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Vol 24  Issue 1,220  June11, 2020

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823

A Glimpse Into The Past

Back way before 1900 when Lone Grove was just a tent or two and this entire area was pretty much treeless flat plains, there was one clump of trees on a high spot seven miles west of Ardmore. The location was just west of today’s Lone Grove Post Office. This clump of trees was the first thing travelers saw when traveling east and west, just a lone group of cedar trees. History has it that this is how Lone Grove, Pickens County obtained its name. The town name was official February 4, 1885 when a post office was established.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos20a/LoneGroveTrees1900.jpg

Below is an excellent history of Lone Grove on the Oklahoma Historical Society’s website.

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=LO007

March 1927
The old Crinerville school building burned down on March 13. Cause of the fire is unknown.

March 1927
It is mandatory duty of the county treasurer to sell vacant lots or town lots when taxes are delinquent, at whatever bid is made, whether or not the amount is equal to the taxes owed. The treasurer also has the authority to deed vacant lots to the county where at sale no bid is received.

Q.  What town in Oklahoma was the first to receive electricity?
A.  Vinita was established in 1871 by Elias Cornelius Boudinot. In 1889, gunman and lawman Tom Threepersons was born there. It was the first city in the state with electricity. The city was first named “Downingville”, and was a primarily Native American community

Q.  Where is the oldest town in Oklahoma?
A.  Answer in next week’s newsletter

Here’s a grave marker I made today. I never did one with a football. Turned out beautiful

https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JohnsonGraveMarker.jpg

Below is from This and That newsletter archives of June 12, 2008

This week the mayor of Overbrook, Oklahoma stopped by to see me, at least that is the title I always call Albert Cullum. Al had a little story to share about his childhood and his parents’ jennies.  A jenny is a young female donkey. A trained jenny was controlled with only 3 words.  They would turn right, if the farmer said “Gee!” They would turn left, if the farmer said “Haw!” The command “Whoa!” was probably the most welcome. Anyway, here is Al’s story in his own words:

“Hi Butch, I thought I would let you know that my grandfather and grandmother, G. T. and Annie Ford (Preacher Ford), lived about 3 miles south of Milo, Oklahoma. About once a month they would hook up their pair of jennies to their hack and come to Springer airport (all day trip).  The next day mother would take them to Ardmore to sell their eggs and whatever.  Also he made brooms and would trade them on their grocery bill.  He raised his own broom corn.  They would spend the night and go home the next day across the swinging bridge at Caddo Creek, south of Milo. This all took place around 1939 to 1941”  -Albert Cullum (1931-2016), Overbrook Oklahoma
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J.B. White, Ardmore architect, 1923.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/JBWhiteArchitect1923.jpg
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“I just read you latest T&T and as usual enjoyed it very much. It especially brought back fond memories when you spoke of water witching. When we were having a home built back in 1959 about a half mile East of the Freewill Baptist Church of Stobtown, we needed to locate a site for a well to be drilled. My Grandmother Brewer who lived near Deese (just East of Stobtown a couple of miles) came and witched one for us. She cut a willow branch (like a Y) and used it and placed a rock over the spot she had chosen. She cautioned us to not let Joe Barrett drill anywhere but there! We called him and he drilled on the spot and found a great stream of water. I might add that even during the drought years, it never ran dry. We left there and sold our place in 1963 but I still miss that place and remember how much love and care she put into her ‘witchin’, as she called it. Thanks for a great newsletter and we do enjoy it. Give my best to Jill and tell her to watch out for those chiggers!” -Kathryn in Las Vegas, Nevada
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“Dear Mr. Bridges, Does anyone remember those auto air conditioners that fit into the windows and cooled by evaporation as the car moved? And how about those “water bags” hanging on the front grill that cooled the motor? Or the signs on the sidewalk on Main Street in Ardmore outside the movie theaters that read “20 degrees cooler inside”. Those who recall can appreciate what we have currently to make us more comfortable.”  -Donald Bridges, CA
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“Wanted to mention that your newsletter in some respects reminds me of Mr. Norris’s popular, Roving Reporter, column in the Daily Ardmoreite. When we were in junior high and high school always read the paper to see who he might mention or had seen in town that day. Thanks.”
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..

In the summer of 1960 on a trip back home to Ardmore I met Geronimo’s last living son outside of Alamogordo, NM and had him autograph the inside cover of the book TALES OF THE TULAROSA. My dad had stopped so he and my mother could have coffee. Geronimo is buried at Fort Sill. -Monroe Cameron
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos20a/TalesOfTheTularosa1.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos20a/TalesOfTheTularosa1.jpg
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The Cashway nail apron brought many fond memories when my father, Charles Merrill, was manager there in the 50’s. -R. Helms
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos20a/CashwayAndHudsonHoustonAprons.jpg
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Hi, Butch. That article/photo you have about Roy Rodgers and Dale a week or so ago was interesting. I have a musician friend, Rick Wilson, in Oregon City, Oregon who has lots of memorabilia and photos of them and also Gene Autry. So, I send a screen shot to him to see if he knew who the folks were in the background of the photo. He did.

He responded as follows: “The people are county clerks, Edna Swearingin and Elmer Cleveland. The picture was taken 12-30-1947 at the Murray County courthouse. Roy and Dale were married the next day at Bill and Alice Lickens’ Flying L Ranch.”

I also have sent him a lot of photos of Gene Autry, OK, plus photos from inside the museum there.

Richard Craven
Tishomingo
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“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.” -unknown

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

“Friends Make Life Worth Living”PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

https://oklahomahistory.net

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Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm’s Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://oklahomahistory.net/crash66.html
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
https://oklahomahistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us

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