This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 11 Issue 554 Circulation 5,000 September 6, 2007
Ardmore, Oklahoma
A few weeks ago we talked about there being 2 Fort Arbuckles. The later one just west of Davis, but another earlier one located near Sand Springs, Oklahoma in Tulsa county. Well, there was another surprise this week when Albert Cullum of Overbrook came by with an 1885 map of Indian Territory. On the map just about 10 or so miles NE of Pauls Valley was "old Camp Arbuckle". I did a search in google and found the following picture and info on Camp Arbuckle.
http://www.forttours.com/pages/moharbuckle.asp
http://www.chickasawhistory.com/FTA1.htm
Of the old 1885 map Albert brought in, here is a scan I did and marked in red for reference where Ardmore and Pauls Valley would have been located. There was no Ardmore but I see there was a Healdton on the map, and the road went east from Healdton to Lou (Gene Autry), then turned north. Old maps are so interesting to study. I can never get enough of them.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/OldFtArbuckle1885b.jpg
Albert Cullum had another little surprise with him, the book Gunman's Territory which he owns. He loaned it out one time to kinfolk, and its kinda worn, but still the book has value since they are really had to find and when you do, the cost is in the 100s of dollars.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/AlbertCullum090507a.jpg
Hand written to Albert on the inside from J. Kelly Baker, the brother of Gunman's Territory's author, is the following:
To Albert Cullum, Leroy's friend while he was undersheriff of Carter county.
E. Leroy Baker, the author
by: Leroy's brother
J. Kelly Baker, Feb 9, 1973, Zanies
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/AlbertCullum090507b.jpg
Lewis Robert Marston was born in Maine in 1851. We have talked about Mr. Marston in a T&T last year and how he came to Ardmore, Indian Territory in 1901 and began pouring the first concrete sidewalks in town. Marston's named can still be found imbedded in some of the older concrete sidewalks in the downtown area. When new sidewalks were poured around the courthouse last year, we were able to save one of those pieces of concrete with L.R. Marston on it. It is on display on the southside of the courthouse. Last summer Lewis Robert Marston's granddaughter, Lorena Lowenstein, stopped by with her great nephew, Garret Bell, to see the piece of history. Below is a photo of Lorena and Garret standing beside the Marston marker.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LorenaLowenstein2007.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/MarstonContractor.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/LewisMarston6a.jpg
Wayne Vaughn had the honor of painting the last finishing touches on the 3rd floor rotunda at the Carter county courthouse this week. Wayne and James Lindsey have been busy the past few weeks painting the trim in the rotunda, transforming it from just a plain white surface to a colorful work of art on all three floors. It is really a transformation, returning the rotunda's wood trim to how it most likely looked in 1910 when the courthouse was completed. If you haven't been in the courthouse lately, and you live nearby, I recommend you stop by and see for yourself the new look inside. And if you come early, you might even be able to find a cup of coffee brewing in some of the offices.
The courthouse belongs to the people and the Carter County Commissioners are its caretakers. Since 1907, 45 men have held the honor of keeping the courthouse the beautiful piece of history it is in this county. Of those 45 county commissioners, three held the distinction of being elected to a second call to service by the people after leaving their office the first time. Those 3 men were W.H. Kirkpatrick (1907-1908 and 1910-1914) and O.K. Darden (1907-1912 and 1923-1930) and Cole Johnson (1931-1934 and 1941-1946). I tried to find out the complete names and burial places on Kirkpatrick and Darden, but no one I contacted had any information on those 2 men. Maybe someone knows some surviving kinfolks still in the area?
Stop by your courthouse from time to time and spend a few minutes looking at a 96 year old piece of history. She still stands as a beacon for the people of this county.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WayneVaughn090407.jpg
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/PastCommissioners.html
We talked about the house movers were in town moving the old Loaves and Fishes building from across the street from the First Baptist Church to SE of Dickson across the road from the Tiny Chapel. Last week the building was cut in half and this week both pieces were moved to the new location east of town.
Below is a pic of the house after it was cut in half and the west side moved to Dickson.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LoavesAndFishes04c.jpg
Below is a couple of pics of the east side of the building being moved out of town.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LoavesAndFishes07d.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LoavesAndFishes07e.jpg
And this is how the lot looks with the Loaves and Fishes gone.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LoavesAndFishes04f.jpg
Curtis Watts is the house mover out of Paden, Oklahoma who did the work getting the building cut in half and moved 12 miles east of Ardmore.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WattsHouseMovinga.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WattsHouseMovingb.jpg
The annual Murray County Tractor Show is coming up this month.... Sept 14, 15 and 16. Jill and I attend the show last year and it was one of the best events we went to..... something for everyone, old and young alike. If you've never been to the Murray count tractor show, you've really missed a great time. And for the $2 admission, you won't get any more enjoyment for the money! Maybe we will see some of you there!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/MurrayTractorShow07.jpg
Jill and I were leaving the house last Saturday for a little trip and about a block south I noticed a guy on the corner with an easel painting something. I had to investigate. I stopped and he said his name was Chris Easley and he had just moved to Ardmore about 6 weeks ago. He said he is always looking for something to paint, and noticed the historical beauty in the old Sayre-Mann house at 323 F SW. He waved his hand from left to right and mentioned this area of Ardmore was the most beautiful of the entire town. Kinda made me proud to live in this historic part of Ardmore.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ChrisEasley.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/EasleyPainting7a.jpg
Jill's flower garden on the north side of the house has done well this year. She really has a green thumb, although I did do a lot of the watering each evening, if that counts. lol
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/HouseGarden090507.jpg
Bromide,Oklahoma, formerly Zenobia. In northeastern Johnston county, 5 miles northwest of Wapanuka. Post office name changed to Bromide, June 8, 1907. Took its name from nearby mineral springs. -Oklahoma Place Names
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
Hear ye, hear ye, I am the official town cryer . Let it be know that Medicine Park is going to be 100 years old July 4, 2008 and we are publishing it's Centennial Cookbook! There will be over 100 recipes from the old timers who have entered bliss and also from folks who are living in the area today. There will be short bios, facts and old photos relating to Medicine Park throughout the cookbook. I have typed up several of these recipes including one from 1870 for bread pudding which was a family tradition passed down to this generation and let me tell you, I almost drowned in my own saliva! If you think you may be interested in collecting this great cookbook, one would be wise to contact David Lott with your request for a copy. His email is dlott@lawtonka.com Plans are to have the books ready for delivery in October. Price is very affordable with 50% of the proceeds benefiting Medicine Park Community Center.
Joy Willingham
Medicine Park, OK
"Butch: Horned Toads are on the endangered species list in the state of Texas, and have been for many years." -Scott
"Butch, I was raised at Bromide but your map of Sequoia had a town I had never heard of between Connerville and Tishomingo called New Tishomingo. Maybe that is worthy of your investigation." -Jim
"Hi Butch and Jill, I appreciate your newsletters and anxiously await each issue. Even though I live in the Florida Keys and have been gone from Ardmore for 50+ yrs., I usually get a few nice memories of my childhood each week when I read the articles- -About the horny toad in the last issue; am I wrong or does that seem to be a very young or sick horny toad. I think I remember them being much bigger than that. One day when I made the walk from our farm 3 mi. East of Ardmore to my grandmother's house on S.E. C St. I counted a huge number of them. When I got to Grandma's, I asked her if it meant anything special to see so many on one day, (expecting some wisdom like "it's gonna storm", etc.). My Grandma simply answered in her N. Texas humor that it probably meant that there were a lot of horny toads out today. -Speaking of family owned grocery stores, my aunt and uncle had a store and p.o. at Brock and next door a very small church where my uncle was the preacher. Their names were Stanley and Thelma Trent and had a son named Dale Wayne Trent. They closed their store around 1953 and the church kinda 'faded' away. I don't know why. -Since my mother's family were mostly living around Brock and my Dad's around Dickson, I covered a lot of that country when young up through my teenage years when I got to come back to spend summers with Grandma. Matter of fact I have fond memories of me and a pal named Jimmy Shockley when we were 12 and 13 riding our horses up Tater Hill a few times during the summers. We sometimes had to stop to steal a watermelon from an old farmer's patch, a nice treat for me, Jimmy and the horses, (sorry, I'd pay him now if I knew how). Houses were very scarce, and very few fences back then made horseback riding a pretty fun way to spend summers. Nice memories. Please keep it up." -Ron Holt
"Butch, I enjoyed reading through your list of grocery stores from 50 years ago, and one of them caught my eye. Elles Grocery on B Street Northwest. It was Shannon's Grocery back in the 1940s and early 1950s. I was just a kid in the '40s, and was probably in that store most every day hoping they'd received a stock of bubblegum-- It was hard to get due to all the war rationing. The Shannons lived right next door to their little market. They were a nice couple, both working in the store. He did everything from trimming/cutting meats to order, to writing in your family's charge-ticket book what you'd bought. They seemed to stock most everything a family needed for meal preparation -- long before the day of frozen dinners/entrees, and boxed cake mixes! I have fond memories of that little neighborhood store." -Mae D. Cox in Norman, Oklahoma
"Butch, I was wondering if anyone might have a front view picture of the Squeeze In Cafe that was down on main street that shows the name on it. My Father met my Mother there in 1947 and wrote a poem about her. I would love to have a picture to put with the poem. Thank you to anyone who could help me."
"Greetings all, Below is a photo of my life and one half size bronze sculpture of Billy Sims, OU?s 1978 Heisman Trophy recipient. The piece was unveiled yesterday September 1, 2007. It is installed on the east side of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. ?The? Billy Sims is standing in front of the sculpture. The bronze was cast and finished by John Free Jr. of the Bronze Horse foundry in Pawhuska, OK. The foam for the enlargement was cut by Roger, Alan, and Greg of Synappsys in Norman, OK. This is an Oklahoma Centennial Project. It has been an honor and a privilege to create this piece. Billy was very taken by the symbolism of being recognized in such a way. To all of you who have helped in spirit as well as providing the labor to complete the project. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you" -Jim
Jim Franklin Sculpture Studio
602 Cedar
Perry, OK 73077http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/BillySims.jpg
"I'm here to tell you about the best hamburger I believe I've had right in our back door. It is at our own Lake Murray Lodge. My wife and I, with another couple, went there last night (Monday). Butch, they are out of this world, and you won't leave hungry either. You gotta go try it."
"I am still uncertain as to the location of Clinton school though. Would you please post a request for any class pictures taken from 1910-1915 for the Berwyn school? I would like to find one of my father." -Mike West
"Ran across your site while rummaging thru the `net, and thought I'd give you what I know about drip gasoline. Growing up in West Virginia, we almost always had a 55 gallon drum of drip behind the garage. It always "magically" appeared overnight, and my brothers & I never knew who delivered it. (It was sort of like moonshine for our combustible engines.) Dad would always put a quart of 2-cycle oil in the drum before using it, and we'd always mix it 50/50 with regular gas. We used it in all of our gas-burning engines that way. You could always tell who was using it in their vehicles, as it had a unique smell that was given off when being used. We lived in natural gas country, not oil country, although there were a few oil wells in the area. Still not sure exactly where it came from, and honestly, I don't want to know, as Dad once told me how hard the local law officers would bust people caught moving it."
"Butch, In reference to that sunburn...being a nurse aide/provider long ago I saw the RNs use "Utter Balm with Lanolin and Aloe Vera" (creamy kind/whipped) after cleaning with peroxide on an old lady's arm that had been bumped and the skin tore back [as we normally see in elderly people] before putting the gauze on it. The RN told me it was good for sunburns and I found that to be very true. You might get a large container of it at Wal-Mart in the Pharmacy Dept. or at any place that deals with any kind of Utter Balm (even the Co-Op.) Last time I bought it, it was around $9.59 plus tax." -Carol
"Interesting interview with George Bourland, Butch. I met George back in the early 60s. When I was 11 years old I started working for Tommy Anastasio washing dishes, then cooking pizzas, then steaks until I was doing just about everything except waiting the tables and mixing the dough. It got to where, on Fridays, the busiest night of the week, Tommy would say "I got an errand to do boy, I'll be back in about 15 minutes." Then he'd come back hours later just after closing time with either George Bourland or a police officer named Marchesani (sp?). They would be about half-lit and on one occasion even offered me a glass of wine. I did say I was 11 didn't I? I was kind of annoyed at being left to do everything but proud that he had the confidence in me. I thought those guys were really cool and George was one of the funniest old guys I ever met." -Dave
"Butch, I lived at 707 K St. NW from about 1946 until 1954. The store I remember was at the NE corner of K Street and 8th. I do not know the names of the people who owned it. I have a cute story about that store and the different times back then. At about age 5 or so I decided to take some change from my mother?s purse and go over to the store for a treat. I believe I bought a pop and a candy bar. By the time I got home my mother was waiting for me. The people at the store knew I shouldn?t have had that much money and that I wasn?t allowed to cross the street without permission. They called my mother to let her know I was buying candy and pop. I got to cut my own willow switch from the tree out back. I learned several good lessons that day." -Carrol Evans
"The Community Choral Society will begin rehearsing each Monday evening, beginning SEPTEMBER 17TH, 7:00 p.m. at Northwest Baptist Church in Ardmore for our upcoming Christmas concert. Wes Singleton will be conducting this year's concert, which will be held on Saturday, December 1st and and Sunday, 2nd. Maybe a lot of readers would be interested in singing. Thank you!"
"We wish to express our appreciation to all that worked on our reunion last weekend at the dragstrip. It was really a lot of fun and was enjoyed by all. A special "THANK YOU' goes to Rob Ragland for all his work and dedication . I saw many pictures of us guys, past and present that I had not seen before. Also , thanks to Johnny Laird, for having us out to the old dragstrip. Many improvements have kept that 'original' going these many years." -Dennis Lavers
The Wilson News 4-15-1915 submitted by Mindy Taylor
Fire Damages Printing Plant
On Wednesday morning of last week a fire occurred in the office of The News printing plan and the damage to machinery and material was such that we were unable to get out a paper last week, and from present indications we may be obliged to give our subscribers a small paper such as can be printed on the job press until we can get the news press repaired. We are not in shape this week to do much more than get out this small sheet in order that our readers may know the conditions existing. While the damage to the plant is severe, we hope to be able in a few weeks to resume full publication of The News. It will greatly assist if those knowing themselves indebted to us will pay up at this time. We wish to take this opportunity to thank those good citizens who so valiantly fought the fire and prevented further damage. We also thank the managements of the Ardmoreite and Statesman of Ardmore, and the News of Ringling for offers of assistance in getting out a paper when they thought this plant entirely destroyed. Now we hope to be able to begin making repairs so that we may soon resume the full size publication. No reasonable adjustment of fire loss however, can fully compensate for the actual damages sustained in a case of this kind; and it is going to be hard to get back. We are going to need every dollar we can raise. If you owe us for subscription, or otherwise, please remember that NOW is the time we need the money. Wilson museum hours, Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters. -Plato
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net
PO Box 2
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Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
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Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
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