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Below is January 6, 2001 to March 31, 2001.
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Saturday, March 31, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 206
Last September I told about the Heartland Share program operating in Ardmore and that anyone was eligible to buy “shares” and take part in this wonderful service. The only thing the program asks in return is you do 2 hours of some kind of community service per month. The program started in 1983 and is already established in many states with distribution points in cities all across America. If you want to help bring the Heartland Share Program to your area, or if you or someone you know can be helped by just such a program, you can find out more at their website. If you live in the Ardmore area you can call 580-223-5287 for more information. At the Share website you can learn much more about the program, find the nearest distribution site (there are over 100 in Oklahoma alone now), and even find out what food items will be in next month’s Share. http://www.heartlandshare.com
Here is a list of food items I received Saturday March 24th for $17.15
Breaded Chicken Breast Filets – 1 LB. Pork Steak Filets – 1 LB. Pollock Fish Filets – 1 LB. Boston Meat Loaf – 28 OZ. Lean Ground Beef – 1 LB. Salad Mix. Potatoes – 1 bag or 8. Carrots – 1 LB. Cauliflower – 1 head. Radishes – 8 OZ. Oranges – 4. Pink Lady Apples – 4. Texas Grapefruit – 2. Bananas – 5. Chocolate Swirl Pudding – Snack Pack.
This is a photo of the actual Share food items I received for $17.25 March 24th.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok9.jpgThese are volunteers unloading the Heartland Share truck that pulled up behind St Marys Catholic Church at 9:50am Saturday March 24th.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok3.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok4.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok5.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok7.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok8.jpgThese pics were taken of volunteers helping with the distribution line and order taking for next month. Registration for April is Monday April 9th between 9am and 12 noon. Distribution day is Saturday April 27th. Call 580-223-5287.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok1.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/shareok6.jpgThe Share program can always use a helping hand one Saturday morning of the month when the truck arrives. A couple saturdays ago the Boy Scouts in Wilson, Oklahoma were on hand to help with the unloading. If you’re interested in the Share program, give Carole a call…. 580-223-5287. Remember, if you eat you qualify for the Heartland Share Program!
Last week I wrote of the campaign platform of Judge Charles N. Champion back in 1917.
Here is Part Two of Charles N. Champion’s platform:
“A Frank Statement by Chas. N. Champion Candidate for District Judge”
“I would indeed be disappointed if my father and uncle were not supporting me in this race. I am imbued with the desire to climb the ladder of public service and I know full well that the only way I can do this is to be fair, impartial, unbiased and honest in the discharge of my duties. These things I expect to do as your District Judge.”
“There have been many other instances where fathers and sons have been elected or appointed judges, where one or the other was practicing law. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes of the Supreme Court of the United States has a son practicing law who is a member of one of the leading law firms in New York. Judge R.L. Williams, federal district judge, has a brother practicing law in this district. Honorable Rutherford Brett, United States commissioner, is in partnership with his father, Judge R. Grett. No one for a moment would even think, much less charge, that these honorable men might be in the least influenced by these relationships. Neither will I when I become your District Judge be influenced by the fact that my father and uncle practice law.”
“In Oklahoma county Judge Tom Chambers was elected District Judge when his son was practicing law before him. Judge Pitchford was District Judge at Okmulgee and his son was a lawyer there. Judge Clem Potter of Gainesville was District Judge and his father practiced before him. In Friday’s Ardmoreite you saw the picture of Judge Hays and his son of Okmulgee, one of whom is running for District Judge and the other for the Legislature. In Pushmataha county, County Judge Childers is a candidate for District Judge. He has two sons practicing law there. Honorable Jesse Worten was District Judge at Pawhuska and his father, J.M. Worten, now deceased, practiced law before him. Many other instances might be cited but these are enough.”
“Further than this, there are two District Judges in this county. It has been customary that whenever either of the judges is disqualified for any reason in a case before him, the case is transferred to the other judge for trial. Also, whenever the parties to any case ask that another judge try the case, this request is usually granted. No additional expense nor delay is entailed in doing this. This procedure I intend to follow. As your District Judge I will not desire to try any particular case and will transfer cases before me to the other judge upon request. I will always be found on the job fearlessly and fairly and impartially discharging my duties.”
“I submit these candid facts for your consideration. I do not believe that my father or uncle would try to impose on your boy or girl. I feel that I am entitled to this promotion and earnestly ask your help. Respectfully, Charles N. Champion”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/champ4.jpgHere’s an informative Page on Carter county Lawman Bud Ballew.
http://members.tripod.com/ok_lawmen_outlaws/ballew2.htmlSouthwest of Medford, Oklahoma in Grant County is the town of Nash, Oklahoma. This is a 1971 photo of the Nash Santa Fe depot.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/nash71.jpgLast year I told about the website linkflair.com where a person can upload their Favorites incase of a hard drive crash, or just to be able to access those Favorites from a computer at work or wherever. Looks like linkflair has bit the dust. But I’ve found another site just like it. You can export your Favorites to favoritesanywhere.com and be able to access them from any computer in the world on the Net. I have a lot of Favorites, and it only took about 1 minute to export mine to favoritesanywhere.com website for safe keeping. Pretty good insurance.
http://www.favoritesanywhere.com/SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch, Regarding the article about Fairview school and the dinky steam train. I called my mother, who will be seventy four in a few days this year and asked her if there was ever a train that ran between Davis and Sulphur. For I am fifty six now, and never heard of it. She was born just west up the hill from Sandy creek bridge, directly south across the hi-way and cross the railroad tracks, from Midway Grocery Store. The old house she was born in, was torn down or moved and new house built there. At around the age of 8 to 10, she remembers the steam train of about three to four freight cars, traveled at about the speed as her father’s T-Model truck, but would eventually gain ahead of you. She remembers the train whistle, as she road in her father’s T-Model truck, the engineer would blow the whistle for you, which all the kids, bout five of them, riding on the back of the flat bed truck, enjoyed immensely. She remembers the tracks use to be where the Arbuckle Hospital is now. She said if you look at the south side of the hi-way 7, you might can still see the grade here and there, that the tracks were on. Her memory gets a bit fuzzy, but she thinks the tracks went across Rock Creek, past the Sulphur High School, to a cotton gin, later the Farmer’s Co-op feed store. She can not remember the route the tracks took to get to the gin from the west side of Sulphur, maybe someone else might remember.”
“She remembers the Fairview School, tho she did not attend it, she said she took me to church there one Sunday. Her father moved near the old school around 1944, then she married and I came along. While my Dad was off to war, she said she had taken me to church there in 1946. Her younger brother and sisters were going to school when her father moved near the school building in/about 1944. She said they had a choice of going to Fairview School, but did not want to, instead, elected to ride the school bus to Davis school. She does not remember when it burnt, but remembers talk about it.”
“She wanted to talk to the person who wrote the article, but there was no e-mail address listed. Our e-mail address is; [email protected] I enjoy T&T, which is forward to me. I was born at Davis raised in and around Sulphur and live now near Velma.”
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“Butch:: I didn’t get to go see it, but I remember when the Freedom Train made its rounds throughout the country. It was more or less a travelling museum that displayed the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and other document and items like that.”
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“Hi Butch. Someone was wanting some information about the “Freedom Train” in the T& T of last Sat. By typing in “the freedom train” and hit search I found all kind of sites about the Freedom Train. Hope this helps.”
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“Butch, That Freedom Train was a traveling museum that went from town to town. It contained, as the brochure stated, copies of 100 of the documents we associate with our freedom: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, etc. There have been a few of those trains since then, too.” Donna Boyd in windy Culpeper, Va.
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“Butch: We got something started here in Guthrie because of the bell at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church. The Knights of Columbus are planning to clean the bell and inside the tower so the writing can possibly be read and translated. Maybe I’ll force myself to climb up there when this happens. The bell is dated 1890. The wheel that the rope turns to ring the bell is made of wood rather than metal. Perhaps with a good cleaning we can find more information about it. The bell was placed in the original church in 1890. When the new church was built in 1920, the bell was installed in it. Until the bell was installed, the church used a much smaller bell that was given to us (the church, not ‘us’) by one of the railroads. Right now I don’t know which, but supposedly the bell is still in the church or school someplace. I’m on a hunting expedition to find it now.” Bud Caudle [email protected]
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“Butch, I was visiting with an older gentleman friend of ours here in Tulsa. He related that his father used to work for a company owner by a Mister George Strawn ( Straughn) of Ardmore. He recounted about coming to Ardmore as a young boy and staying at Mr. Stawn’s home, an 8 bedroom house with servant’s quarters. Growing up in Ardmore from 1940 on, I don’t remember or know what house that would have been. This gentleman friend is probably about 80 right now. Can you shed any light on this.”
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“Butch- Good, long This and That. The website is actually Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base. Gave a program about it tonight at the Ardmore Village. Seemed to go OK. Some grew up in Gene Autry, a couple worked at the base in 1942-46. Keep up the interesting articles.” Gary Simmons Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
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“This OkGenWeb is this a website or what? if so I couldn’t get it to work with www.okgenweb .com or .net or .org” Here is the correct URL….. http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/
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“I will be back in Ardmore for a get together at Ponders Restaurant on Friday the 1st of June with classmates from the 50’s. We always meet there the night before the big alumni banquet in Healdton.” Best Regards, Jerry Lewis
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“Butch, my husband is the Boyd — and his grandfather lived in Ardmore at one time before the turn of the last century; his great-grandmother, Belle Boyd, is buried at Rose Hill, to which she was transferred from the old cemetery that was in This & That a couple weeks ago. We are searching for the grave of her husband, Wm. Hamilton Boyd.”“James Ashby Boyd, according to his bio in _A Standard History of Oklahoma, Vol. IV_, by Joseph Thoburn, moved to Ardmore in 1891. Between then and 1898 he was engaged in the cotton & compress business and the wholesale grocery business in Ardmore. That’s one reason why I’m so interested in learning anything any of your readers/fans can tell me about the gins, compresses, and groceries that might have existed back then, and where one might look for employment records.”
“The *main* reason, however, is that the descendants of the Boyds who remained in MO swear that during this time James Ashby Boyd was married to a woman named Margaret (maiden name unknown) and had three children with her. One was named Forrest, a second was named Allie, and I don’t have a name for the third. My husband is descended from James Ashby Boyd’s wife Juanita Allen, whom he married in Wynnewood, IT, in 1901. If any of the Boyds in Ardmore relate to any of this, I would be more than delighted to hear from them, I would be jubilant.”
“Keep up the good work, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that somebody who reads your newsletter will send me a clue about the missing part of our Boyd family. Many thanks.” Donna S. Boyd [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, It is one of my greatest pleasures to relay little bell stories. No 1 Story When i was 6 yrs old our grade school had a large bell on the roof of that school covered with an open belfry . I used to go right before end of recess upon a hill that looked down over the school. I would eagerly await to see the bell start to swing. Just the lower part of this bell showed. It would flip a bit from side to side and was black.. I would holler to the other kids before the clapper would start hitting the bell as it swung. This was my first fascination with bells. My dad made me a bell out of a old hubcap and used a big nut to use as a clapper. It rang and i played with it a lot. No 2 Story Years passed and i was 13 and there was this old abandoned AME Church I used to go in there and climb up this dangerous old latter into the tower room and there before me was a huge bronze fancy wheeled St Louis bell 36 inches across. It had a tolling hammer and i used to pull the hammer but very lightly because i would get punished if my parents found out. It had a wonderful tone. Later it was stolen one night and never recovered. Its whel was embossed with vines and flower art work. Story 3 My dad and mom bought me a 20 inch cs bell co bell and i put it in my yard. Now its in my tower here on a building. I recently purchased a rare bell. It is a bell with Ronald Reagan`s face on it. It is a commertave bell made back in the eighties. I would guess it may now be worth a fortune It is 13 inches wide and swings and is made of aluminum alloy. Painted black. The largest bell of iron i have is… Ross Meehan no 22 complete with stands ( ornate ) and ornate wheel too.It has a sweet shrill sound. Story 4…… Our church now has the school bell i mentioned out on the lawn mounted on brick platform.They have a 34 inch bell that is cracked in their bell tower too and as you know, a cracked bell sounds terrible. For years i wanted to fix it. The only way to improve it was to take a 7 inch grinder and grind the hair line crack out all the way through, leaving a 8th inch gap so the crack will not vibrate against itself. They let me grind it and believe me it was a nasty job but i loved it, It now goes “DONG” not perfect but it rings. It used to go…”Brink” or “CLUNK” They do not ring it a lot but sometimes they ring it. Hoped you liked my stories.” Ron Delby
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“Dear Butch — I have been tempted several times to write you for we share many of the same memories of Ardmore, mine going back several decades before yours. My grandparents, the George Sullivans, lived on H street around the corner from your grandparents, and though I did not know them personally I heard my grandma and grandpa speak often of “the Bridges boys”. The Carmons were also neighbors. One of my most treasured memories is that of sitting in the twilight on my grandparents front porch greeting their neighbors on their way to prayer meeting at the little Calvary Presbyterian Church, and later enjoying the wonderful aroma of baking bread wafting over the air from John Small’s bakery.”“I went to school in the old three story red brick second ward grade school from the first grade through the fourth. We were transferred to the Junior Highschool for the fifth grade, while what I still call the “new school” was being built. Hearing people speaking recently of the fire at the “old school” reminded me how old I am getting and how many years ago I graduated from our “new school”.Would love to have a picture of the old school on G street and fifth avenue.”
“Also want to thank you for the detailed account of the Jake Hamon murder scandal. My deceased husband, Bob Milner, was the grandson of R.L. Randol who was the proprietor of the Randol Hotel. Have always heard scraps of the story, but never such a detailed account. Bob and I were alumni of the 1945 highschool class and were fortunate enough to attend the fiftieth anniversary reunion before Bob died in 1997. I have a few mementoes of the hotel, but am still a novice on the computer so don’t know how to transmit them.”
“I have two sons, Bob, Jr., of Dallas, and Tom, of New Orleans. They both grew up in Ardmore, and Tom receives your newsletter.” Laura Sue Sullivan Milner
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“I may have told you this before when you were writing about Cecil Button, but when I saw his name again, I thought I would write to your. I really don’t remember writing it before. Anyway during WWII sometime about 1944 I was looking at patient charts….I was a Chief Pharmacist Mate in charge of the department selecting transportation of patients who their physicians wanted to send back to Hawaii for treatment or to the US for treatment or discharge. I was very popular with patients who always opted for air transportation over a slow ship, especially if going home. Another chief, not so popular was in charge of sending patients back to duty, if their health permitted. This was in Base Hospital 18.Guam, M.I. Anyway, I ran across the medical chart of Cecil Button of Ardmore, Oklahoma. Can you imagine the thrill? I had to jump up right then and rush to the ward where he was a patient. We really had a great visit, reminiscing about home etc. After the war, I would always have a chat with Cecil when I had a chance, and would we visit. He was a great fellow, and I do miss him.”
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“I really enjoyed the comments about Bitter Enders. Evidently there are more entrances to the cave than were thought. While growing up in Davis, we tried to explore as many of the caves in the area as possible and I remember going through the two that your reader mentioned in his response but was unaware that they were also called Bitter Enders. One of the caves east of Turner Falls proved to be tragic for a couple of explorers in the late 50’s early 60’s as they became trapped in the cave when a torrential rain came and brought the water level up to where they became disoriented. I can remember radio announcements being made that if anyone was around who had experience with the cave please go to Turner Falls and help the emergency folks on site on how the cave was designed and where they might think the trapped people might be. As it turned out, they had gone deep enough into the cave that they were using diving equipment and had become wedged into one of the narrow passage ways and could not get out before their oxygen ran out. Keep up the good work – the information you provide is extremely interesting and brings back fond and bad memories as well.”
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“Daylight Saving Time is just around the corner this coming weekend (April 1st, Fool’s day). Check out the following site for more info…. http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/ – Time in most parts of North America will be “springing forward” this Sunday. If you’re curious about why you’ll be getting those few extra hours of daylight, visit this informative site. It explores everything from the origin and evolution of daylight-saving time to some of the controversy surrounding its continued existence.”
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“I am interested in the person that wrote about the Fairview school in Davis in your column. Would you send them my email address, please. I live in the Fairview community and would like to know more about it. Thank you.” Barbara Giddens [email protected]
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“Mr. Bridges: I am trying to locate the name of an old school I attended in the first grade – 1959. It was located in rural Logan Co. – Guthrie. It has been torn down many years. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might locate the name and perhaps some pictures of this possibly one of the last of the 1 room country school houses? Grades 1st. – 8th. I enjoyed your website! Please let me know any ideas you may have. Thank you.” Pauletta in Florida [email protected]
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“Butch, Haven’t talked to you lately but have enjoyed receiving T&T like everyone else. I have a question that you or one of your readers might could answer. Where was Hoxbar, OK located. The Ardmoreite newspaper article of Sept 3,1916 on the killing of “Special Officer” Oscar William Alexander on Sept 1st, states that Alexander was one of 4 “Special Officers”, including Dow Braziel that stopped a wagon load of whiskey driven by the Love brothers, “…near Hoxbar south east of this city…”. I cannot find Hoxbar on a currant map or in John Morris’s “Ghost Towns of Oklahoma” book. How far SE was it? Was it’s name changed? Any help would be appreciated. Still looking for relatives and stories of Law Enforcement Officers who were killed in the line of duty in Oklahoma, for the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial in OKlahoma City. Thanks and have a great day, Dennis Lippe, Chairman, Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial.” [email protected]
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“….the old Daube Ranch South of Mill Creek, Oklahoma. It sold the ranch to TXI out of Dallas. There is one old house on the ranch that you might be interested in researching. It’s called the Dodson House. I don’t think you can get there until the ground dries out a bit. But this old house is built next to a spring. Whoever Mr. Dodson was, he was quite creative and inventive. He build a custom water wheel out of a car differential to pump water into the rest of his house, but he built a flume direct from the spring which runs through the kitchen area of the house.”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dodson1.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dodson2.jpg
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“Hi Butch, After Fairview School burned down, about 1937/38, I skipped second grade, and my family moved to the big city (Sulphur), where I attended Washington School for third and fourth grades. My best buddy was a red headed kid, a lot like Mayberry’s Opie, whose family later moved to Ardmore. His stepfather, Fount Dustin was killed in a refinery explosion in/near Ardmore in the early forties. My friend, Jack Moorehead, went to high school in Ardmore, joined the navy, and after his discharge went to O.S.U. ( I believe ) and got a degree in journalism. That little redheaded kid is now, and has been for several years, the owner/editor/publisher of California’s oldest running newspaper, The Grass Valley Union, and last I heard is doing great. Maybe his highschool classmates (class of 47) would be interested in this little bit of info.” Regards, Bob Elliston [email protected]
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“hi guys, love your photos, does anyone have a photo past or present of Cement, Okla? my husband great, great grandparents hiram pendleton and wife sarah allen pendleton was buried there and lived there. thank you.”
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“Butch, we really appreciate T&T. The next time you are in the city having lunch with the Governor, you might stop to take a picture of the beautiful bell mounted in front of the Oklahoma Historical Society Building. This is on N. Lincoln. It probably has some good history.”
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“Here are the links to the pictures of the two bells. I could not see the bell you took pictures of, but since the file name is “chickbell” I’m sure it is the Chickasaw Counsel bell (Tishomingo, OK) that I shot, too. The other bell is on the SW corner of the courthouse in Tishomingo.”
http://www.stoutgenealogy.com/russettok/johnstonco/bell_chickasaw.jpg
http://www.stoutgenealogy.com/russettok/johnstonco/courthouse.jpg
http://www.stoutgenealogy.com/russettok/johnstonco/bellcourt1.jpg
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“Butch, I have the two books that were written by Moses E. Harris From the cradle to Old Age, this is how he worked hard to get some education-he could not read or write at the age of eighteen-He became a teacher -and Editor. This is his life story of growing up . He was born Dec. 13, 1869 and this book was written in April 1945, at the age of 75 years and 5 months. The second book is A Story of The greatest Human Interest. The story of a plain country boy and the Greatest Instituation in Oklahoma, where hundreds of homeless orphan children are given a chance for a better life. These two books have pictures of the first orphange and after the fire how he struggled and rebuilt the second home with the help of Wirt Franklin, many children from Carter Conty and all around came to this home, he even traveled and picked them up. This is the complete story of how a man had so much love to give to children and let them know what it was like to be loved and have a safe place to live. All of the pictures of all the orphans, the matrons, the rules the children had to go by and the work and the schooling they were taught. I would have liked to have met such a man that so much love and giving of himself, and still had a family of his own that found a way to bring happiness. If anyone is intrested they can email me, maybe I have the information they have been looking for.” [email protected]
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==============================================================Last week I mentioned the American Flyers Memorial at Gene Autry. Nearly a year has gone by since the erection of that memorial. I am still looking for relatives of two victims of that 1966 plane crash. The only info in the newspaper about these two victims from Oklahoma were as follows:
Howard Briggs, Tulsa, Oklahoma….. son of Mr. Bernice Briggs
Richard J. Spears, Spavinaw, Oklahoma….. grandmother Mrs. Jo Ann McQueenIf anyone knows how to contact relatives of the above two Army soldiers, please do. We need to let them know about the American Flyers Memorial at Gene Autry, Oklahoma.
“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 24, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 205
Ardmoreite Charles Champion II came by my house last week with a surprise. It was an almost perfect pair of mounted deer antlers to give me. I decided it would look great by my front door.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/myhorns.jpg
Charles has been making these mounted deer horns and I’ve been placing some of them on eBay for him since he doesn’t have a computer yet. Here is a picture of Charles working in his shop on West Broadway. That’s his son Charles Champion III, with him who helps with the craft.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/champ6.jpg
This is an example of the items we’ve put on eBay.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cedar3.jpg
Charles II is the son of Charles N. Champion (1905-1955) a District Judge here in Ardmore from 1918 to 1922. His grandfather was Thomas W. Champion (1878-1962) a U.S. District Attorney at Muskogee many years ago before moving to Ardmore around 1906. His grandfather, Thomas Champion, was the defense attorney for probably the most sensational murder trial in Ardmore. The case took place in November 1920 when Clara Smith Hamon, reportedly shot her lover, Ardmore oil millionaire Jake Hamon. Hamon later died from his wound. The shooting was reported in newspapers all across the country as Jake Hamon was slated for a post in President Harding’s Cabinet.
http://members.nbci.com/oklahomapast/hamon.htmlThis is Charles N. Champion’s campaign poster back in 1917.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/champ4.jpgHere’s a photo of Charles’ father, Charles N. Champion when he was District Judge.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/champ22.jpgBelow is the campaign platform for Charles N. Champion back in 1917 [part one]:
A Frank Statement by Chas. N. Champion Candidate for District Judge
It is nightly being charged by my opponent that if I am elected District Judge (and I expect to be) that I will be controlled in my actions upon the district bench by my father and uncle who are now and have been for more then a quarter of a century engaged in the practice of law here in Ardmore.
I have lived in Carter county for 26 years; attended school here; married here; am raising my family here and continue to live among my neighbors and friends in Carter county. Four years ago you elected me County Judge by a nice majority. The same charge was made then. Two years ago you re-elected me. The same charge was again made. I have endeavored as County Judge to fairly and honestly discharge my duties. Many of hundreds of thousands of dollars has passed through my hands and no one can truthfully say I have been unfair or unjust in my handling of this important office. I have heard no one criticize my conduct as County Judge except my opponent who had openly accused me of sending an innocent man to the penitentiary. He should know and I am sure he does, that your County Judge only tries misdemeanors and that I could not, if I wanted to, send a man to the penitentiary because only a district judge can do that under our constitution.
Section 9 of Article 7 of our Constitution prescribes the qualifications for District Judge. This section is as follows:
“Such judge shall be a citizen of the United States and shall have been a resident of the territory embraced within the state for two years, and of the territory comprising his district at least four years, prior to his election; and he shall have been a lawyer licensed by some court of record, or shall have been a judge of some court of record, or both such lawyer and judge, for four years next preceding his election, and shall reside in his district during his term of office.”
I possess all these qualifications and am therefore qualified to be District Judge under our constitution. [To be continue next week]
Ardmoreite Charles Champion II is producing Western Americana in its truest form. I’ve seen his work and know he’s making old West accessories from original supplies, like old saddles, old chaps, old conchos, old stirrups, and old rustic wood. If your interested in these one of a kind items, give Charles a call at 580-223-2170.
Where are the Oklahoma towns of Sneed, Homer, Tiff, and Burton located? They used to be towns in Carter county. http://ceil.rootsweb.com/maps-1915/carter-15.html
A reader sent me this brochure of the Freedom Train. The hand written date in the upper left hand corner is 1947. She thought it was a train that travelled across the country gathering supplies for the troops during WWII. Does anyone know about this Freedom Train?
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ftraina.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ftrainb.jpgIf you have the need to broadcast live on the internet, here’s a place to look. They do charge a monthly fee, but their site is very impressive. http://www.live365.com
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch, I noticed one of the emails this week referred to Bitter Enders Cave. I went in that cave New Years day of 1958. I remember it in a different location though. We left highway 77 just south of the Mountain with the Microwave towers just south of Turner Falls. Straight West about 5 miles where Honey Creek gets a lot of its water is from Bitter Enders Cave. Water comes out of the ground pretty forceful. There are two entrances to the cave. One is just above the stream and the other is farther up the mountain down a shaft like a dug well. Or at least that was the way I remembered it in 1958. I was with a guy named Jerry Robinson. I don’t think we told anyone we were going up there. I can tell you that it was an experience. I agree there are a lot of things there that most people can’t imagine.”
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“Well I finally talked myself into pleading guilty to burning drip gasoline when I was in school. I couldn’t have owned and driven two cars in my senior year without it. My dad pumped in the oil field south of Lone Grove. He had quite a setup at the end of the line from the heater or separator. He had his barrels buried in the ground. He would turn the heater up and build pressure in them and force the drip out his loading line into a barrel on his pickup. We always had 6 or 7 barrels under the trees out from the house. I didn’t mind the free oil that I used in one of the oil burners from the service stations used oil catch. Summer time was a little more difficult since it didn’t burn very well due to vapor locking of the fuel pumps. Some guys thought they were stealing some drip one night and got a barrel of tre-ol-lite. My dad was washing the barrel out with drip and was called to the battery tanks by the gauger. He didn’t think anything about it until the next morning when he missed the barrel. I hope that it didn’t stick the valves in their engines.”
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“Butch, Back in 1955, I received the first Music Achievement Award that the Ardmore Philharmonic ever gave. (It’s also the first (and last) award I ever got). A few years ago, I had the brain storm of donating the award medallion back to the Philharmonic organization and set about trying to find someone who might know who I could contact. I didn’t come up with anyone and dropped my search. Three weeks ago, I heard of your e-column and subscribed. I am really enjoying it. It gave me renewed desire to donate my medallion back to Ardmore. I was hoping you might have an idea who I might contact. I grew up in Ardmore, moved around the country a lot and became “A born-again Okie” in 1992. I would appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.” Judy Ott Chappell
[email protected]
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“Thought you might like to see some pictures of the new Ardmore Foundry (East Jordan Iron Works) at the Ardmore Airpark.”
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“BUTCH IF THE PERSON SAYING THEIR DAD WAS AN S.H.MAPP WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME,I HAVE LOTS ON THE MAPP FAMILY. MY HUSBAND’S GRANDMOTHER WAS FANNIE ELIZABETH MAPP. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF HERE IN OKLAHOMA IN THE 40’S DID THE KIDS COLLECT FOOD AND CLOTHES FOR OVERSEAS PEOPLE AND A TRAIN CAME THRU TO PICK THEM UP. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER? I WAS LIVING IN CALIFORNIA THEN. I’VE GOT A PICTURE OF THE TRAIN,BUT WILL HAVE TO GO TO MY STORAGE SPACE TO FIND IT.” MINNIE LOU WATSON WHITTINGTON. [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, it was amazing how many comments were made about the shoe repair etc. Now I would like to see if we can get anyone working on a Chat Group or Listbot type of message center for those who graduated from Dickson, Ardmore, Plainview and surrounding area in the 1965-1967 era. We hear from a few people at times but I do not know how to set one of these up. Any experts out there? Is there a reunion plan in the near future?” Mike Pennington [email protected]
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“Someone forwarded me the above issue & it was most interesting. There were two items that I definitely relate to: l. John Simmons – I am one of his three daughters. The land for the Aylesworth Cemetery was donated by the Simmons family and my father, John Simmons, maintained the cemetery as long as he lived. Now, my sister, Nowanna Litterell,& her husband drive down from Tulsa to weed, etc. once or twice each year. John Simmons is not buried there but his parents & several other members of the family are there. 2. Kinlock, OK. I went to school at Kinlock in 1932. There was a one room schoolhouse, all 8 grades were taught by a man who lived next door to the school.” Johnnie C. Simmons Weaver [email protected]
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“BUTCH. A FRIEND WHO LIVES IN ARDMORE SENDS ME YOUR WEEKLY VOLUMES AND I ENJOY THEM. I HAVE SAVED THEM IN MY FOLDER SO I CAN GO BACK AND CHECK OUT THE PICTURES . I DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT ALL OF THEM AT THE TIME. IF YOU WILL PUT ME ON YOUR ADDRESS LIST SO I WON’T MISS ANY OF THESE SATURDAY POSTINGS. I LIVE IN MADILL. GREW UP IN THE OIL FIELDS EAST OF TOWN. IF YOU WANT TO PUT A NOTE ON YOUR CALENDAR AND PUT A NOTE IN ONE OF YOUR WEEKS THE CUMBERLAND AND ALYESWORTH REUNION WILL BE JUNE 10,2001 IN MADILL AT THE AMERICAN LEGION BUILDING. POT LUCK MEAL AND OPEN TO ANYONE WHO LIVED IN EITHER COMMUNITY OR HAD ANY CONNECTION THERE. I HOPE TO FIND SOMETHING ON THAT COATSWORTH. I’LL KEEP ME EARS OPEN. HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, I knew the brand of tire patches you were going to say before I ever got to the picture. I still have a tin of them also. The camel is about gone and tin is rusted a bit. I got it from the things my dad had saved after he passed away three years ago.” Grampe in Juneau
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“Thanks for being alert at those intersections in Ardmore. If anything happened to you, Lots of people would miss you something terrible. I know I would.”
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“HI BUTCH, FORGIVE ME FOR WRITING IN ALL CAPS, I HAVE SINE STIFF FINGERS AND THE CAPS HELP RATHER THAN REGULAR TYING. I AM ANSWERING YOUR NOTE ABOUT CLARK GABLE. MANY TIMES I HAVE LOOKED AT HIS BIOGRAPHY HERE AND THERE AND HAVE NOT FOUND MABEL FRANKLIN’S NAME BEING MENTIONED. OF COURSE THIS DOES HAPPEN TO STARS MANY TIMES, BUT HERE IS WHY I KNOW THAT THEY WERE MARRIED, AT LEAST IN THE EYES OF MANY THERE IN ARDMORE. WHEN “GONE WITH THE WIND CAME OUT” THERE WAS A PIECE IN THE PAPER ABOUT HIS LIFE IN AND AROUND GROWING UP. AT THAT TIME, MY MOTHER TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD KNOWN THAT HE WAS MARRIED AND THAT MABEL WITH HER MONEY HAD HELPED TO GET HIM INTO HOLLYWOOD. IF HOWEVER, YOU READ IN MOST OF HIS BIOGRAPHIES, YOU WILL SEE THAT A LADY KNOWN AS JOSEPHINE DILLON WAS THE WEALTHY PERSON WHO HELPED HIM GET INTO HOLLYWOOD.—READ ON. WHEN I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, 1939-1940 ETC. I WAS IN SCHOOL WITH THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF WIRT FRANKLIN AND SHE TOLD US ABOUT IT. WHEN I WAS IN HIGHSCHOOL I HAD A NUMBER OF CLASSES WITH WIRT FRANKLIN’S GRANDDAUGHTER–ONE ENGLISH LIT CLASS TOUCHED ON THE STORY OF “GONE WITH THE WIND” SHE ALSO TOLD US THE STORY. HOWEVER, BY THEN HE WAS A LEGEND AND HIS FIRST MOVIES WERE BACK TO THE EARLY THIRTIES. “IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT ” WITH CLAUDETTE COLBERT WAS BACK IN 1933 OR 1934 SO THEIR MARRIAGE HAD TO HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE THAT. I AM SORRY THAT I CANNOT TELL YOU MORE THAN THAT. I DO FEEL SURE THAT IT IS TRUE, HOWEVER.”
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“If possible, I would like to send this feeler out there to find out if anyone on your list remembers my grandfather who lived in Healdton, Oklahoma for a long time. His name was Cecil Stout. Most people knew him as “Shorty”. He owned Healdton Mattress Company. For years he had a fellow by the name of “Jack” who worked for him. My grandparents’ home and shop were located on Texas street across from the park. My grandmother’s name was Virginia. They raised their family there after my grandfather lost a toe working in the oil fields. He and my grandmother lived there until my grandfather died in 1979. They are both buried there in Mt. Olive Cemetery. Their children’s names are: Joe, John Ed, Doris, and Cecil Jr. (my father). If anyone out there remembers this family at all, I would adore hearing from them. Attached is a picture of my grandfather’s shop and van. Thank you! I adore this newsletter!” [email protected]
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“Butch- This picture is probably related to the tire plant mentioned in T&T. Women unidentified. Sign indicates Ardmore is 4 miles down the road. (The MacGalliard Collection)” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ustires.jpg
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“Butch have you checked out the round barn east of 177 between the Scullin Y & Hickory?? Some one else will have to give you better directions than I can. The story that I was told as a kid was that it was built by German POW’s. I remember it set close to the side road, but can’t remember what road.”
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“Hi Butch. I always enjoy reading your email about southern Oklahoma. I spent alot of my youth in Ardmore and I have fond memories. After 40 years, I went back to Ardmore. Here is some of my memories of Ardmore. Keep up the good work.” Richard Henry http://henryextendedfamily.homestead.com/ardmore.html
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“When I was growing up, my parents and brother & sister would drive up from Arlington, TX to see my grandparents living in Ardmore. This was is the 60’s before I-35. On Hwy 77, about a mile south of Overbrook, there used to be a store on the east side of the highway at the top of the hill. The store had an indian totem pole out front. We (my brother and sister) used to wait and watch for the totem pole as we drove by coming and going. Can anyone tell me about this place and what ever happened to the totem pole?”
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“Sir: Have you ever heard of Wolf Creek in the Thackerville, Oklahoma area? I’d like to have directions to this area….can you help me? Thank you!” [email protected]
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I would like to be included on your list to receive This & That.! I grew up in Ardmore born in 1961 and left in 1981 to join the US Air Force. I am a Crew Chief on C130’s currently stationed at the old Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth. If any others out there might have info about the Flying horseman I would love to see them… I enjoyed the small site about the elite C-130 flying unit. Thanks for everything you do.” Joe Bob Ritter. AHS class of 1980. [email protected]
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“You must love bells as much as I do I own a school style building complete with belfry and bell. I own about 15 bells similar to the pics you have and on new years eve, we ring them all.I have found a couple on ebay auction. Ever go to ebay.com and punch in church bell, school bell or farm bell? I lov to correspond with folks who love bells as well as i. Sincerely Ron Delby PS I have a little foundry here in my yard and sometimes i make bells. Your pics are great!!!!!!”
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“My family came to Madill in 1940 with the oil field. Cumberland field. I was eleven yrs. at the time. One of my memories is the day they changed the name of a little place to Gene Autry. Gene and his wife were in a train car . there was music on a stage an late in the evening men riding horses rode on top of a hill . It was nice to see. our neighbor and friend had b beautiful palameno horse and that horse was chosen for Gene Autry to ride in that parade. Then it was told that it was Trigger. That horse belonged to jimmy green.of Madill. Needless to say he was quite disappointed by that.”
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“I finally got a younger man who evidently likes to climb up extremely high ladders. He went all the way up to the bell after church yesterday and took these pictures at the Catholic church in Guthrie, Oklahoma.”
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“Hi Butch, Sure enjoyed reading last weeks T&T. Do any of your subscribers/buddies remember the old Fairview School, located about halfway between Davis and Sulphur, about 1 1/2 miles south of Bob Miller’s store on the highway? In about 1937/38, I started in the first grade there, before it burned down. It had two rooms, 1st thru 8th grades, and had 2 outhouses, a hand-pump for drinking water, and each room had a big potbellied wood burning stove. My teacher was Mrs. Fisher, and the other teacher and principal was Pete Vander Slice. Somewhere I have a school photo, and I’ll send it to you if/when I find it. And does anyone remember the Dinky Train that used to run between Davis and Sulphur; a little steam engine, but that engineer sure could make that whistle sound blue.”
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“My father, Lt.Cmdr (Ret) James L. Chandler was a pilot with American Flyers in April 1966. I was only 10 years old at the time of the crash but I vividly remember that night. My father, my sister Katie, my brother Tim, and 3 friends of my sister’s and I had all gone to see the “Ghost and Mr. Chicken” at the theater in downtown Ardmore. On our return to our house on Cherry St., we could see the doors to both our house and our neighbor’s house open. My mom and our next door neighbor, who’s husband, Richard Maynard, also worked for the airline as a pilot, were running back and forth to each other. My mom was hysterical and told us the news. Needless to say, the rest of the evening took on a dire tone. I realize now that for the rest of my Dad’s career, everytime any TV report of a plane crash occurred, it brought on the most vivid fears. The next morning my father and I attempted to drive to the site, we were turned away by the authorities. I distinctly remember the weather that morning, it was still foggy, cold and rainy. It seemed appropriate for the time and the circumstance. I was an altar boy at St. Mary’s Catholic church, and had to participate in what was my first funeral 3 days later for Anthony Pica. My parents went to 4 funerals that day. I remember how emotional the funeral was, especially graveside, it was horrible, as a young boy I’d never witnessed death and loss and I’ve never forgotten Anthony’s mother that day. My parents are both still around and I just spoke to them, and to this day, Dad doesn’t really like to talk about the accident. He left American Flyers within 3 months after the crash and went on to work for Capitol International Airlines, from which he retired in 1980. They both live in Brentwood Tennessee, right outside Nashville. If anyone remembers them and would like to get in touch with them you can reach them here:” [email protected]
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“what happen to the bells of ardmore never hear them ring anymore”
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Here’s the Council Grove Bell I promised. It is located at Council Rd and Melrose Ln, Oklahoma City. The text on the plaque below the bell is as follows….. “This bell, long a symbol of gatherings is dedicated to preserve the memories and the history of the Council Grove community. It’s presented in loving memory of William A. “Scooter” Wilson by his classmates, friends and family. This historical old school bell dates back to the late 1890s. When it was first used in the Council Grove District School, located on the southeast corner of Melrose Lane and Council road. This schoolhouse also served as the Union church. When a new school was built in this location in 1938, the bell was moved to the new school and again used. The bell remained at that school until May, 1970 when it was brought to the present Council Grove school by the “Scooter” Wilson memorial fund. This bell is also dedicated to its own precious memories of Council Grove School children for over 70 years.”
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“Is there anyway you could send me a copy of the picture of Hobart in 1901. I will be more than glad to reimburse you the cost. I tried printing it off, but it came out small and like it is from a great distance. I do not know how to do it any better. There is no way I can use the magnifying glass to try and identify my grandfather. (if he is in there) The picture on the computer is much plainer than the one I printed off. I even forwarded the This and That to my cousin and he could not even get any of your pictures to come up on his screen. Would appreciate your help on this. Let me know.” Sandra Hayes [email protected]
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“This is just a reminder note to let you know of the web page we have for our Ardmore class reunion 1967. Some of you have already signed in and we thank you very much…Some of you have not…We want all of you to..We want to have a great reunion and I know it can happen..Its been alot of fun in the past but this one is going to be the best ever..No little kids to have to find baby sitters for…Yea! We can stay up all night and talk and not have to rush off….If you know the where abouts of another mates please let them know about our web page…I realize there are still some of our mates that don’t user computers..But we have to make an effort to contact them….Keep checking the web page for further postings..We are going to be posting a list of people I can’t find…Maybe you will know where some of them are and you can contact them or let me know and I will…..Some of the classmates have had some great stories to tell that has happened to them over the years and some have had some pretty tragic ones…I know some of you have had your times and are still going thru some tuff times..I wish you the best..If there anything you need or your classmates can do for ya…Just holler.” Bobby Pruitt [email protected] http://www.Cyberflux-Solutions.com/AHSReunion
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==============================================================With winter hopefully behind us, we’re looking to finish up some things at the American Flyers Memorial at the Airpark. We’d like to see more picnic tables, some off-street parking, and a wood stockade fence around the area, among other things. I found out this week that a teacher at the Comanche, Oklahoma schools brought 150 students over to view the Memorial. I was told the children just stood in front of the Memorial in awe with their big eyes. I was touched to learn these students were there visiting the site.
http://www.americanflyersmemorial.org“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world. Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” –Tom Bodett
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 17, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 204
Many of you wrote back with the right answer to the mystery photo last week. Mr and Mrs Charles Anderson in Indiana has had that Ardmoreite since 1944. I know one thing, there are a lot of historians reading my T&T by the emails I received. The newspaper printed May 6, 1944 on that special edition. The correct date was June 6, 1944.
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http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/nor1944b.jpgA reader sent me a pic of a counter check on the Cornish Banking Co (before 1907).
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornchec.jpgI received an email this week asking about the old Ardmore Akron Tire and Rubber Company. This is not the first time I’ve received an inquiry about this old Ardmore business. I did some digging and found it started about 1918 and was located “3 miles north of town”. The President was John C. Harmony who roomed at the Hotel Ardmore. Elmer and Arthur Wood was V-Presidents, Fox Wood was Treasurer, and Roy Wood was Secretary of the corporation. The business’s downtown office was at 209-212 West Main in the Von Weise building. From what I found, the company ceased to be about 1925.
Some other interesting facts I ran across…. in 1910 the Hardy Sanitarium was located at 212 First SW (where the post office is now). I thought it was several years later that Dr. Hardy opened the hospital at 212 First SW. Also in 1926 Harvey Brothers Funeral Parlors was located at 300 West Main.
I found this old box of inner tube patches in my garage. I used to work with these same kind of patches when I fixed flats at Kenneth Chandler’s Service Station at East Main and D Street when I was about 16 years old. This particular patch kit was made in Muskogee, Oklahoma by the H.B. Egan Manufacturing Company back in the 1940s. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hbegan.jpg
Every now and then I get bored (haha), so last Saturday morning I decided to get some Trustys from the county jail and re-paint the stripes in the south parking lot across from the courthouse. County sheriffs office across the state have been providing jail Trusty’s to do some of the needed work around Oklahoma courthouses since statehood. Our new sheriff, Harvey Burkhart, is continuing this tradition. Trusty labor sure helps when there is so much to do in the upkeep of four buildings. http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/photos/crtlot.jpg
A reader asked if I’ve had any info on the extinct town of Coatsworth, Oklahoma. Coatsworth was located in Marshall county near Madill, Oklahoma. Maybe someone out there knows something about Coatsworth.
The past week around Ardmore it seems like Spring had sprung. This Bradford Pear tree is across from my house at the Ardmore Garden Center, and its in full bloom. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/bradpear.jpg
A Reader told me there were three bells in a yard north of the Armory Building in Healdton, Oklahoma this week. Guess I need to grap my camera and head over there!
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, have you ever heard anyone use the word “tump”? As in, “Be careful, you’re going to tump the boat over”. I think it’s a southern term combining “turn” and “dump”. I have heard it all my life and some people I know said that they’d never heard of it.”
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“I certainly wish I had the time to put into your endeavor the time that you do. I also wish that I were living back in Davis or Ardmore to show you some of the interesting sites that we as kids took for granite while growing up at Davis, Oklahoma.”“There are a number of caves in and around Turner Falls that we used to explore as well as one out west of Davis just to the southwest of Hennepin that we called “Bitter Enters” as the temperature inside the cave was hotter than the outside and this was during the summer.”
“We also burned drip gas in the cars we drove or rode in back in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Can remember when Pick’s Hot Tamale’s was located three miles south of Davis on old Highway 77 and they sold one dozen for a buck.”
“If someone is looking for good leather work, they need to visit Dye’s Boots two miles south of Davis (on the left going south out of Davis) on old Highway 77 it is ran by Ben Dye’s (the original owner) Grandson.”
“Can also remember swimming at Price’s Falls just below the old Waterwheel as well as Turner Falls and even diving off the falls (even though it was not allowed – but more so then than it is now).”
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“In February 1966 I was teaching school and received my draft notice. I was to report to Los Angeles on April 21, 1966. I was quite a confusing day but at last a group of us were told we were going to Fort Bliss, Texas. I was glad to find two friends that I had graduated in 1961 from high school. In the early afternoon we were bussed around LAX to what seemed to be on the south side of the airport. We were to get in a white and red prop plane. They said we would be leaving in a few minutes. Several times during that long afternoon we kept getting announcements that the flight had been delayed. We were finally told that they were going to load the plane. I had never flown and the long wait made me very more apprehensive. I remember how one engine was the last to start and fire came out of the back. It plane shook more than I expected and it seemed like the wings went up and down as we headed down the runway. I thought, “Well I’m sure the crew wouldn’t fly a plane that wasn’t safe.” We landed in Texas and had a good flight. I was separated from my two friends and the rest of the group in Texas. They wanted me to take additional test for OCS. A few weeks later I saw one of my friends and he told me that the plane had crashed the next day killing all aboard. I remember thinking that I hoped that our crew was not on the plane because they had been so nice to us. I was glad to find the American Flyers Memorial website. It is great to see that people remember what we did in those years. I would have been there the next day.” Sp5 Robert Gollihugh [email protected] US56418801 http://www.gollihugh.com/
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“Mystery of Three Oklahoma Tombstones Solved: Three tombstones were found along side an Oklahoma highway north of Davis, Oklahoma and no one knew where they came from. Dennis Muncrief decided to investigate and return the stones to their original location. Read the story of how this happy-ending came about.” http://www.interment.net/column/feature/stolen/index.htm
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“The Normandy Invasion began on JUNE 6, 1944. The date in the paper says MAY 6, 1944. Do I win a trip to Hawaii??????!!!!!!!”
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“Can I get a half credit since May 6th, 1944 was a Saturday and the paper said it was a Tuesday? Maybe an honorable mention? 🙂 Keep these wonderful newsletters coming. Please let me know if you need any help with anything. I think your CD idea is a great one. Let me know if I can help with that, too. I have a CD burner on my computer. Keep up the good work!”
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“Butch – The date should have been June 6 , 1944 instead of May 6, 1944. We really enjoy your news letter – keep up the good work. My Dad used to run a vegetable stand on Caddo in the 40’s . There was a grocery store also on Caddo and he worked there for a long time. I’d walk down there over the railroad tracts to be with him. We lived on G. Street N.E. His name was S. H. Mapp . There’s a lot of memories, (good ones) there and 713 4th N.E. where my Grandmother lived. I also went to Washington School. I remember Small’s Bakery. Thanks for the wonderful memories.”
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“Butch, This is in response to the reader asking about a leather holster. I know there is a saddle shop out toward Dickson, but I don’t know if they do that kind of work. It might be worth a try. If nothing can be found in this area, there is a shop in OKC called Looper Leather Goods. They do a lot of custom work for law enforcement personnel. My husband has had some work done there, and it is top quality. The phone number is 405-677-1655. Also, I tried out that new BBQ place in Davis called Buffalo Gap. It is VERY different. The ribs are smoked and seasoned with a tasty rub. The sauce is a mustard BBQ that is unique. It’s not your typical Okie-style BBQ, but if you’re looking to try something different, this is the place. Prices are reasonable, atmosphere is fun. Thanks for another entertaining Saturday morning!”
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“Butch, Good Morning, I intended to write you last week about your grandfather building the Methodist church in Hobart, but you know how time gets away from you, but now after this week’s news letter, I am glad I did not write you until now. My grandfather, James A. Anderson, hauled the first load of lumber into Hobart to start their town. He is also the great uncle of your good friend, Leroy McDaniel of Mannsville, Oklahoma. He hauled this load of lumber with his big wagon and several of his large mules. James Anderson later moved to Frederick, about 60 miles south of Hobart and was a farmer there until his death in 1932. I have several family members buried at Hobart. After looking at the picture you have up today, I am going to go back thru some of my old pictures that no one knows who or where they were taken. This one looks very familiar and there may be a copy of it. I am printing this one off and hopefully it will be good enough that I can get my magnifying glass and see if I can find my grandfather. If it does not print clear, can you mail me a copy of it, or did you just get it over the computer. I would love to get more info on the starting of Hobart and hopefully will get back there this summer and do some researching on this. If I do, I will let you know in advance in case there is anything you would like checked out while I am there.”
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“Butch, Tell your reader, that there is a leather shop in Lone Grove, called Lone Grove Boot and Saddle, Susan and Randy Watterson 580-657-2802, do great work, they custom made a T-bag for our motorcycle, and it’s beautiful, they are good folks and can do just about anything you want, they do quite a bit of work for us bikers. Hope this helps.”
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“Randolph’s saddle shop is now B & C Saddle shop and it is only open in the mornings now, to 12 noon. If he cant get it done there he can go to Cowboy Way on the other side of Dickson about 1 mile the other side on the right and he may get it done there. “
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“Butch, Randolph Saddle Shop is open only in the mornings. I had him make a belt for Ed last year. He usually closes around 12:30 or 1:00, Monday through Friday.”
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“Butch. Someone asked in tonight’s issue if anyone in the area makes custom leather gun holsters. I’m not sure, but the Circle C Boot Shop in Ardmore does a lot of leather work. Might check with them. My brother Harold Caudle is the owner operator.”
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“Dear Butch, On the corner of S. Commerce & Myall Streets (I think this is where the old Randolph’s Saddle Shop used to be located) there is a business called B and C Saddle Shop. It is owned by Bud Stewart. He makes wonderful saddles, chaps and many other leather goods. He might be able to make a gun holster for the person who wrote in asking you about such a place. He is only open from about 8 AM to around l:30 or 2:00 P.M. It would be well worth a person’s time to check it out. I hear that people come from all over the US to have him make saddles and other things for them.. He and his wife are nice Christian people and I know them personally. “
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“Dear Butch, Just to answer one of the questions someone wrote about Capt Boyd, he and his wife are both deceased. She was selling cook books during our first reunion with drawings of some of his work. Do not know any more info.”
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“You know, looking at this picture… well, it is hard to believe that there was so many people in Ardmore at this time frame… and down town.. wish that they had not invented strip malls.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/fedler2.jpg
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“Butch, just thought you might like to have a photo of the side of Overbrook, Okla. that most people don’t see. About a mile south of the Overbrook Road railroad crossing, down in the “boonies”, is this sign by the tracks. On Feb. 25, 2001 I shot Oklahoma’s Heartland Flyer blasting past the sign and a waiting freight train on the siding track to the left. Sorry folks, no stops here!!” Dwane [email protected] http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/photos/overflyr.jpg
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“Finally got them. Think part of the problem was Netscape. So I went to IE. The pictures just don’t do the fire justice. I spent a couple of hours or so watching it. The immediate rumors said that it started in the peanut mill near the underpass got on a conveyor belt so it spread rapidly at the outset. Then driven by a good? breeze it progressed northward pausing briefly at a firewall in the cotton warehouses. I remember that the heat was so intense that it lifted pieces of corrugated sheet iron into the air like leaves. When they passed beyond the heat they dropped to the ground, a few farther north than Broadway.” http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/photos/ginfire6.jpg
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“hi butch i am glad you spoke of cecil button. i remember him when i was growing up. he lived around from me. i used to see him at Moore’s grocery. i think him and mr moore where brother inlaw’s. he was a very nice man. thanks for bringing back memories”
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“Butch, I saw a reference to the Ardmore company in your newsletter. Would you happen to have any information on the company?”
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“Butch attached are pictures of what used to be the town of Aylesworth in Marshall County. Now it is cover by Lake Texoma (Where the Oil Derricks are in the water). Just up the road from Aylesworth is a small cemetary that has the sign of Aylesworth Cemetary. But all during growing up I had been told that the cemetary was moved to the south end of TimberHill Road just to the North of Bridgeview Resort. I wonder which cemetary is which and who is John Simmons.”
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“Butch here is a picture of the Grantham Church and the old Grantham School house back when there were lots of country school houses. Grantham Church still has church services there. It’s just off of 199 East of Madill about 3 1/2 miles out. My Dad and his father used to go to school there back in the early 1900’s. I remember they used to have a rope in the corner of the foyer that went into the ceiling and it used to ring a bell. I guess there is still a bell in the top of the church. But you can’t see it. Maybe you can come to church there and ask if they will let you ring their bell or crawl up in the attic and look at it!” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/granth2.jpg
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“Butch, Pruittville, east of Madill has a new Sign. The old one was knocked down about 2 months ago in an accident. You’ve been to Pruittville before back about 8 years ago. Wonder if any of your readers might have any information on the old community of Kinlock before it was known as Pruittville? Or any pictures? My family used to have a Dairy down there back in the mid 1900’s.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pruittv2.jpg
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“Hello Butch, I ran across this old bell while looking for a site to run my metal locator. The Bell is located about 5 miles south of Wilson at the intersection of HYW 76 and County Line Road and is part of a memorial to the Post Oak School that once stood there. All that is left now is a side walk, the foundation of the old school, a water well and two cellars, one of which belonged to the teacherage. The school is located just across County Line Road which puts it in Love County. I love to photograph and document old schools. I have located French School, Cisco School, Whitebead School, Florence Chapel School and several others which I haven’t got to document yet.” Charles Smith [email protected]
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“Hey Butch how about this strange looking pumpjack that one of your readers emailed to me. It doesn’t have a gear box. I wouldn’t want to have to buy all of those belts for this one.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pumpj2.jpg
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“Here is the info on the clock at Park Cities Baptist Church on NW Hwy in Dallas: I have someone checking about the age of the clock and what company made it. It was given by Mr. Virgil Howard in memory of his father-pastor and his brother. “Night Cometh” was inscribed at the request of Dr. Herbert Howard, the second pastor of the church, I believe. It is taken from John 9:4: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.” I believe this would date the clock back to 1956.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pickchur.jpg
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“I would suspect that the reference on the Dallas church to “Night cometh” is an effort to convey the same message of a church song “Work for the night is coming” and it points out that we do not know how much time there is to be busy in His service, so work!”
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“Good morning Butch, Thought you a/o your neat subscribers might be interested in some random wanderings from the good ol’ days. As a kid, about 1938/39, a huge circus type tent was erected in Sulphur, on the west side of Rock Creek near the old cotton gin. For the first few days they held a real old-time Hallelujah Revival , then they put down a hardwood roller skating rink for several days, and guys and gals came from all around . It was great. But it wasn’t over yet. Then Willard the Wizard put on an amazing magic show for several days. Our next door neighbor, a widow with two children, ran away with Willard, and hopefully lived happily ever after. But the absolutely best part came next. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys came to town, I believe for only one Saturday night, and it was maybe the greatest party Sulphur ever had. I was only about twelve years old, but I became a lifelong fan of Bob Wills, and wore out several pair of shoes dancing to his music later as an adult. (Actually, I never did really grow up)! But they really made good use of that tent for awhile, and then Sulphur went back to just a quite , but great place to grow up.The older I get, the better it used to be!!!!”
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“Butch, in regard to whoever wanted leatherwork done. Bud Stewart bought the old Randolph Saddle Shop (on South Commerce) and it is now called B&C Saddle Shop. It still has all the old pictures that Mr. Randolph had, all the old equipment and even the old heater and chairs. Bud can repair most anything. He even made some motorcycle leg covers for a movie that was partly shot here. He has had it open for a long time, at least 15 or 20 years. He has made boots and a few saddles. Go by and see him. He has a sort of “spit and whittle club ” sometimes. I am his sister, we went to the old Mary Niblack school and then to Springdale school when we were little. We used to have a hay ride about once a year. Enoch Watterson and his family would get a team of horses and load up the wagon with hay and drive up and down the country roads picking up kids for a “play party” at their house. There was so many of them that a few dozen more didnt make any difference. I really enjoy reading your newsletter. Keep it coming.”
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==============================================================Last Saturday afternoon I decided to travel back over into the NE part of Ardmore where my stomping grounds are located. I went by the lumber yard and continued on north up “H” street NE. When I got to the stop sign at “H” and 5th, I stopped, and because 5th is on curve there back east, I had to nudge out a little. Something told me to stop, and in the corner of my eye I saw something yellow. A powerful motorcycle was going west at a fast clip, and because he thought I was not going to see him and pull on out, he laid his motorcycle down and slide 80 or 90 feet, passing right in front of me. So much can happen in two seconds. I got out to go see how the guy was, and he was up and walking toward me to see if I was hurt. Of course I wasn’t touched. And by a miracle he was not hurt, only shook up. People started coming out from everywhere, and a lot of them knew me, since I was grew up just two blocks south of that intersection. The cops came, asked me a few questions, and said I could leave since I was not part of the accident. I think the guy on the motorcycle got a ticket for speeding among other violations. At an estimated 70 mph, it was a miracle he wasn’t killed.
Its amazing how fast our minds can flash back to things. I thought about my 14 years on the ambulance, and the thousands of vehicle accidents I went to. Sometimes the Grim Reaper seemed so close, I could almost feel his presence. Many times I was the last person that individual saw alive. They’d tell me a phone number and in the rush of things, I’d write it on the palm of my hand. Or give me a name of someone they loved. Or just look into your eyes with this most scared look and say, “Please help me.” I’d do everything I knew to do to try and save their life, but sometimes the Grim Reaper wins. I felt so helpless sometimes.
And a strange twist about this whole incident last Saturday, was my cousin, Jerry Carmon, back around 1960 as teenager, was on his motorcycle and hit by a car at the very same intersection. I remember bystanders calling my grandfather Stanley Carmon at the lumber yard, and he and I jumped in the pickup and went to the scene. We took Jerry to the hospital. He broke his leg and had to wear a full leg cast for months.
I am reminded of the story about the farmer who worked all day in the field, he headed back to the house, and when he got near the front door, he saw the Grim Reaper beckoning him inside. The farmer was so scared, he ran away. He decided to spend the night in the barn, and when he approached the barn, there was the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper asked, “Why did you run away earlier? I was only wanting to tell you to meet me here at this barn, at this time.”
Friends make life worth living, so please be careful and I’ll see everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 10, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 203
Boy, I walked into my office last week, and there on my desk was a box of chocolate chip cookies. They were from Dianne Rankin….. sorta of a bribe. haha. She’s still got her antenna out for any good ghost stories for her upcoming book. She got some good signals from several of you out there, but she’s looking for more! Dianne’s Email is [email protected] What I’d like to see is several of us who “know” something about reported ghosts and the like in Oklahoma, to get together at Dianne’s house in the Arbuckle mountains for supper and discuss it all. Dianne has gave an invitation to supper. So, let me or Dianne hear from you if your interested. She said a weekend “meeting of the minds” would be the best time!
This week I went to the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s Website and filled out my 2000 Tax Return using their free Online option. As last year, it worked great, and since I had my ID and password from last year, all my info from last year’s return was transferred to my 2000 Return. All I had to do was basically enter the new amounts. And as last year, I opted for the electronic transfer to my checking account for my Refund! Pretty neat, and its all free for Oklahomans! http://www.oktax.state.ok.us/
About 12 miles NE of Perry, Oklahoma in Noble county is the small town of Sumner. There in front of the Sumner Rural Fire Department is the bell from the old Sumner School. Beautiful. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/sumner.jpg
Cornish, Oklahoma is 30 miles west of Ardmore, next door to Ringling, Oklahoma. Here’s a pic of the old Cornish school. Boy, I sure liked that belfry! http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornsch.jpg
And this photo shows part of that old Cornish Orphanage we talked about last week. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornorpg.jpg
Last week I talked about my grandfather building the Methodist church in Hobart, Oklahoma. Here’s a pic of Hobart in 1901 when it was only a twinkle in someone’s eye. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hobart2.jpg
Here’s a pic of downtown Dougherty, Oklahoma up in the Arbuckle Mountains in 1998. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dherty.jpg
In Edmond, Oklahoma is the old North Tower and bell at the University of Central Oklahoma. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/oldnorth.jpg
Just a few miles on up the road north from Edmond is Guthrie, Oklahoma. Here’s a pic of the bell that used to call children to classes at the old Central School in Guthrie. Again, beautiful. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/guthbell.jpg
I found a pretty neat place to find some Freeware utilities. If you have a network with one computer on the internet, they have a free program (called a proxy server) that lets you give internet to all the other computers on the network through that one computer. Also they have a little program to stop that nasty hole in Windows that allows hackers to monitor every piece of information in and out of your computer when your on the Net. And they have some neat “music” programs if your into that stuff too. Check it all out at…. http://www.analogx.com/
Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn’t send me email that is part of the email hoaxes going around the world on a daily. Some of the emails I get are viruses, but my virus checker catches them. I hope you are using a virus checker. To learn about email hoaxes (and real ones) before you are part of them….. http://www.vmyths.com/
Back in the early 1980s we had a snow fall in the Ardmore area. I probably shouldn’t have even been on the streets, but decided to go to the old Safeway Supermarket (now Homeland) on North Commerce and pick up some things. When I left the store, an elderly white-haired man was in the parking lot trying to get his car started (He was George Cecil Button 1909-1994). I thought to myself, at his age he shouldn’t even be out in this kind of weather. Anyway, I went over to help. I had jumper cables in my car, so I jump-started his dead battery. I closed the hood on his car and went around to the passenger side, he had the door open. He said, “I’m Cecil Button and I own Button’s Auto Electric and I want to thank you for helping me. I’m also a Gideon.” He opened his glove compartment, and pulled out a little bible. He said, “here son, I want you to have this”. I never meet Mr. Button again. But I still have that little Gideon bible. The reason I”m telling this story is because I received an email this week from my long time friend Rome Engle. Rome and I go back a long way, to when I worked on the ambulance in the early 70s and also the sheriffs office, and he worked as a State Game Ranger.
But first a little information so everyone knows who Rome is: Rome was a former Game Ranger or Game Warden from the Southern Oklahoma Area. He retired 2 or 3 years ago from the State job, and is now working almost full time with the Gideons. He lives in Tulsa now, and is currently on a Gideon trip to Kenya, Africa doing what Gideons do, handing out bibles. Lisa is Rome’s wife. Now for his email this week….
From: Rome Engle, Nairobi Serena Hotel
To: ‘[email protected]’
Date: Monday, March 05, 2001 12:03 PM
“Hi Lisa, Just a note to tell you about my first full day of work in the Lord’s ministry in Kenya. My partner for the day, Brad Wilson, of the great state of Oregon, and I went to 12 grade schools today. We placed about 3500 testaments in Swahili and English in those little hands. The children were so well disciplined and mannerly. We would tell them “good morning” and they would in unison say “good morning, sirs.” The smiles were from ear to ear, and the eyes were bright and sparkling. We cried all day long. We saw children with cleft palates, cancers on their faces… our hearts broke all day long, not only with the sick and halt and maimed, but with the happy faces. Every school wanted to sing for us. The sound of those lovely voices singing to us will be with me for the rest of my life. Sell the house, buy some tickets and let’s get on with this… Gotta go, forward this letter to everyone you think will be interested in it. I love you, Pray for us……..Rome.”Carter County Commissioner Kevin Robinson went over the hill last week. The girls at the commissioners office fixed up the area with banners and balloons, and we had some delicious taco soup at noon in celebration of his birthday. Just wait til he’s 50, they’ll really fix him up!
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And here’s a picture of the old man himself…
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/kevbd4.jpgA reader told me about a cotton gin that used to be in operation here in Ardmore up until around 1951 on South Washington. The reader said his dad used to take him there when they sold their crops. I did some checking and found out the gin was located right across the street west from the Honda Shop in the 500 block of South Washington. It was called the Murphey Milling and Feed Company, owned by John L. Murphey (1890-1950) and his wife Maude (1892-1976. Mr and Mrs Murphey lived next door to the mill at 515 South Washington. The mill manager was W.E Buchanan, the assistant manager John McGraw, and Coley Wallace was the secretary/treasurer. The mill was originally called the Choctaw Cotton Mill starting in 1918 and ran by John Murphey all through the years until the name was changed to Murphey Milling and Feed about 1949. Murphey Milling was sold to Comet Feed Mills about 1957. I wonder if anyone has a photo of this mill?
If you’re looking for some southern Oklahoma history, a good place to start is the Greater Southwest Historical Museum here in Ardmore. It’s located at #35 Sunset Drive and the zipcode is 73401. The phone number to the museum is 580-226-1247 and Fax is 580-226-3857. Plus they are on the world wide web at http://home.swbell.net/bhamm10/
A reader asked me this week where he could get a leather holster made for a pistol he owns. We used to have a place on South Commerce called Randolph’s Saddle shop where something like that could be made from scratch, but its closed down. Does anyone know a place in southern Oklahoma that still makes custom leather holsters?
Every now and then I get a snail mail letter… through the good old-fashioned post office. This week a letter arrived from Indiana, and it nearly knocked my socks off. Inside were some good old-fashioned photos, the ones like you hold in your hand. When you click on the two photos below you will see it is an Ardmoreite from 1944. But look at photo “b” closely, there is a major mistake in this 1944 newspaper. If you figure it out, send me email. I’ll tell more next week.
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http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/nor1944b.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch. I don’t know if this will help or not as the bell can’t be seen in the picture. I can climb the stairs to the choir loft, but I can’t make myself go up the ladder to through the door into the belfry. Right now the belfry door is closed. If it were open, perhaps I could get a decent picture of it… This is Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Guthrie, Oklahoma. This building was constructed in 1920, but the bell was transferred from the original church which was built in October of 1889. We still ring the bell every Sunday before the 10:30 a.m. service. We used to ring it during the Midnight Easter Mass, but a neighbor complained. So that is no longer done.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/guthchu.jpg
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“Hi Butch, I left some things out of the Drip Gas story. The production of the Drip from oil required a piece of equipment called a “Heater Treater”. Its function was to heat the oil, causing the water to fall out of the oil. The vapor off the heated oil condensed back into gasoline as it cooled, and was captured in the barrel. The gas to fire the fire the heater was usually captured from the wells themselves. The gasoline produced by the cross country pipeline was commonly called “Casing Head Gas”. The gasoline off the heater was called “Drip” because it dripped into the capture barrel, out of the line coming from the heater, as it cooled from vapor into gasoline.”
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“Hey Butch, I was going through the intersection heading to Bluebonnet when the wall fell. I heard it and saw it on my rear view mirror. needless to say I was a little scared. I was like 2 second away from it.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/mainwall.jpg
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“How much will the cds be Butch I would like to get a copy. Thanks keep up the great work.”
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“Hello Butch. If you make any cd’s of your pix, please burn one for me. I will be glad to pay you whatever it costs. Always enjoy your news letter and the photos. Great Job! See you in May.”
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“Saw where one of your readers was asking about a picture of Madill OK, hope this will do.”
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“Hi Butch, I certainly enjoy reading and re-reading all of your columns. Keep up the good work. I do have a question for any of your readers. I am interested in finding out about any old Wild West Shows that may have been around Wilson, OK and Ardmore. I have heard a few stories that a William Daniel of Reck, OK, may have had one. If so, he was a relative of mine. If any of your readers know anything about these shows or if anyone may have a picture, I would sure be interested in hearing or looking. Thanks again for all of your efforts, Del Daniel in Southern California where it is cold and getting ready to rain again.” [email protected]
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“Dear Butch: Tribbey, Oklahoma was named after Walter Tribbey’s family, and he was born there, I understand. Walter was owner of Tribbey Drug Store, first in Wirt, and then in Healdton. He was also a county commissioner at one time. He was a neighbor of mine for a number of years, both Walter and his wife Ollie are deceased.”
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“Hi Butch, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy T&T. It keeps me informed about home and brings back many memories. I was raised in Ardmore and lived at 814 A st. N.E for most of my youth. I left Ardmore for the Air Force in 1954 and have not lived there since, but still call it home. You may already know that “Caddo” street is nothing more than the first 3 blocks of A st. My Grandpa Garnand lived on the east side of Caddo st. across from the Martin & Fedler building. He made knives, saws and sharpen all kinds of tools, so I spent a lot of time on Caddo until his death in 1953. Several weeks ago you had a picture and comment about the large mound of earth on the east side of I-35 on the old Navy Base at Norman Okla. Someone said it was part of an artillery range. That was not quite right. It was the backstop (bullet catch) to the rifle and pistol range. The mound is only about half of what it was before they put I-35 in. Keep up the great work you are doing with T&T. THANKS!” http://members.nbci.com/oklahomapast/glimpse/normhill.jpg
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“Hi Butch~~I am a new subscriber to This and That and enjoyed my first letter very much. I was born and raised in Ardmore, born in l940 and my maiden name was Lamb. My grandfather, W.G. Lamb and my dad, Don Lamb owned grocery stores there in Ardmore. The first one was on the corner of “E” street SE and Lake Murray Drive and I have many wonderful memories of that store, it’s customers, and the neighborhood. The other grocery store was at the corner of l2th and E. NW. If you have any memories or facts about the Lamb men or the grocery stores, I would love to hear them. My aunt was Marynette Parker who lived on the corner of Carter Ave. and Lake Murray Drive. She played the organ at Emmanuel Baptist Church forever.”
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“Butch I sure enjoy your info every Sat. I need some Climbing Okra Seed, surely some one has some.” [email protected]
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“the first bakery was on 3rd ne next to JOHN SMALLS house. charles bailey worked for him and lived across the street was when i was a small boy. i played there and ate that hot bread right out of the oven.”
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“Butch, this may have been before your time but John Small’s bakery was originally on 3rd NE right next to his home there. Later it was moved to the corner of H and 2nd. This means of course that I am older than you but I remember it well.”
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“And the smell of that baking “Buttercrust” bread at John Small’s Bakery on Ardmore’s N.E. 3rd Street is still fresh upon my palate even 70 years later.”
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“I remember walking down Caddo as a kid looking in all the domino parlors for my Grandpa Prater when it was time for him to come home for dinner. He lived about two blocks down on the right in one of the little wooden houses just north of the salvage yard on the east side of Caddo.”“Talk about fond memories, just walking by the fresh produce stands on the way to find my Grandpa was a treat for us kids as all the vendors knew who we were and that times were still bad for a lot of the people there in Ardmore and every once in a while we would get a little something for free. Thanks for the memories.”
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“Butch Bridges forwarded your letter to me and asked me to answer your question. Well, certainly I’m no expert but I am an observer. I noticed a crack in the side of the old building several weeks ago and started taking pictures of the building. The crack gradually became noticeably wider. The authorities at the police Department were notified, but there was nothing done to guard against the possibility of the wall falling on someone – thankfully no one was hurt. The building is very old & completely unoccupied but after the sand stone wall fell, it appeared that the roof had been leaking for quite some time. I too will be interested to know what the inspectors come up with for an answer as to “why the wall fell.”
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http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/mainwall.jpg“…this is the building located on the NW corner of Main and Caddo Streets of Ardmore. As you know, this is one of the oldest buildings on main street & is the site of the first hospital and sanitarium established by Dr. Walter Hardy. The lower floor, on the corner, was purportedly occupied by a Drug store throughout the buildings history. The building took a devastating blow from the 1915 explosion of the train load of casing head gasoline located at the rail road tracks, less than a block east of its location. The pharmacist & proprietor who was leasing the building for a Drug Store at the time of the explosion was a Mr.Adcock. Mr. Adcock told me that when the explosion occurred, it caused all of his wall fixtures to fall face down on the floor. This old building has a basement, and it is commonly referred to as the location of the Dew Drop Inn. Photographs of the building ,which were taken at the time, do not reveal a great deal of damage to the upper portion of the outside east wall of the building; however the upper east wall was also faced with large sand stone building blocks, but later, that portion of the building was replaced with brick. If you view the west wall of the old building you can see that the original sand stone wall still surrounds the upper portion of the building. I am sending you several attachments of pictures, taken today, that demonstrate a structural breakdown of the building some 85 years after the notoriously devastating damage caused by the explosion in 1915. The old building presently is unoccupied but probably should be inspected to determine if it is near falling in. I know the old building pretty well and many of the stories you hear today are believed as fact, but I know many of the tales are legend instead of fact.”
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“8 ounce prescription bottle dates back to early 1940’s. Drug Store was located on corner of Caddo & Main Streets under name of Martin & Fedler Drug Store, but became the “Martin Drug Store” in 1946 until 1968. Building is now vacant.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/fedler.jpg
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“I believe I was on that plane on April 21, 1966 (crashed April 22, 1966). We were drafted and left LAX late that afternoon. They had some type of problem and we had to wait what seemed like several hours till it was ready. They took us to Fort Bliss, Texas. If you would like any more information please feel free to contact me.” http://www.gollihugh.com/
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“Hi Butch, We’re still enjoying your newsletter out here in Nevada. It’s always good to read about the old hometown. I noticed someone mentioned the Raleigh Salve you use to be able to buy. Does anyone out there remember selling Cloverine Salve from door to door? That was back in the thirties and if you sold enough, you got a reward for it in the form of various items you could get from their catalog. Those were the days! A kid could walk his legs off, going up and down those country roads to sell salve to those good country people. Someone usually obliged you with the few cents it took to buy the salve. As I remember, it was pretty good for skinned knees and stubbed toes! Ah, memories! Thanks again for your newsletter. We do enjoy it.”
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“I have several etchings by Phleat Boyd of Ardmore that I purchased 20 years ago. I just now decided to do a research on him and the primary reference on the internet was in regard to the American Flyers accident of 1966. Since the drawings are dated 1977-1980, he obviously wasn’t one of the victims. Can you enlighten me as to who he is and how he is connected to the accident? Do you know where he lives or is he deceased? Thanks for any help you can provide.” Charles Fredrick [email protected]
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“This picture from the McGalliard Collection shows the building at Caddo and Main Streets before the sandstone to brick changes to the front and east sides of the building. The autos indicate the picture date to be in the 1915-1920 era (I’m guessing).” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/fedler2.jpg
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“The church at NW highway and Pickwick Lane in Dallas is Park Cities Baptist Church. I don’t know the story behind “Night Cometh” on the clock face. I go to church there and I’ll see what I can find out.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pickchur.jpg
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“Hi Butch, I have gathered some information that I hope will help the person trying to solve the Mena Walters mystery. In the 1920-21 and 1922 Houston City Directories I found a listing for Meda Walters (widow of Chas) living on Crockett street NW corner of Egypt (Ryan add). Yes, her name is listed as Meda in both books. Crockett street (Ryan add) runs from Grand ave N to Bartholomew and is a continuation of Chapman street. Egypt street (Ryan add) runs from Robertson E to H B & T (this refers to Houston Belt & Terminal) 9 blocks n of Hays street. In the 1922 and 1923-24 Houston City Directories there is a listing for Mrs Annie Seligman living on Chapman street SW cor of Egypt street. Perhaps this neighbor was the informant on the death certificate. I did a very quick check of the soundex for the 1920 TX census and did not find Charles and/or Meda Walters. In the 1910 Pawnee Co, OK census, there is a Charles Walters age 45 born in IL, his wife, Almeda, age 41 born in MO, and daughter, Myrtle, age 10 born in OK.”
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Dear Mr. Bridges, My Grandfather, Felix Roberts, was born May 8, 1888. According to the information he related to our family, the old cemetery was were Main street divided. My Grandfather was born in Indian Territory and played with the outlaws in the Caves by Turner Falls. He was friends with “Wobblin’ Willy”.
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==============================================================The best vitamin for a friend…… B1
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 3, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 202
A piece of history fell in Ardmore this week. The east wall of the old Martin and Fedler Drug Store at Main and Caddo came tumbling down. My friend Ernest Martin snapped this picture of it just a couple of hours after the wall fell. This all happened about noon on Friday March 3rd. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/mainwall.jpg
A couple weeks ago I spoke about the Wishing Well in Cornish, Oklahoma. Its located right on Main Street, probably since around 1900, maybe before. Cornish was established February 22, 1899. The townspeople had to fill the well in with dirt/sand some years back, because kids were throwing dogs and cats in the well. Shame we can’t have a piece of history without pranksters. Since that write-up I’ve learned the real Mayor of Cornish has invited me out to see him…. I’m going to make that trip when the weather clears up. I’ve also been told a movement is underway to get a sign put up saying, “Welcome To Cornish, Oklahoma”. I hope so. I know I will make a donation to help pay for the sign, if needed. Here is a pic of the Wishing Well as it is today. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornwell.jpg
And here is a pic of that same Wishing Well at Cornish back in 1960. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornwel2.jpg
I was traveling to Lone Grove this week, and I think I saw another bell, on the north side of Highway 70 at a house, just before reaching Meridian Road intersection. I’ll make another trip out there soon and take my digital camera!
And speaking of bells, I found two in Springer, Oklahoma last Saturday. This one was near the south end of Butler Street. They had another just like it in the back yard. You can see the bell behind that big black wash pot, one like my great grandmother Ida Miller made lye soap in when she lived across the street east from Washington Elementary school. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/springpo.jpg
I’ve learned there is a bell in the belfry of the Springer, Oklahoma First Methodist Church too…. they ring it every Sunday morning! Got to see if I can get a pic of that one too! http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/springch.jpg
Ever heard of Tribbey, Oklahoma? Tribbey is about 20 miles SW of Shawnee, Oklahoma in SW Pottawatomie county. And they have this beautiful bell. This is a 1999 photo a friend took for me. He hasn’t taken a picture of a bell for me lately, I may have to hold up his check this month. hahaha. I’m going to ring that bell in Tribbey someday! http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tribbey.jpg
A reader wrote in last week about the old Colvert homeplace on 12th NW behind Mt View Mall. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/colvhse.jpg
About 2 or 3 weeks ago, Ardmore was invaded by birds, namely grackles. They invade each year by the thousands. When its bad, the City of Ardmore puts out “cannons” to scare them off, or at least try to scare them away. These cannon blasts started in my part of town at 6:30pm Saturday night the 24th. Boy, every few seconds that cannon when off, and is it loud! And this has been going on, every evening, all week.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/gr/grackle.html
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/grackle.htmI knew my Grandfather Stanley Carmon built the Stanley Building in Hobart, Oklahoma around 1930. It was not named after my grandfather, but it was called the Stanley Furniture Store in Hobart. What I didn’t know until this week was he built the Methodist church in Hobart too, around 1926 or 1927. I received this information from my cousin, Bobbye Gay, in Houston. Guess I”m going to have to travel to Hobart soon, and take come pics.
A reader wrote in this week asking about the old Small’s Bakery of years ago here in Ardmore. What he didn’t know was my grandfather also built that building, at the corner of “H” NE and 2nd. I can still see Mr. John Small walking from his home at 816 3rd NE to the bakery around 6:30am back in the 60s. He whistled his way to work. Boy could he whistle.
I was looking through my stuff the other day and found a unique little wooden vial. It is a sewing machine needle holder made by Singer Company. The handwritten date on it is 1925. Its even got some neat looking needles in it! This has got to be a collectors’s piece! I can’t even remember where it came from, except from my teenage years.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/singer3.jpgA couple years ago I found three VHS movies (in Canada) of Dillinger (1973) in which many southern Oklahoma places were filmed including the Carter county courthouse. Blockbuster.com has the movie on DVD at $14.99 each. This week I found that hard-to-find movie on VSH again at… http://www.moviesunlimited.com for $12.34 each.
I been re-organizing my pictures. I have about 1,500 jpg files that go with my T&T issues since I started. When I have them in order, I may burn some CDs if anyone wants one. I”ll just ask for enough to cover my expenses to produce/ship them.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Someone asked about a list of Vietnam Veterans. There’s a great web site www.thevirtualwall.org which allows you to move along the wall and see the names. You can click on a name and learn about that individual. My internet connect here at home is so slow, I haven’t spent much time on it. A student found the site during a recent class on internet searches.”
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“Someone mentioned the old water wheel near Falls Creek. It is located at Price’s Falls (also called Oddfellows Camp) just outside the entrance of Falls Creek. The Baptist camp has purchased that property and will build a lodge there. I don’t know if they have plans to remove the wheel, but I’m sure hoping they keep it!”“Some additional info to my last email…. My mom says they are also going to use the old Oddfellow’s Camp as RV parking for the folks at Falls Creek.”
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“We really enjoy your This and That every week, and I have passed it on to several friends. The Springer Methodist Church has a bell and ring it every Sunday morning before 9:00 services. Also, several weeks you were talking about photography studios in Ardmore, but no one mentioned the Fonville brothers. Howard Fonville had a studio about where John Williams studio is now on the south side of main street and Pete Fonville’s was located on the north side of main street near the old Ritz theater. Keep up the good work.”
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“Hi Butch: The person seeking information on A. D. Wilkinson, printer and writer, might be interested to know: the subject was a man due some respect for his intrepidness. I did not know A. D. Wilkinson but was acquainted with his daughter Gwen Simmons (an accomplished poet), now deceased. He has a granddaughter (Carolyn Simmons) who lived in Oklahoma City at last report and a grandson (Milton Simmons) in Arizona (Tucson, I think). If last week’s enquirer remains interested, their address might be accessed in the white pages. Mr. Wilkinson was a Bible scholar and I have copies of two of his works; in fact, the bibliography in my book, “THE GREAT DECEPTION: Symbols And Numbers Clarified” contains reference to one of his works. Mr. Wilkinson’s research was controversial and too far advanced for fundamentalist thinking; therefore, his endeavor caused disfellowshipment from the Central Church of Christ in Ardmore, for his far-reaching dissension with conventional pedagogy. As far as I know, I possess the only copies of his work; to be sure, he was far more scholastic than his contemporaries. Hope this will help. Ben Winter Author of: “THE GREAT DECEPTION: Symbols And Numbers Clarified” Bringing Accountability to Symbols and Numbers Interpretation” http://www.winterbriar.com [email protected]
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“I was really excited reading about the drip gas,and looking at those great pictures. I have lived in the oilfield all of my life, and have seen such arrangements, but never had seen the pictures of any of the drip recovery devices. During the depression, I often rode with guys that were running their cars on drip gas. I did not understand how and where they got it, at first, but as your informant said it was powerful and smelly. I remember a good friend that was burned to death when filling his car with drip and it exploded. He was an inveterate smoker, and probably had a cigarette in his mouth. Even with gas at 15 cents a gallon, during the depression a tankful of drip was a big saving. A lot of folks that lived on leases used it. Now for the big question, Butch, are all of the little bottles of liquor, full little bottles? If not you may have a bunch of visitors. I will try to find a suitable miniature for you. Say…I also enjoyed the Russett pictures, will keep them.”
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“Butch, I remember the drip gas spoken by one of your readers my older brother was a driller and he told me that you should put mothballs in the tank to kill the smell.”
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“In response to the letter concerning Drip Gas, Having grown up in the oilfields in, near, and around Healdton and Velma, I have personally burned many gallon. I used it in several vehicles. but it burned best in a 1947 V-8 ford and a 1952 V-8 Studebaker. There was two sources of supply. One being the device described, and the other being a cross country natural gas pipe line. The change in temperature caused it to condense into the low places in the pipe line and it was retrieved from a valve put there to get rid of it. You would also get some water along with the gas and had to let it settle to bottom before putting it in the car and it still would give trouble. Some of it stunk pretty bad and some of it not so bad, but the price was right.”
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“Dear Butch, I would very much like to subscribe to your This and That newsletter. My aunt sent me a copy of it and I enjoyed it very much. Also, I am searching for my family who lived in Indian Territory around Tishomingo I believe. Their names were Ken and Sarah Isabel Cox Gregg. Their children’s names were Eva, John, William, Edna, Gether and Myrtle. I believe they lived in this area between the years 1883 and 1893. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.” Carol Mattison [email protected]
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“Butch, These are pictures of a Church Steeple in Dallas at the intersection of NorthWest Highway and Pickwick Lane. I’m not for sure on the name of the church. The face of the clock says “night cometh” I wonder what’s the story is behind that? Just look at all of those bells packed into that thing and the clock too. What a Butch Bridges wonder packed all into one!” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pickchur.jpg
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“You continue to amaze your cousin with the history you come up with from week to week. Great job. I failed to mention that the rock above the door in the house I grew up in is the shape of a heart (naturally – no mason work ever done on the rock other than to smooth the edges). Let’s go back in time in Ardmore and see if anyone remembers Small’s Bakery in the northeast part of town. Best as I can remember it was a little bakery made of rock and was on the left as you drove towards the cemetary. I do remember that their goods were always fresh and very yummy for the tummy as I was only about 2 or 3 at the time.”
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Butch, In “This and That” someone mentioned listing casualties of the Vietnam War. There is a searchable database of US Casualties of the Vietnam War available at http://www.mastermind.net. Keep up the good work!!
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“Hi again, oh that disease has hit here right at home, only 2 miles down the road, its so sad we watch farmers killing off their 1,500 stock. being mainly sheep and pigs its such a shame …. oh I dont like it. Where I live there is a lot of countryside around, and we can’t go anywhere, all the footpaths, have been closed off, its a strange sight to see ….. but has to be done I suppose. Our supermarkets are beginning to run low on meats being fresh or frozen, which they said would not happen, with everyone panic buying, if worse comes to worse, then I will have to become a healthy vegetarian ( I dont think so !! ) ha ha.” –England
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“My Aunt has asked me to search the web for “Raleigh Salve”, I see one of your readers in the April, May, June 2000, “This &That” issues was also. Did anyone find the salve for them? If you did, could you please forward the information to me?” [email protected]
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“I finally got all my STUFF compiled and made a big update to my Carter County genealogy site! Go see it and tell me what you think!” http://www.geocities.com/juliealleman
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“Butch, really enjoy your articles. Have you ever had anything on the old Mary Niblack School? I went there back in l938 and 39 and have a picture of the children and their teachers in l939. Would like to see information on this, if you have it.”
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“hi butch, my grandpa elmer criswell was born in madill, okla dec 1900, then in 5 month his family moved to sayre, okla by train, his brother went by a wagon train because he want to keep his horse. any pictures of madill, okla in 1900?”
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“Dear Mr. Bridges, I have spent much of the past hour enjoying your Bells of Oklahoma website. What a project! In December ’99, the bell from the defunct Asher, Oklahoma Methodist Church (now owned by Bob and Erma Brockett) was shipped to our home in California. Since that time we have been trying to research its age and origin. By going through your photographs, we think that the bell beside the First Baptist Church in Grandfield looks just like ours, a 24″ x 32″, very likely a CS Bell Co. product. But, we have no way of finding out for sure. Can you help us? Would you like a photograph of the bell in our garden? It is, after all, an Oklahoma bell!”
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=============================================================“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” –Abraham Lincoln
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 24, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 201
I travelled over to the Blue River Hunting and Fishing Resort five miles north of Tishomingo, Oklahoma last Saturday. Tish is 30 miles east of Ardmore. Blue River was cresting that day from all the previous days of rain. There were people even trying to catch fish in the rushing river. Here’s a couple pics. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/blueriv2.jpg http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/blueriv3.jpg
On the way over to Tish I went through Paula Stout’s stomping grounds, Russett, Oklahoma. The first thing I noticed in Russett was an outhouse behind this old house. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/russout.jpg
The house and property is located at Highway 1 and Pettijohn Camp Road in Russett. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/russout2.jpg
There is not many buildings left in Russett, but they do have a church. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/russchur.jpg And a unique old house and property still standing. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/russold3.jpg
But the best piece of history I found was in Mannsville, Oklahoma. Mannsville is about 15 miles east of Ardmore on Highway 199. The First Methodist Church there has a beautiful bell!!! http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/mannmeth.jpg
Last week I talked about Mr. Basil Moran and his grocery store on 6th NE across the street north from the old Washington Elementary school back in the 50s. Mr and Mrs Moran called me this week to say they had received many lovely calls and letters because of the article. What I failed to mention in my article was the man in the photo is Basil Moran. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/moran2.jpg
I have been trying this week to find a relative and hopefully a photo, of Mr. A.D. Wilkinson (1883 – 1973). Back in the 60s Mr. Wilkinson lived at 812 Carter SE here in Ardmore. But he also ran a printing shop adjacent to Hunts Grocery (west side) at 726 3rd NE. I can remember so well watching Mr Wilkinson, who was in his 80s, placing sheet after sheet of paper n the press, as his huge printing machine roller went across that flat inked surface, just before the roller went across the type.
Speaking of Mr. Wilkinson, I looked in my garage and found an old printer’s tray that came from his shop back in the early 60s. It is a true antique, so I got it out, but a couple of hangers on the back and hung it on my front room wall, and turned it into a shawdow box. Across the top I even lined it with all these little bottles of liquor that a friend of mine has given me over the years, with each trip they make to Las Vegas. Makes for an interesting conversation piece! http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ptray.jpg
Now to get those little squares filled with miniatures. If you have any little miniature or unsual thing that would fit in the shawdow box, I’d love to have it!
I found a neat program to keep track of all those passwords we need to access this and access that on the computer and internet. It keeps them in a password protected, encrypted file in C:\MY DOCUMENTS. I have known for a long time I was losing my marbles, but after I entered over 30 passwords in the MyId program, I knew why! I didn’t realize I was trying to keep track of that many passwords. MyID is very simple to setup and use… and its Free! http://www.faena.com/
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hello Butch, The newsletter was wonderful as usual… I wanted to thank you for quoting the Wynken, Blynken and Nod poem … I had not heard that since I was young until I watched Dennis the Menace the other night with my nephews… Thanks again,”
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“Butch, I really enjoyed the pictures of Falls Creek and information concerning the camp grounds. Long ago, I went to church camp there every summer and this sure brought back alot of memories. I appreciate your time and effort in your newsletter and look forward to reading all the news every Saturday morning. Keep up the good work!!”
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“Butch, years ago there was a beautiful old wooden water wheel around Falls Creek and on the road to Dougherty. It’s back in the mountains on a dirt road and kinda hard to find. If you are back in that area again it is probably still there. There is a creek that turns the wheel and a beautiful area to picnic or walk. It’s been years since I have been there and you may know where the wheel is at. If you go back, take a picture for me.”
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“When does the issue of Oklahoma Today come out that you’re going to be in? I would love to have a copy so I want to be sure & get one… Your love of history, and people, certainly comes thru in your T & T.”
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“Butch, Just wanted to make a couple of comments about some articles in your 200th issue. First of all, the unusual outcropping in the Arbuckles is actually referred to as “tombstone topography” or “corn row topography”. The beds (limestone and dolomite) of the Arbuckle Group are dipping at a steep angle, and erosion produces this striking appearance. The second comment references the story about the bell at the Newburn Center Youth Camp. It is part of the Assembly of God Camp Ground…not a separate entity. Armon Newburn recently retired as the District Superintendent for the Assemblies of God in Oklahoma, and a portion of the camp grounds was named in his honor.”“Butch, Rome and I enjoy “This and That.” Rome retired after 32 years as a game warden with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife…28 years in Carter County. We have since moved to the Tulsa area, but we always enjoy reading and hearing about “home”.” -Rome & Lisa Ingle
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“In your various responses about Cornish did not so far see anything about the cemetery out there. Maybe because few could find it. We did awhile back. Main purpose in looking was because my wife (Virginia Gilstrap Farrington) has a grandfather, a great grandfather and an uncle buried there.The grandfather was one who rode the “old Chisholm Trail as a cowboy! His name was Thomas Jefferson Gilstrap, Known as “Little Jeff” It was in a nice quiet setting when we were there although possibly a little run down after all these years. By the way, congratulations on 200th issue- a whopper- printed off 16 pages! Wow. You will have to increase your “subscription” price!! Haha. And thanks for “making our day” on Saturdays, or if I stay up long enough Friday evening, can even catch it then much of the time.”
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“Do you have a list of the people who were buried in the Old South Cemetery? I have a friend who hasn’t had any luck finding her grandfather’s burial site. Maybe this could help. Thanks.”
————————————————————-“To the San Francisco resident looking for a “Seth Thomas Ship’s Clock”. I happened to have one of these clocks. Was taking a load of wheat in an “oil tanker” to Sudan, on the Red Sea below the Suez Canal. I was the “radio operator” on this ship. After unloading the wheat we went to Karachi and sold the ship for scrap. Will give you one guess as to where the clock went? Sorry, but would not part with my clock.”
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“Butch, I heard a rumor years ago that the rock formation (tombstones) south of the falls used to be one of the highest mountain ranges in the states before it cratered and fell. Is this true. I also spent two weeks many summers at Falls Creek Baptist Church Camp close to there. And as a 11 yr.old I was on top of the falls and slipped on the mossy rocks and fell to the pool below, thank god I was not injured. That area is sure beautiful. Jack Lake former Wilsonite. I also lived in Ardmore, Davis, Cumberland Cove and Lone Grove in the 70s.”
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“I was born in 1935 and raised in Carter Co., so of course made many trips as a child up to Turner Falls, my Daddy always told me that when he was young he helped plant those rock in rows like that, (I think I also thought he meant they planted them from pebbles!) I guess I was nearly grown before I finally snapped to the fact that he was just funning me!.” -Wylene now in Texas!”
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“I found a magazine I really enjoy that I found out about very accidentally. it’s called “the good ol days”. a lot of the stuff may have happened BEFORE I was born, but it certainly gives a lot of insight as to what those days were really like. have U ever heard of that magazine? they even have a website!” http://www.GoodOldDays-magazine.com
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“Hi Butch, I think that I was surprised this week in the “this and that” that someone did not respond to the Clark Gable story you had a couple of weeks ago. I am not so sure that he worked on the making of the dam for Lake Murray, but he did work in the oil fields in the Healdton area. His first wife, I think was Mabel Franklin who was the sister to Wirt Franklin. The marriage did not last long, however and he was on his way to Hollywood. Mabel later married and was known as Mabel Franklin Ocher. (her last name could be spelled wrong)”
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“Another great job on history, the old bell at Falls Creek reminds me of the one that we used to ring at the First Methodist Church in Davis, Oklahoma when we were growing up. Do not know what happened to the bell but the only way you could ring it was to jump off the top step grab the clanger and throw it up against the side of the bell. After about 15 kids doing this in succession, the adults would tell us it was time to come in for bible school.”“Also in Davis they have built up the Depot quite well and just to the east of that they have a memorial walk where citizens of Davis have purchased bricks to be placed in the walks. Mother, her brothers, and one cousin have bricks there now. I have paid for bricks for my family to also be placed there.”
“Thought you might be interested. Also, if you turn right in Davis at the intersection where the Chevy dealer is located and then turn left at the next street there is a rock house on the left (where I grew up) that has a rock shaped stone above the door. The rock was found that way naturally and placed above the door when the house was built. Makes for a novelty photograph to show other folks.”
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“Butch, The reader who said he or she has the scoop on which stories are fact and which are legend about the old building on Main and Caddo should elaborate a bit. Or a lot.” -Steve Riner [email protected]
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“Butch, you might want to try this site on the Arbuckle Mountains. Very good information. Page 11 has a picture and article on the “tombstone” rock formation.” http://www.brightok.net/~dmcgowen/geo.html
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“Butch, I have been reading some of your articles again with interest and would like to add that you have done an excellent job and am proud to have the information and feed back. I have a thought that I believe would be interesting and probably painful for many but would like to throw out the suggestion.”“Does anyone have a listing of the people who served in Viet Nam and specifically the ones wounded or killed there? This was in my time frame however I was not there. I know that several people that I went to school with from Ardmore, Dickson, Plainview etc did serve in Viet Nam and would possibly be willing to share some of their thoughts, experiences and information with all of us. Food for thought!”
“I graduated from Dickson High School in 1966 and attended Ardmore grade and Jr. High School, my wife Jodie Young (Pennington) graduated in 1965 and we would like to hear from anyone of you regardless of the year. Had an e-mail list that I am still trying to get back, lost in computer land.” [email protected]
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“Butch, You have to remember, I am from a small town. We have no roads in or out of Juneau. We have two trolley cars in the summer but they are powered by gas engines. As long as there are telephone poles to hide behind, I get along fine. We do have 10 stop lights in Juneau. It took many hours to get to work when they were first put in. The Red lights kept Blinking on and off and everyone kept stopping and going, stopping and going as it blinked on and off. Sometimes you could make 2 feet when the light was off. Was sure glad when they finally let them turn green for a few minutes. (LOL) I go to work early so I miss all the stopping and going. I also start home early also so miss it that direction also. I only live 6.2 miles from home. Soon to be 7.2. We bought a new house a mile farther from town and a mile closer to the Glacier. We will only be about 3 miles from it when we get moved.” Grampes in Alaska
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“Here are 3 pictures of a contraption on some older Oil Wells that make a substance known as Drip”. My Father says that drip is a gas in the casing that when it hits air condenses to a raw form of gasoline. I’m not for sure on the lead content. My Dad says that it was mostly used in the oil field way back when to wash off tools and stuff. But he said some people used to run it in their cars a long time ago. He used to run it in his 1955 Ford Pickup, and said you could smell someone running drip in their vehicles from 5 miles away. I guess it sinks. He said that you could run it in your engine and turn the key off and the engine would run for about 15 minutes before it would die. He also said that if you had an old car that didn’t want to start you could mix about 5 gallons of gas with 5 gallons of drip and the car would start up everytime just like a new one. When he was running a hot oiler truck, if a pumpjack had an engine that ran off of the natural gas from the casing, when you would run hot oil down the casing you would have to cut off the gas from the casing and switch it over to a propane source. Sometimes when the pumpers would forget to switch the gas to propane and when the hot oil would go down the casing some of the drip would get into the line going to the gas engine and it start running 90 miles per hour. he he he. Dripu3 shows the line coming out of the well head and running into the bushes. Dripu2 shows the line going into a home made drum to collect the condensed drip. DripU shows the drip running out of the faucet after I opened it. Pretty neat huh? Do you happen to know anything about this or any of your readers?
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dripu.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dripu2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dripu3.jpg
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“Hey Butch, I was up in Ardmore last weekend to visit relatives. I passed a beautiful old “mansion” that use to belong to the Colvert? Family, I think. I can remember buying milk with their family name on it because they owned the dairy. It’s a shame the house isn’t being kept up. I thought your readers might enjoy a picture of the old place. I had forgotten too how many beautiful stone houses there are around Ardmore. My mother said she could remember a time when many people turned up their noses at having such houses, but her mother told her not to buy into that….they were works of art. And indeed they are! I also thought you might want to remind people about the museum you guys have there in Ardmore. It’s a great place for people wanting to look up relatives, or a little history. My grandfather lives in Madill. They have opened a little museum themselves. It is just off the square, two doors down from the only cafe I know of in town. I think it’s called the Sportsman’s Cafe. It has really good food. It’s run by a gal named Lisa, and she has down a really good job. You might wanna go check out her “Coke” collection if you are ever over there. The museum is just getting started though and they would appreciate donations, especially with folks identified. I have plowed through my family’s old pictures and am preparing to send them more that they probably want! Anyway, those are just some ideas that I thought I would pass on to you. It’s amazing how many interesting things you can find to do if you just open your eyes, isn’t it? Thanks for doing such a great job. I really enjoy reading your articles.”
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=============================================================“Elvis has left the building.” This line was used at the end of all, or close to all, of Elvis’ shows, except when in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, where he stayed at the hotel. The announcer’s name was Al Dvorin. http://members.aol.com/Elvis6240/Al.html
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 17, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 200
This last weekend I ventured up north 25 miles to the Davis, Oklahoma area. Found a number of things to share with everyone. Someone wrote me last summer to say there was a bell beside one of the camps north of Turner Falls. Sure enough, I found it at the Newburn Center Youth Camp, its next door to the Assembly of God camp ground. Here’s a pic of their bell.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/newburn.jpgJust south of this bell is Turner Falls. Honey Creek that feeds the falls was flowing with a full stream. Here is a pic of the Falls. Turner Falls is owned by the City of Davis. I think it is probably the most beautiful natural beauty in south central Oklahoma.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tfalls02.jpgJust south of the Turner Falls view is a piece of land where people used to take helicopter rides. What I noticed about the area is all those rocks sticking up out of the ground like little tombstones…. more sharply then I’ve ever seen them before. Maybe the combination of a earlier grass fire and that ice storm, makes those rock look so sharp and bright. Speaking of helicopters, those guys should have sat their chopper down near the Baptist Youth Camp just to the east a few miles. During the summer months that place is swarming with 5,000 kids who attend youth camp there at Falls Creek. Charging about $20 or $25 a pop, they’d been making money coming and going. But when I ride I want the pilot to give me a helicopter ride like the one I took in Dallas back in 1985. It was not for the weak hearted, I can tell you that! We had our headphones on, the rock music turned up to near deafening pitch, and he gave me the ride of my life. He’d turn that chopper plumb over on its side. He’d gun the throttle taking us almost straight up, and then cut the engine off. During that 2 minute free fall, you couldn’t even get a breath in sideways. hahaha. This one lady I talk to while we were waiting in line, said she came every saturday morning to ride those two copters. She was so excited she backed her little red fiat into a car the previous Saturday. haha
Back down to earth…. I found a beautiful bell a Falls Creek… and I mean a big one too! It was sitting on a trailer, waiting to be mounted somewhere. If you’ve never been to Falls Creek, you know its a city within itself. Building after building where kids stay during their week long festivities at the church camp. Here’s a pic of the bell.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/creekbel.jpgJust a few feet east of Falls Creek entrance, you travel across the creek, so you will get your tires wet, is a couple of new additions. One is this monstrosity of a thing called Alpine Tower. I know law enforcement has been using it for training purposes for their swat teams.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tower3.jpgAnd a few feet from there is another weird looking wooden thing…. its sign reads, “35 Foot Climbing Tower”. For all you mountain climbers, I’m sure its fun.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tower4.jpgAnd right next to the two mentions above, I found a bell!
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/creeke.jpgTraveling on east from there four miles you come to Dougherty, Oklahoma. I drove around and the town seemed to be busy… with two eateries…. Catfish Corners, and Country Kitchens. I noticed the Senior Citizens building across the street was all astir with people too at noon Saturday.
After a little while at Dougherty, I headed north on Highway 110 toward Davis. Boy, for a Saturday afternoon, Davis was packed… people everywhere downtown. I remember this little out of the way mexican food place just west of the railroad crossing on Main (at 115 West Main), and decided to stop. It may not look like a whole lot from the outside, but once inside you will be surprised! It’s called Babe’s Hot Tamales and ran by Larry and Davelyn Kennedy since 1986. Actually Larry’s mother started selling those tamales out of her house around 1950. And they use the same recipe that was used at Pick’s Hot Tamales south of Davis back in the 70s. They still make their own tamales and people come from miles around to buy them. A lot of people just stop in to buy them by the dozen… frozen, to take home and eat ($4.25 a dozen). But if you’re hungry for an enchilada dinner, or burrito dinner or maybe guacamole salad, ummmm! They have it all. Stop by when you’re in the Davis, Oklahoma area for a test of mexican! You won’t be disappointed! They are open Mon, Tue and Thursday from 11am-7pm, Wednesday 11am-6pm and on Friday and Saturdays the doors open from 11am-8pm. Closed Sunday. Babe’s Hot tamales can be reached at 580-369-5373.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/babeht.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/davisht.jpgRegarding last weeks mention of the Wishing Well at Cornish, a Reader told me if I had travelled on west down Main street, and back north, I would have found another well. A well with the coldest water in Jefferson county. Guess I’m going to need to take another trip over there!
Here’s a recent pic taken by an x-Russett, Oklahoma resident, Paula Stout, of the old Russett, Oklahoma school.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/russschh.jpgPaula has setup a webpage about her hometown of Russett, Oklahoma. You can find… deaths, births, news events, reunion information, a timeline, historical tidbits, and photos, all on her new Russett webpages. So, if you want to keep up with what’s happening (or has happened) in Russett, Oklahoma, check out Paula’s webpage!
http://www.stoutgenealogy.com/Back in the late 50s and early 60s when I went to Washington elementary school, there was a little grocery store across the street north in the NE corner of 6th and G street NE here in Ardmore. It was owned and operated by Basil Moran. I talked to Mr. Moran this week and he said he let me scan a photo he had old grocery store.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/moran.jpgMr. Moran sold his old store in 1960 to a friend of mine by the name of Bud Hunt, after he built a new red brick grocery store behind the present location. It’s still there today and being used as an upholstery shop.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/moran2.jpgWhen Bud Hunt was alive, he lived out by the refinery in the NE part of Ardmore (not Bud Hunt the Carter county deputy). Bud moved the old wood store he bought from Mr. Moran from 6th NE to just east of Refinery Road and Highway 142 near the refinery and used it in his business. Recently the wood building was either torn down or moved again. I remember going to Bud Hunt’s house in the late 1960s and putting freon in his refrigerated water cooler. Bud was so proud of that water cooler… probably the only person in Ardmore at that time to have one in his kitchen!
A friend brought me a photo taken around 1915 south of Leon, Oklahoma at an area called Rock Bluff next to the Red River. It is a photo of her kinfolk’s ferry that was used to transport people, horses and wagons back and forth across the river. One can see in the photo the “rock bluff”…. so the location would be easy to find, even 85 years later.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/reedferr.jpgI received an email this week inquiring if there was a cemetery located near McLish street SW here in Ardmore before 1900. I contacted the number one authority in Ardmore for info on Carter county cemeteries, Bill Hamm, and below is the reply from Bill:
“When Ardmore became a city in 1887, the cemetery was on the west side of town and was called Old South. As the city began to grow the city leaders realized that the cemetery was too close to the community and decided to move it to another location. The cemetery was moved about 1895 or 1896 to its present location south of the City and the new cemetery was called New South Cemetery, later it was named Rose Hill Cemetery. When the graves that were in Old South Cemetery were moved, the workers were only able to move the graves that had markers and the rest were left behind. The area of the Old South Cemetery is now part of Central Park, the Episcopal Church and the houses west of the area. When that area was being developed it was not unusual for the builders to dig into a burial site. I have found several people who had been buried in Old South Cemetery, but could not find any record of them as being moved to Rose Hill Cemetery.”
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, lately I have not been able to open any of your pictures. I don’t know why. Anyone else having trouble?”
“Well, Butch you’re right. I too use Netscape and sure enough when I used IE the pictures opened right up. Thanks for your expertise!”
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“Would you put a note in your next This & That looking for someone in Ardmore area that might have the driver CD for the Epson 3200C scanner. I need to borrow a driver CD if someone might have it.” [email protected]
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“Let me be the first to congratulate you on your 200th edition. I’m loving every minute of it!!!”
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“Thank you for going to all the trouble to keep us informed. I can’t imagine sat. morn. without it.”
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“My (frequently faulty) memory tells me that Lay’s bought Morton’s. Or it might have been the other way around. Anyway, I remember Morton’s, then Morton-Lay’s, then Frito Lay’s.”
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“A story about the German POWs housed in Oklahoma during WW2: Eight POW camps were located in Oklahoma, including one at the prison in McAlester. Because of the manpower shortage caused by the war, the prisoners worked several kinds of jobs. Military jobs came first, then agriculture, then industry. At that time C.C. Buxton owned the Horseshoe Ranch near Roff and Alvin Powell was the foreman. The one and only time that the Horseshoe ever raised sheep was during the war, and they had thousands of them. Powell called the military liaison at McAlester and said that he would need a number of men for several days for spring lambing. The city fellow in charge informed Powell that the men were booked up and he would have to “put off lambing.” (This story and others about Oklahoma during the war can be found in our book textbook “Oklahoma Heritage.”)
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“I am sure that you must know that Dale Evans (spouse of Roy Rogers) died at age 88 on Wednesday February 7, 2001, in California.”
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“Hey Butch, Thanks again for you and wonderful newsletter. I made contact with the person regarding the Love family in yesterday nights issue. By the time I got up this morning, I had a response from him. Paydirt! Thanks for your help in making this possible.” Harold in New Orleans
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“Butch, Amazing! Here I am out here in California, searching on the internet for a Seth Thomas Ship’s clock and I get a page from some guy from Ardmore who goes to HAM club at Howard Robinson’s house. Now I heard stories all the way out here in San Francisco that someone in Ardmore had found out over the internet how to fix that courthouse clock. So you’re the one. I just wanted to say hello while I’m at your page. That courthouse brings back very fond childhood memories.”
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“Dear Butch: I was amazed to learn that the orphanage that used to be near Ringling is still remembered. I was told years ago that the place no longer existed. As a child, I remember helping my Grandmother Louvena Fronterhouse and my mother, the late Vera Fronterhouse Horton, gather items together for our church, First Methodist Church of Healdton, to send to the orphans there. We weren’t well off (my father was an oilfield worker and there were five of us kids at home) but my parents and grandparents had generous and loving hearts. Thanks for the photo and for your weekly newsletter. Sincerely, Jo (Fronterhouse) Long”
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“Butch, the photograph is that of a natural pattern visible within the rock. At the time they were cutting through the Arbuckle Mountains to build Interstate 35 the workers discovered the odd formation. The trouble is: Someone just had to doctor the pattern up with a little paint and there human improvements of design and it did not retain it’s original beauty. I am feel sure I could locate it for you, if you wish. One of the engineer’s took me to the site long before the Interstate was opened to the public.”
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“I am a journalist working for The Western Mail which is the national newspaper of Wales, UK, and I am trying to get some details about the town of Gene Autry, formerly known as Berwyn. Berwyn in Welsh means mountain range and, clearly, the town was originally founded by Welsh immigrants. I would like to know more about them, if that is at all possible. Do you have any background information? Or, could you put me in touch with someone who has studied the history of the town?
I would be very grateful for this information – it will probably make a nice story for my newspaper (as a youngster I was a big fan of Gene Autry). My e-mail address is,”
[email protected]
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“I guess we all know by now that the lovely Dale Evans passed away last week. During one of the news casts, they showed a segment where Roy and Dale were escorting folks through their museum out in California.”“Roy stopped at their wedding photo and commented that when they married it snowed in Oklahoma. The photo brought back fond memories instantly as the clothes they were wearing in the photograph were the ones that my folks had cleaned at our cleaners there in Davis. Dale will be sorely missed as is Roy.”
“Thought the old Mobile gas pump was interesting. There used to be two or three of the old pumps out near Tatum east of Davis. Those old pumps are truly collector’s items if anyone can get their hands on one.”
———————————————————————–< br> “A female relative who died in her late twenties, sometime in the 1930’s, was believed to have passed as a result of bone cancer. Recently, someone mentioned that she had contracted tuberculosis and that was her cause of death. I noticed on another mailing list I participate in, an obituary that stated a person had died of “TB of the bone”. What in the world is that?! Sounds like it could have fit the description of the disease my female relative suffered from. I also heard mention of a TB hospital somewhere in Carter County back then … does anyone know about it?”“On the other side of the family tree, several branches of the family had farms or homesteads that they obtained in the late 1890’s and up until statehood. How was land settled in the Ardmore area? Would they have purchased it from someone, or just claimed it as their own? Specifically, I’m looking for the farm of John C. Boston somewhere near Oil City, the homestead of Robert S. Taylor somewhere between Ardmore and Lake Murray, and the farm of James H. “Private” White out by the Pruitt’s place. Can you tell me where I should start looking in the County records to find out where these are located, how they were acquired, and who owns them now?” [email protected]
———————————————————————–< br. “This Cornish community sounds like an interesting place. It would help this NW Oklahoman if you could insert a map with Cornish located on it…. then this person (me) would be able to visualize where hwy 89 and hwy 70 are in your area. Cornish reminds me of a few rural places up in NW Oklahoma. As to “the mayor”…. besides going house to house and sometimes getting bones, does this alleged “mayor” also get treats and do tricks, such as “fetch, heal, stay, etc….? hahaha….. Maybe you could get “the mayor” to fetch the sign. Hey! Better Yet! If I had some more information about this community, I would make a sign for Cornish like I did for My Fair Valley ghostown community in NW Oklahoma! LOL…. Loved your T&T E-zine this week! Please keep them coming this way.”
———————————————————————–< br> “Butch, I was recently talking to a lady who told me that there was a cemetery under an area on McLish S.W. in Ardmore. She said that someone told her that when this area was developed, the tombstones were moved and that they simply built over the actual graves. Another lady who was present said that she’d heard that all of her life. I’ve lived here most of my life and this was all new to me. I wonder if any of your readers might be able to confirm or deny this story. Also, if it does happen to be true, would there be records somewhere which would tell who had been buried in that cemetery?
———————————————————————–< br> “Thought you might be interested that several of us teenagers from Sulphur were driving in the Arbuckles the afternoon the burned body was found that was thought to be Hagler from Fort Worth. We were quite shocked to see the body removed from the car, later we attended the trial of Hagler when he was charged with the murder which was never proved. The theory was that he had picked up a hitchhiker and murdered him so that it would appear to be him and his family could collect his insurance. Years later I read in the paper where the same Hagler had tried to disappear in the Gulf of Mexico. I don’t remember all the details but he was found out. Some people never learn.”
———————————————————————–< br> “Butch, I have really enjoyed reading “This and That”. I was working on State Law Enforcement Memorial stuff and came across a story in Ron Owens’ book “Oklahoma Heroes” on page 240 of an officer named John Lewis who was a Constable for Tishomingo County, Chickasaw Nation that was shot to death on September 29, 1893 in Ardmore by a man named Nathaniel Zumwalt. Wondered if you were aware of this info already. Looks like Oklahoma will have 18 officer’s names added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, DC this May. Stay in touch.” -Dennis Lippe
[email protected]
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“hey…I forgot to tell you if you want a good antivirus program for free with free sig. file updates, go to: http://antivirus.ca.com/ and you can download Inoculate IT for windows. The company (Computer Associates) is a world leader and I’ve paid up to $49.95 for their antivirus product before they started giving it away.”
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“Butch, Wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your newsletter but mostly to congratulate you on being selected to be pictured in the annual recap of the Oklahoma Today magazine! All your hard and very appreciated work toward the Memorial was noted. I know you didn’t do it for the recognition, but everyone does care and is proud of you for doing it. Kudos! Also wanted to let you know that my daughter, Amy Sparks is pictured on the July page…she won the title of International Auctioneer Champion, Women’s Div. last July in Virginia. Keep letting us know about the interesting items you find about our great state!”
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“Hello Butch, We have been missing those “weekly’s” because I have forgotten to send you our new e-mail address. We will have a lot of catching up to do. Thanks so much for such good information! We all really enjoy it!”
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“Dear Butch: W.R. “Bill Bob” Cornish, grandson of the Cornish that the town was named after, informed me that the orphanage was in place long before Hamon and Ringling arrived. He said that Moses Harris built the orphanage with monies that he went around over the area and received as donations. He remembers his dad, John Cornish, donating money to him off and on to keep the orphanage going. Most people called him “Mose”. I also remember him canvassing Healdton for donations, of course this was in later years after Ringling was established. I have no idea what year the orphanage closed, but I do remember when it was in operation in my early life. If you would like to talk to Bill about it, he is at Cornish Motor Co. Healdton, OK 580-229-0770.”
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“Butch, this is the building located on the NW corner of Main and Caddo Streets of Ardmore.As you know this is one of the oldest buildings on main street & is the site of the first hospital and sanitarium established by Dr. Walter Hardy. The lower floor, on the corner, was purportedly occupied by a Drug store throughout the buildings history. The building took a devastating blow from the 1915 explosion of the train load of casing head gasoline located at the rail road tracks less than a block east of its location. The pharmacist & proprietor who was leasing the Drug Store at the time of the explosion was a Mr. Adcock. Mr. Adcock told me that when the explosion occurred, it caused all of his wall fixtures to fall face down on the floor. This old building has a basement, and it is commonly referred to as the location of the Dew Drop Inn. Photographs of the building ,which were taken at the time, do not reveal a great deal of damage to the upper portion of the outside east wall of the building. The upper east wall was also faced with large sand stone building blocks, but later that portion of the building was replaced with brick. If you view the west wall of the old building you can see that the original sand stone wall still surrounds the upper portion of the building. I am sending you several attachments of pictures, taken today, that demonstrate a structural breakdown of the building some 85 years after the notoriously devastating damage caused by the explosion in 1915. The old building presently is unoccupied but probably be inspected to determine if it is near falling in. I know the old building pretty well and many of the stories you hear today are believed as fact, but I know many of the tales are legend instead of fact.”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hardysan.jpg
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============================================“Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.”Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (Dutch Lullaby)
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 10, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 199
Cornish, Oklahoma is located at the southwest edge of Ringling, Oklahoma. It has been there since before statehood, before there was a Ringling. When you turn south on Highway 89 off Highway 70 Cornish is a community making up several blocks south of Highway 70. They have a Main Street sign, but it is a shame there is no sign designating the area Cornish. If you turn west on Main Street, go a couple blocks, you’ll find beside the road what is called the “wishing well”. Its been there for maybe 100 years. This is a photo I took last weekend of the wishing well.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornwell.jpgIf you travel on west one block to 8th street, and turn north a couple blocks you will find in a yard a great looking bell!
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornbell.jpg
Also in that yard is a very beautifully preserved old Mobilgas gas pump.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/corngas.jpgI didn’t get to meet, who many at Cornish call “the mayor”, while I was there. A friend told me he’s a regular politician, going from house to house visiting households. Nearly everyone gives him something to eat, even if its just a bone to chew on. Next time I’m out there I plan to find “the mayor” and pick a bone with him about his town not having a sign. hahahaha
At the very south edge of the Cornish community on the west side of Highway 89, you will see this great big house of some kind. I was told it was built as an orphanage by oil Millionaire Jake Hamon and the Ringling brothers circus owners back in the 20s. One man told me the last time he remembers it housing orphan children was around 1950. Today a family lives in that piece of Cornish, Oklahoma history.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cornorph.jpgLast week I told about that bell I saw west of Lone Grove… just west of Rabe Road but before you get to Wilson, on the north side of Highway 70…. in a front yard. Well here it is!
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rabebell.jpgA reader called me this week who grew up in Ravia, Oklahoma. Ravia is about 20 miles east of Ardmore over in Johnston county. She said as you leave Ravia, travel about a mile, just past the curve is a house with a well house in the front yard (on the old highway). She said the well originally started out around 1910 as a mine shaft to gold. The owners were able to mine quite a bit of gold, but the water came in so fast, they finally gave up, so today its just a water well. She knew of four more mine shafts in the Ravia area where gold was mined.
Another Reader brought to my attention this week about a little oddity that used to be on the west side of I-35 as you are coming south out of the Arbuckle Mountains north of Ardmore. Her husband took a photo of it about 15 years or more ago and we are wondering if its still up there on the west side of I-35. It’s an unusual rock formation in the Arbuckle Mountains, if you look at it closely, you can see what resembles a map of the United States. She said there used to be a sign beside the interstate, but the sign is long gone. Does anyone know if that rock formation is still there? Here’s a photo her husband took, not real clear, but its all we have right now.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/usmap.jpgI had a typo two weeks ago on the article about using the computer to page someone with a pager. Here is the article again with the URL correct: “If you have a friend who has a alphanumeric pager, you can send him a message using the Internet. Just create an email message, and in the “TO” box enter his pager number as in the following example: [email protected] Type your message to him in the “BODY” of the email. That should do it, just hit Send! Or if your friend only has a numeric pager, in the “BODY” of the email, just put the phone number you want him to call, nothing more. Where this can come in handy is when your friend lives is in another area code or state, thus it would be a long distance call to send him a page to his pager.”
Afraid of hackers? Then install this Freeware Tiny Personal Firewall.
http://www.tinysoftware.com/pwall.phpA couple years ago I posted an email I received from Houston, Texas inquiring about a lady with some kind of connection to Ardmore who died in Houston in 1923. I’m going to repost that info in hopes that someone may know who Mena Walters was and her connection to Ardmore.
“WALTERS, Mena (1923) Ardmore, OK Seeking any info on a widow named Mena WALTERS, age 64, who died 4/18/23 in Houston, Tx. Her obituary stated her body was shipped that night to Ardmore, OK., but for some reason she was buried in a family plot at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Houston, Tx. The plot belonged to my great grandfather and his second wife, August & Katherine RAIF. (We know for sure this was not his first wife, as she is buried at St. Vincent Cemetery.) Mena’s death certificate states her parents, husband, & her place of birth were unknown.”
Last week I spoke about “cole oil”. I guess I was too young to really know… because I’ve received a lot of messages telling me its Coal Oil. hahahaha
If you haven’t checked out the Carter County Assessors website lately, he’s added more improvements including photos of all the employees…. just click on “About Us”.
http://www.cartercountyassessor.orgPrevent unwanted junk e-mail from reaching your mailbox with Spam Buster. It includes a database of over 15,000 spam sources and custom filters to allow you to delete spam directly from your POP account. It can check up to 12 accounts, notify you when you have new mail, and let you quickly launch your default e-mail client. This latest release enables you to block out entire countries and check for valid domain names. Does not work with AOL, MSN, Juno, or web-based mail accounts such as Yahoo, Justicemail or Hotmail. Spam Buster 1.9 Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000 Freeware
http://www.contactplus.com/products/spam/spam.htmSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch – Just some trivia for you. Kerosene is also called COAL oil (it can be made by heating coal and distilling the vapor). Randy Jacoby also taught science at the Jr. High, and was the Jr. High tennis coach – I was in his class and on his team.”
“Visited my mother recently (she lives around the corner from you). I just *hated* to see all of those trees cut down! The trees are one thing that make Ardmore beautiful, and they take so long to replace. It’s sad to see towns (like Ardmore with the ice storm and Moore with the tornado) that have lost their trees.”
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“Hi Butch, I have one of those old Morton’s potato chips cans you mentioned. Always wanted one and found it at a Garage sale. It is rusted, not in as good shape as I wanted but I got it anyway.”
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“My grandfather, Ben E. Lindsly, was the chief engineer in charge of building the dam for Lake Ardmore in the 1920 to 1925 time frame. I remember him telling me that one of the workers on that project was a guy named Clark Gable before he went on to Hollywood and movie fame. Have you heard of the Ardmore-Clark Gable connection before?” Dick Lindsly — Frisco, Texas
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“I believe kerosene was commonly called “coal oil.” Was it once made from coal? I know gas (for heating, cooking, etc.,) was made from coal before natural gas became plentiful. In a “gas works” outside of town.”“We first found Morton’s potato chips when we lived in Dallas during the early 1950s. That was the only place you can find them then, but later they expanded into Oklahoma.”
“Lay’s potato chips weren’t sold in Dallas then, and Morton’s had the kind of dominance in the market that Fritos did in their corn chips. But after Fritos bought Lay’s, Morton’s apparently couldn’t compete with their marketing might. Too bad, because Morton’s were better…the best.”
“My wife and I went to see Roy and Dale one year when they were the featured performers at the state fair rodeo in Oklahoma City. After their performance, we left and started north on Portland. Around Will Rogers Park we looked over at the car in the lane beside us and there were Roy and Dale, still in costume, in a red Buick with Roy driving. No limo, no entourage. Roy was apparently quite familiar with driving around Oklahoma City.”
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“Butch: The person who wrote in about the unidentified man that was burned to death in the 1950’s in the automobile in the Arbuckle Mountains may remember that the dead person was thought to be a hitchhiker that was picked up and murdered. The killer fled the scene after setting the car on fire and apparently wanted the law to believe it was the killers body. I recall the name, David Fred Hagler, as being part of the case. I don’t recall if the dead person was ever identified, however, I believe Hagler was the owner/driver of the automobile.”
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“Also I always thought that Kerosene was called Coal Oil. At least that is what I’ve called it all of my life.”
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“Messages about the Germans who were POWs during WWII in Oklahoma calls to mind my entry on page 35 of THE BRIDGES OF OKLAHOMA, wherein I noted that Ira Esco Bridges, Sr., supervised some of them in 1943 when Esco was a cook in the mess hall at the Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City. One of the prisoners liked Esco so well that he wrote from Germany after being repatriated following the War. As I wrote, (to paraphrase Will Rogers), “Esco never met a man who didn’t like him.” My father.”
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“I, too have one of these lamps which I got from my grandmother’s house when she died two years ago. She was 89 when she died. I have no idea how old the lamp is because I have no idea how long she had it. I have since put a regular wick in it which I bought at WalMart. I also got an old lantern from her home which I know is rather old. (1920’s?) I plan to do some research on it sometime soon. Thanks for the story!”
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“I have fond memories of Roy Rogers coming into our cleaners in Davis when he and Dale were getting married and my mother and dad telling my brother Ed to go get me and to have me bring all the Roy Rogers comic books I could gather as he was in the cleaners and had already been told that I was probably his biggest fan. I did not believe them at first but when dad whistled, I came running with what must have been 20 to 25 comic books. Roy sat me on the counter of the cleaners and signed each and everyone of those comics.”“When my daughter Jennifer started to school and was asked if anyone in her family knew anyone famous, I told her I knew Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. No one believed her so I wrote a nice long letter to Roy and Dale to explain my daughter’s problem at school. Two weeks later, she received an autographed photo of Roy and Dale holding their cat that was taken in their den. Great couple who would take the time to answer a little girl’s request for help.”
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“That was actually, “coal” oil. “
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“Hi Butch If you will, place this in next weeks T&T. To the folks who are related to Belle Love please send me an email. I need to ask you a few questions, and if you are in to genealogy I may have some things you would like. Thanks Butch.” Steve Riner [email protected]
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“Need help. Downing Studio EXTRA FINISH Ardmore, Ind. Ter. where and when was it there? Numbers on back say 4-2911 435 Any clues?”
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“Best I can remember (from growing up around Davis as a kid), there were a couple of cemetery’s out near Hennepin. One was right near the old Fort Arbuckle (where most of the Grant family is buried) but if memory serves me correct, there were other folks buried near there that were part of Fort Arbuckle.”“There is also a cemetary on the right as you go out of Davis traveling west (about 5 to 6 miles out) that lies just to the southeast of the big white house that sits on the hill. Do not know if this will help or not, but it could be a start.”
“Correction required on where Roy and Dale were married near Davis, it was not Healy Brother’s back then, it was Likin’s (spelling may be incorrect) who were good friends of Roy and Dale. Just thought I would clear the picture a little. Roy and Dale also made a couple of movies near Davis in which one had a couple of scenes showing Turner Falls. Along with Roy and Dale, I also had the pleasure of meeting the Sons of the Pioneers, Gabby Hayes, and others. The Durango Kid, Cisco and Poncho, as well as Hopalong Cassiday made stops in Davis along with Andy Devine to promote their new movies.”
“The last I can remember to make the circuit in Davis was Lash LaRue.”
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“butch, It was the Bill & Alice Likins Flying “L” Ranch (before the Healey’s). The old original rock Ranch House where Roy and Dale Evans were married burned years ago.”
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============================================Next Saturday will mark the 200th issue of T&T. I never dreamed nearly five years ago, with a start of only 12 email friends, I’d have the readership that is here today. You don’t know how humbling it is to churn out this newsletter each week and several thousand people are waiting to read it. I’ve added several dozen more readers already this year. I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope we have many more good times together in the months ahead. And somehow along the way, we can share some history and even preserve some for posterity too.
“There are no blueprints for friendships, each one is custom made.” -Robert Scotellaro
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, February 3, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 198
My great grandmother, Ida Murphree Miller, died here in Ardmore in 1965. One of the items I kept of her’s was an old Queen Anne oil lamp (model 2). I do not know how old the lamp is, but I would guess it at least 75 years old. The kerosene in it (we called it cold oil when I was a kid) is still the same kerosene my great grandmother had in it when she died. Boy, I still remember her giving me a teaspoon of sugar with a few drops of “cole oil” on it for sore throat. haha. Anyway, the lamp sat so long its wick and burner kinda solidified. I thought, where in Ardmore am I going to find the burner mechanism for such an old lamp. I did some searching on the Net and found the parts ranging from $11.50 to $16. I thought, if there is any business in town that might have the parts for a Queen Anne lamp, it would be Stolfa Hardware on East Main. I checked and sure enough they did, and the burner and wick only cost $2.35 including tax! So there are still things to be bought for less at the local family owned stores! The parts are made by Lamplight Farms in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Here’s a pic of that beautiful Queen Anne lamp.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/annelamp.jpgHas anyone tried a program called “Turbo Surfer 2000”? They claim it doubles your speed over the Internet when using a plain analog phone line (Not DSL). If it doubles the speed, it would be worth the 25 bucks it cost. A search on the Net turned up several places to buy the diskette.
A reader wrote in this week and let me know Texas has a searchable database of Felons in their state too. After much clicking, I finally found it on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website. http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/
If you’re just getting into genealogy and the search for ancestors, here is a great website with lots of helpful information for the beginner. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hornbeck/
IrfanView is a great Freeware program for working with pictures. For many years I used LView but when it wouldn’t pull up a pic someone sent me this week that was 1.2 megs in size, I started looking around for another program. IrfanView works a lot like LView and its pull down menus are similar. It has four pre-set image resizing formats that will work 99% of the time with jpgs I’m working with. I use either the 640×480 or the 800×600 pixels when I’m resizing. Plus the picture keeps its clarity when you enlarge it. Someone in Bosnia wrote the program. If you work with a lot of pics, and need something fast and simple to manipulate those pics, try IrfanView. And if you download and install all the DLLs, it even has an email feature! Pretty neat. http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9227474/english.htm
A friend emailed me a pic of Buck Garrett’s grave marker at Rose Hill Cemetery here in Ardmore. Buck Garrett was the most famous sheriff of Carter county back around 1915.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/buckmark.jpg
He also owns a mug with Buck Garrett’s photo on it that his wife collected years ago.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/buckmuga.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/buckmugb.jpgA GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, Friday, October 31, 1930
Seminole Deputy Sheriff Injured
Oklahoma City- E.W. Collins, 40, Seminole county deputy sheriff, stationed at Konawa, was reported in a “very serious” condition today at a local hospital and four women were held in county jail for investigation, as the result of a fight here last night.
Stanley Rogers, Oklahoma county sheriff, said Collins and J.E. Kennedy, Konawa chief of Police, came to Oklahoma City last night to arrest a man. Officers were informed the fight occurred after Collins stopped at a house to call on Miss Edith Clifton, about 26 years old, who, with three other women, was held for questioning.
A search was being made for three unidentified men said to have been at the place when Collins was stabbed in the abdomen. At the hospital, Collins refused to identify himself or any of his companions when questioned by county officers, and issued orders that no reports on his condition be given.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, does anyone remember “Skips Potato Chip”. It was located in the back of a house that must have been on C or B S.E. I can remember when I was a kid and I believe we lived on D S.E. in the afternoon smelling them cooking. We could take our own sack and going over and for a nickel you could get a “peck” sack full right out of the cooker. Probably why my cholesterol is always too high. But you have never eaten chips unless you tasted those hot for the cooker.”
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“more info on the ferry/bridge (Red River Bridge War of 1931) between OK and TX.” ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ok/bryan/history/bridge.txt
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“There is no need to go all the way to Healdton for a hamburger, stop at Monty’s Diner in Lone Grove, on the South side of Hwy. 70, just east of the UPS Office. Then you decide which one has the biggest and best burger.”
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“Butch, I drove a delivery truck for Morton’s foods there in Ardmore in ’58 and part of ’59 for C.B Hunt. Morton’s went out of business several years later. Just couldnt compete any longer with Frito Lay.”
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“You mentioned Roy Rogers last week. My husband and I went to Victorville, CA, and were given an interview with Roy a few years before he died. Since my husband Rusty is a songwriter/poet and since that was a treasured moment with his childhood hero, Rusty wrote a great tribute to Roy in poem and song: Roy/Livin’ the Cowboy Dream. We perform it at every one of our live stage shows that we are asked to do; there is never a dry eye in the house nor a failure to hear some chuckles. I want anyone who loves Roy to have the chance to hear this tribute if they would like:
http://www.mp3.com/rustytania Just scroll down the page until you see the song title. I think this will bring some joy to a lot of folks who will take the time to listen. And of course, it’s free.”
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“Butch; I have been looking for the gravesite of my gg-grandmother, Mary Ann WILLIAMS VREDENBURG COURTNEY, who died June 13, 1911 in Davis. Her obituary says she is buried in Walnut Cemetery, but no one has ever heard of Walnut Cemetery. I had expected her to show up in Greenhill, thinking that Greenhill had been renamed, but she isn’t there.”“A long time ago when I asked my dad where she was buried, he thought she might have been in a cemetery that was moved when the lake went in. So lately I have been checking to see if anyone remembered a cemetery being relocated when Lake Arbuckle was made. I have had a couple of folks tell me that there was a cemetery in the flood plain that they think was moved, but where, is the question. Does anyone remember what this cemetery was called?”
“Mary Ann lived around Hennepin, old Fort Arbuckle, then Davis in her later years. Her husband, Henry C. DECOURTNEY aka Henry D. COURTNEY lived in Courtney, Love Co after they split the sheets, though never divorced. According to his pension papers, this was “on account of him associating with other women”, but that is another story. . . She may have been part Chickasaw, although I have no proof. I have searched all of the cemeteries around these parts and still haven’t found her. This family is known for somewhat lavish tombstones, so I can’t imagine her being buried without one. Thanks for any insight that can be given on this.” Candace Gregory [email protected]
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“hi butch, my mom had roy rogers autograph picture in her 1950’s scrap book when she was a teenager, and hank snow, hank williams.”
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“Butch – Your reminiscence regarding Roy Rogers made me think about my friend Ray Jacoby in Oklahoma City, whom I met in the late 1970s in my first job after college as an advertising director for LSB Industries. Ray had a long career as a commercial photographer with his studio, at least in the latter years, on Shartel just north of NW 5th. He seemed to know EVERYBODY – and I can’t even recall how many famous or near-famous folks I met while at his studio.”“His great love was aerial photography, and he kept a specially fitted Cessna 172 in a hangar at Oklahoma City Downtown Airport for use in that pursuit. I was privileged to fly with him on several occasions. He no longer flies, but left that great love as one of the oldest active pilots in the country.”
“Ray’s son, Randy, was a highway patrol trooper before he went to work for CLEET, but also served awhile as a lake patrolman on Lake Murray. Ray once told of a job evidently flying daily movie footage back to Oklahoma City to put on the trains to California during the time when Roy and Dale were married on the Healy Ranch (I assume they must also have been making a movie at that time.) When he found out about the wedding, he asked if they would allow him to take photographs along with their Hollywood photographers and they agreed. Apparently they were so pleased with his work that they bought all the photos he shot.”
“As a young fellow, Ray also knew Wiley Post, who, as I recall the story, helped him get a job as a mechanic with Tom Braniff’s Braniff Airways at old Oklahoma City municipal airport. He once showed me a photo of himself and Wiley during that time standing together in front of one of the hangars at the airport. I also recall his being asked to fly up to Point Barrow on an Air Force transport with a group of family and friends of Will and Wiley’s for a memorial service on the 50th anniversary of their deaths.”
“Ray is one of those vigorous, seemingly ageless fellows you sometimes meet. He’s now retired and lives “where he’s always lived” in Oklahoma City with his wonderful wife Winnie – except when they’re out in Ruidoso. If memory serves me correctly he’ll be 92 this February 20th. Hopefully we’ll meet for lunch sometime around then and visit over a burger or two.”
“By the way – I seem to recall a 2-story stone building several blocks south of the old Pak-a-Sak on Lake Murray Drive where my folks bought big 5-gallon metal cans of Morton Potato Chips. Boy, were they good. For a while they also made a sort of seasoned potato crisp that came in a potato chip-like bag which was just out of this world. Tom Elmore Moore, Oklahoma.”
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“Up in Davis where I grew up, there’s a man buried with no marker or no name at the gravesite. This gentleman burned up in his Ford Station Wagon just off one of the corners halfway between old highway 77 and Falls Creek (where the Baptist hold there annual revival). It happened around the mid 1950s as best I remember.”“If you have been to Falls Creek and driven the old road up, there is a small bend to the right just before you start your ascent to the top of the mountain (where all the towns used to put up the whitewash painted rocks). The car was found in the small gully just on the left as you started around the curve.”
“As best I can remember, the last person to ever see him alive was Mister Hignight who worked the late shift at the old Greer’s Service Station (now Salter’s) in Davis. If someone had the connections with the State of Oklahoma and with today’s technology for DNA testing, there could be an outside chance that this gentleman could now be identified.”
“Do not know if he has remaining relatives alive today or not but it would be great if someone had the pull to have the remains dug up just to see if this man could be identified by some means just to give him and his family peace of mind.”
“This is probably not ever going to happen but it would be nice that someone other than my Mom and I (which there probably are) remembered that someone is buried in Davis that nobody knows who he is.”
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“I found the question of the German prisoner’s of War very interesting as we have a retired PFC here in Korea who was first a German soldier who was captured off the East coast of the United States and moved somewhere to the midwest where he was finally released, acquired US citizenship, joined the US Army and spent 22 years on active duty. He is the only person I know that receives to annuities (one each from both countries he served in World War II). He receives a monthly check from both countries. He can’t remember where he was in the mid-west as he was young and scared (makes sense to me) but none the less, he was a POW in the US during WWII. Just thought I would share some insight for the question posed. When I see him again, I will try to get some specifics if he can remember.”
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“Dear Butch, I have old family ties to Ardmore. My great uncles, H. H. Brown and Russell Brown, prosecuted the gal that was accused of killing Jake L. Hamon back in 1920. We found some interesting articles in the old Ardmoreite centering around March 17, 1921 when the case was being tried. It was quite a sensational thing for Ardmore in those days. Put me on your Saturday list. I’d like to keep up with “This and That”. Thanks.”
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“Hi Butch! Thanks for sending This n That! This picture I’m attaching was taken from the Ardmoreite on Nov.22, l983. I thought with all the discussion on Ferrys you or some of the readers might find it interesting. Courtesy of Bud Boyer, Herculeaneum, MO.” http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wasferry.jpg
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“Sorry for the confusion last night, so you don’t know what a dolls hospital is. This is a place where children can take there broken toys and have them repaired, such as eg, a teddy bear’s arm or leg fell off or even if it’s eye came out, or if a dolls hair came loose, you would take it to the doll’s hospital so they could be made as good as new. Actually I think they may not be as busy in this day and age, but we still have them ha ha. What bought this to my attention was a search I was doing on the net, for hospitals, when all the doll hospitals popped up too, and took me back to my childhood, anyway after this useless bit of information, I will let you carry on with what you were doing.” Judith in England
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“i have to agree with you on the catfish ate their once about three years ago glad to see bill comming closer to town and looking forward to eatting there”
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“Wife was looking over old pictures just shortly after the articles about Webb Studios (101 1/2 East Main) and found one of our son born in Ardmore and taken when he was about 6 months old. Colored and still in A-1 shape. Also had one later from Baird Studios and that according to the picture they were formerly Curtis Studios so that covers about 3 different ones involved. That might bring up some other memories from “days gone by”.
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“The attached photo amtrak3.jpg” is one I took at the Washita River Bridge just south of “Big Canyon Area” or about 5 miles north of Gene Autry, Oklahoma and appears on the month of May in the new Heartland Flyer Calendar just published by the Oklahoma Dept of Transportation. The calendars are available on the train and at Judi Elmore’s antique shop on #10 East Main in Ardmore 580-226-3490 [email protected]. She will mail them for any of your out of town readers. The cost is $11.84 which includes shipping. The $10 cost of the calendar goes to ODOT. These areas are beautiful and very scenic and can be accessed only by the Flyer (no roads), unless you want to hike a few miles like I do. Ha! As you can see I’m trying to use these photos to encourage folks to ride the flyer. There are scenes right in our own back yard, so-to-speak, that you just won’t normally see from a car or a plane and you don’t have to go to Colorado.” Dwane Stevens http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/amtrak3.jpg
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“Recently I may have sent you a link to “Fathers Legacy” which mentioned a new feature concerning its contents. This note is to advise you that the address has been changed and the proper link will be entered here below. For you that are interested please discard all previous references to the Fathers Legacy site and use…. the following http://wwwpubco.com/FathersLegacy/index.html
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“Hi. I stumbled onto your site by doing a search on Russett, OK. Do you have ANY information about this little town? I grew up there but it was during the 70s. I remember playing around the torn up school house etc. I would love to know more about this little town.” [email protected]
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“Oklahoma State Tax Commission is sponsoring a free filing again this year!” http://www.oktax.state.ok.us/oktax/netfile99.html
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“Butch: I was wondering if any of your readers might be interested in a 1968 AHS Class Photo from the 98 reunion. Might make someone want to come to the next reunion. Even you! ha” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/class68.jpg
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============================================Old Rivers by Walter Brennan
How long has it been since I first seen old Rivers?
Why, I can’t remember when he weren’t around.
Well, that old man did a heap of work,
Spend his whole life walking plowed ground.
He had a one-room shack not far from us,
And we was about as poor as him.
He had one old mule he called “Midnight”,
And I’d tag along after them.
He’d plow them rows straight and deep and I’d tag along behind,
Bustin’ up clods with my own bare feet, old Rivers was a friend of mine.
That sun would get high and that mule would work til old Rivers’d say,
“Whoa!” then he’d wipe his brow, lean back in the rains,
And talk about a place he was gonna go.Say, one of these days I’m gonna climb that mountain,
Walk up there among them clouds,
Where the cotton’s high and the corn’s a-growin’,
And there ain’t no fields to plow.
I got a letter from back home the other day, they’re all fine,
And the crops is high, and down at the end my mama said,
“You know, old Rivers died”.
I’m just sitting here on this new plowed earth,
trying to find me a little shade,
And with the sun beating down,
‘cross the field I see that mule, old Rivers, and me.See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 27, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 197
I received an email last Saturday from a reader, he drove all the way over to Healdton from Ardmore just for one of those big hamburgers at Grasshopper Junction Cafe, and it was closed. I guess I’ll have to buy him a hamburger next time he gets in the mood for one! Grasshopper Junction Cafe at Healdton is open 6am to 2pm M-F and closed weekends. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/gjunct.jpg
This week a computer gave me all kinds of trouble. The modem would call out and connect to another computer, but something was wrong with the “handshake”, so the modems wouldn’t connect properly. After taking it to two different locations (phone lines) and it worked, I finally decided it was in the phone line. But the phone line worked, you could even plug a phone in the jack and make/receive calls. Come to find out, a mouse had eaten one of the four wires. Boy, if that mouse only knew the headache he caused. hahaha
If you have a friend who has a alphanumeric pager, you can send him a message using the Internet. Just create an email message, and in the “TO” box enter his pager number as in the following example: [email protected] Type your message to him in the “BODY” of the email. That should do it, just hit Send! Or if your friend only has a numeric pager, in the “BODY” of the email, just put the phone number you want him to call, nothing more. Where this can come in handy is when your friend lives is in another area code or state, thus it would be a long distance call to send him a page to his pager.
Last summer I told about a link to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Felon database. The link is no longer good, but the database is still online at their Website. Just go to the DOC website, scroll down to Offender Information, click Offender Lookup, and your there. Oklahoma is the only state in the Union that offers this info through the Internet, that I know of. http://www.doc.state.ok.us/
A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
“My cousin, Bud Caudle, went to OKC and looked this up for me about special agent Alexander being shot by the Love brothers which you mentioned in last week’s TnT. Thought I would pass it along to you. Thanks for the wonderful job you do with the newsletter but also for my birthtown.” Harold in New Orleans
From The Daily Ardmoreite, Sunday, September 3, 1916, Page 6 OFFICER IS VICTIM OF SHOOTING: BATTLE IN DARK WITH ALLEGED BOOTLEGGERS RESULT IN DEATH OF OSCAR ALEXANDER NEAR HOXBAR FRIDAY NIGHT
In a pitched battle with alleged bootleggers near Hoxbar south east of this city about ten o’clock Friday night special officer Oscar Alexander of this city was shot and almost instantly killed by one of the two Love brothers, who were driving the team in which was being transported nineteen cases of whiskey. Special officer Dow Braziel received a tip that a load of whiskey was being transported into this section and he with his assistants Alexander, Tom Adams, and George McLaughlin went to the vicinity of Hoxbar and laid in wait for the expected wagon. Officer Braziel told his men that these were two dangerous characters and placed them in places where they would be in the least danger telling them to remain there. As soon as the wagon approached the driver was commanded to halt, but instead began firing at Braziel with a shot gun. Alexander seeing the danger Braziel was in started toward the wagon and had his pistol raised to fire when a load from the shot gun penetrated his body under his right arm causing almost instant death. In the general fusillade which followed Mose Love was severely wounded through the shoulder and hip and fell from the wagon. The team with George Love still in the wagon ran away and in passing, Braziel shot at one of the mules hoping to kill or cripple it in order to capture the other brother. The team succeeded in getting away and seeing one of his men dead and Love was so badly wounded that he might die the officers returned to the city in their machine and Love was taken to the Hardy sanitarium for treatment.
Yesterday morning Dr. Hardy stated that Love though severely wounded would recover. George Love was apprehended yesterday morning by the posse of officers who were immediately summoned when the details of the shooting was heard and is now in the county jail suffering from a slight wound in the hip. The father of the two Love boys, William Love and a boy by the name of Williams who were found in the vicinity of where the shooting occurred yesterday were also detained by the officers. When the wagon and team was found yesterday morning one of the mules was dead and the wagon contained nineteen cases of whiskey. The remains of Alexander were taken to the undertaking establishment of Boone Taliaferro and prepared for burial. Alexander was a young man who had many friends in this city who deeply deplore his untimely death. He has been a resident here for over twelve years, coming to Ardmore with his parents from North Carolina where he was born. Besides his mother, brothers, and sisters, he is survived by a wife and one child. The Love’s who have lived in the old Wilson community for many years are well known throughout this section. It is alleged that they have been in trouble on several occassions and officer Braziel stated that he considered them dangerous men to deal with. Love at the sanitarium yesterday morning informed the county attorney that he had nothing to say in regard to the matter at this time. Those of the party confined in the county jail also refused to say much about it. The county attorney is making a diligent inquiry into the whole affair. When the news reached this city last night indignation ran high, the idea of a young officer in the discharge of his duty being ruthlessly slain caused some ugly remarks and for a time matters took a serious look. The coolness of all city and county officers prevailed and all was quiet yesterday morning. The whisky runners have caused the officers of this vicinity more trouble than all other cases combined and a determined effort has been going on for some time to break up the practice and every little while some serious trouble arises from this cause and the Friday night killing will no doubt stimulate every officer in the county and city to greater activity. The wife and son of the slain officer were prostrated with grief as well as the mother, brothers and sisters who reside here, and the entire city was shocked when the facts became known.
I saw a bell in a yard just west of Lone Grove, west of Rabe Road and Highway 70 on the north side of the highway. I’ll get a pic of it pretty soon! By the way, I saw in the paper this week where Mr. Rabe died who owned a dairy years ago on Rabe Road. I used to ride my Moped out there when I was 15 years old just to buy his raw cow’s milk. It had three inches of cream on top!! Here’s a pic I took a couple years ago of what’s left of Mr. Rabe’s dairy. http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rabe.jpg
I also noticed the old Two Frogs restaurant in Lone Grove has a SOLD sign out front. I heard Bill’s Catfish (that’s now located SW of Waurika, Oklahoma on the north side of the Red River) is opening up there. I remember stopping at Bill’s Catfish in the early 1970s (on my way back from taking patients to the Shephard Air Force hospital at Wichita Falls, Texas). Boy, people were lined up all the way outside into the parking lot to eat his delicious fried catfish.
A reader asked me what happened to Morton’s Potato Chips. I remember eating them, but had forgot it kinda of faded out of the picture in these parts. Anyone know?
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I do have a question I hope you can help me with. My Uncle saw a meteor fly over his house in the mid 60’s he was working on a ranch in the Arbuckle mountains. The meteor was mentioned in The Daily Ardmoreite. I would really like to find out more about this meteor because we have a piece of it that was handed down to us and my son wants to do a science project about it. Thanks for any help you might be able to give and thank you for writing such good stories.”
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“Hi Butch. Was wondering if you would mind giving me a little help with a project? I am working on a book about haunted places in Oklahoma and was hoping you would pass this on to your readers in the event they have a story to tell. I am not looking for urban legends, like kids coming home from the drive-in and finding a hook on the back bumper of the car. I want real firsthand stories of any type of paranormal activity. I am not out to prove or disprove the stories, just to gather and add them to the manuscript. I am only interested in tales of the supernatural that are based in Oklahoma though. It doesn’t matter what area as long as it is within the state. Any help will be greatly appreciated.” Thanks. Dianne Rankin
[email protected]
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“Have you had many replies to your inquiry about Webb Studios? I am a niece. It was owned by Ran Webb and was located on 101 1/2 East Main in Ardmore. The stairway up stairs was just west of Daube’s and next to Jones Furniture. He was there in the 1930-40 and into the 50s. He had a wooden leg (a hunting accident) but made those steep, creaky stairs many times a day. Dr. Sain MD and Dr. Adams, Dentist also had offices up there.”
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“Butch – In today’s (Sunday the 21st) edition of the Ardmoreite is a story about German prisons of war (World War II) being held in a prisoner of war camp somewhere near Madill. What can you tell us about this time in our history? It really sounds like a really interesting story.”
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“Hello, Please add me to your mailing list I was born in ardmore but now I travel the world with the Army. I miss the feeling of a small town and your news letter is a great reminder.”
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“This would be a great thing for Mr. Robbins to publish and sell to those of us Okies who love our home state!”
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“Butch; I sure hope that the person who wrote that their grandpa ran one of the ferry boats in Love County and had a picture of him with one of the long poles can find that. I am real curious to see what those ferrys in Love county looked like.”
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“I hope the new year is off to a great start for you and remains that way. The reason I am writing is to urge all of your readers to send information they may have about officers who were killed in the line of duty to Dennis Lippe [email protected] as he ask in last week’s T&T. I think the work he and his organization is doing is super and will help preserve a bit of Oklahoma’s history. The following link will give some details concerning the officer Oscar William Alexander Dennis mentioned last week, and the incident in which cost him his life:
http://www.zyworld.com/ok_outlaws_lawmen/Two%20Dangerous%20Characters.ht mAlso, I would like to hear from any Ardmore, Carter Co., or Love Co. law enforcement officer who can give me a listing of any and all sheriffs, police chiefs, and other officers who served those areas in the early teens and twenties. I will post them on my website and forward them to the OK Genweb folks. I would like to see all that served the people in those capacities honored. I collect and post data about the bad guys too, so send me your story about that bootlegging aunt of yours. Or any other material along those lines. Thanks” Steve Riner [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, Next time you journey to Wilson, Oklahoma stop in at Della’s for another good burger. Her store is located across the street from the schools. I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed.”
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“Butch, I want to thank you for the never ending good down home reading you provide us with each week. I am not from Ardmore but have several relatives that have lived and died in the area. I have noticed that a good many of your subscribers ask genealogy questions from time to time and I have just found a great site for genealogy researchers. When I saw the name of the genealogy site I thought about your “This-N-That” site. Here is the URL for Shirley Hornbeck’s This and That Genealogy Tips. Thanks again for providing us with many hours of great reading of the past.”
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“Hi Butch, I hope you are doing well. This is my second week on my new job. On February 2nd I move into a new house. I am looking forward to that. Please put the following in “This and That.” My house in Sulphur is for sale. If anyone would like to purchase a weekend or summer cottage located across the street from Chickasaw National Recreation Area please look at http://porch.homestead.com. Thank you.” [email protected]
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“Hey Butch, Thank you again for all the work and effort you put into sending out this wonderful reminder from home. I sure enjoy reading it each week. It also helps me rattle my folks memory banks about many things. In the the last issue, there was mention of Special Officer Oscar William Alexander being killed at Hoxbar in 1916 by the Love brothers. My grandpa had two cousins, Jessie Ellen and Irvin Morris, who married Ed/Taylor and Belle Love in 1905 and 1907 in the Hoxbar/Old Wilson area. I would be interested to hear from anyone if there is a connection.The old Dr. Moxley, of the alligator stories, did surgery on me in the late 40s. I had tripped as a little fella and fell on a stick which narrowly missed blinding me. Reminded me of another thing to be greatful for.
The memorial site looked great the last time I was up your way to visit. You really did a wonderful job putting it all together. Many thanks and blessings.”
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“Butch: Did I read something about Carpenter’s Bluff bridge in This & That recently? If so, would you mind sending me the relevant paragraphs? If not, can you suggest where I might have read it?”
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“The Fathers Legacy has just recently been updated with a new section. The new section shows photographs of art work, all of which is very old and has been photographed by digital camera. To find it easy, after opening you may want to click on the Home button first and then you will see the new part entitled The Artist. Please note that all of this layout has been performed by my dear friend & webmaster LK Wagner [email protected]”
http://wwwpubco.com/carter/martin1.html
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“I got hungry for a hamburger after reading your piece about Grasshopper Junction. I drove from Ardmore and found the place closed. Could you publish their times to be open? Thanks!”
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“Hi Butch, Thanks for keeping up the good work on T&T. We have certainly learned some history on the ferrys of Red River. It was all interesting and informative. Thanks to everyone who contributed information and pictures. We have enjoyed it all.”
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“Well Cuz, As usual, you have out done yourself with the history you seem to have gathered. Sure do wish that someone had pictures of the old Buckhorn Cafe in Davis (where Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ate after they were married). It would be nice to add to your collection of good eating places – I used to wash dishes there when I was still living and going to school at Davis.”
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============================================Roy Rogers (1911 – 1998), probably the greatest cowboy of modern times. I remember watching him in many movies as a child. I can still hear him yodel. Remember Gabby and then there is Trigger, Roy’s horse? A child might not have known who the President was, but every boy and girl knew the name of Roy’s horse. Roy and Dale Evans were married in the Arbuckle Mountains north of Ardmore on the Flying Healey Ranch on December 31, 1947. Roy was a believer in the Second Amendment. A believer in God, and flag and country and family. I will always picture him and Dale Evans singing, “Happy Trails To You” at the close of their shows. The link below tells much more about Roy and plays a music clip of the “Happy Trails” song. Darn, I wish I’d bought one of those Roy Rogers Daisy BB Guns. It was the fastest selling BB gun in the Daisy company’s history.
http://people.aol.com/people/tribute/rogers/index.html“Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin’ until then.Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you ’till we meet again.
Happy trails to you until we meet again.”At the link below you can actually click on the Music Box below the lyrics and hear Roy and Dale singing “Happy Trails”.
http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/happytrl.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 20, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 196
I had a visit from a friend who lives in Wilson, Oklahoma this week, and did he have a surprise for me! Dillard Robbins and his wife has neatly organized in a photo album, a picture of every courthouse in Oklahoma! Dillard and his wife started traveling to county seats on April 11, 2000 and by June 21, 2000 had visited every courthouse. They drove over 5,000 miles getting those photos! And below each photo he has a filecard with info about that courthouse and other pieces of history told to him when he went inside each courthouse to inquire. He is an Oklahoma history buff of the greatest magnitude. We’ll be sharing Dillard’s work of love over the weeks to come, like which courthouse he thought was the most exquisite. Which five courthouses in Oklahoma have a dome. To which Oklahoma courthouse an Ardmoreite provided the funds in 1985 to build wings on each side of the original courthouse. Which one moved several times to different towns in the county because of fueding. And which three have a tower clock in the dome! Lots of history to share in the weeks to come thanks to a Wilson, Oklahoma resident by the name of Mr. Dillard Robbins…. Oklahoma courthouse historian extraordinaire!
I found out that a wooden Indian is on display at the Greater Southwest History Museum here in Ardmore and it’s over 8 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds! I’ll get a pic of it soon.
Here’s a photo of taken back in the 1930s of Stonewood Courts on South Commerce here in Ardmore. The stone was petrified wood. Some of the stone buildings are still rented out to families while others are used by business.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/stonwood.jpgThis photo is about all that shows what used to be PC Longhorn Trading Post which was about 8 miles south of Ardmore on Highway 77 (east side of highway). I think there is still a rock building standing as a reminder of the past. I remember a false store front attraction on the north side of that building that was suppose to make it look like a town from the 1800s, a saloon, etc. This pic was taken in the 1950s. I barely remember visiting it a few times when I was young. When I-35 came through in 1970, it took away so much auto traffic, it soon closed.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pctrade.jpgSomeone posted a message in the mailbag a couple weeks ago inquiring what a ferry looked like. This week a reader sent me a pic of one……
“The old ferry at China Hill (near Jacksonville, Georgia). Some believe the man in the white shirt is Lucius (Boy) Boney. He lost his right arm in an accident but his left arm is prominently seen. In the early 1900’s three men were drowned here or nearby, including the ferry operator, but young Emory Jones, son of Dr. A.J. Jones, swam to safety. He tried to direct the men but they were panic-stricken, and perished. [Photo credit Gene and Carolyn Boney]” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ferryga.jpgI was over at Healdton, Oklahoma (25 miles west of Ardmore) this week and stopped in at the Grasshopper Junction Cafe to eat lunch. I had heard of Grasshopper Junction Cafe for a many years, it being in several locations over the years in the Healdton area. So I decided to stop and get a hamburger. I’ve ate hamburgers in every eatery in this county, and the burger at Grasshopper Junction is right up there at the top, maybe even the best in this county. It’s owner, Rose Wilson, and her daughter Sandy, pretty much runs the place. Boy, that hamburger was enough for two people too. It’s located just one block west of the only red light in Healdton, then turn south a wee bit.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/gjunct.jpgFIXWINDOWS. The folks at http://www.fixwindows.com offer what they call a one-stop Windows troubleshooting resource. The site provides troubleshooting flowcharts, articles, and tips to address problems with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Make a note of this for future reference, unless you’re in the extreme minority who never have Windows problems.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST —
The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, February 19, 1912
J.H. CARLOCK HOME BURNED
BLAZE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN AS FAMILY ABSENT
The home of Mr. J.H. Carlock, 501 B street southwest, was visited by a destructive fire at 1:45 o’clock Sunday morning. The fire was first discovered by a Rock Island watchman who blew a shrill blast from a locomotive engine. This was taken up by the night engineer at the oil mill. The alarm was next telephoned into the fire department, whose quick response alone saved the building from total loss. The prompt arrival at the scene of the conflagration was most meritorious.
A part of the building and some of the furniture was saved. The loss is estimated at approximately $1,500 which is, we understand, fully covered by insurance. The origin of the fire is not known but is thought to have caught from sparks of a passing locomotive.
None of the family were at home. Mrs. Carlock is visiting n Phoenix, Arizona, and Mr. Carlock was down town. He got to the scene of the fire, however, shortly after the arrival of the fire department. A number of valuable papers were saved from destruction and this morning Mr. Carlock expressed his appreciation for this and other good works of the “fire boys” in a very substantial manner.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I’m researching Joseph McAlister who came to Overbrook, Oklahoma from TX in the 1880’s and died in Ardmore in 1936, buried Old McAlister or Crinerville Cemetery. I understand for a time he was the postmaster out of his store in Overbrook, and was the namesake for McAlister Indian Baptist Church and donated the land for New McAlister Cemetery? Have you had anything about him in your past newsletters? Thanks!” Kathy in NE [email protected]
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“I read your question about black-eyed peas in T&T, and thought I’d take a minute to tell the story. It seems that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is mainly a Southern tradition. Here’s why……. During the Civil War, the Union soldiers would often raid and pillage the Southern farms. It was a common practice to burn the crops, but the Yanks would always leave the feed crops to use for their own horses. At that time, black-eyed peas were grown in the north as a feed crop for livestock. (Some Yanks still call them “cow peas”.) As as result, this particular crop was left alone. After the takeover of the farms, the soldiers would use the farm houses as headquarters for their operations. The women and children would be forced to flee into the woods. After the residences were abandoned by the soldiers, the farm folks would come out of hiding to re-inhabit the homes. Since the soldiers would take the food from the houses, the only thing left to eat was “cow peas”. Occasionally, some bones or undesirable cuts of meat would be left hanging in the smokehouses. Forced to survive on what was available, the women would take the peas and meat scraps and boil them into a soup. This tasty dish was often the only thing that kept them alive until their sons and husbands returned from battle. Considering themselves lucky to be alive, they gave the credit to the lowly peas. From then on, the black-eyed pea was eaten to bring good luck at the beginning of each year, and has since been known as “the pea that saved the South.”
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“Thanks Butch, for This N That! I really enjoy reading the different stories each week. I read the one about the traditional blackeyed peas, and seem to remember the origin as during the Civil War in the South. They were called Cowpeas then and used to feed the cattle. When times got rougher and the cities were under siege, the people had to eat these humble peas to survive. The superstition is that those who eat blackeyed peas, since they are an inexpensive and modest food, show their humility and save themselves from the wrath of the heavens because of the vanity they might have. I would say that’s good luck indeed!! I’m sure that’s not the only story about the Luck of the Peas and would be interested in hearing any others. Thanks again for This N That.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, I wanted to send a note to let those that contacted me know, that I appreciated them taking the time to do so. They know who they are. . . and since they either used to live here or were in the area on business, we shared a common thread. Thank you to those who took the time to write to Nancy in N.Y. !” [email protected]
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“Butch, the meteor at Tucker’s Tower came from Junior Dodson’s property. Our land is across the road from his on Dogwood Road. Unless there is more than 1 meteor.” [email protected]
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“I was wondering if you knew the name of the paper that most everyone might receive in Bramen Ok. I would greatly appreciate the name of the paper there. It is a small town I’m guessing. The people may get a paper from another town. If you just happen to have the name of a couple I would really appreciate it. By the way, we still enjoy very much your this and that.” Karry and Lezlee in Montana [email protected]
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“Butch, regarding the girl who wrote that she was in Miss Coffman’s third grade class in the 60s…….I (and a lot of people who still live in Ardmore) were members of her third grade class in the 40s……She was loved by every kid at Franklin School.” [email protected]
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“HI BUTCH, I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO BE A PART OF YOUR “THIS AND THAT” I GREW UP IN ARDMORE AND MY MOTHER REMAINED THERE FOR MANY MANY YEARS UNTIL 3 YEARS AGO WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY. IF THERE IS A CHARGE, PLEASE LET US KNOW. THANK YOU.” [email protected] Indiana
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“Butch, Thanks so much for adding me to your T&T mailing list. I really enjoy the stories from the Ardmore area. Metta and Doyle wrote that Louis Priddy started the Black Angus Restaurant in OKC. I assume this is the old Black Angus Restaurant that used to be at 1624 S Agnew in “Packing Town” (Stockyards)section of OKC. FYI that building, which also housed the “Maverick Club” on the back (east end)is now the headquarters of Oklahoma City Lodge #123 of the Fraternal Order of Police and the club is now the infamous “Glitter Dome” club. The FOP bought the building in 1976 and has been there ever since. I remember the officers and their wives gutting and rebuilding the inside of the restaurant in about one week. The two brick smokers in side the restaurant were knocked down by the woman folk with sledge hammers however the exhaust fans for the smokers are in place and still work. On another note I need help from your readers. As you know I currently serve as Chairman of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Committee. The Committee is made up of representatives from six state law enforcement organizations. They are the Oklahoma Sheriff’s and Peace Officers Association., the Oklahoma State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police,the Association of Oklahoma Narcotic Enforcers (A-ONE),Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association. and the Oklahoma State Troopers Association. The Memorial Committee is responsible for the up keep of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial located on the west grounds of the Dept of Public Safety Headquarters at NE 36th and M L King Blvd in Oklahoma City. This Memorial was the first State Law Enforcement Memorial built in the United States and was dedicated on May 15, 1969.”“The long range plans of the Memorial Committee is to improve the site of the Memorial or build a new one at another location which would include a Law Enforcement Museum and a resource center on land we have deed to. We have the names of over 600 officers but other than Ron Owens recent book “Oklahoma Heroes” we do not have stories or much documentation on these officers. Recently we were given the name of Oscar William Alexander, a “Special Officer” from Ardmore who was killed Sept 1,1916 near Hoxbar in a shoot out with the Love brothers who were bootleggers. Our problem is we cannot determine which law enforcement agency he worked for. He was with “Special Officer” Dow Braziel at the time. There are many officers names yet to be added to the State Memorial from years past but do to the expense of engraving we can only add 5 or 6 each year in addition to the officers who died in the past year (3 in 2000). We also are attempting to have all of Oklahoma’s Law Enforcement hero! es added to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial in Washington, DC but we must have documentation to send them. We conduct an Annual Memorial Service each May at the site of the State Memorial. This year it will be on Friday, May 18th at 10 a.m. and the public is encouraged to attend this hour long service. We send invitations to the families of our fallen heroes inviting them to the State Service each year and know that many of the families may not be aware of the Memorial or the Service. The National Memorial Service is always conducted on May 15th (National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Day)in Washington, D.C. The State Memorial Service is usually conducted in “Police Week” (the week in which May 15th falls)to allow the families of our heroes to attend both services.”
“We are trying to locate the relatives of any law enforcement officer who died in the line of duty in Oklahoma both before and after statehood. We are also trying to update the files of our known heroes and need any information on those officers such as newspaper articles, pictures etc. Please contact me if you can help with info in either area. Thank you.” Dennis Lippe [email protected] or residence phone (405)733-2923
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“Butch, Thanks for all the coverage on the last issue of T&T. You mentioned the Pumpjack site but didn’t put the url to it on there.”
http://community.webshots.com/user/sosuzguy
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“Butch — My grandpa ran one of the ferry boats in Love county. I have a picture somewhere of him standing on it with one of the long poles you mentioned for pushing the ferry across. I’ll try to find it & get it to you.”
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“Could you direct me to the web site in Oklahoma for the convicted sex offenders , Thank you.” [email protected]
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“hi I published a story on themestream.” [email protected] near Tulsa Pam Potter has sent you her article “I only know how to spoil Cockatiels.” Visit the article by clicking on the URL below:
http://www.themestream.com/articles/293701.html?pid=002401000001
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“Dear Butch: I have enjoyed reading every week. Thank you so very much for all the information and letters. A cousin wrote to me from Texas wanting to know if I knew anything about a portrait studio in Ardmore, Indian Territory – Webb or Wells on the photo she has. Do you or any of your readers know about this studio, where it was located, how many years it operated. Would appreciate any information.” [email protected]
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============================================“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you.” ~William Arthur
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 13, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 195
This week a friend from my childhood days in NE Ardmore, who is now living in Georgia, sent me email saying there is an “old wooden Indian” at the Greater Southwest History Museum on Sunset Street here in Ardmore. I’ll see if I can get a pic of it in a few days.
This week Oklahoma put to death by lethal injection the first woman on death row at the state pen at McAlester, Oklahoma. There is much side taking on this issue, not only in this state but nationwide. Here’s a Glimpse Into the Past…..
The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, Thursday, July 8, 1915
VICTIMS MUST WAIT FOR THE DEATH CHAIR
TWO PRISONERS SENTENCED TO DIE WILL GET REPRIEVED UNTIL DEATH CHAIR SHALL BE INSTALLED
Oklahoma City, July 7. – Death in the electric chair has been the sentence for several persons convicted of capital offenses in Oklahoma during the last two years, but up to this time none have so suffered. The last preceding administration was opposed to capital punishment and there was no electric chair in the penitentiary. This administration is alleged not to be opposed to the death penalty and there are two death sentences awaiting arrival of the date set for execution. These dates will be advance of the readiness of the electric chair, however, and Governor Williams has said that he will reprieve the prisoners in order that they may be executed in the new chair when the state board of affairs shall have that instrument of retributive justice ready.
The state board of public affairs undertook several months ago when the appropriation for a death chair became available to build the chair at the McAlester prison. It was understood that the work was making rapid progress until last week, when the board received bids for supply the complicated electrical apparatus that makes the chair a death chair. Now, ready for executions set for July 30 and Aug 6, and that they will be delayed.
R.C. Moorehead, a negro who killed Clifford Garrison at Snyder, February 7, 1915, was sentenced to die July 30. Henry Booklan of McIntosh County was sentenced to die in the chair Aug. 6. So far neither case has been appealed to the criminal court of appeals, and the death penalty will probably be exacted when the electric chair shall be ready.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I don’t have any information on the meteor, but I do remember part of it being displayed at Tucker’s Tower. My aunt and uncle used to “manage” it when I was a kid. I spent many years as Tuckers Tower as my playground! What a blast for a kid! They lived in the house there and my cousins’ bedroom was at the top on the rocks. At night the coyotes would come up to our bedroom windows and peek in…the raccoons would come up to the living room windows for snacks. What fun times to have been a kid! I also remember the little zoo at Whittington park. If anyone knows Robert Hensley, you really need to get copies of photos from him and history! He’s got a great photo of a race car track in the 20’s that was at Whittingpark area too. The photo shows the grandstand full of people and the cars with the drivers at the starting line. It’s GREAT!” [email protected]
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“Butch; I have been meaning to drop you an email requesting to be added to your “This and That” mailing list. After I was forwarded it today, it made me get into action. Thank you so much for the Courtney Flats Ferry mention and the ferry information in general. From Henry D. COURTNEY’s gg-granddaughter, Candace Gregory Researching GREGORY, PRATER, COURTNEY, WILLIAMS, GHOLSON, WICKER, SANDIFER, SLAUGHTER, MOORE, CAIN and many more.” [email protected]
http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/r/e/Candace-L-Gregory
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“Butch: I am interested if anyone in Ardmore remembers being in Miss Coffman’s 3rd grade class at Franklin Elementary School, about in 1962 or 1963. Everyday after afternoon recess, she would read from the book, “The Secret Garden”, to her class. We were so excited as she read only one chapter each time to us. (I suppose so that the book would last the entire year). After shefinished reading the book to us, she passed it around the room, where we all signed our names in the margins, as she had done many years previously, and many years after us. I asked Miss Coffman, who I knew well into adulthood, if she would “will” me the book. She said that she would write my name in the front of the book so that I would be sure to get it. Miss Coffman recently passed away and I wrote to her surviving nephew and asked if I could please have that book to take to our 30th high school reunion this year, and then donate this book to the Carter County Museum. This is a treasured piece of history of so many kids that this kind woman taught and pleasured as she read that wonderful book. I hope to hear from him, so this book can be delivered to it’s final resting place……where many people can enjoy and remember this wonderful time of so long ago.” [email protected]
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“Great job again Butch. Enjoyed this one even more. However the picture of Healdton jumped out at me, because as you know I lived there several years. But the picture is dated 1940, and I believe most of the vehicles pictured are early 50’s. Sure was fun seeing the picture and picking out the present day differences from those days. Take care, and looking forward to next weekend.” [email protected]
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“Your T&T is wonderful & each one offers its own unique set of dreams…thanks for spending countless time to provide this wonderful communication to your readers.” [email protected]
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“Butch, Thank you for doing such a great job for all of us to read each weekend. I look forward to reading about all the different happenings and it brings back such memories. I am going in the morning to get my kids a grapette and let them know what we always thought was the best pop in the world.” [email protected]
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“HI — My name is Luann Grosscup, I’m a freelancer for the Chicago Tribune. (I am also a former flight attendant for American Flyers.) I have been assigned by my editor at the Tribune’s transportation section to write an article about the supplemental/charter airlines of the past, which would, of course, include American Flyers. Can you put me in touch with anyone from American Flyers? I will be seeking out both crew members and administration. Please let me know if you”ll be able to steer me in any directions as far as finding anyone to speak with for my article. I realize this site is dedicated to the Memorial rather than the airline, but I have been unable to find any other site on the web related to AFA and thought this might be a good place to start. I appreciate your time. Thank you.” [email protected]
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“Butch my mother got me this book, Ghost Town Tales of Oklahoma, back in November. It is pretty interesting. Some of the stories are okay and some are totally awesome, but I’d know you’d like it. Did you ever take a look at my pumpjacks? If you get any snapshots of any or know of anyone who has any send them my way. Later.” [email protected]
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0913507741/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_1/104- 6620607-9393551
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“Okay so how about some pictures of at least any Ferry so some of us can get an idea of what this thing looks like?” [email protected]
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“My family also ate black-eyed peas on New Years for good luck. I don’t know why or when the black-eyed peas tradition started. Does anyone out there have any clues to this mystery?” [email protected]
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“We are pleased with your This & That stories of “back-when” in or near Ardmore. Since that brother of mine has been living in or near Ardmore most all of his 86 years and doesn’t have a PC, he doesn’t get to enjoy the “old times” like we do who receive This & That each week. Last week we read the paragraph about the Priddy boys. There were nine boys and 3 girls, I think, who were living on NE 5th Street on the north side of the viaduct when they started a canning business in their home. One of the younger brothers died early as a teen-ager, approximately 16 years old, I think his name was Clifford. Except for J. C. the other brothers were in the restaurant business. Louis established “Black Angus” restaurant in Okla City before he had his burger business on N Harvey in Okla City. Priddy boys also had a restaurant at Cedar Vale near Turner Falls. I guess the Priddy boys figured all could eat well if they had restaurants during the “lean years” of the 30’s . Metta and I hope to be in Ardmore on or before 20th Jan to lunch with Ira Bridges on his 86th birthday. If you get hungry about that time, we want to feed and visit with you too.” [email protected]
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“Hi, Butch! We’ve been having a discussion about street names. Do you or any of your readers know how Stanley, Bixby, and McLish streets got their names? We’re assuming they were named after someone, but don’t know any of the history. Thanks for any info.”
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“Did you have something within the last year about Karen Silkwood? I just watched the movie tonight. [email protected]
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“Hello Mr. Bridges, Congratulations on a fine website and a beautiful memorial to those killed in the American Flyers crash. I am an aviation archaeologist based in Oklahoma City. I began researching this crash nearly two years ago. Most recently, I was contacted by Mr. Dennis Heins, one of the survivors. He still remembers the crash, and shared with me some of his memories. I would very much like to visit the crash site, if that can be arranged. This crash is still the worst on record for Oklahoma, and I’d like to do a feature. I invite you to visit my website to learn more of what we do. Thank you very much for your time.”
Jeff Wilkinson
Oklahoma Wreckchasing
http://okwreckchasing.com
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“Late this evening, around 5 pm. I drove down to Lake Murray Park and ventured down the road that leads to the Elephant Rock and Cedar Grove areas. If I had traveled on east I would have come to the Tipp’s Point road, but as you know the Elephant Rock road turns north before you get that far. I parked heading the little pickup north on Elephant Rock road & left it on the shoulder. The purpose of this trip was to try and find the two graves I knew to be in the area. I would not say that the little graves have been neglected and it is very possible that members of the family visit the site from time to time. I found recently placed bouquets of flowers on the markers of the two little girls that are buried there, side by side. You will be able to decipher the names & pertinent facts if the attachments are received in good order. Before Lake Murray Park property was secured from the citizens of the area there were many families scattered in their homesteads throughout the region. There are probably many graves located on the Park land and it would be interesting to know if they too are marked.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/lmgrave.jpg
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“Butch, stewardess Wanda Stonecipher flew with the Beatles for 3 months when they chartered American Flyers in 1965 (I think that was the year). She couldn’t leave the flight during this time. Paul bought her a teddy bear at the Empire State Building & they spent the day together there at this building.”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wanda1.jpg
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“The buildmg that “Beds Direct” 719 W. Main and “Tempco” 721 W. Mainis in was at one time a lumber yard. It was all under one roof. This wasback possibly in the1920’s and early 1930’s. When the City of Ardmoredecided to build a new municipal building (Current building minus the addition on the west side) in 1936 or 1937 they had to find a building in which to house the fire department temporarily while the new building was being built. The building at 719 West Main became the fire department housefor over a year. They had to try several times to get enough asphalt on the ground inside the building that the fire trucks could start out on without the black top rolling up in waves. I think the Fire Chief then was a Mr. Curtis Moore.Another item for you is the original church building (Before any additions were added) for the Memorial Christian Church at the corner of 12 ave. N. W. and “A” street was the original chapel built on the Ardmore Air Base back in the 1940’s. After the air base was closed and all of the property transfered back to the city of Ardmore, the city took bids and the Memorial Christian Church was organized and the people bought the building and had it hauled into town and set up in its present location.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, thank you for adding me to your mailing list. I, too, enjoy your writings in This & That. My family came from Oklahoma, and there are still lots of relatives, even in Ardmore. I am researching the families: Holybee, McDow, and the Meeks. If any of them read this, I would sure like to hear from them and exchange info. Thanks again.” [email protected]
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============================================Last week I mentioned the testing of the Carter County Assessor’s new website with a searchable database of public land records. During that 36 hour test there were some 5,000 hits to the website and at one time 30 Users logged on at once. Wow! Never in my wildest dreams did I think my T&T readers would respond like that! And everything worked fine too. It is still being fine tuned by Steve Hamm with data being imputed, etc. But you can check out Assessor Sam West’s new Domain Name just setup this week. His new website is truly a giant step forward for public access of courthouse records and an example for all county officials in Oklahoma. http://www.cartercountyassessor.org
Last Christmas I gave away nearly 200 of those little wooden toothpick holders to every worker at the courthouse plus all three county barns. Also 9 of you won one in the drawings held before Christmas. I still have a few left and if anyone wants one, send me 2 bucks and I”ll see you get one. Who knows, in a few years collectors may be paying top dollar of one these toothpick holders. So if anyone wants one, let me know now. When they are all gone, there will be no more engraved with Christmas 2000 Carter County Courthouse Ardmore Oklahoma on them!
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/toothp2.jpg“Time is a fixed income and, as with any income, the real problem facing most of us is how to live successfully within our daily allotment.” –Margaret B. Johnstone
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 6, 2001 Vol 5 Issue 194
The following followup on Tuck’s Ferry in Love county was submitted by Frances Long Dunlap [email protected]
“There still seems to be a lot of interest in Tuck’s Ferry. I was born in 1928 and it quit operating in 1932 so you can see how young I was when I rode it. But I can still remember the ferry and the ride. My brother and I were down in that area in September on a sentimental journey. Little Doc Elliot, Doc’s son, died just a few years ago.”
From the Love County, Oklahoma History book:
Ferry crossings were numerous along the winding Red River with it’s treacherous quicksand. Locations were sometimes changed. Franchises were awarded by the Chickasaw Nation and ferry crossing fares were usually high. Judge Overton Love’s son-in-law, Bill Fletcher, is credited with the first ferry. Locations are hard to pinpoint, but an attempt is made on the historical map and the ferry is listed by an owner’s name. The Arendell Ferry was run by Captain Miller. Another partner, Jones, operated the Texas landing. The Bill Elliot Ferry changed hands after he was stabbed to death. A man named Tuck had a string of seven ferries at one time. Ferries were also known by location: Illinois Bend, Horseshoe Bend, Sivells Bend, Southbend, or by destination: Marysville, Dexter, or Gainesville. The Ferries along the border of Love County were: Courtney Flats Ferry, Arendell Ferry, Campbell Ferry, Keltner Ferry, Sorrell Ferry, Scanlin Ferry, Rector Ferry, Burney Ferry, Sivell Cable Ferry, Thacker Ferry, Watts Ferry, Mealer Ferry, Bill Elliot Ferry, Sacra Ferry, Brown Ferry, Fisher Ferry, Roff Ferry, Tuck Ferry, Fletcher Ferry, Beff-Pin Ferry, Tipton’s Ferry. There very well could have been more, but these are the ones that are known about by the writer.
TUCK’S FERRY – RED RIVER CROSSING
A familiar landmark for many years was the Tuck’s Ferry as it moved back and forth from the north bank of Red River to the south bank transporting people, cargo, wagons and teams and later automobiles. Tuck’s Ferry, built, owned and operated by John Martin Tuck, was placed at the Red River crossing, eight miles southeast of Marietta in the Jordan community in 1888 and remained in use until 1932 when it was last operated by Doc Elliott. Tuck built other boats for other operators and the story goes that at one time he owned five ferries on Red River at various points. The Ferry was 40 feet long with two ramps, each 10 feet long, and about 12 feet wide. His grandson, James R. Tuck, Marlow, said that his grandfather could put four model T’s on at once or two wagons and teams. The charge after World War 1 was $1.00 per car, 75 cents for a wagon and team and 25 cents for a horseback rider. The Ferry operated on a cable which was firmly staked on top of a hill on the Oklahoma side and on the Texas side was attached to a big Cottonwood tree. A trolley was attached to the cable and rope from the trolley went down to windlasses. The operator would angle the boat into the current and the current pushed the boat across the river. When the current wasn’t strong enough, a cedar pole was used to pole it across.
I have a surprise for everyone! Until early Sunday morning (the 7th) a copy of the Carter County Assessor’s land records will be temporarily online for testing purposes. This will give many of you a sort of sneak preview of things to come, until the permanent website is online soon. Keep in mind this website is not completely finished. There are still some records to be added or updated, pictures to be added (some 7,000), and other fine tuning before it’s creator, Steve Hamm, has it completely ready. Until then, feel free to check it out til Sunday morning the 7th. If you want to see how a record will be with its photo attached, do a search for account R0000011 or R0000021 or R0000031 (those are five zeros). I know these three accounts have a photo attached. Sam West will be the second county assessor in Oklahoma to make his public land records available over the internet. So if you read this email in time, feel free to tell your friends, specially realtors, appraisers, attorneys, or county assessors, etc. Remember, the website will be offline by early Sunday morning. http://65.64.78.232
Also let Sam West know what you think about the website. Send your comments or suggestions to [email protected]
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, thanks for this and that. I spent my younger years in Ardmore. My grandparents ran the skating ring that was above the swimming pool at Whittington park. All the soldiers during WWII called them Mom & Pop. I need to locate some info and perhaps a picture of the skating rin. Can you help me or put it in the next edition of This and That?” [email protected]
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“Hello Butch, I don’t believe I’ve ever met you but I really enjoy your News Letters that a friend sometimes sends to me. I was raised in Ardmore and moved to Fort Worth in 1950. The Priddy’s were at three different locations at different times. The most popular one was probably “Priddy’s Drive Inn”. Like your letter said,it was located on Highway 77 where Highway 70 crossed. It was just south of Main Street on 77. Also Priddy’s was downtown on Main Street at one time. The drive Inn was a very popular hangout for the young people.” [email protected]
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“Remember Priddy’s also had a restaurant in Oklahoma City as late as the 1950’s. Served great cheeseburgers.” [email protected]
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“Butch the picture of New Healdton would have been about 8 mos. into 1917. I was born in Kansas and moved to Healdton when I was 9 mos. old, came in on the railroad from Topeka to Ardmore and Ardmore to Healdton arriving here in November. My dad said I was about the same age as the new town, when I got here. So that would have made the picture date about August.The caption said the town was 6 mos. old when the pic was taken. My father was already here, and being a carpenter he helped build a lot of the buildings. We lived in the Flag Hotel until he could rent a place to live. I may be all wrong but I think the calculations are pretty close. I have lived here all of my life except for the time I was in the Navy and the time in college. I think it is a great town.” [email protected]
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“Butch, If your reader are looking for a real grapette in the Ardmore area; they can go to Grove Mart in Lone Grove were they are in stock everyday, they may be able to get one at the Ardmore Grove Mart (Total Station next to the movies) it is own by the same people from Lone Grove Enjoy!!!!!!” [email protected]
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“Hi, Butch! Merry Christmas (belated) and Happy New Year (actually, truly the new millenium)! Sorry I have been so inactive lately…car problems, tree pushed through roof (hello new roof) and my precious little 95 year old Mother had to go to the nursing center due to back, hip & leg problems. There has been time to do very little but I NEVER miss reading your T&T and still enjoy it immensely. Through all the time that I have been receiving T&T and listening to people having problems getting the photos, I have never had a problem. However, last week, I could not get any of the photos and this week, I could get only the icy tree photos. What am I doing wrong or what could my problem be? Do you have any ideas? Also, you might like to know that you really do get a lot of mileage out of Kenneth Eck’s column (Oilpatch Mania) in the Healdton Herald. He has mentioned you and T&T several times. Also, just thought you’d like to know that my top priority (as of your newsletter this morning) is to run up to the Total Station at Ratliff City to get a grapette. Please tell that writer “thanks, Thanks, THANKS!!!” And, thanks again for bringing so much pleasure to so many… you have a special place in our hearts.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, Sorry to hear about the power outage that you suffered in Oklahoma. Luckily we haven’t had any ice storms in western New York. . . yet ! I’m glad that I don’t have to rely on only electric. I had that option when I moved here, and considered it because Arcade Electric is publicly owned and dirt cheap. But when you have to face the ‘down side’ of Mother Nature, it’s nice to have at least one utility you can still access. I noticed in your ‘mailbag’ that the price of gas there is $1.16 ! I wish we could say the same. Prices here in western New York run $1.50 – $1.65 depending on where you go. And if you want to save a few more cents per gallon you can take a trip to the Indian Reservation. I do enjoy reading all the information that you include in the T&T. I’ve never been to Oklahoma, and it’s interesting to hear how people in other areas of the country live and deal with things. Thanks for bringing another year of T&T to all of us ! And, Happy New Year to You and Yours!” Nancy in New York [email protected]
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“The Alligator find near Lebanon, Oklahoma reminds me of the one that was found in a pond on the Lang farm south of Lone Grove, Oklahoma on Cheek Road about 15 years ago. I think it was a whopper 10 ft. ??? In the early 1960S a fellow in Lone Grove (now deceased) brought a few alligators back from Florida with him. One of them bit my Ex Wife on the ankle and died in about 30 minutes. She may have stepped on it though. I have always wondered what happened to all those other Alligators. I had a welcome email from one of your T&T people. I sure was glad that they put me onto their web site. http://www.mp3.com/rustyhudelson . You may not know it but you have celebrities among you. These guys are talented. I recommend this site to anyone.” [email protected]
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“Your readers might want to know that there were several Priddy brothers who were in the restaurant business. Louis was the one that made hamburgers and moved to Okla. City and Charlie had a little cafe here and Woody and Fred were the two that had a restaurant and then made the salads and salad dressings. J. C. had the filling station on Commerce.” [email protected]
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“Do you remember going to the Zoo there in Ardmore? It had alligators in it.” [email protected]
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“If you have any photos of the ice on trees, etc. I would love to see them. I’ve had friends from around the country asking how bad it was and judging by the video on the TV stations it was terrible. We escaped it up here on Oklahoma City, did get some ice but not enough to cause the problems you had in southern Oklahoma. We still have a lot of sleet and snow on the ground but we are thankful it is something we can at least deal with.” [email protected]
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“Butch, I found Grapette at the new store on P and and Sam Noble Parkway (JRs Corner)” [email protected]
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“The big deal about the gator brings back several memories. As a young boy we would go to a farm owned by the Morgan family on Oswalt road south of Wilson to pick green beans and watermelons, after the work was done we could swim in the watershed lake on their farm. One afternoon we were swimming when to our surprise a big gator surfaced to the top of the water. We got out very quik. The gator was shot and sold to a man from Georgia who went in to town with it and was fined for having it. I have the newspaper clip somewhere that has all us kids standing around the gator it was in the early 70’s have not seen it in awhile but I’m going to see if I can find it. Then as a teenager I hauled hay with a couple other guys from Lone Grove all over southern Ok. One place I remember well was the Battle Spring Ranch on Oswalt road that was owned by Dr. Moxley. On the ranch were 3 lakes one called grassy and the other 2 were not named that I remember. We would fish those after hauling hay. Man would I like to be able to fish there now!!!! But anyway we would see ALOT and I do mean ALOT of gators of all sizes and the best I remember they did not help out with the snakes they were everywhere. Well just reminiscing about old child hood days. Man those were the days. Keep up the good work I enjoy reading T & T.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, I hope you had an enjoyable New Year’s Eve. I had a very quiet evening with my parents. I have published photos on the internet that I took in Chickasaw National Recreation Area after the ice storm. They are located at http://chickasaw8.homestead.com/icestormindex.html. The main web site of my park photos is http://chickasaw.homestead.com. Please take a look at the ice on the trees!! It looks pretty, but caused a lot of damage.” [email protected]
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“My brother sent this link to me, it is an excellent weather Site. Be sure to put the (w) before underground and upper case where they are shown.” http://www.wunderground.com/US/Region/US/Temperature.html [email protected]
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“With your permission, I would like to post the Healdton picture that was in your latest T&T to my web page, URL below. All going well here in Idaho.” Sincerely, Lavin Farrar [email protected] http://home.rmci.net/farrar/healdton.htm
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“Butch, I enjoy your news letter each week. I was born in Ardmore at Hardy’s Sanitarium, that was before they had the hospital that they now have. My family moved to Ft. Worth in 1968. I still have lots of relatives in the Ardmore area. Enough of that. I have a question for you and your readers. In the mid 60’s (I don’t know the exact date) there was a fairly large meteor that landed up in the Arbuckle mountains. My uncle (now deceased) worked and lived in that area at the time. The meteor went right over his house. The next morning he rode his horse to the site where the meteor hit. He brought several pieces of the meteor back from the crater it had created. There was a write up in the Daily Ardmoreite at the time. I was wondering if anyone had any information about it. My aunt used to have the article, but it has been lost. Thanks.” [email protected]
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============================================As 2000 came to a close I reflected back on the year and how each Saturday this little newsletter brought us all together. I thought about the reader in west Texas who stopped her Friday nights house cleaning to read her issue of T&T. I thought about the reader who printed out seven copies each Saturday to mail to seven friends who didn’t have a computer. I thought about the 80+ year old X-Postmaster from Wilson who’s daughter printed it out every Saturday to mail, so her mother could read it. I thought about the reader in Germany who hasn’t been back home to Healdton in 30 years who is looking for some news from there. I thought about the reader who grew up with me in the northeast and was poor as Job’s turkey, and how we made it through. I thought about the reader who gave $25 to a memorial he would never live to see. I thought about the reader who’s brother died with 92 others in a plane crash, how her family had waited 35 years, and how the readers of this little newsletter made the memorial possible. I thought about the reader who said since childhood he always wanted to go up in the Carter County courthouse dome and see that clock, but never could because of polio, and the webpictures made it possible for him. I thought about the reader who wrote a song about a place he never saw called Browns Springs. I thought about the reader in England who wanted to know how far “five blocks was”. And I thought about the reader in Ireland who wrote in just this week to ask “what is Wally World”. I could go on and on and on about the thousands of emails I’ve received. One reader gave to me the latest Celine Dion CD for Christmas. A song on that CD probably tells why several thousand of us assemble here each Saturday.
“Power of the Dream” by Celine Dion
“Deep within each heart
There lies a magic spark
That lights the fire of our imagination
And since the dawn of man
The strength of just “I can”
Has brought together people of all nationsThere’s nothing ordinary
In the living of each day
There’s a special part that
Everyone of us will playFeel the flame forever burn
Teaching lessons we must learn
To bring us closer to the power of the dream
As the world gives us its best
To stand apart from all the rest
It is the power of the dream that brings us hereYour mind will take you far
The rest is just your heart
You’ll find your fate is all your own creation
And every boy and girl
As they come into this world
They bring the gift of hope and inspirationFeel the flame forever burn
Teaching lessons we must learn
To bring us closer to the power of the dream
The world unites in hope and peace
We pray that you will always be
It is the power of the dream that brings us hereThere’s so much strength in all of us
Every woman, child and man
It’s the moment that you think you can’t
You’ll discover that you canFeel the flame forever burn
Teaching lessons we must learn
To bring us closer to the power of the dreamThe world unites in hope and peace
We hope that it will always be
It is the power of the dream that brings us hereThe power of the dream
The faith in things unseen
The courage to embrace your fear
No matter where you are
To realize the power of the dream
To realize the power of the dream”Throttle up. See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238
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