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Below is August 4, 2005 to August 31, 2005.

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August 25, 2005 - Circulation over 4,000 Vol 9 Issue 448

In last week's T&T we showed the old cabinet photograph of an older gentleman (did I say gentleman?) and a young boy standing to the left of the older man. Charlie Williams sent in the photo and wanted any Readers who knew or thought they knew these two were, to write in. Several of you did write in with the correct answer, and here is the answer to these mystery males, but first let's look at the photo again: <----- Click Here

The older man was Cole Younger (1844-1916). Cole Younger would become one of the most recognized names in outlaws in the late 1800s, especially following the civil war years. His name was connected to other outlaws such as Jessie James, Frank James, Belle Star, the Quantrill gang of outlaws and others. Cole Younger was known throughout the West as a badman. <----- Click Here

The youngster in the photograph was what caught me by surprise. His notoriety did not cover several states like that of Cole Younger, but in the later years of his life, he was one of the most infamous of Ardmoreites and recognized by nearly everyone in town. Most of the people here probably did not know his name, but they sure recognized him by his very long white beard. Most Ardmoreites just called him Santa Claus when they saw him drive by on his bicycle. I'm speaking of none other than Coleman Jones. I hope I can get this right, so here goes:

Carter County is named after Charles Carter, the first Indian Congressman. Charles Carter was married to Cecile Whittington of the Whittington Hotel bunch at Caddo and Main. But before Charles Carter, Cecile was married to a fella names Jones, the father of Coleman Jones. Coleman Jones attended Dartmouth College around 1922, and after graduation he worked at the Whittington Hotel as night clerk his aunt Jewel Whittington, the hotel's owner. Coleman Jones was a soft spoken, extremely nice guy from what I remember of him. I know one time around 1973 someone had stole the tag off my car while I was in Oklahoma City. When I got another tag, I put it in the back window. Coleman Jones, long beard and all, riding his bicycle by my house, noticed the tag not attached where its suppose to be, and stopped. He came to my door, knocked, and said, "Sir, I dont know if you know it or not, but you dont have a tag on your car." To which I replied I did have a tag, and explained why it was in the back window. We went out to my car, he looked, and said, well I'll be, you do have tag. Anyway, I will never forget that kind old man, even if he did scare a lot of people with his eccentric ways and looks. Those of us who really knew him, knew he wouldnt hurt a flea. Today's newsletter is dedicated to you Mr. Coleman Jones. I know you were made fun of, ridiculed, and misunderstood by so many in this town. But I will never forget you taking the time to try to help me in 1973. Coleman R. Jones 1905-1981. <----- Click Here

Over the past 2 years or so I have shared from time to time my hamburger eating experiences along with pictures of those delicious hamburgers. So many of you have shared your hamburger memories in the Mailbag the past two years, and how in some parts of this country you can buy that delicious hamburger in those parts of the U.S. So I decided last week to start a webpage to share info and pics of past hamburger experiences. And I hope some of you will get out your cameras the next time you eat one of those awesome Oklahoma hamburgers, take a picture and send it in! You can be sure I'll be snapping more hamburger pics in the months and years to come. I call the webpage The Oklahoma Hamburger Highway. lol <----- Click Here

Last week we talked about the movie theater at the Ardmore Airbase back around 1945. A Reader sent me in a photograph of Ardmoreite Lee Evers when it worked at the base theater. <----- Click Here

Talking about movie theaters, I was told about four weeks ago the old movie theater in Coalgate, Oklahoma was torn down. The lady from Ohio was telling me she couldn't believe such a piece of Coalgate history would be demolished just because it was old. She said she noticed that in Oklahoma so many old buildings are torn down when no longer usable. She said in Ohio a building like the Coalgate theater would have never been razed... but rather restored and preserved for future generations. Does anyone know the name of the theater in Coalgate?

A couple of years ago I talked about a world recycling effort with a website. At that time Ardmore did not have a 'recycle group' but now they do. So if you want to recycle glass and plastic (no place in Ardmore I dont think) but maybe we can start it with the help of freecycle.com and a local group. <----- Click Here <----- Click Here

I talked to my cousin Ivadee in northern California last night. She said gas was up to $2.95 a gallon in her town of Eureka, CA. With gas going higher all the time, we might be the generation that will be able to look back and remember when going somewhere in the car was fun. Today its all changed. Sure we can still go, but with gas prices sky high, its pretty much taken the fun out going anywhere. Sad.

How about a little good news? This week Sandy Lackey with the OSU Extension office here in Ardmore came to see me, inquiring if I knew of a map of Carter county with all the cemeteries marked on it. I didnt know of such an animule, but I talked to my friend and classmate Chris Ridley here in Ardmore, asking if he could make such a map. Sure enough, and he's working on it now. Chris has been working with Section Township and Range for many years being connected with the oil industry and oil well locations in southern Oklahoma. Using a list with the legal descriptions Sandy had of all 71 cemeteries in this county, Chris is marking them on a county map. What a useful resource that map will be when it comes available. According to Sandy all the OSU extension offices in the state is compiling a 'book' of all county cemetery locations and soon it will be available on CD. I will keep everyone posted on the progress. If you want to know more send Sandy Lackey an email at [email protected] <----- Click Here

SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG

"Can anyone tell me the name of the hotels in Ardmore in 1920. On the 1920 census my grandmother, Lillie Sullivan (later Davidson) managed one. Also the story I was told was that they were managing a hotel in Ardmore when the explosion occurred. The best I can think where it was is the first street east of Washington. Can anyone tell me the names of the hotels of that era?" [email protected]
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"Butch, That is J.C. Dunn in the middle back row (5th from left). He was the player-manager of the Ardmore Cardinals, which was a farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals." <----- Click Here
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"Butch does anyone remember the the soap factory on Myall Rd. we called it Plainview rd then. Man it stunk to hi heaven. Got a dead animal, just call them and they were johnny on the spot. with a a winch truck."
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"When I was born my grandmother and mother bought a wringer washing machine , and it was operated outside the house in Madill. They always washed on Mondays and ironed on Tuesdays. My mother adamantly performed the Monday morning washing ritual throughout my life and now I guess I know where it originated from." -Pat Wood McKee
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"Hi Butch I was reading issue 444 July 29th about deputy US Marshal Bill Dalton here is a link to the Marshals commissioned from Fort Smith," <----- Click Here
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"I've been there to Brown Springs. Drove to the smoke shop from Tioga, and on a whim decided to take a right and head toward the river. Went past the lagoon. and parked and walked up a trail that went to the river. However, I did not feel ill at ease or like anything was watching me. It had a welcome feeling and when I found some huge acorns on the ground like the ones we had in our yard in Killeen when I was a kid , I was tickled to death, as I have never seen those large acorns anywhere but in Killeen, TX. Being an artist and maker of natural wreaths, you would think I would have gathered them up to take home. But for some reason I didnt, thinking I would return sometime. I went back with a friend a few months later. And we could not find the trail I had been up. I was wanting go drive further, but for some reason , my companion was getting spooked , so we left. If you are still doing the Halloween trips or any others at any other times, I would like to go along. I have a couple of ghost pictures taken at my old home place in Limestone County in Texas. I need to get them scanned and send them to you some time."
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"The Southern National Bank of Wynnewood. The picture is probably of the second bank to be organized in Wynnewood and was called "The Southern National Bank" of Wynnewood. It was granted a Charter in March, 1901 with a capital of $50,000.00." <----- Click Here
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"My Oklahoma Sports History web page is over 4 years old and receives more than 2,000 visitors a day. I try to offer the best information available on any topic I think my visitors would appreciate." <----- Click Here
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"Butch, I have learned that David "Bud" Ballew's middle initial is "M". That is all that I have been able to locate." -Diron Ahlquist, Secretary/Editor, Oklahombres Journal, Oklahombres Inc., http://www.oklahombres.org
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"The man in the picture is Cole Younger. I don't know who the little boy is." -Ken Keith [email protected]
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"Hey Butch, My husband and I were just talking about you when we got the new edition of This and That. If you remember, we were working on a book of old photos and the history of Ardmore. Well, we moved away, but we're still working on it! Maybe it'll be done in another 50 years, but hopefully not. I just wanted to send my thanks to you and to your readers on a personal note too. I was looking for some information about my great-grandfather, Clem B. Kuykendall, several months ago. Thanks to you and your readers, I was able to obtain a copy of his war draft card from World War I, and other important information came from that. Thanks to you all and I'll always be proud to be from Ardmore." -Jennifer Charter [email protected]
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"Dear Mr. Bridges, I became interested in Ardmore's 1915 explosion a few years ago when putting together some information for the Chamber of Commerce. Now I'd very much like to discover more, not only of the explosion but of Ardmore's business district, of Caddo Street, of who held the reigns of power and authority, who were the wheelers and dealers, etc. I'd like to know more about the history of oil discovery in Ardmore prior to the explosion. I'd like to know more about how Santa Fe decided to put a rail hub in Ardmore. Why? Because I'm an English major with a history minor. I'm a technical writer looking to exercise his creative juices, and I hope (God willing and the creek don't rise) to write an historic novel centered around this event. So I will want to discover all the colorful tidbits, the day-to-day workings of the business district, anything that might help provide color for the story. While I plan to make it a work of fiction, I'd like to be as historically accurate as possible. For an idea of how I plan to write the novel, take a look at Joe Lansdale's book "The Big Blow." I hope it will come together something like that, but without all the sexual crudity that Mr. Lansdale so often resorts to in his works. I look forward to hearing from you and your Readers." -Swede Swenson [email protected] <----- Click Here
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"Butch, Just a note about the death of Ann (Rogers) Miles in Westlake, California last Friday. I thought her classmates and friends in Ardmore would like to know. Her Father, Archie Rogers, operated the Ardmore Auto Parts in Ardmore for several years." -Edgar Wallace
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"That old Big Chief bottle is really something! There was a Big Chief soda drink bottled by the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Twin Falls, ID. I've seen bottles that date in the early 20's for that brand. Most of them sell on e-bay for around $10. Also, many of the old soda companies would use bottles from different bottling companies in order to save money. Some bottles were even re-used. You might see one kind of flavored water bottled in several different bottles."
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"I've posted a few photos of the FRA T-2000 track geometry car passing through the Overbrook Siding Extension Project. To take a look just click the link below." -Dwane Stevens <----- Click Here
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"Hi Mr Bridges, I found your newsletter online and found this comment: Saturday November 16, 2002 T&T Weekly Vol 6 Issue 291- I was thinking this week how I used to wait what seemed like forever for a box to arrive by the U.S. Mail when I was a kid. A box that contained some kind of "free gift" from sending in several cereal box tops. Or sometimes we'd buy a box of cereal with the free gift already inside. One I remember was Quaker Oats. Back in the 60s they put beautiful glassware inside the box of oats. It might be a water glass, it might be a cereal bowl, it might be a dish. And you tried to collect at least one of each item they offered. I'm sure some of you remember sending off for those cereal gifts or getting them in the cereal boxes.

I've been trying to find out what those glasses and dishes from the Quaker Oats boxes would be worth today. I contacted their company and was told that there is no mention of them in their archives. They never heard of those glasses. I have about 8 of the water glasses, a couple of small plates and bowls, and juice glasses. They have never been used and are packed away in my basement wrapped in newspaper (I pray they've never gotten broke). My mom gave them to me when I was a teen--for my "hope chest". I've never had a place to display them and am considering selling them, but have no proof they came from Quaker oats. Do you know if there is a way to prove where they came from? You are the first person besides myself who remembers those beautiful glasses." -Aleta Tenney
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"Hardy Murphy with his educated horse .... photo was taken at the Stock Show and Rodeo, Fort Worth, Texas." <----- Click Here
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"Hey Butch, Found your website a while ago and am now hooked and can't wait until Fridays to get the latest "This and That"! I lived in Ardmore from first grade in 1949 to about 1953-54 when we moved to Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Ross was my first grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School and was the first (and last) teacher to give me a whipping. (I crossed the street during recess to buy some penny candy without permission.) I remember attending fifth grade at Charles Evans School the first year it was built. We lived at 1212 G. N.W. across the street from the Bergmans and just around the corner from Mac Mc Galliard and his family. His daughter Judy was one of my best friends. Their son Nicky was the cutest boy in our neighborhood. He had blond curly hair and tan skin. (I, however, had snow white hair and sunburned skin!) The neighborhood kids played "Wagon Train" every day during the summer. We also put on "Plays" or Circus' in our backyards for our parents on summer evenings after supper. My very best friend was Phyllis Hamilton who lived two doors up. Our favorite thing to do was play with our Toni Dolls. Our next door neighbors were Les and Katie Williams. I carried their daughter Peggy around on my hip and played like she was my little girl. She died at an early age after having experimental surgery for a heart condition that used to be described as "Blue Baby". She was written up in the medical journals and because of her surgery back then, many children's lives are saved today. I contracted Polio in the summer of 1950 when I was 7 years old. Because of Dr. J.J. Boyd's early and accurate diagnosis and telling my mom to get me to Children's Hospital in OK. City immediately, I credit him for my only being left with a weak leg that has worked pretty well for the last 55 years! When I returned from the hospital to Ardmore I remember Carrie Lou Little coming to my house and bringing me a present. (I think it was a red raincoat and umbrella for my Toni Doll.) We spent a lot of time at BARTGIS Grocery Store and eating at The ORANGE CASTLE CAF� owned by Red and Florence Newnum. My mom, Nina Barnes, cooked for them and I will never forget the yummy smells when you walked in the front door. Good ol home cooking! She also worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital.Their cafeteria had a recipe for a meat substitute that I would dearly love to have today. Mmmmmm. My dad, Gene Barnes owned E.F. Barnes Building Specialties, Custom Floors, Paint, Wallpaper and Custom Framing located at 214 W. Main which was the next door west of Luke's Music Store. I remember him framing FRED BEAVER'S great Indian artwork. (When I was in the fourth grade Fred's wife was kind enough to teach me how to do "math division" while they were waiting for my dad to finish some custom frames.) When we moved back in 1961 he owned and operated Barnes Dairy Queen on Lake Murray Drive across from Whittington Park. My Uncle, owned Paul Barnes Beauty School and my grandmother, Ethel Barnes, (Mama Bear) managed it for him. It was located on Washington Street just south of THE HAMBURGER INN where most of the students ate lunch every day. Their egg custard pie was THE BEST! We moved away the next year but Ardmore will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks Butch, for letting me skip down Memory Lane with you every week!" -Janice Barnes Favors in Flower Mound, Texas [email protected]
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"Butch: I found this bit of advertising on the back of a column clipped from a 1950 newspaper. As you can see, the uppermost ad is for "Edens Fine Foods Restaurant" which was next to the Tivoli Theatre in Ardmore. Below that is an ad for the Globe Theatre, admission 10 cents and 30 cents, and below that is part of an ad for an MGM musical. Also, I did a little more research on the "Big Chief" bottle (from Coca-Cola distributors). It was an 8 oz bottle and if it were in excellent condition it would be worth about $35.00." [email protected] <----- Click Here
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"I THINK I have answered this question before, but here it is again (I have sold several of these bottles in my antique store). Many years ago, before they had Fanta and other various flavors of soda pop, the Coca-Cola distributors had lots of competitors and wanted to sell other flavors that would make some extra profit so they came out with Big Chief and a couple of other brands that they could put root beer and various fruit flavors depending on what might appeal to the folks in their area. All they had to do was indicate which flavor on the bottle cap and mix up what ever flavor was popular at the moment (lots of cherry, strawberry, and grape flavors were sold this way. The Chief bottles were fairly heavy glass and frequently had the local bottlers town name molded in the bottom of the glass. Most of the ones I've seen were Guthrie, but I think there were some Enid, Ardmore, and others around. I believe that the "brand name" sort of disappeared in the '40s, perhaps because of sugar rationing." [email protected] <----- Click Here
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"You can change a kids name (Leon Bridges Ford), but he/she will always be of his fathers blood line!! The Wife and I are still enjoying T&T after all these years. I still don't know how you do it week after week." -Roy Garnand <----- Click Here
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"Dear Mr. Bridges, I am sorry that I didn't answer you right away. but I was upstate NY. for a couple of days visiting my daughter Diana, She and her husband have a Camp for girls and boys at there. the picture you sent me I think were done in 1953 or 1954. That was when The Cardinals bought the Ardmore Club, and they bring up their own players, I don't recognize anyone. That year they release me. Sorry for that, now about your cousin Leon he really look very handsome in that picture and I am sure he is a great guy too (you can see that in the photo) Well Mr. Bridges have a good Summer and I hope is not as hot as we have here in NJ, your friend Ernie in NJ"
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"on the train picture, is there a man, named james l 'Bud" Myers, born 1869 ark? i understand he was killed in a train accident?" -ivanell
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"Butch I am trying to locate some medical information on my deceased father, Harry Williams for some research for my book I am writing about being raised in Gene Autry and I am wondering if you or any of your Readers could help me search for Dr. G.W. Beckett that used to practice here in Ardmore." [email protected]
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"You're Invited Book Launch / Signing for: 'Shadow of an Indian Star' by Bill and Cindy Paul Saturday, September 3rd. Book Signing from 3:00 - 5:00 pm at The Old Cemetery, 717 S. Walnut Ave, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (located across the Rush Creek bridge behind Stage and Family Dollar). Reception and Book Signing from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Santa Fe Depot, 204 W. Paul, Pauls Valley. If you already have a copy of 'Shadow of an Indian Star', please bring it with you and we'll personalize your existing copy. Or, you can purchase a copy at the signing." <----- Click Here
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'City Of New Orleans' by Arlo Guthrie 1972 (son of Woody Guthrie)

Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.

Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car.
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score.
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor.
And the sons of pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.

CHORUS

Nighttime on The City of New Orleans,
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee.
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea.
And all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news.
The conductor sings his song again,
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues.

Good night, America, how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

<----- Click Here <----- Click Here

See everyone next time!

Butch Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

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August 18, 2005 - Circulation over 4,000 Vol 9 Issue 447

We've had a lot of rain this week in southern Oklahoma, and as a result Turner Falls 18 miles north of Ardmore in the Arbuckle Mountains has water falling down the falls by the bucket fulls. A Reader sent these in to me, I wish they were a little larger, but they are still great pics of this spectacular show! I wonder if the water is flowing over the spillway at Lake Murray? <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here

I received an email from Ardmoreite Charlie Williams this week. He's a history buff and collector of anything pertaining to Ardmore and southern Oklahoma. Charlie wanted to share an old cabinet photo with everyone, and make it into a "Who is it?" trivia photo at the same time. If you think you know who these two famous characters are, send me an email. Charlie will tell us next week who they are. We're going to really be surprise who the young boy is. lol <----- Click Here

Here is an interesting article passed along to me by a Reader. It tells about the building costs of the theater at the Ardmore Air Force Base in 1954. E.B. Bush Construction Company in Oklahoma City was the low bidder at $79,242. <----- Click Here

Also in August 1954 the old 1108 steam locomotive was moved from the Ardmore depot where it had been setting since it was brought in, to its now resting place next to the Hardy Murphy Coliseum on Lake Murray Drive. Now 50 years later there is only one thing to do, move it back to the depot at East Main and the railroad tracks. I hope the movers and shakers in this town will start on the project and place this sentimental piece of Ardmore history at the depot. I know there is someone in this area, just like oilman Waco Turner and his work crew and equipment did in 1954, that will help get the locomotive moved to the depot. In the "Great Explosion of 1915" it brought doctors and nurses at full speed to town to help save Ardmoreites, now we need to save it. <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here

Nellie Combe of Shawnee sent in a pic of an old coke bottle. But this is what is called a Chief coke bottle since it has a picture of an Indian Chief on it. Nellie was wondering if anyone has any history or info on the unusual bottle and maybe why the company put an Indian chief on it. <----- Click Here

I received a surprise in the mail this week. Former Ardmoreite Carol Stewart Kiesel sent me a copy of her new cookbook, Carol's Sugar Free Sweet Treats. In the early 1980s Carol was faced with the problem of hypoglycemia. People with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) are caught up in a seemingly endless circle.... highs and lows. Their bodies produce too much insulin and their blood sugar drops. So they eat something sweet to bring the sugar level back up, and then the pancreas secretes more insulin, so in effect its an endless circle. So faced with the dilemma Carol decided to act. She started eating and cooking with foods, experimenting with edibles that would counteract the hypoglycemia. Over time her sugar free recipes worked and she wanted to help others with the same problem. Carol decided to put her sugarless cooking achievements in print as a cookbook. This is really a great book of dozens of sugar free recipes, and I cant begin to tell you all the neat stuff in it besides recipes, like cooking tips, equivalency and conversion charts, making breads, cooking terms, calorie counter, even microwaving tips. The book is about 150 pages. If your interested in this type of book for yourself or friend, contact Carol Kiesel at her email [email protected] or give her a call in Gainesville, Texas at 940-665-0567. <----- Click Here

And here is one page from here book, and might just be my favorite to try..... <----- Click Here

My cousin Ralph Leon Ford and his family were in Oklahoma this past weekend (they live in South Korea) visiting one of his daughters who is attending OU. Leon came on down to Ardmore to visit the grave of his father, Paul Bridges. Leon has kinda an unusal story about his Bridges connection. His father Paul was killed in action during WWII in the area of Reipertswiller, France when Leon was about 2 years old. His mother remarried a Ford, and legally changed Ralph Leon Bridges to Ralph Leon Ford. But Leon still considers himself a Bridges. Here's a picture of Leon standing beside his father's Paul Bridges' grave at Rosehill cemetery here in Ardmore. <----- Click Here

But there's another reason Leon came to Ardmore last week. He's been promising me for 2 years he has a bell for me, not an ordinary bell, but a real handmade brass Korean bell. So he arrived last saturday with the bell and it's really a piece of art! It has a beautiful ring, and the decor around the bell is hand metted into the brass, so as to make the ring just perfect. It is fashioned after the largest bell in Korea which takes 8 men to ring and is only rung on New Years day. Send Leon an email over in Korea.... he'd love to hear from anyone back home. [email protected] Thanks for the bell Leon, I love it! <----- Click Here

Speaking of cousins, I talked to another cousin, Ivadee Vojtek, last Saturday (Aug 13) in Eureka, California. Eureka is in far north California and is just a little larger in size then Ardmore. She said gas was $2.89 or $2.91 in Eureka, depending on where you buy it. When gas prices reaching for the sky, I wonder what the future holds.

SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG

"Just wanted to let you know that the Murray County Antique Tractor and Implement Association has set the dates of September 16th to 18th for their annual show. It's one of those things that if you haven't been there you just can't imagine all the interesting and historical things they have. Tons of things to see and do. Boy, I can hardly wait to get some more of that delicious home made ice cream that's made on the spot with a tractor driven ice cream maker. And the popcorn that is made by a steam powered popcorn popper and................... well you get the picture. Hope you can make it."
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"Butch, I don't know for certain, but the middle person in the top row of the Cardinals picture could be J.C. Dunn, the long time shop teacher. I always heard that he played for the Cardinals as a young man. Anyway, it looks a lot like I figure he would have looked at that age."
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"Butch, I used to know most of these guys names but the only one I can really remember is the guy standing in the back row...1st one on the left. His name was Jack Krol and he was from Chicago. The guy seated in the very middle of the first row, I can't remember his name. I have a picture of those two and two others with their names on the back. If I can find it, I'll send to you." <----- Click Here
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"i would like to know if u have any info or photo's of a alice burdell she is supposed to be a indian woman, i am doing research on my family history and she is my great great great grandmother, and i was told that she was indian and from oklahoma, any assistance will be greatly appreciated. thank you" -kimberly ------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I did a search for Simon Westheimer and Daube cotton mill Indian Territory today and found your site. I am trying to find out if anyone knows anything about the cotton company I mentioned above? My great-grandfather was a cotton buyer for them. They may not have even been a mill all I had was the three names. Frank lived in Marietta Oklahoma and this would have been around 1883-1900. If anyone knows any of the Hills in Marietta I would love to talk to you. I am trying to locate info about my family. My great-grand parents were: Frank Marion Hill from Gaston Alabama. Maranda Casanda Jones Dexter Texas. They had Frank, Lee, Jerry, Dewey, Will and Jim Hill. My granddad was Utus Lee (Henry) Hill, grandmother was Anna Bell Mosley, they lived in Marietta but moved to Camp Howze Texas later at Gainesville." [email protected] <----- Click Here
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I just finished reviewing your latest column of "This and That", Vol 9, Issue 446 concerning the Maytag Washing Machine Motor. The motor reminds me when I lived in a rural area of Oklahoma in 1939 with my Uncle and Aunt Betty Sims, their two sons, and two daughters, who operated a dairy farm located about a quarter mile from the Cimmaron River somewhere, I think, in the southeastern part of Oklahoma.

Monday Morning Wash Day

"Although electrical qualification was active in the state of Oklahoma in 1939 it had not reached several areas of the state of Oklahoma or if it had many farmers could not afford that luxury, for this nation was still in the clutch of the Big Depression. However, some farmers in the area Oklahoma including my Uncle and Aunt Betty Sims owned a Maytag washing machine equipped with a gasoline engine that operated the agitator.

Each early Monday morning, rain or shine, Uncle Sims or one of his two sons loaded the Maytag washing machine with water and home made lye soap, filled its gasoline tank , and started it. My Aunt Betty Sims with the help of her two daughters filled the washing machine with a collection of a week supply of dirty clothing and commenced washing them. At about the same time other farmers in the area who financially could afford such a machine performed the same act. Each Monday morning throughout the rural area the putt, putt sound emitted by our Maytag washing machine engine joined with the putt, putt, sound of other Maytag washing machine engines." -Grant West
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"I was raised in NE Okla. Muskogee and never heard of an educated burger till I moved to Ardmore. Tell everyone that Carter County Fair is the week of Labor day. Entries are taken on Tuesday the 6th at 4pm and judging is on Wednesday. They can get good food especially homemade pies at the HCE kitchen everyday of fair."
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"I am trying to locate a picture of the old Benbow-Horton Hardware Company in Ardmore and any history about the store and its owners. I have the cash register from that store and would like to know the history. Thanks." [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Old Savoy church bell to be moved to school. SAVOY, TX - The sound of the great, old church bell calling the Methodist congregation to worship won't leave Savoy. But the bell will be moved from the church to the school. The relocation is being made possible by a heroine from Arizona, Savoy Independent School District Superintendent Brian Neal said Wednesday. For more of this story, click on or type the URL below: <----- Click Here
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"Butch, During WW II there were several German prisoners of war kept at Camp House in Gainesville, Texas. After the war they were freed and sent home. About 25 or 30 years ago or so (just guessing) a group of 4 or 5 of them came back for a reunion as such. Gary Simmons was right because there was a big front page article with pictures of them since they spent several days in and around Ardmore. Sorry I can't put more details together." -Edgar Wallace
------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I was in that area just a few days ago looking for an old power house from days past. There's one still there but not operating. May not be the same one mentioned but could have been upgraded with the metal building and have had the wooden derrick removed. This one is on the south side of Hwy 70 and south side of the Bayou right in the jog of the Hwy. It can't be seen for all the trees etc. between it and the Hwy. but it's only a few hundred yards from the Hwy. I've attached some photos. The large metal band wheel was used to operate all the rod lines running out to the pump jacks and the knock off posts just outside the powerhouse were used to cut in or out (knock off) a pump jack from the rest of the system. The rod lines ran through holes in the metal knock off posts." -C. Dwane Stevens. <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"Hi Butch, My wife and spent last week end in Mt. View Arkansas. To those not familier with Mt. View it is the folk music capital of the world. It is built on a court house square. The local people, weather permitting can be found around the square every day from noon on playing music. It is nothing planned they just gather around and start playing. There is also a state park north of town called the ozark folk center which is a small silver dollar city type place. They also have music day and night in the big auditorium. We went to see Ralph Stanley who put on a great show. We took some pictures of some instruments handmade by the locals that actully will tune and play like store bought instruments. The fiddle is made from a table leg and cigar box. The guitars are a soap box and a turn of the century soap box, the banjo is made from a gourd. They are fun to play." -James and Nancy Singleterry <----- Click Here
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"Butch, Here are some I remember(s) that some of your readers might have some information on: Ardmore Police Department, Boy Scout Troop 111, (NE Housing Project) in the early 70's, initiated and supported by then District Judge Brown. The little hamburger shop across from the High School in 1950s, called the "Bop Shop." Store named Candyland (magazine, funny books, candy etc) just across the street from Hamburger Inn and The Hobo camp near the Healton Y, on Hwy 70 east, The Ringling railroad split at that point one track going to Ringling and the other to Healton." [email protected]
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"Here is an old oil field photo taken near Wilson, Ok. The wagon is an eight wheel, iron tire wagon used to haul heavy loads. The wagon is loaded with a steam boiler which was used in the oil field during that time. Note, in the background is a standard derick with a walking beam pump jack." <----- Click Here
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"I received confirmation from Dolese on Monday for Big Canyon weekend on October 15th in the Arbuckle Mts. I will post more details on times as the date approaches. I still have the maps to Big Canyon posted on my webshots site if anyone needs them. Just click on the link below then click on the album titled 'Big Canyon Maps'. Or just send me a note and I will e-mail them to you as jpg's. Thanks to Chris Sampley for arranging this year's session with Dolese. I was afraid they were going to stop hosting the sessions." -C. Dwane Stevens [email protected] <----- Click Here
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"what happened to the pictures of the tower clock for Ardmore? I went to the page, but when I click on the links, it says the pictures can't be found." -Sandy <----- Click Here
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"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

See everyone next time!

Butch Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

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August 11, 2005 - Circulation over 4,000 Vol 9 Issue 446

Last Saturday morning I made my first visit to the Carl Stevens private Museum northwest of Ardmore on Kings Road. Dwane Stevens was a gracious host for the few that made a show, and we sure had a great time looking at the pieces of history in the museum. In fact, we had so much to talk about, (if you weren't there, we probably talked about you... lol) we didnt leave til after high noon. I snapped some pics of the items housed in the museum. The first picture is Dwane Stevens standing beside the now famous bright red stagecoach! <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here

This is a buckboard <----- Click Here

And a chuckwagon <----- Click Here

And an old cream separator <----- Click Here

Amish enclosed buggy <----- Click Here

I think this is the remnant of a railroad mail cart <----- Click Here

An Old Singer sewing machine used for sewing leather <----- Click Here

Some old mule harnesses used by Carl Stevens when he was alive and worked mules <----- Click Here

A gallon size Colvert Dairy milk jar <----- Click Here

An old Mrs Tucker's shortening can <----- Click Here

Here is a real unique contraption that was sitting on the floor of the museum. Its a 1940 something Maytag washing machine motor. Its a two cylinder and ran on gasoline. Dwane's dad Carl used it as a fluid transfer pump. <----- Click Here

An old Crosley tube type radio <----- Click Here

And this is the building Dwane Stevens has all the great stuff housed. If you still want to see it, give Dwane a call at 580-490-6465 and set up a time. Or send Dwane an email at [email protected] <----- Click Here

But let's not forget about good ole Cutter, there was not a dull moment when he was around. He made us all feel right at home! I wanted to take him home with me. lol <----- Click Here

Ardmoreite Steven Harris sent me a couple of pics this week, really neat photographs of Ardmore's history of years ago. The first one is the old First National Bank building at North Washington and West Main. It was taken before the big fire of 1895. <----- Click Here

The second photograph was taken of the Ardmore Cardinals baseball team. We hope some of you can put names to the players in the group. <----- Click Here

I had a request this week from someone way up in NE Oklahoma who wants a large bell to go in the yard. Has anyone seen any big bells for sell? Let me know if you've seen any lately.

The OSU Extension Office here in Ardmore are all smiles this week after receiving a new piece of equipment. Its a 42 inch television they'll be using in future classes held at the extension office. The tv is really going to come in handy for PowerPoint presentations, which they do on a regular basis in the classroom. <----- Click Here

A relative of lawman Bud Ballew sent me a pic of his badge this week. Ballew was a deputy sheriff under sheriff Buck Garrett back around 1915 when Carter county was one big booming oilfield and roughnecks were as rough as the come. Can anyone tell us what David "Bud" Ballew's middle name ??? <----- Click Here

I talked with long time Ardmoreite Dana Pruitt Boyd this week. She told me about their AHS class of 1965 reunion coming up and their new website to keep people posted on developments. The class reunion is Sept 23, 24 and 25th. The website has a "lost list" of those graduates they can not find. Hopefully some of you will know how to contact most of them. The person to contact is Anna Lynn Weichbrodt Lumpkin: [email protected] or 580-223-4515 or 223-5060. She will keep the website and list up-to-date, so check in often. <----- Click Here

Thanks to all of you, OklahomaHistory.net had a record month in July, with almost 114,000 Hits. I appreciate each and everyone one of you. <----- Click Here

SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG

"Butch I am almost certain that Marietta is in Washington township. Could be wrong but I think that is what I learned in school there." [email protected]
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"Bud Ballew's real name was David ....dont remember the middle or first......But so is mine and a cousin of my fathers. Who happened to be a peace officer in california....now retired and is Henry Guess' son." <----- Click Here
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"The picture of the stagecoach is simply beautiful. Sure do enjoy reading your newsletter." -Iva Lee Quetone
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"I am so much enjoying the newsletter from you. I live in California (since caveman days). But, everything in your newsletter is very interesting reading. The Vendome well at Sulphur sure is a beautiful sight - and it looks so cool on a hot day like today. Also, about the 200 German Prisoners of World War 2, I am 78-years, and one would think with all the years I have been here, I would have heard about the German prisoners before now. It was only about a month back, when I came across this on a Texas web site, that I first learned about it. I knew about the prisoners of Japanese descent. But, Germans, no. I was sure surprised to be reading it. I lived in Arizona during WW2, about ten miles from one of the camps where the Japanese were held. Read: Hand Book of Texas On Line http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/GG/qug1.html

And, about the 'upside-down tomato planting,' I mentioned it to some of my friends and they say they are sure going to try it. I think it is so interesting, and the pictures in your publication are beautiful - makes me hungry just to look at them! As for the SPAM. I feel safer just not opening mail from someone I do not know. I have AOL, and it is real good. But, I feel we must watch for the junk that so many get 'hooked' on. I have a friend who is wide open to so many things, she has lost thousands of dollars, and at least one computer was wrecked." -Rev. Marge Israel
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"Hi Butch, I found a letter among my genealogy information that I have gathered through the years, I thought some of your Readers might find it interesting. It was written by my Gr. Gr. Grandfather James B. Altom. He wrote this letter to the Marion County Democrat Newspaper, in Salem, Illinois. It was written March 4, 1898. It is about coming to Texas and Indian Territory Oklahoma from Illinois. Just thought I would share with you. Here is also a photo of James B. Altum and his wife Arthena "Belle" Bassett Altum, to go along with the letter that he wrote in 1898." -Karen Morgan Palmer [email protected] <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"Butch, when Mr. Brown started making burgers, seems like about when WWII started, he hadn't yet named them 'educated' or 'plain.' They were 5 cents and most all had the cooked onions and ya could smell them a block away. Later came the educated etc. I also remember the 'coney islands' with wieners, chili, chopped onions, etc. and also his wonderful pancakes in the mornings he called 'angel food' I think it was. So good! Best pancakes you ever ate! Shortstacks were 2 rather than 3. I remember Chock, too. Those were the days." -Bob Taylor
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"My favorite order at Hamburger Inn was always called back to Chock as 2 coneys crying in a basket on wheels. Translation for the younger folks, thats 2 coneys with onions and french fries to go. Can't remember what was called out for the pecan pie, too busy enjoying it." -Ken Jensen
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"Ann Tate wanted to know about Mr. Brown at the Hamburger Inn. His name was Ernest Brown and Mrs. Brown made the pies." -Linda Lamb Smith [email protected]
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"Concerning the educated Hamburger I was raised in Wynona, Oklahoma and ate educated burgers at a restaurant there in about 1950." -Delbert Wilson
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Well, I can't claim to have been a witness to the invention of the term "Educated Hamburger," but back in high school at AHS, I had the money to eat at the Hamburger Inn maybe once a week -- and always looked forward to it. My standard order? "Educated Cheeseburger basket and a glass of buttermilk, please." Inevitably, others sitting around the bar there would look at me like they might like to "move a seat or two further away from me." Got my love of buttermilk from my Dad and my grandfather, I guess -- and when you want buttermilk, nothin' else will do.

The Browns ran a top-notch establishment. The ladies who waited on us were always the same -- friendly, patient and unflappable. Chock was at the grill. And Mrs. Brown's chocolate pies! Sort of a chocolate chiffon with chopped pecans on top. I often wonder if anybody else knows how to make that pie! 30 years removed from those days, I've dreamed a time or two about sitting at my regular place down on the north end of the bar where it and the seats "turn west." I never went in there but what I remembered the FIRST time -- when I was a little kid and Dad and I stopped in there on what must have been a Saturday afternoon -- probably on the way home from Stolfa's.

I visit sometimes when I can -- although I usually eat my MOM's cooking when I'm in Ardmore (and, brother that's hard to beat!). Still, I had breakfast at the Hamburger Inn on a Saturday morning not so long ago and it was great. Glad to see things haven't changed all that much -- and yet it's different, too. Different folks behind the counter and different me, I guess.

I can't imagine North Washington without the Hamburger Inn and the fragrant smell of those onions cooking! Don't you figure there's probably a Hamburger Inn in Heaven?" -Tom Elmore [email protected]
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"Put my two cents in. I remember the educated hamburger back in the early 1940s. We got ours at Priddys on what is now Commerce. Didnt compare to the god old hamburger with mustard." -Jessica
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Highway 77 Through the Arbuckles In the 1920's, a convict labor crew was brought to the Arbuckles to build a highway across the mountains. The camp that the convicts lived in was similar to any army bivouac camp. Located near Turner Falls, this camp served the needs of the convict work crew building the highway through some of the roughest country in Oklahoma. Below are some rare photos of the labor camp. It took 2 years to build the 6 mile stretch of road. <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"I love my K9 spam filter. With it, those hot stock tips go straight into the dumpster alongside those pill sites and mortgage offers. K9 does much more than just block email addresses (tho it does that also). This software actually looks at the content of the emails and applies a Bayesian weight from the words in the email, including its headers. From there, it marks them as spam or not. The longer you use it, the better it gets (it learns over time as you correct it's few mistakes). I've been using K9 for a little over a year now. In that time it has processed nearly 41 thousand emails (I'm on several mail lists). From that number, it marked over 8 thousand as spam and only missed a little over 4 hundred spams (~1 per hundred emails). Not too shabby for a tiny free piece of software. If you or anyone is interested, K9 can be found below." -Garth Hoard, Lone Grove, OK <----- Click Here
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"After having this guy sitting around my workbench aka "kitchen table" since December I finally buckled down and finished him. I wanted to do a full gear 10th Mountain Climber. The leggings are actually from a German mountain troop scale figure but were the closest ones available. Found a great rock style corner shelf to use for the base. I may upgrade it with a bit of snow later.This one was inspired by the photo of Earl Clark I saw on DPL's website. Here's a link to the pic. Hope they don't mind. http://photoswest.org/photos/00200376/00200431.jpg I had the chance to talk to Earl a bit during the Austin Reunion on the way back from the Bar-B-Que as I sat behind him on the bus. What a great guy! Feel free to forward these photos to your 10th Mtn friends. I'm still working towards finishing a 10th Mtn soldier from each major battle/location. Some of the upcoming ones I'm working on are:
Kiska Operation
Port of Embarkation U.S.S. West Point
Colonel William O. Darby
Ammo Bearer w/packboard "Hill 913"
10th Mtn Light "Iraq"
Mortar Soldier
Skier in Whites
My Grandpa version 2 "R&R in Venice"
85/K soldier "Capture of Mussolini's Villa "

So far I've finished 12" 10th Mountain models of, My Grandfather (machine gunner), Lt Bob Dole, General Hays, Graves registration, WWII Chaplain, Skier, Medic, & climbing instructor "Bob Ripley". If you want to see any photos of any of these feel free to contact me" -Bryan Pullen [email protected]
<----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"Butch, A little something to add to the experiment. I tried the system with some heirloom plants. I use my koi pond water and casting from the filter exclusively. I am disappointed in the results, could be the plants or maybe too much nitrogen in the water source. Lots of blooms, mixed production, the yellow pears came fast clustered like grapes. The purple Mohawks are only coming now with limited production. Italian Genovese poor at best. I also have a couple pink Brandywines that seem late. We have had an unusual summer in Nashville, below norm temps early and horrendous heat as of late. By in large the plants never developed, what I would call, normal leaf growth. I kept them right side up for about 2 weeks. When I hung them they made a 180 U-turn within 8 hours, I was amazed. Latest problem is the birds so I'm forced to harvest anything that starts to show ripe color, I covered the plants with webbed plastic screen to no avail. Dang this gardening is tough, I'm glad I don't have to depend on my abilities to feed us! Note the jalapenos below, good production, good heat. Well I shouldn't complain my salsa garden keeps me in some damn fine, tasty, fiery, Mexican Pico-de-gio." <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"Butch: wanted to thank the man who must be the sunrise champion of wilson, ok., who confirmed the ole indian tale i heard some 45 years ago. i didn't watch many sunrises after leaving the sheriff's office but have been curious for that length of time. don't know whether it is applicable for oklahoma weather only or in general. but, again thanks for renewing my belief that those old tales have a lot of truth in them.. regards to all back there." -Gerald Cobb [email protected]
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"I was wondering if I could get some help, my family is Crusher or Big Canyon, Oklahoma. My grandparents were from their,(as a child I spent lot of time with them) My grandfather was Ben Wyatt-he went to work for Dolese Bros. at the age the age of 14 as a waterboy. I am looking for pictures or information. Could anyone please help? I would love to have a picture of the Old Post Office, or get in contact with anybody with stories about the area." [email protected]
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"Here's a still shot of my hummingbirds at feeding time here in Colorado." -Linda McGill Wagner http://okielegacy.org <----- Click Here
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"In Opal Brown's book MURRAY COUNTY, page 411, is the following: "1906 - Excavations began on Vendome Amusement Pool; Alligator Farm nearby." This would probably place it on Davis Ave.(now W. Broadway), between W.5th Street and Rock Creek in Sulphur. The Arbuckle Historical Societies in both Sulphur and Davis certainly appreciate receipt of any and all photos pertaining to Murray County." -C. Roland Earsom [email protected]
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"Hi Butch, found this great site with lots of reading about Oklahoma 1920's/1930's. Hope some of the listers can use it. Jack(a Wilsonite) in Missouri." <----- Click Here
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"If I may, I would like some further information about the photos of the 1909 lynching at Ada. But first, let me say how much I have enjoyed your website. It is really neat with all the information and photographs. Let me explain who I am.

I am a cousin of a man named Barney K. Riggs, who killed two of Jim Miller's henchmen at Pecos, Texas, in 1896. In the mid '80s I completed a book manuscript about Riggs and later asked Gene Riggs, Barney's grandson from Fort Stockton, to be my co-author. In 2002, I did much more research and completed the book. The book was published that year and is entitled Barney K. Riggs: The Yuma and Pecos Avenger. The book discusses Miller in detail and provides an overview of his various murders. After the book came out, another writer encouraged me to write a separate book about Miller, which I have been working on for about 18 months. We have discovered much new information and plan a full-length book." -Ellis Lindsey, Waco, Texas [email protected] <----- Click Here
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"Hi, I tried your experiment growing tomatos upsidedown and hear is a picture of mine. thanks." -Alf Sudworth in Wigan, England <----- Click Here
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"Seeing this equipment got me to thinking of the oil fields of my early school days. That'd have been in the late 30s and early 40s. Where the highway to Wilson makes a jog and crosses the Bayou there used to be a wooden derrick with a large shed at the bottom that housed a large make or break engine (sounded like a giant poppin' johnny tractor) that powered the finger cables that operated a large group of small pumps back to the west and northwest of the derrick. I can remember the distant echoing sound of that pump engine on cool foggy mornings to this day and can't pass that spot without hearing it in my mind. My grandparents lived on a farm a mile or so north of that spot on the dirt road that left the highway just east of the Bayou and pump engine. We always called it the "jumpin off place" because of the steep departure ramp from the highway down onto the dirt road. At that time my Grandparents still used a wagon and team of horses to shop in Ardmore 'cause the little Coupe auto they had would not come close to hauling all the family let alone a couple of months worth of groceries and other farm supplies. The men would have a beer or two on Caddo while the women shopped up and down the length of Main street and we kids would catch the latest Johnny Mack Brown or Mesquiteer movie and see it thru at least twice. Then we'd all nap as we made the late trip home in the wagon. Thanks to you and the Singleterrys for the memory trip." -Harold Burton, Ardmore, Oklahoma
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"hi, i would like to know if anyone has any info or photo's of a Alice Burdell she is supposed to be a indian woman, i am doing research on my family history and she is my great great great grandmother, and i was told that she was indian and from oklahoma, any assistance will be greatly appreciated. thank you"
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"Those Friday Night Blues" by John Conlee 1980

He's been work-in' all week, he's got men-tal fa-tigue
and that old couch sure looks fine
All week he's been gone, she's been sit-tin' a-lone
slow-ly go-in' out of her mind
As he kicks off his shoes for the six o-clock news
she's get-tin' all pret-tied up
oh, she's want-in' to boo-gie, he's want-in' to lay there
she's got the Fri-day Night Blues

CHORUS:
And the Fri-day Night Blues they get in your shoes,
and they work to get you down
Oh, and there ain't a la-dy that I ever knew
who didn't need her a night on the town
But the hills and the bills and a week's worth of deals
has got him feel-in' more than used
Oh, he's kick-in' his shoes off, she's put-tin' her's on
she's got the Fri-day Night Blues

Oh,there once was a time, she was top of the line
her nights like teen-age dreams
Now it's op-'ras at noon, danc-in' 'round with her broom
talk-in' to her wash-in' ma-chine
Oh, the girl down the street says her old man is neat
and she makes it sound so true
Now she's feel-in' lone-ly thinks she's the on-ly
One with the Fri-day Night Blues

CHORUS

And the Fri-day Night Blues they get in your shoe's
and they work to get you down
Oh, and there ain't a la-dy that I ever knew
who didn't need her a night on the town

Turn your speakers up... here's the song
<----- Click Here

See everyone next time!

Butch Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

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August 4, 2005 - Circulation over 4,000 Vol 9 Issue 445

Ok everybody! The gathering at Dwane Steven's house is a go! We hope to see as many of you as possible at Dwane's place NW of Ardmore on Saturday August 6th around 9am. Dwane has spent a lot of time and work setting up this little museum next door to his house. The museum is in honor of his Dad, Carl Stevens, who passed away last year. Here is a photo with Carl Stevens and his siblings at one of their last family reunions. Carl is 4th from the left. His brother Pierce is 2nd from left. Carl and Pierce built the red stagecoach together that now is in the museum and Pierce has since built another one. He presently has it at his place south of Duncan but is in the process of selling it. A couple of funeral homes at Duncan and Lawton are wanting him to build horse drawn hearses for them. <----- Click Here

Some of you will remember me talking about the that red stage coach in a past T&T. It is on display at the Stevens Museum along with a lot of other interesting pieces of history. I cant wait to sit in that stage coach Saturday! Its really a reminder of bygone days. The person sitting in the stagecoach is none other than Healdton's Number 1 historian, Kenneth Eck. Kenneth sent me this great photo last May. I meant to share it with everyone last May but forgot to put the link to the pic in my T&T. But here it is now! <----- Click Here

Also most of you know Dwane Stevens is a railroad buff and in his own right one of the most knowledgeable in this area on railroad history. So I'm sure he will be anxious to talk about the railroad's heyday around southern Oklahoma. You can visit his webshot gallery to find many awesome pics he's took in the area. Here is a link to Dwane's webshots. <----- Click Here

Now for the directions to the Stephens Museum: Since everyone know's where Ponder's Restaurant is located at I-35 and Exit 33, we are going to use that as a reference point. From Ponders Restaurant at the intersection of I-35 and Hwy 142 go west 2 miles to a 4-way stop. The 4-way stop is the intersection of Prairie Valley and Kings Rd. Turn right (north) on Kings Road and go 1.7 miles north. Look for a large black mail box on left hand (west) side of the road that reads 4393 Kings Rd. Follow gravel drive way to North most building. Dwane's house and two metal buildings can be seen from Kings Road. The very North building is the Museum.

If coming from the West on Hwy 70 turn North on Kings Road (which is two miles West of Ardmore) and go 3.7 miles North and look for the mailbox with 4393 Kings Rd. on it (West side of Road). Dwane's cell number is 490-6465 if anyone needs help.

Hope to see those of you living nearby at the Steven's Museum Saturday Aug 6th at 9am!

Last week when I sent out my T&T the people who have AOL internet did not go through. All 160 bounced back to me. There are about 160 T&T subscribers who use AOL and this has happened several times before. I called AOL and they say they've fixed the problem. I hope this week's issue makes it to all the AOL people.

For those of you who are looking for a great site with financial info. <----- Click Here

SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG

"Butch, I found Edgar Wallace's photos of CITY OF ARDMORE C-130 of interest. Jimy Brady Rose had visions of the plane mounted on a stanchion over the Museum in Ardmore. She laughed to think of what people driving down I35 would think. Surely they would leave the Highway and come to the Museum. We had plans on how to raise the money. Unfortunately the Air Force thought it should remain in their Museum." MKPAT
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"Butch, when I was a little boy about 8, I was playing with a model plane and sat down on a big hill of red ants to work on the plane that had damaged its wing. Well you can imagine what happened, hundreds of stings and all below the belt. My mother knowing about the Stewart's Bluing almost bathed me in it. I at first thought I was staring death in the face, but the bluing helped even though I was apparently running a temperature. We lived next door to Dr. E. R. Barker, a Healdton pioneer physician, and he came quickly to check me out. It seemed that no medication other than aspirin was necessary. He advised me to stay in bed the rest of the day." -Kenneth Eck
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"Soon after my brother returned from WWII, he got into some poison ivy. Someone told him to put bluing on it. The bluing got between the blisters as well as on them and his face was blue. My uncle died about that time and we had to attend the funeral. My brother tried to scrub the bluing off his face but it was between the blisters and impossible to remove. He attended my uncle's funeral with a blue face." -Frances Dunlap
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"I never knew Jerry Brown's (graduated AHS Class of 1954, I believe) daddy's first name -- in the '50s, we didn't call adults by their first names, they were always just "Mr. X or Mrs. Y or Miss Someone." Anyway, during the 1950s, Mr. Brown owned and personally operated Hamburger Inn when it was on North Washington between Main Street and Broadway when it was on the east side across the street from the post office (now, I believe, the Federal Building there in Ardmore). His Educated Hamburgers were a bun fried on the grill with the meat, meat pattie, tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise and his Regular Hamburgers were the grilled bun, meat pattie, pickles and onions with mustard. I swear Mr. Brown originated the name "Educated Hamburger," and if you had ever eaten just one of either of his hamburgers, you wouldn't forget it! I remember Mr. Brown and also his son, Jerry, very kindly." -Anne Tate Boland
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"Hello Butch, The educated hamburger got it name from Ernest Brown (owner of the Hamburger Inn). He was selling these in the late 1930's and through the 1960's. He had a place across the street from the U.S. Post Office on North Washington street. His little diner only had 7 (seven) stools for customers to sit on. He had 2 (two) cooks Chock and Blondy. Ernest would call the orders out to them and this is what he would say. MAKE ME 2 (TWO) WITH TEARS, (these had grilled onions and pickles on them) or he would say PUT 2 THROUGH SCHOOL, (these were the educated hamburgers with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise) I have many fond memories of eating at the original "HAMBURGER INN". -Joe Dale Black
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"When I went to school there in Ardmore, we would eat lunch everyday in High School at the Hamburger Inn. This is were I thought the Educated Hamburger came from. The cook there in the mid 1950's, (Chalk was his name) would take your order and if you ordered an Educated Hamburger he would say "Send it to school". Fond memories!" -Carol (Flye) Black
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"Concerning the educated hamburger: I was raised in Gainesville, and I dimly remember the term educated was common and simply meant that the burger was a little more elegant, mayo instead of mustard etc. Concerning the bluing: any basic liquid like ammonia, Top Job, Windex will work fine. Meat tenderizer is also touted to work. I prefer ammonia as a poultice over a wash cloth." JRM
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"Butch, In case you need it, here is a picture of the vendome well as it now looks in Sulphur. This is no longer a free-flowing well, but has a pump operating it. Someone was asking about it." <----- Click Here
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"Butch, Here is a couple of pics of the Vendome well at Sulphur taken this year." -Bill Uhles <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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A contingency of around 200 German Prisoners of War were transferred from Camp Howze to the Ardmore Army Air Field in June of 1945. Several references to these men are found in the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base website http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons/. I hope to be put in contact with someone who had contact with them or may remember their parents or relatives talking about the prisoners there. Our friend, Gene South, now deceased, said he remembered playing checkers with some of them when he was a boy. He was visiting the base with a grown relative or maybe a family friend. Procrastinating as usual, I didn't press Gene for the details---and now that story is lost. Hopefully, one of the readers of T&T can advise me of someone who could help with additional information. I vaguely remember, or think I do, that several German citizens visited Oklahoma and Ardmore several years ago. One or more of them had been a prisoner of war at the base and came to see the old base. I have asked several people if they remember that article being in the paper. Some think they might have seen something along that line, but they---like me---could be victims of too many consecutive birthdays. People associated with the "Ardmoreite" can't recall the story but most there are newcomers that have replaced the old veteran reporters of "yesteryear." A search through their "archives" hasn't turned up the story as yet. Maybe I dreamed it. Somebody please help me! [email protected] <----- Click Here

From "This I Remember... <----- Click Here

"Another of Dad's duties was to find allowable jobs for the German war prisoners interned at the field. He used to talk about finding work for them in the wood shop repairing window sashes, doors or furniture. They also worked in the metal shop repairing latch sets, lock sets and kitchen equipment. They also did some work around the hospital fixing the roof, replacing glass and repairing a ward after a minor fire. We still have the ice cooler that the POWs made as a wedding gift for my parents.

The field commander allowed the POW's to have small vegetable plots to augment their rations. What the commander did not know was that the POW's also sold some of their produce to the service personnel and their families around the post. One of their customers was my mother (who was pregnant with my brother at the time), which was probably why my father turned a blind eye to this. If the commander had caught on to this trade, my father would have had a real problem!"
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Bobby's upside down tomato project. <----- Click Here
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"Carl Magee of Oklahoma City is noted as the inventor of the parking meter."

Wireless Technology Turns Old-Fashioned Coin-Operated Device Into a Sophisticated Tool for Catching Scofflaws and Raising Cash

By CHRISTOPHER CONKEY, Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Technology is taking much of the fun out of finding a place to park the car. In Pacific Grove, Calif., parking meters know when a car pulls out of the spot and quickly reset to zero -- eliminating drivers' little joy of parking for free on someone else's quarters.

In Montreal, when cars stay past their time limit, meters send real-time alerts to an enforcement officer's hand-held device, reducing the number of people needed to monitor parking spaces -- not to mention drivers' chances of getting away with violations. Meanwhile, in Aspen, Colo., wireless "in-car" meters may eliminate the need for curbside parking meters altogether: They dangle from the rear-view mirror inside the car, ticking off prepaid time.

These and other innovations are reshaping the parking meter, a device that dates to 1933, when an Oklahoma inventor named Carl Magee, working with some colleagues, came up with the coin-operated, single-space mechanical meter as a means of freeing up parking spaces in downtown Oklahoma City. Two Arkansas companies have dominated the industry: POM Inc., of Russellville, which traces its lineage to Mr. Magee and his band of inventors; and Duncan Parking Technologies Inc., of Harrison.
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"Carl Magee was not the owner of the Oklahoma News. It was a Scripps-Howard Newspaper and folded during the depression, as many newspapers did. Magee was, I believe, managing editor of the Oklahoma News. Edgar Bell was business manager, not managing editor, of The Oklahoman and Times. The managing editor was Walter M. Harrison, who was a legend in Oklahoma newspaper circles and was one of E. K. Gaylord's original team. The location of the first parking meter is commemorated by a plaque on the southeast corner of Robinson and Park Avenue in Oklahoma, on the Robinson Street side of the First National Building." -Wes Leatherock
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"About the grapes: In my lifetime I have picked many possum grapes, canned the juice and also made jelly. MMM!! We picked the mustang or muskodine grapes along the red river, they would take the hide off your tongue to eat them raw but they made good jam if you could get enough sugar. My sister-in-law knew where to find post oak grapes too. They were bigger than possum and smaller than the muskodine." -nellie Combe
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"By the turn of the century, the railroad brought Sunday picnickers to the Arbuckle mountains for a day of sight seeing from as far away as Texas. The big attraction was "Burning Mountain". The mountain had been burning as long as anybody could remember, for centuries, Smoke and fire belched out of the mountain with no apparent explanation. It is believed, now, that the mountain had a formation of natural gas that was seeping to the surface and was struck by lightning." <----- Click Here
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"Mr. Bridges, I have an aunt (Evah Mae YORK) that was born 5 May 1902 in Ravia, OK. She died 27 July 1930 in the Hardy Sanitarium - Ardmore, OK. Her death certificate says she died of Hptoneclossy?? Or Hystoneclossy. Any idea what this means?"
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"Butch, recently at one of our Historical Society Meetings in Davis, one of our members showed a postcard of an Alligator farm in Sulphur located on "Davis Ave." which may have been what is now "Broadway". Does any of your Readers have any memories, stories, or information about this reptile attraction in Sulphur?"
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"Butch, Here are two early photo's of the Vendome well." <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"Butch- I promised a later-in-the-season update, so here it is. As you can see from the photos, my upside-down plant is a raging success. It is touching the ground now so in the future I'll need to hang the planters higher & perhaps prune the top...or bottom, however you look at it! The plants hanging upright have also done very well, but the weight of the tomatoes on the Big Beef plant broke several branches. The branches didn't die but they have become diseased, none of which is apparent on the upside-down plant. It's branches twist down without breaking (see photo), with the increasing weight of the (large) fruit. Watering is the most difficult part of any hanging garden but next year I'll have a drip system & timer set up to take care of that chore. You'll notice that I've already built next year's hanging system onto my old clothesline pole, with 5 hangers on each side. I'll use the other pole to hang 2-3 more. I recently bought 10 more Topsy Turvy planters on eBay at an off-season bargain price. The benefits of upside-down gardening are huge: no weeding, no staking, no pruning & no recurring disease (biggest benefit IMHO). Most tomato plants develop (airborne) fungal disease as the season progresses but seldom in time to ruin the yield, unless the diseases have carried over in the soil from past seasons (see my in-ground plant photo). In such cases, the plant has little chance of surviving let alone producing any fruit. With hanging plants, you just trash all the planting medium in the fall, clean the planters & start fresh the next spring. I will probably use a moisture-control type soilless potting mix next season instead of plain sphagnum moss. More expense but probably well worth it. It may be a little work initially preparing for this type of growing system but I believe that it is the wave of the future for home gardeners with limited growing space, limited sunny area, or diseased/worn out soil. Wherever you can sink a couple of posts can be your garden. If you are diligent in keeping your plants watered, I guarantee that this system will succeed. Let gravity work for you instead of against you next year!" -Steve in Central Indiana <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here <----- Click Here
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"I read your message about spam. Unfortunately many people fall for those emails and end up sending their private address, phone numbers, and even social security numbers. There is a website where you can check out questionable emails. I get forwarded messages from my friends about prayers for kids who have cancer and their father was killed in Iraq. When I get one of those messages, I check to see if it's legitimate at the link below. It's not that I mind praying for people, but I hate to see a hoax that tugs at people's heart strings, making them upset. The people that do these kinds of things must have a sick mind. Any way, if you ever get a questionable email, check it out on this site. Hope this helps." <----- Click Here
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"Those "hot stock" e-mails are coming through on brightnet as well. Each is from a different "sender", so it would do little good to block just one e-addy. Very annoying, in that there are often several each day." -Jim
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The Old Stage Coach

Drums the rain and sears the sun.
Now its hardy course is run,
And the vines and meadow grasses
Draw it to oblivion.
Rusts its iron, rots its leather,
Parts its hickory, peels its paint,
And the steeds that swung together
Gallop far and faint.
U.S. Mail and brave Wells Fargo!
Dancing harness, screeching brakes,
Reinsman bold, superb, loquacious,
sawed-off shotgun disputatious,
Miners, gamblers, dames flirtatious,
Dusters, pokes and wide-awakes
On by winding purple canyons
Over granite crests you rolled,
Storm and battle your companions,
Glitter in your hold.
Where is now that gallant cargo
Of the days of old
When the West, to jingling traces,
Bounced and skimmed on thorough-braces
Rocked and banged through sun and shadow
Up the trails of El Dorado?

Veteran of the craggy passes,
From their oat bins in the sky
Call your vanished six. Prince, Beauty,
Lady, Star, Nell, Lightning! Ay,
Back, you wheelers, swing-span, leaders!
Now, by foothill oaks and cedars,
Spring for pine-clad heights and rutty,
Sinks of sage and alkali.
Box aclink and stout defended,
Roll, O coach refreshed and splendid!

Nay. The odyssey is ended,
Charge delivered, waybill filed,
Passengers and whip descended,
Concord long outstyled,
And the grand old rubbish yields
To the fingers of the fields.

From Treasure Express by Neil Wilson Macmilan 1938

See everyone next time!

Butch Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

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