This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 25  Issue 1,296   Circulation 5,000      November 25, 2021
Ardmore, Oklahoma
My email address:  [email protected]
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

The Wilson Post, Wilson, Oklahoma. February 29, 1968
Flying Saucers Here!
Flying saucers, UFOs or whatever you may call them, are back in the news this week. This time it didn't happen in New Mexico, or Texas, but in southwest Healdton, right in our own backyard. The saucer looking apparatus was spotted on two different occasions, once last Wednesday night and again in the same vicinity on last Friday night near the Bill Claxton home, southwest of town near the Wirt community. On Wednesday night the UFO was first discovered in the pasture area about two blocks from the Claxton home.
Mrs. Claxton said she accidentally spotted the brilliant light and in a few minutes it took off. The light grew smaller as it disappeared in the sky. She related how she told her husband, Bill, about the strange object but she said he apparently didn't think much about the idea. On Friday night Mrs. Claxton told how her dogs barked and barked. She decided to get up and see what was going on and as she was looking through a window the saucer like object swished through the sky at a very low altitude. She said it to almost touch the Roy Withers home. The Withers' are neighbors living only a small distance the from Claxton home.

She said she is almost certain it landed near the same location where she first spotted it on the previous Wednesday night. Trees prevented her from seeing it again. The next day they visited the spot where the UFO was thought to have been when it was first seen, but there were no visible signs of any landing on the ground. Mrs. Claxton said the UFO had the appearance of a white round squash and was "full of brilliant lights". She said she thought of calling the police or sheriff and then decided it would probably be gone by the time they arrived.

The Wilson Post, Wilson, Oklahoma
March 7, 1968
Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) are still reported flitting around in the Healdton air space. The latest report comes from a Healdton woman, Mrs. Robert Finley and her daughter, Lawan, who were "escorted" for almost a distance of five miles last Friday night by the object. The two were enroute home after visiting some folks in the Ardmore Hospital. Just before they reached the turnoff near the Healdton "Y" on U.S. 70 Mrs. Finley notice a saucer looking object over the highway near the drive-in theater. It was going south, but all of a sudden the object circled around and started following the Finley vehicle as they started on the five mile road to Healdton going north. This was around 11pm.
The flying object flew barely above the tree tops, said Mrs. Finley, always staying on the west side of the road. There was a brilliant light that blinked sometimes, she said, and she could see the object was round. Mrs. Finley was driving the car and her daughter, Lawan, had time to keep close watch on the object. "It definitely was not an airplane," agreed Mrs. Finley. "I don't know what it was but it looked like a saucer flying through the air. I was driving pretty fast about that time, but soon as we reached the city limits it disappeared somewhere." Mrs. Finley said she was scared to death. She didn't know what would happen next.

August 1968
Dickson schools has voted to incorporate with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities associated therewith. There were 147 votes all together with 137 individuals in favor of incorporation. The proposed townsite of Dickson is a two-mile-wide strip along U.S. 70 extending 5.5 miles from the Carter-Johnston line towards the Ardmore eastern city limits. The census revealed their are 554 residents living within the new town boundaries

August 1927
Jack Hammitt is exhibiting a gigantic molar tooth of some prehistoric animal that he found in Rock Creek near Deese. Hammitt was strolling along the creek when he was attracted to an article that was shining in the water. Three prongs of the root of the teeth are clearly defined but the interior of the tooth has decayed and is filled with sand and gravel.

August 1951
Murray County Sheriff John Samples said the case of the missing 38 year old X chorus girl who was last seen in black brassiere and panties has been cleared up. Samples said husband, H. N. Walker, located his wife and the two are living in Tulsa. An extensive search was made after it was believed Mrs. Walker had met foul play. Walker was beaten in a saloon and their new car was found burning in the Arbuckle Mountains.

Still finding people in Oklahoma with unclaimed money. We're now over the $1.7 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 established the first trading post in Oklahoma?
A.  Auguste Pierre Chouteau

Q.  Every year, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats return to an area in Oklahoma as part of their migratory path. The bats travel over 1,400 miles to give birth to their young and care for them in this protected area. Where in Oklahoma does this yearly event happen?
A.  Answer in next week's newsletter

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

Happy Thanksgiving Butch and Jill. You bring a lot of joy to your readers and this week's Newsletter has some good stuff especially the link to the Gene Autry movies. Brings back many memories of watching him at the old Dixie theater in Holdenville, Oklahoma as a kid. Praying you have a good gathering of family, friends and good southern food for Thanksgiving.  -Jerry Summy
 https://archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3Amovies%20AND%20collection%3Aclassic_tv%20AND%20subject%3A%22Gene%20Autry%22
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Hope you and Jill have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for sending the newsletter each week. -Norene Wynn Gravley
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Hello, I have been doing some research about my great great grandfather Moses E Harris. I came across your newsletter and it looks as if you have access to two books he wrote, do you know where I might be able to get a copy of them? Were they published books? Aside from your post, I can't find any other information on them. I'd love to find out more, I hope to hear from you soon! -Laura Lloyd

Also, the picture was taken in September 1956. I have another one from the same day with the date on it. -Susan Martens

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/CornishWell_1960.jpg
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Below is from This and That newsletter archives of November 26, 2009

"Butch, the picture my sister and I are submitting dates back to 1905 or 1906. This was a one room school at Graham, Carter County, Oklahoma. The teacher on the front right is Cora Ballard, an aunt. Two spaces to her right is our mother, Della Ballard born May, 6, 1901 and on her right is her sister, Mae Ballard born May 6, 1889. The young child in the wicker buggy is from the Brooks family. He had a condition that caused the bones to break at the slightest pressure, hence the buggy. The grown man on the back row is Homer Burrow. Three spaces to his left is Bryon Grisham, born October 7, 1896 in Indian Territory. Little did Della and Bryon realize it, but 18 years later they would marry and have three children: Bob Grisham, Elisabeth Grisham and Marjorie Grisham.

Della and Mae's mother, Jenny Ellen Berry Ballard died when they are 4 and 6 years old. Their father, Charles Ballard was a medical doctor who served a wide area in and around Ardmore, Kingston, Pooleville, Madill,, etc. Dr Ballard died at the early age of 47 due to heart problems. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Ardmore. Bryon died at age 76 in Ardmore, Della died at age 104 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery as is our brother, Bob.

Not many people are still around that can identify some of the other children in the photo. If you or any of your T&T Readers recognize any of the others, lets us know." -Elizabeth Spain and Marjorie Holmes, Tulsa
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/Grisham1905b.jpg
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"Butch, An interesting article about B.L . Owens furniture store of Ardmore that sponsored a country and western show on Channel 10 in Ada back in 1954. The duo was Jude and Jodie of Jude and Jodie Furniture in OKC.  In 1954, after auditioning for a spot on a 30-minute weekly show that was sponsored by the B.L. Owens Furniture Store in Ardmore and broadcast over KTEN-TV in Ada, they were hired for $50 a week."
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 "Butch,  Here are some images of the old  Union Station here in Oklahoma City."  -Cecil Elliott

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/OldUnionStationOKC1109a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/OldUnionStationOKC1109b.jpg

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An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.

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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