November 5, 1943
30 head of Buffalo to go to lake Murray
30 head of Buffalo transferred from a ranch in Medford, will be placed on a peninsula at Lake Murray State Park Saturday afternoon, Leonard Byrd, ranger, said Friday.
Mystery: Nearly everywhere I looked and searched the address showed the old Carnegie Library on Stanley SW as 511 Stanley SW. 511 is a odd number and goes on the north side of any street in Ardmore, and even numbers on the south side of a street. The old library is located on the south side of Stanley.
Going back to the 1920s the address was 502 2nd SW (later renamed Stanley Street). The Ardmore Garden Center is now in the building and lists its address 500 Stanley SW which would be correct (even number). I don’t know when/where 511 got started, probably many years ago.
-Photo courtesy Greater Southwest Historical Museum
Well, Jerry Lee Lewis proved my aunt, Pearl Carmon, wrong. He out lived her by 4 years. I’ll give a little back history here:
Back around 1965 we had a black and white TV, it was Sunday night and I was watching the Ed Sullivan Show. My aunt Pearl did not have a TV (said she’d never have a TV). She lived 4 blocks east of us, but would stop by our house (2 or 3 times a week) and watch our TV. That Sunday evening Ed Sullivan had Jerry Lee Lewis as guest on his show. My aunt sat and watched Jerry Lee banging on the piano singing Great Balls A Fire, sweating like crazy and his bangs bouncing all over his forehead. My aunt said, “That is awful, he will never live to old age.” lol My aunt lived to be 83 and Jerry Lee lived to 87 years old.
The Daily Ardmoreite
Rambling Reporter
January 29, 1946
Black James at one time carried space in this paper to tell of his building stone. Stone is now about the only material that is available for construction work. I stood at the quarry and saw the flat uniform stones lifted from the mountain top and saw them placed on trucks. Then I saw them built into a wall. Such a wall would last 100 years or maybe 500 years. All this section ought to beat a path to the James ranch home at this time to get his fine building stone. To get there go on State Highway 177 to Nebo and turn west. That road will lead you direct to the James Ranch which is near the quarry.
Black James info on Find A Grave
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51492381/black-james
Kenneth L. Wright – “Anesthesiologist full time from mid 1950’s to 1965 half time to 1967 when he moved full time to Denton, TX in 1965 to 1967 he covered Ardmore, Gainesville and Denton. Initially lived at 212 4th SW then moved to a house his father built on property he purchased from “hamburger” Brown at 1902 Cloverleaf Lane that the city later changed to 2002 Cloverleaf Lane. The address sign I made in Mr. Dunn’s shop class in Junior High I believe 1963 before we heard in band class JFK had been shot. Hamburger Inn Mr. Brown also raised hunting dogs and trained them. Owned a large tract of land questionably his farm that an entire neighborhood was made from. Miller’s Pond was just down the block from us. 212 4th SW had a chicken coop that had a feed storage area that opened on either side of the coop great for hide and seek. At 216 4th SW lived 2 sisters that wrote children’s books had a goldfish pond in their backyard and a great climbing tree. Unfortunately one became senile before we moved. The 212 house had a candlestick phone with phonebox when we moved in. It was replaced with a 1930’s style deco phone, mind you this was the mid 1950’s and we only had basic phone service.” -Michael Wright
Q. Where in Oklahoma is the largest selection of exotic and domestic animals open to the public and it’s interactive so you can get up close and personal with many of the animals. But that’s not all they have at this park.
A. Tiger Safari Zoological Park in Tuttle
https://tigersafarizoo.com/
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a kiddie amusement park hiding that’s affordable and filled with hours and hours of fun?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
The Daily Ardmoreite
January 26, 1947
Gene Autry’s Champion Dies
Hollywood, Jan 25. – Champion, cowboy film actor Gene Autry’s sorrel horse and equine hero of dozens of western films is dead, their studio announced today.
Old Champ was 17 when he died. He was Autry’s inseparable screen companion from 1934 to 1942, when the animal was retired. Autry bought him as a colt and trained him personally. The horse died at Autry’s Melody Ranch in the San Fernando valley and was buried there.
Museum Memories
Compiled by Melinda Taylor
June 15,1917
Gas by Next Week
Work is being rushed on the gas main near the city limits. The line branches out from the line to Ringling in section 15 in the oil fields. Within another week the line will be completed and within a month from now the service lines will be laid and Wilson will have a supply of gas.
The gas that will supply Wilson will come from the same source that supplies Ardmore, Healdton and Ringling.
“Kodak Parties” – A merry party of young people went out near Bowman’s Point Sunday afternoon where they made a number of kodak pictures.
Those composing the party were Misses Chadd, Merie and Eva Dement, Harrison and Ruth Baker; Messrs. Adlee Baker, Creek Lawrence, Roy Dement and Gallaway, and Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell.
Another party composed of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pyles and Mr. and Mrs. Hunt of Joiner, who went out to the Darling Lake where they made a number of pictures.
“Mad Dogs at Large” Many dogs are being killed on account of rabies, which has been detected in a number of dogs this week. The hot weather and the lack of places for the dogs to get water is said to be the cause.
It was reported that three children had been bitten but their names and particulars could not be learned.
Visit the Wilson Historical Museum, open Saturdays 10-4 or online at
www.wilsonhistoricalmuseum.org
Below is Indian Fry Bread Recipes of several different tribes. -Robert Hensley
I purchased this Ludwig Isenberg piece at an estate sale, but not sure what historical place it represents. Can someone help me to identify this place? -Dana
Looks like we are going to have lots of snow in Carter County this winter according to the persimmon seed I just cut open. Looks like a spoon inside which means lots of snow to shovel. If it was a fork, would mean mild winter and a knife would mean winter would be bitingly cold and “cut like a knife.” -Dwane Stevens
Robbie Horn:
1905 tornado. That solves a question I’ve had for several years. We were planting daffodils around Lincoln Elementary School in 1994 and we kept hitting concrete about 6” or more below along the back north side fence. I asked then Principal Donell Cox and he said a tornado hit the school and took it out but he didn’t remember the date.
Chris O’Donnell:
Robbie Horn ahh, but do you know about the tunnel from the southeast corner of Lincoln school that traveled under 2nd (Stanley) to a store across the street?
Robbie Horn:
Chris O’Donnell The building they just tore down? I was told there was a small basement but it wasn’t used because of mold smell.
Tell me more. Is part of it still there under the street? Who built it? When was it built? What was the store? What was the purpose? Were you ever down there?Curious minds want to know.
Chris O’Donnell:
Robbie Horn the basement was the boiler… the corner of the southeast classroom had the entrance to the tunnel. The tunnel went to a small store across the street that sold candy…It’s like the stories of the Caddo/Main Street tunnels near the depot. Lincoln and Franklin were built in 1926… anymore info, I have no idea although the reason for the tunnels was completely different as the tunnels from the Whittington Hotel to across the street
Butch, there is also a good sized herd of bison at Woolaroc, Frank Philips old weekend home, southwest of Bartlesville! -Danny Gilliam
https://www.woolaroc.org/
Below is from my Vol 3, Issue 133 November 6, 1999 newsletter:
Here’s a pic of the old KVSO radio station here in Ardmore. Back then it was located on Radio Road and (now Chickasaw Blvd and Northwest Ave .)
I received an interesting email about some strange things going on near Coalgate and Hornet, Oklahoma. I don’t know what to think, but it sounds interesting. Anybody know anything more about these mysteries?
Below is an email about Coalgate and Hornet, Oklahoma. 11/01/99
There is a small place outside of Coalgate, OK that has some weird happenings and was on TV a couple of years ago. Rocks started flying at a family all of a sudden one afternoon when they were sitting in their front yard. They had lived in this home for a long time and had never had anything happen to them like it before. I think it was thought it had something to do with a granddaughter whose deceased boyfriend in a cemetery was causing it. if I remember correct. You could probably check with the sherriffs dept in Coalgate and learn where this place is for the flying rocks. They susposedly went out there and was also hit. The town is no longer there and it is just a community. Its seems like it may of been Centrahoma or Cottonwood but not sure. The Chamber of Commerce in Coatgate should know about it also. I do not remember what channel the show was on but I am sure if you call one of the TV stations in Tulsa or OK city they could tell you.
Have you ever been to the Hornet light also known as the Spook light in Hornet, Oklahoma? I have been there many times and it still scares me to go. I do not know if its the light that scares me or the fact that it is heavy wooded on both sides of the country road and there has been many people robbed while watching for the light, for over a hundred & fifty years. My 2nd great Grandfather first seen it in the 1840’s when he went into Newton Co. MO., looking for a place to homestead. While walking the countyside looking to see where he wanted settle for sure, he met some Indians who told him about the light and went to see it for himself. This is written in my mothers genealogy she left me to finish for her on her demise. My oldest brother and a cousin in their young years used to walk the woods looking for the light. I am not sure if you live at or around the Brown Springs area, or Ardmore. Which one. I have not been over there. I was born in Binger, but taken to CA during the depression when a baby. I have been back in Ok 5 yrs. now and love it.
For as long as anyone can remember, there has always been a Stolfa’s Hardware Store in Ardmore at East Main and Mill Street. This is an old Standard Computing Scales there in the store. Last patent date: 1917. Value: over $1,000.
The Standard Computing Scale Model 155 is one of the first scales produced in U. S. A . from this renowned manufacturer of professional weighing systems. The characteristic of this scale is the weighing procedure which is carried out by means of the levers connected to the glass plate where the goods to be weighed are placed. These levers are in turn connected to springs where are fixed to small racks, which slide by means of a small gear located in the middle of a roller where the weight sequence obtained during weighing is printed. This weight is displayed both in front of the operator and on the part of the customer who can verify the truthfulness of the weight obtained through a small window obtained in the metal covering placed around the roller itself. The Standard Computing Scale model 155 weighs a total of 38 kilograms and has a maximum capacity of 20 kg. Normalmemte was painted in gold and red and the metal parts were originally nickel-plated. Being produced mainly for the American market, the weighing was carried out in ounces.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” -Thomas Edison
See everyone next Thursday!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, OK
580-490-6823