This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 25  Issue 1,292   Circulation 5,000      October 28, 2021
Ardmore, Oklahoma
My email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
580-490-6823

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us,
What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

A Glimpse Into The Past

September 25, 26, and 27, 1906

First State Fair at Ardmore Fair Grounds.

The Ardmore Fair Association backed by every public spirited person in Ardmore, is making this year preparation to give, greatest fair in Territorial history. The railroad companies have promised material aid and from all Territory and north Texas points will give for this great occasion. Thousands of dollars given in purses and awards. Make your arrangements to spend these 3 days in Ardmore.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos21b/ArdmoreFirstStateFair1906.jpg

The Oklahoma City state fair opened a year later on October 5, 1907.

Every now and then when doing some research something catches me off guard. Today I was searching for info on Lorenz O. Boyd and notice the name John Harnitt, Ardmore chief of police, in the article. I have a list of Ardmore's police chiefs starting in 1898 but I didn't see the name Harnitt among the names. But according to the June 4, 1935 issue of The Daily Ardmoreite, it listed John Harnitt as chief. I did some googling and I'm wondering if Harnitt is spelled wrong? One thing for sure, Lorenzo Boyd is spelled wrong in the newspaper clipping.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos21b/LorenzoBoydPoliceman060435.jpg

Still finding people in Oklahoma with unclaimed money. We're now over the $1.6 Million dollars. Sometimes progress is slow locating people or their kin with unclaimed insurance money at the State Treasurers office in OKC but we keep moving forward.

How long has it been since you checked your name or a family member's name? Its easy to do a search at the Oklahoma State Treasurer link below. I think every state in the union has a unclaimed property website through the respective state treasures website.
https://apps.ok.gov/unclaimed/

If you have Facebook, I created a new Page called Southern Oklahoma Unclaimed Insurance Money. The only Post that will go on that page is names and towns of people we are looking for with unclaimed money;

https://www.facebook.com/South-Central-Oklahoma-Unclaimed-Insurance-Money-114246471027358

Q.  Who won the battle of the Red River Villages?
A.   The Wichita Tribe. The battle lasted four hours. The Spanish were unable to approach the palisaded village. The eleven volleys of cannon fire they directed at the palisade were ineffective. The fighting ceased at nightfall and the Spanish reassessed their situation. The Indians had captured their two cannons, 19 men in the Spanish army, mostly Spaniards, were dead and 14 were wounded. A number of men had deserted. The priests and officers petitioned Ortiz Parrilla to abandon the fight. Next morning, he ordered a return to San Saba which the Spanish force and their Yojuane captives reached on October 25.
https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=TW005

Q.  Who was governor of Oklahoma between 1906 and 1907 before statehood?
A.  Answer in next week's newsletter

Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....

Hi Butch, That article in this week’s T&T about Solomon’s Bakery brought back some pleasant memories of all the goodies they had. One of my favorites was their Salt-Rising Bread. Oh what a pungent odor it had, but when toasted and slathered in butter was so delicious. Sadly I’ve never been able to find anywhere that sells that product. Back a long time ago, a bakery in Bethany had salt-rising bread, but it just wasn’t the same. Then, they too closed down. Thanks for running the item… sure made me wish for another loaf of that bread. -Mae D Cox
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Q. Do you know about an area near Cheek where an Indian village was located and reported as one of the last battles between the Indians and military cavalry troops took place. There is natural flint just southeast of the Indian village where they used the flint to make arrowheads near to where a stage coach crossing was located. There is a story that a stash of gold was hidden in the area by bandits who held up the stage coach there. -Nathan

A. Yes…I am familiar with these!!! The ‘Indian village’ was located just SW of Jack Vandeventer’s old home place, near the banks of the bayou. The battle asked about was on the Dr. Moxley Ranch, west of Grassy Lake, near Battle Spring Lake! The ‘flint field’ is on Morgan’s property (Teresa Morgan’s relatives), just south of the ‘hog pens’. Arrowheads could occasionally be found there, after Mr. Morgan plowed! The stage crossing was on my Great Uncle, Carrell Bogle’s, property, just south of Bill Newman’s place, and crossed the Bayou there. The stage holdup was an Army payroll, and the escort wasn’t far behind the stage when it was hit… and that is when they surprised the bandits and a shootout followed!!! There is more to the story, but to make a long story short… the strongbox was not recovered!!! -Allen Flowers
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Pauls Valley Fly-in, car show, and food court - Nov 6th
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos21b/PaulsValleyFlyIn.jpg
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Below is from This and That newsletter archives of October 29, 2009

Lee Thompson at Healdton ran across an interesting postcard on eBay the other day of which she is now the proud owner.  Its a photograph of the SS Healdton.  The American steam tanker was built in 1908 by a British ship building company and named after the Healdton oil field.  Thanks to Lee the first picture of the steamship is now on the Internet and available for all to see. Below is an email Lee received from a website manager whose website is dedicated to shipping tankers.

"Hello Lee, thanks for visiting my site and your email. Also thanks for the nice photo of the "Healdton", I will put her on the site. You are right the vessel "Healdton" was named after an Oil field. It was the custom for Standard Oil to rename tankers to oil production fields. Also some of the Standard where named after presidents of the company and also directors of the board. For instance the tankers of the Lago Oil Co., where all named to Oil fields in Venezuela !! Later the Esso vessels where all named to importend locations of the Standard Oil company, such as refineries or Oil harbours where the Esso vessels where sailing to. Again many thanks, best regards." -Auke Visser, Holland    http://www.aukevisser.nl

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/SSHealdtonShip.jpg

Unfortunately the SS Healdton was struck by a torpedo in 1917 during WWI and sank off the coast of Holland. She sank in 20 minutes, with loss of life of many crew members. 13 of the 41 crew members were Americans.  The few who did survive the fiery initial blast suffered frostbite and frozen limbs from the frigid February water of the North Sea.

http://www.aukevisser.nl/inter/id753.htm

Thanks Lee for bringing to life this piece of Carter county history through a photograph.
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"Butch, the neighbor had these photos of the 1915 Ardmore Explosion. I have seen some but not some of the other photos."  -Mike

Photo 1    Photo 2    Photo 3    Photo 4    Photo 5    Photo 6

Photo 7    Photo 8    Photo 9    Photo 10    Photo 11

Photo 12     Photo 13    Photo 14    Photo 15

Photo 16    Photo 17    Photo 18


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"Butch: Another piece of forgotten/unknown Oklahoma history from the early 1940s. Dark Fantasy was a short series with tales of the weird, adventures of the supernatural, created by Scott Bishop. The series aired as a horror drama on NBC between 1941 and 1942."
http://www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Dark_Fantasy
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"Butch since we are all being wary of the flu bug that is going around now, I'd like you to read a report from Rick Wallace's updated Veterans Center website. Now this was in 1918 when the flu was very bad."

ARDMORE CONFEDERATE HOME
PHYSICIAN'S REPORT
Ardmore, Oklahoma December 31, 1918

To the Honorable Board of Trustees for the Confederate Home of Oklahoma

Gentlemen:
In submitting herein my second biennial report (for 1917 and 1918) covering conditions from my view point as Medical Advisor for the Home, I refer with some degree of pride and gratification to the fact there have died not more than six inmates from acute diseases during this period. These six have all died of pneumonia as a sequel to la grippe. All other deaths (twenty seven in number) have resulted from infirmities incident to age. Thirteen of the deaths in the Home occurred in 1917 and twenty during 1918. The general health of the inmates has been exceptionally good during the entire period covered by this report. There have been no cases of Influenza in the Home during the terrible epidemic which has prevailed so extensively since last September. Shortly after this fearful disease began to rage throughout the country , taking its ghastly toll of life, I placed a quarantine over the Home, hope to save its inmates from its ravages, fearing it would almost depopulate the institution in case it ever got started there and prevailed to the extent it had been doing elsewhere. After the first wave of this pandemic had passed over I found that for some reason, as yet unexplained, old people where in a large measure immune to this disease. I then lifted the quarantine and allowed the inmates their usual liberty. I have not been able to identify a single case of the ?flu? so far in this institution, and as the second wave is passing, I trust we will be spared from this menace to the health in the Home.

Very respectfully,
J. C. McNees
Physician In Charge
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Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain. -Oscar Hammerstein II

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

"Friends Make Life Worth Living"
Ardmore, Oklahoma
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
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
 http://cartercountyok.us

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