic they are delicious even without the syrup.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/Pancakes030512.jpg

Here is the recipe Jill uses to make those delicious pancakes.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/PancakeRecipe.jpg

From This and That newsletter archives of March 13, 1999:
The Carter County Clerk, Royce Moser, received her new PC computer network this week..... now they're learning all the new features that is in the KellPro land records program. Sure going to be nice!
---------------------------------------
"Here is some interesting information for This & That. In a conversation with a Bell Telephone representative, I found that a regular voice phone line will only connect a modem at a maximum rate of 28,800 or less. However, it may connect faster on occasion, but very seldom. A dedicated line might give a little more speed.
---------------------------------------
"Buster Ned was also an interpreter for people who only spoke Chickasaw. I remember him serving at the Courthouse as an interpreter for some people about twenty years ago."
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"Butch, You need to schedule a vacation to Evergreen, CO. There is a museum in the mountains with thousands of bells. All different sizes, with interesting histories. I realize your main interest lies with OK bells but thought this might be an interesting side trip if you are ever up that way. I haven't seen it myself except for about two minutes on TV but know people that have....."

Follow-up:
Housed a collection of over 6,000 bells, collected since 1925.

Address: Evergreen, CO
Directions: Was on Upper Bear Creek Road
Hours: Gone

International Bell Museum, Evergreen, CO
The owner, Winston H. Jones, died on August 14, 2006. His bells are being donated to his alma mater, Hastings College. However, he was still in good enough health on the 4th of July, 2006 to have all his bells rung (!!!) with the help of neighbors, volunteers and friends. The tradition started with a request from President John F. Kennedy. [Karen Purre, 09/19/2006]
International Bell Museum
This rustic mountain mansion designed in 1920 by Arthur H. Jones houses a great collection of over 6,000 bells inside. Jones's son Winston began collecting them in 1925, and the collection includes school bells, mine warning bells, hotel desk bells, locomotive bells, and Molly Brown's Chinese dinner gong. The place has been a museum since 1957 and is open by appointment. [Richard J. Gardner, 11/25/2003]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbujNd9Sx2A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKG8MIDqL3g&feature=related

Q. What Cherokee Indian developed the Cherokee alphabet?
A.  Sequoyah

Q. Which Oklahoma born icon fought Bruce Lee in the 1975 flick Way of the Dragon?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)

Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html

Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....

"Butch, I will tell you a tale I've always heard and never could confirm. Its about a petrified tree trunk so big you need a back hoe. It was east of Cheek Road somewhere. Has anyone else hear that one??" -Linda Long
"Butch, here are three pictures of the progress on the hotel. Bricking the buildings has begun and is looking very nice." -Mary Lou

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ArtesianHotel030412a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ArtesianHotel030412b.jpg


"Hello Mr. Bridges, I hope you will post this in your This n' That newsletter. which I enjoy very much. I have a newspaper article stating that my great-grandfather, G.W. (Bud) Young, a Carter County pioneer and early county commissioner, was among county leaders who were responsible for the building of the first hard surface road in Carter County, which ran from Ardmore to the Murray County line and was christened 'Young's Trail.' I am hoping your readers have information on the location of this road. Thank you."  -B Travis  rht32@hotmail.com
"Butch, I had an e-mail from Nancy and I sent her the info about Bomar from the Love County Historical Society History Book. It stated that Bomar is 6 miles south of Marietta. I had never checked the mileage. Bomar used to be a thriving community with a post office and cotton gin. It also listed some of the old timers who had settled there. I hope that the info was useful to Nancy. I have not heard anything else from her. I lived in and around Marietta for many years and had relatives in Shady Dale and Addington Bend. I never heard of another Bomar. The place was renamed as there was another place in Oklahoma named Bob.

As for the second picture of a ball team sent in by Vernon Straughn?s son, most of the faces look familiar but I could almost bet that the last one on the right in the front row is Don Cummings.

As for the church camp near the Blue Hole, it was the Methodist Youth Camp. The Baptist camp was at Falls Creek. I attended the Methodist camp for many summers, skated at the skating rink, swam in the swimming hole across the highway from the Camp as well as the Blue Hole and was even married in the outdoor chapel on the grounds. That was July 31, 1947. If I remember correctly, the boy?s dorm was across the highway from the main part of the camp. The girls stayed in the cabins on that side. In fact, I think one of the cabins I stayed in is still there. The cabins were small and there was no air conditioning. Then they built a larger dorm like building which was much better. Later the Assemblies of God bought the camp and the name was changed. There is now a parking lot where I was married and a gate at the highway. I got permission to make a sentimental journey down there on what would have been my 50th wedding anniversary. My daughter and granddaughter found out what I was going to do and they went with me." -Francis Dunlap

"Butch; I'm attaching a 1907 map of Oklahoma which shows the location of Bomar, Oklahoma. It is shown in Love County, midway between Marietta and Thackerville. It is alongside the Gulf railroad line. This map also shows many towns in Love County that are probably not around any longer. Maybe you can use it for future searches. The map is in a PDF format and you can zoom in a long way to get a better look." -Gerald Whitworth, Glenpool, OK

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/maps/BomarOKMap1907.jpg

This next file is the 1907 map as a PDF file, takes a few minutes to pull up.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/maps/OklahomaHighwayMap1907.pdf


"Butch, As you well know, there isn't much south of Thackerville, Oklahoma. I checked an 1899 map of the Indian Territory and there was a Bob in Love County between Marietta and Thackerville. Bob appears to have been known as "Bomar Station". I can still remember there being a school house on the west side of highway 77." -Mike
"Lone Grove High School former students from 1970 to 1999..... there is a reunion June 2, 2012. Gary Don Scott is putting this together. 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the LGHS Cafetorium. Dinner and dancing with a live band. $15.00 for dinner and $5.00 for dance. Reservations are being accepted until May 24, 2012."
"Butch, The attached picture of six Chickasaws are as follows: The three with colt revolvers are Chickasaw Marshals. The three seated are Judges. The actual Picture is clearer than this reproduction. Picture dates to the 1860s.

Second from left is Benjamin Franklin Perry. He was a Chickasaw Judge, Then Secretary of Chickasaw Tribe, Then, in 1890, was on the board that accumulated the census forming the Dawes Roll of the Chickasaw Tribe.

He was my great grandfather. He died in 1892 and is buried in the Frisco, OK Cemetery.

We would like to identify the others in the picture and get more history on the Perry family. Can anyone help?"

-Allen S. Rodke, Pauls Valley, OK 405-207-9543 E-Mail asrodke2@att.net

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ChickasawTribalCourt.jpg
 

"Butch, Do you or any of your readers have any information or photos regarding the building or business called "The Fair"? This would be around 1915. I own the building at 117 East Main in Ardmore which has the words "The Fair" in brick on the back of the building. I know this building was once occupied by Greenberg's Jewelry (1915-1970), Alsup's Drug Story (1970-1990), and The Salvation Army Thrift Store, but I have been unable to find information about "The Fair". I have attached a "poor quality" print. 117 East Main is the 3rd building from the right."

Jadean Fackrell
Main Street Wine Depot & The Cellar Restaurant
117 East Main
Ardmore, OK 73401

How observant are you? Give it a try...CLICK ON THE BELOW LINK AND TAKE THE TEST. THE NORMAL RATE IS 7 OUT OF 25. NOT MANY PEOPLE SCORE MORE THAN 5.

http://www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/thinktst.htm
"I used to work tor Colvert's Dairy at the plant, Mr. Ray was quite an elegant man, he was semi-retired and let the 2 boy's run it. Dick was one and was also the best of the two always took time to talk to the employee's. The other had his head stuck where the sun don't shine and could care less about the employee's. (my employment there was 1956 and 57)." -Bob Cole
"I have a personal business, a sole proprietor LLC. I don't make a whole lot of money, so keeping costs low is important. I use a computer a lot, so the cost software is very important. I really can't afford the name brand programs, and I don't want to copy or pirate material either. One great solution is called the FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) movement. There are many excellent programs that are free to download and use. A collection of these programs has been put together on a CD, and the whole package is free (can't say that enough!).  I use many of these: LibreOffice, GIMP, Firefox, VLC, Audacity, and 7Zip are just the top 6. Hopefully they'll expand the collection, maybe into a DVD, with even more free programs!"
--
Dan Major
Norman, Okla.

http://www.valo-cd.net/programs


"Hi there i was looking online for some Ardmore bottling information when i found your site. i collect old soda bottles and was told a couple of years ago that some where in Ardmore Oklahoma area is a large dump site where it appeared they just backed the trucks up and dumped the old bottles. I would love to find this place if it actually exist. I know how people tell stories and might have been told this just because they knew i liked old soda bottles. Any help or leads you might have would be greatly appreciated. Im also looking to find and gain permission to dig old dumps such as farm and city dumps to retrieve a piece of history through old bottles. Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give me."

Brian Boockholdt
buysellntrade@aol.com
Denton Texas
325 660 7272

I am researching Pierce surname. The original bunch migrated from Cleburne TX to Marlow OK but descendants ended up in Ardmore and Katy OK areas and Lindsay, Stephens, county.
http://www.ldpierce.com

Nancy E Pierce married James Madison Conn one census shows her as Lizzie. She is buried in Katy Cemetery. She died, he remarried.

http://www.ldpierce.com/conn.html

My great grandfather LD Pierce Sr and wife Ora lived in that area for a while. Also they are on the 1900 census for the Chickasaw nation but moved to Hansford County TX Spearman TX by late 1910 1920

http://www.ldpierce.com/ldpiercepegleg.html

Wilson Pierce, Ft Gibson Oklahoma, might have also had Pierce relatives in that area. Earl Boyd Pierce attorney for the Cherokee nation is one of his descendants.
http://ldpierce.com/wilsonpierce.html

I am also researching other pierce line descendants of JC John C Pierce Itamumba MS whose son grandson Robert Pierce married an Ola
and were found in the Tuttle OK area

http://www.ldpierce.com/robert_pierce_ola_pierce_jim%28james%29pierce_ms-ok-ca.html

People with connections to Pierce please contact me.

my email eztone at hotmail dot com

"There is a new drive-in theater being built in Shattuck, Oklahoma as we speak."
This ?Ice balls and snow rollers? slide show shows a phenomenon of nature that has not been, but should be, addressed in Scientific American. It was sent by my great friend, William Cary Hardy of Richardson TX, who graduated from Pauls Valley High in 1945. He said that during WWII, his mother was recruited to be a teacher in Pauls Valley OK High School, but continued until age 111 to show her allegiance to the Fox Public Schools by attending their annual Fox High School Reunions. Yes, she had proven to be a successful teacher in Fox, Carter County, OK, and they convinced her that she should teach many more students in Pauls Valley. W. Cary Hardy majored in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Oklahoma and worked for my father-in-law, Judge Wilbur Frank Cloud, a professor who designed the petroleum exploration exhibit for the Smithsonian Museum. Cary Hardy?s family were early settlers in the Fox OK area.

Cary Hardy?s elegant wife happens to be the gggg-gdau of George Guest, better known as Sequoyah, of Cherokee alphabet fame. I have met her, and can honestly state that he married above his status. What an impressive lady!

Cary Hardy?s family can be found in Joyce Rex?s 1890 Census of Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, Book 2, Pickens County (includes present Oklahoma Counties: Carter, Love, Marshall plus portions of Garvin, Grady, Stephens, Jefferson, Murray, and Johnston), Purcell, Okla., [Publisher] McClain County Genealogical Society (1992), families numbered 27650 [Cary Hardy], 29810 [E.P. Hardy], and 32060 [R. Hardy] on pages 16, 20, and 24 respectively. This book can be found in the Ardmore and other serious libraries.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/miscfiles/Ice_Balls_and_Snow_Rollers1.pps



"I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and look at them long and long." -Walt Whitman

http://www.dogwork.com/ddsff4/

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells: http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com

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