PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
In the 1940 aerial of Ardmore (I can’t ever spell that word most of the time for some crazy reason) sent in last week by Garth Hoard, this area’s unofficial cartographer, a Reader noticed something in the lower right corner…. an oval circle where the Hardy Murphy coliseum is located. That is the dirt racetrack that was located there and talked about along with a pic in the 1987 Ardmoreite centennial edition. Maybe someone can shed more light on this?https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/CFN-10-84c-sm.jpg
Also in the same photo, it was noticed there does not seem to be a Walker Stadium on the west side of town, even though Walker Stadium was built about 2 years before this photo was taken. Comments anyone?
If any of you have moved from one house to another, you will know what I’m about to say: Its crazy. Seems like a million things to do. But maybe soon, maybe a couple weeks, we will be living south of Lone Grove. Every time Jill and I go there to do some work, almost daily it seems, these two little dogs coming running through the trees in a dead run toward us. I think they belong to our neighbors to the west. They are the most lovable pooches. They jump around, run around, beg for attention and of course we stop whatever we’re doing and give them plenty. They won’t even stay still long enough for me to take a picture of them together. We don’t know their names yet but every time they come over Jill gives each one a milk bone, and then when they eat those, I give them a milk bone each. Jill and I talked about needing a dog on our 3 acres and when these two came along, I told Jill we could just adopt these. lol
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/pooch1.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/pooch2.jpg
Speaking of our new place south of Lone Grove, Russell Martin came out the other day with his Kubota tractor and removed a huge brush and dirt pile behind our house. He completely leveled it down to a smooth surface in about 30 minutes, and now we can look out the kitchen window and see the deer feeder about 200 feet to the north. The feeder is the green spot in this photo.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LookingNortheast010608.jpg
Jill is already making plans to have Russell come back in the Spring and till her a garden on the west side!
I took some pics of the 1928 Seth Thomas tower clock in the dome of the Carter county courthouse this week. These are pics of some of the intricate working parts that makes the clock tick. But the clock is not ticking 100% par right now, but we are working to remedy it very soon.
https://oklahomahistory.net/seththomasclock.html
Several times of the past year I’ve mentioned a photo enhancing program I found and use every week call Irfanview (freeware). I would guess I have used Irfanview to re-work around 15,000 pictures, so I know it works great. But this week I stumbled across another great freeware program by the name of Photoscape. Its got a lot of features like Irfanview, but one it has that Irfanview doesn’t is the ability to arrange, say 12 photos, and print them out on a single sheet of paper. I can already see I’m going to be using Photoscape a lot.
http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php
Someone gave me a not-that-old Dell Inspiron 5051 laptop this week, the only problem being it won’t boot up. And I haven’t really had time to check it out to see what’s the problem, but I think its a bad motherboard. F2 is suppose to bring up the CMOS settings, but nothing happens when I turn it on and hit F2. If anyone knows a place/person who works on laptops and doesn’t charge an arm and leg, let me know.
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
THE DAILY ARDMOREITE, OCTOBER 29, 1913, titled, “REGULAR SERVICE ON RINGLING ROAD.”
“BEGINNING TODAY THE RINGLING RAILROAD WILL CARRY FREIGHT AND PASSENGERS.”
“Beginning today the Ringling railroad will run trains on a regular schedule between here and Wilson.” President Jake Hamon stated this morning that there was a great demand for this service and that it would keep them busy handling the business.
NEW BOOK ON AREA HISTORY- The Daily Ardmoreite, Oct 15, 1969
“Elmer Leroy Baker’s new book, “Gunman’s Territory,” the story of longtime lawman James Robert “Bob” Hutchins, is a must for every collector of Ardmore and Southern Oklahoma history and is good reading for everyone who is interested in our local history.” “In about 350 pages of text and pictures it tells of Hutchins’ more than 60 years as cowboy, deputy U.S. Marshal, Ardmore police chief, bodyguard for a famous Ardmore oilman and guard on the Mexican border. After serving as police chief, he took a job as bodyguard for Jake Hamon, Ardmore oil man and associate of John Ringling in the Ringling railroad west form Ardmore to the oil patch.” “Hutchins tells in detail of the shooting and death of Hamon in 1920 when Hamon was slated for appointment to the cabinet in Washington, and the subsequent trial and acquittal of his secretary, Clara Smith Hamon, on a charge of murder in the case.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/hamon.html
“Your reviews of hamburger places are famous in the land…. I have seen comments about your writings from people who either lived here and moved away, or visitors from other places that were fortunate enough to read about them and try them. If you were so bold, what are the best five hamburger places in the area? Two families were extolling the delights of the places that we sampled, but we need an expert’s opinion — maybe we are missing some experiences.
On the same topic, we tried a fairly new Mexican food place in Tiffany Plaza (Los Mecates) and what we sampled seemed “Old South Country”… This is to say, we liked what we tasted. However, I’m getting the feeling that their marketing side leaves a lot of room for people to ignore it. I think they are depending on word-of-mouth. Do you try those new places? There was a small but very good place called “Los Vagabundos” on South Commerce, not far from El Palacio, but I believe they closed for pretty much the same reason… Not enough word-of-mouth. These Mom & Pop places seem to offer good alternatives to the established businesses, regardless of ethnicity. Hope you sample “Los Mecates” — I think you’ll agree. Love your This and That.”
“Hey Butch, We’ve really enjoyed your work on the web, and I’m also a “hamburgeraddict”. I’m down here in Denison, Tx. and we’ve been missing out on those burgers we all look for ( mom & pop cafes or corner grocers with the meat market grill) until about a year ago a couple set up a little vendor trailer to sell smoked meats, barbeque, and other goodies. This couple puts out the best “ol’ fashion cheesebooger” I’ve ever had! I hafta have one at least once a week. If you get down this way during the week, go out on the 3000 block of S. Woodlawn Blvd. to THE OLD MINING CAMP BBQ. They’re open mon-fri from 11 till 5:30 or 6. If you get lost you can call them at 903 271 4650 or 903 271 4950. You won’t leave hungry!”
“Butch, I’ve been reading the book “Songs Unsung” by Libby Long and I’m wondering who all these people are in there. She talks about the robbery at Sooner Foods where the policeman was shot. I remember it but can’t seem to find it. I’m sure you have it somewhere. If you haven’t read her book, it is interesting. It sure opened my eyes to what was going on when I was growing up and so protected. Heck, I didn’t know anything about stuff that she was living until I was grown and married. Can you direct me to the sight about the policemen in Ardmore were killed?”
http://24.173.220.131/carter/bobby.aspx
“Hi, Butch, going through some of the photos that I took in Ardmore and surrounding area. This was at the depot and I was just wondering if it might be the old elevator from the Ardmoreite building.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/AntiqueElevator.jpg
The Wilson News submitted by Mindy Taylor
Trigged Out In White
In imitation of Purity of Law and of Law Enforcement, Officers Adopt Uniforms of Bride-Like Purity of Color
Realizing that a good “front” is as essential to law’s officers as to any other class or classes of humans, two of Wilson’s citizens who are interested in seeing the majesty of the law upheld, recently hied themselves Ardmoreward, bent on getting that front, and they succeeded.
Leaving Wilson while the day was yet in its earliest virginity, clad in true western style, arrangement of blue overalls and jumpers, they returned just as the sun blushingly unrobed for the night, arrayed, not like “Solomon in all his glory”, but in suits of purest white.
No timid bride crowned with orange blossoms ever met her future lord at the marriage altar clad in garments of more pristine and alabaster whiteness.
And now, with white uniforms, called by the young and giddy, “glad rags”, “Yellowstone Charley” and “Budweiser Jim”, so called on account of the relentless manner in which they go after, capture and destroy all conversation water and German disturbance, of whose unlawful introduction they hear, are more ready than ever to uphold the majesty of the law.
Wilson Historical Museum Hours: Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. -Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443https://oklahomahistory.net
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://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
https://oklahomahistory.net/airbase/
Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
All previous issues of This & That can be found on my Website.
Feel free to forward this free newsletter. Mailouts: over 1,500.
To be removed from my T&T mailings, just send me an email.
I do not sell, trade or give my mailing list to anyone for any reason.