This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 22 Issue 1,115 Circulation 5,000 June 7, 2018
Ardmore, Oklahoma
My permanent email address: [email protected]
580-490-6823
Robert Hensley, Ardmoreite and history buff extraordinaire, sent in a photo this week of the Longhorn Trading Post south of Overbrook, Oklahoma (circa 1945). As a teen I barely remember stopping there a couple times with my grandparents. It had so much to see and do there, a person could spend several hours just looking around. Thanks Robert for the photo, its going to bring back some memories for many "old timers."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/LonghornTradingPostOverbrookOKCirca1945.jpg
The tourist attraction was located about 10 miles south of Ardmore, just south of the Carter county/Love county line on Highway 77. When I-35 came through about 1970 the attraction pretty much died a natural death after that. According to the back of the post card, Mac and Lois McIntosh were the owners. I'd play cowboys and Indians around the buildings and all. About the only thing left today is the rock houses. I wonder if Mac McIntosh is the Cliff "Mac" McIntosh who was head of the X-ray department at Ardmore's Memorial Hospital back in the 1970s?
Here's a couple photos I have collected through the years of the Longhorn Trading Post.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/LonghornTradingPost.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/LonghornTradingPost2.jpg
Inside view of the trading post.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/PCTradingPost.jpg
Some additional info I received in February 2014: "A couple of weeks ago you mentioned the Longhorn Trading Post near Overbrook. When it was first opened it was named Hardy Oaks and was a cafe?. I believe it was owned by Dr. Hardy. I had a friend who was a waitress there. There was also a tourist court." -Frances Dunlap
I stumbled across a very informative website about Courtney Flats in Love County, also informational webpages on nearby Petersburg, and Belleville communities.
A friend posted on my Facebook page enquiring if I had heard of the Rocking S Ranch east of Ardmore. It was new to me, maybe someone remembers this ranch?
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/RockingSranchArdmoreOK1966a.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/RockingSranchArdmoreOK1966b.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/RockingSranchArdmoreOK1966c.jpg
April 1983
A compromise settlement was made in the lawsuit between the town and former Lone Grove Police Chief Darrell Cathey. Town Trustees voted to reinstate Cathey as a police officer, effective immediately and drop the town's lawsuit which alleged that Cathey had $5,000 worth of equipment that belongs to the town in his possession. In return, Cathey agreed to dismiss his lawsuit against the town asking that he be reinstated as police chief. In other action trustees accepted the resignation of Bill Malone as police chief. Trustees did not appoint an acting police the chief of police and appointed Lincoln Stanley, trustee board chairman, as temporary supervisor of the police department. Officers David Dalton and Ted Montgomery will remain on the force.Q. Where in Oklahoma is an expired parking meter tombstone?
A. Okemah, Oklahoma
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/17633Q. Oklahoma's oldest continuously running rodeo is coming up next month. Where is it held each year?
A. Answer in next week's newsletterSome pavers I sandblasted recently.
Linda Shepard, Carter County Sheriffs Office Dispatch, will be clocking out for the last time the end of this month. I've known Linda since she worked at Ardmore's Ambulance Service when I was there. I'm proud to make this paver for her. It will go in the walkway at the entrance of the courthouse in the sheriffs office section on the west side of the courthouse.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/LindaShepardPaver.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/KendonEvansMarker.jpg
This one I sandblasted with a butterfly on it. Turned out beautiful.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/VereneThomasFTCPaver.jpg
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of June 15, 2006
Some of you may have walked the sidewalks of downtown Ardmore and happened across an impression in the sidewalk with the name L.R. Marston embedded in it. Last week the City of Ardmore finished installing a new sidewalk on all 3 sides of the courthouse. In this one section of sidewalk on the south side of the courthouse was this impression with "L.R. Marston, Contractor, Ardmore, I.T." in it. The City of Ardmore workers did a great job in saving this one piece from the backhoe demolition of the old sidewalk and it is now on display on the south side of the courthouse. Below is info on Mr. Marston taken from the "Pioneers Book".
"Lewis Robert Marston was born May 30, 1851, in Parsons Field, Maine. The Marstons migrated to Texas and it was here that he met Ida Buck and they were married in Austin. A stone mason, Marston worked on the Pecos bridge and the capitol of Texas at Austin. In 1901, Lewis and Ida moved from Cleburne, Texas, to Ardmore, Indian Territory. Lewis immediately went to work on a city project- the laying of the first concrete sidewalks in Ardmore. His nameplate "L.R. Marston? Ardmore, I.T." can still be found on some of the city's walkways. At the time of Marston's arrival, the Ardmore streets were still dirt and sand so that he built crossings of concrete which were slightly arched so that the water would not collect in them. The Marstons had four children: Lewis Robert Jr., Maybelle, Inez Brawley, Lorena. Mr. Marston died in 1930 at the age of 79. Ida lived until 1949 at the age of 93." -Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers by Patty Norton and Layton Sutton, 1984
Here is a picture of Mr. Lewis Robert Marston, provided by his granddaughter, Lorena Rose Lowenstein.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/LewisMarston6a.jpgBelow is a picture I took of the Marston logo that's now on display on the south side of the courthouse.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/MarstonContractor.jpg
This picture is of the new sidewalk going in at the courthouse.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/CourthouseSidewalk052606.jpg
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------------------------------------------------------------------------Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
Some time ago a discussion of the Airmail Beacon System across the US took place and I was able to locate several of the beacon sites outside of Salt Lake City but all that was left was the concrete arrows. The system of beacons ran from New York City to San Francisco.
Yesterday I was able to locate a beacon site in Dubois, Idaho using Google Maps and it showed a complete installation. I drove to Dubois today and here is a picture of what I found. The installation consists a beacon tower 50 feet tall mounted on a concrete arrow, generally 50 to 70 feet long, that showed the pilot which direction he should fly from that location. The building next to the tower was for the acetylene bottles that fueled the beacon. The acetylene line was still in place. Directly under the beacon was a set of red and green lights that would flash a Morse Code letter identifying the beacon to pilots. These beacons were placed about 10 miles apart so pilots could fly across the country at night without getting lost. (Do you think!)
Now, you have to remember that this system was developed in 1924. The pilots were flying open cockpit bi-planes and there was no radar or radio communication. This system was fully operational until 1933 when technology advancements made the beacons obsolete. The Depression also contributed to their obsolescence.
In the run-up to WWII, many of the beacons were disassembled for the steel which was in short supply. And over the years development has led to the destruction of many of the concrete arrows. But, if you have the inclination, you can find many of the arrows spread across the western states.
I discovered today that there are some beacons in Montana around Great Falls that are still in operation.
Last year when we were on I-40 in New Mexico we drove by a complete installation in Grants, NM that has been turned into The Aviation Heritage Museum of the Grants-Milan Airport. I didn't even know it was there. -Monroe
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/DuboisIDAirmailBeacon060518.jpgNice website of locations of beacons and arrows in the U.S.
http://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/arrows.htmlNote: There is an airmail arrow beacon near Turner Falls. CLICK HERE
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It's 10:30 on the morning of June 1. It's just begun to snow in Montana. This is not unusual. It has snowed the first week in June 10 of the 11 years we have been here. It is 32 degrees. -Monroe
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/MontanaSnow060118.jpg
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Remembering the 1950s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lT1sHyi2eY&feature=youtu.be
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Here are some pictures of the Tivoli through the years. -Jadean Frackell
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli_1912a.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli_1912b.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%201939.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Theatre%20inside%201940.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Theatre%201940.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Theatre%201942.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Wide%20Screen%201954.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Theatre%201963.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Tivoli%20Theatre%201964.jpg
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Some pictures of Ardmore Theaters as requested by Jim Guess. -Jeaden Frackrell
Ritz Theater became Park Theater
Star Theater is what is now The Stag
Temple Theater is the Masonic Temple Theater in the Ardmoreite Buildinghttp://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Temple%20Theatre%201940.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Temple%20Theatre%20inside%201940.jpgRitz Theater at 117 East Main
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Ritz%20Theatre%201936.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Ritz%20Theatre%201941.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Ritz%20Theatre%20inside%201940.jpgParamount Theater 110 West Main
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Paramount%20Theatre%201940.jpg
Star Theater at #7 East Main later became the Globe Theater. Owned by Hershel Gilliam.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Star%20Theatre%201940%20(stag).jpg
Fox Theater both on North side of Main between Caddo and Mill street.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18b/Fox%20Theatre%20Ardmore%201940.jpgRoxy Theater 13 East Main
Theaters in Ardmore where a big attraction for the servicemen and townspeople alike and in 1942 Ardmore had seven; the Jewel, the Paramount, the Ritz, the Roxy, the Stars, the Temple and the Tivoli. In 1943 the Roxy suffered fire damage and came back to life as the Globe Theater, a title submitted in the naming contest by an entrant commemorating William Shakespeare and the stage upon which he performed. Herschel Gilliam, the Globe's owner, added his own theatrical touch to downtown Ardmore by standing on the sidewalk in front of the globe and hawking current shows which were surprisingly good, in some instances verging on art productions otherwise not shown locally. The Temple, in the basement of the Masonic building later the Ardmoreite Building charged a nickel for those under 12 for Saturday morning shows. East of the Globe a theater in the form of a log cabin, The Fox Theater, was popular with youngsters on Saturday mornings. The screen was located at the front of the theater with seating reversed from the usual order and facing from the back toward Main Street. Youngster soon learned that it was easy to sneak into the Fox through the large air vents in the back of the building. Sadly, one morning as a young boy made his way through the vent, the fan came on, severing his leg. -Sally Gray, Territory Town, The Ardmore Story published 2006
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-----------------------------------------------He who knows best knows how little he knows. -Thomas Jefferson
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
"Friends Make Life Worth Living"
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm's Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us
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