Back around 1960 several of us neighborhood kids spent Saturday night at the Jamie & Juanita Young Ranch north of Dickson (Highway53 & 177). There were about 10 of us kids and one chaperone, (Virgil Edwin Gaines). I was the only one without a cot to sleep on that night. I slept on the ground with blankets. Back in those days it was called a “Baptist Pallet”. The term “Baptist Pallet” originates in the late 19th and early 20th century from the American South as a colloquial variant of the older regional term “pallet,” which refers to a makeshift bed created by layering quilts, blankets, or pads directly on the floor. I guess kids don’t use the term now-a-days but instead use sleepover or slumber party. Today, the phrase survives primarily as a regional idiom across Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and the broader Deep South.
Being a kid and sleeping on the ground, I was scared to death a snake would crawl up out of the Young’s farm pond and bite me as we were sleeping right next to the pond. Needless to say I didn’t get any sleep that night.
Ardmore Main Street 1902
Below is the old Mill Pond (Millpond) at Tishomingo, Oklahoma. It is a historic swimming hole located along Pennington Creek just south of the dam.
I wish Buster Ned (1924-1992) was still around. He could tells us when the next rain would be coming to super dry southern Oklahoma. Buster Ned was a respected Choctaw leader, military veteran, and cultural preservationist from Ardmore, Oklahoma, and better than a meteorologist. Even the Daily Ardmoreite quoted him quite often with his predictions.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1992/08/11/buster-dean-ned/62485438007
Aladdin’s Castle in Ardmore, Oklahoma, was a popular local hangout located inside the Mountain View Mall during the 1980s and 1990s. The Aladdin’s Castle chain was owned by Bally Manufacturing (and later Namco). The Ardmore location served as a prime social hub for local teenagers and families. Locals fondly remember spending allowances and part-time job paychecks there, playing iconic coin-operated arcade cabinets of the era, including multiplayer favorites like Gauntlet and classic shoot-’em-ups like Astro Blaster.
From This Weeks Mailbag
Q. Hi Butch, Bob Cole here, signed up for the CCleaner but it shows nothing as an icon or whether I got it, I only signed on the free portion but I’m going to buy the whole thing for $29.00 a year, do they have a icon, thanks Butch?
A. Yes, it will create an icon on your computer screen like this one. Over the decades I’ve tried their paid version and the free version. Right now I only have their free version. It does a great job keeping crap like malware, spyware, viruses, and such off my 3 computers.
Q. Where was S&S BBQ located on Caddo street ?
A. 109 Caddo Street
Just on the north side of S&S BBQ place is 111 Caddo. Back in the late 1960s there was an Army & Navy Surplus store located at 111 Caddo. I’d ride my motorcycle there and loved to browse through all the army stuff. Uniforms, canteens, bayonets, authentic government-issued military gear, emergency survival supplies, outdoor equipment, and heavy-duty workwear. One thing I remember buying there was “canned heat”.
When 911 happened a friend gave me the bumper sticker shown below. I placed the bumper sticker on my 1982 diesel Oldsmobile car (a money pit). It remained on my car until I sold it a few years later. Swore I’d never own a diesel car again.
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net