This and That Newsletter

About 12 years ago I received an interesting email about a lady named Ethel Hindman, the wild woman of the Arbuckle Mountains, and the reason for the name Wild Woman Cave near Turner Falls. Ethel's niece lives in Montana and stumbled across what little info we had on Ethel Hindman and emailed me to share more information on Ethel and the rest of the story:

"Butch, in your story about Ethel Hindman, you said no one knew what happened to her. I know; I’m her niece. She lived well into her nineties and was very active for most of that time. Most of her adult life was lived in Pawhuska, OK, as Ethel Buck. She was widowed at a young age, but raised a son, Jack Buck, by herself. She also helped to raise four of her younger sisters.

Aunt Ethel did many other dare devil stunts. She dived off the top of Turner Falls and another falls near Ardmore. She dived off the wing of an airplane into the Ardmore reservoir—twice. A Hollywood producer asked her to come to California to do the stunt for the movies, but she refused. Another woman took her place (and name) and was killed in the dive. That caused a lot of confusion in Ardmore when Ethel visited there later on. People thought she’d risen from the dead.

Her brother produced rodeos, and she often rode broncs. At one rodeo, the story goes, the cowboys were complaining about the viciousness of a particular bull. Lee told them that the bull was so tame that even his sister could ride it. He then rigged the draw so that she’d get that bull, and he bet on her with the other cowboys. Ethel rode the bull, but broke her jaw and lost most of her front teeth in the process. She almost killed her brother when she found out what he’d done.

When she was seventy, she camped at Turner Falls with many of her nieces and nephews. She led us on a long hike to the old home place, worrying the whole time about whether she was tiring us out. That afternoon, we swam in the Blue Hole, downstream on Honey Creek from Turner Falls. While there, she did a number of trick dives from the diving board. Needless to say, everyone in the pool stopped what they were doing to watch her.

Aunt Ethel was a wonderful woman, and we all adored her. I have a newspaper article about her, written by Mac McGalliard, framed and hung on my office wall." -Belva Jones, Frenchtown, Montana

Additional info: In Ardmore, Oklahoma, one Ethel Hindman, ranchman's daughter, at the request of cinema photographers and before the marveling gaze of 4,000 yokels admitted at 25 cents each, stood up on the wing of an airplane, leaped into space, curved down 40 feet to cleave the waters of the city lake. The force of the impact split her bathing cap.

February 1934

Bessie Oldham, Betty's Funeral Home employee, charged with larceny of $5,500 from that institution, is in the county jail.

February 1958
Lim Roberts says Carl Barrentine is right in his assertion that the famous "last bear killed in southern Oklahoma" was killed in Marshall County, but a Love County man did the killing, and Carter county citizens were witnesses. Lim said the bear likely escaped from a circus or carnival as there was indication it had worn a collar.

February 1958

189 tornadoes reported in Oklahoma last year in what is the greatest number on record. They took 22 lives and injured 55 persons. The Gans, Oklahoma tornado (10 miles west of Ft Smith, AR) which struck January 22nd took the greatest number of lives last year, 10.

Last week I posted a digital recording of a record in the display case at the Michelin Plant. I now have Side A and Side B of the record for listening to. Michelin (Uniroyal back in 1981) gave all the employees the record for Christmas. The songwriter/singer's name is not on the label. Maybe someone out there will remember who sang the song???

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. No wait, that was another guy. Below is Greg Piper removing about 40 stumps from my property. Did a fantastic job, quick and very reasonable. If you want stumps removed, and no magic wand, then Greg can get'er done.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/PipersLawnCare033018.jpg

Q. In what Oklahoma ghost town can one find the Bond of Friendship monument?
A. Answer in next week's newsletter

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