This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 11 Issue 559 Circulation 5,000 October 11, 2007
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmoreite Neal Freeman stopped by to see me the other day. Neal has done extensive research on a family member of his by the name of John Wesley Matlock. Matlock was killed in action in France during WWI at a place called Le Chene Tondue in the Argonne forest. Doing an exact search in google (using quotation marks) I only find one mention of Le Chene Tondue......
"There was Le Chene Tondue, a saw-toothed height jutting out of the Argonne Forest into the valley like the prow of a ship. From it German artillery dominated the lower half of both the valley and the forest. Next we passed the heights of Cornay and Châtel-Chéhéry, equally crucial to the upper half of the valley. Storming those nearly perpendicular slopes made men remember their eldersâ stories of Lookout Mountain and Cold Harbor in the Civil War." Below is a link to the webpage page:
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1968/6/1968_6_44.shtml
John Matlock was born in 1890 in the area of where Marsden, Oklahoma (SW of Ardmore) would soon be located. He died September 28, 1918 in the valley of death in France. John Wesley Matlock would be buried for the 3rd and final time in Rosehill Cemetery, Lot 5, Section 95, on October 30, 1921.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LeCheneTondu7a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/NealFreeman7a.jpg
Neal Freeman's book Le Chene Tondu is nearly 200 pages and chocked full of pictures and historical info from this war, called the War to end Wars. I have the book on DVD but for some reason I have not been able to pull it up on my computer. I will try it on some other computers and see if that makes a difference. If anyone is interested in Neal's book, let me know. He complied the book for his research purposes only, and not for sale. But maybe we can get you a copy if anyone so desires.
Marsden, Oklahoma: In northern Love county, 5 miles west of Overbrook. A post office from February 7, 1895 to June 30, 1922. -Oklahoma Place Names
Last Monday Jill and I were in Wilson, Oklahoma and just on the west side of Wilson is the Wagon Wheel Cafe. I remember it being so many different kinds of eating served there over the years.... a fish place, a BBQ place, a steak place, but now it's just an old fashion cafe serving a great hamburger among other foods. It was cooked just right, fresh vegetables, and a thick piece of meat. Good to the last bite!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WagonWheelBurger.jpg
One thing that is almost a thing of the past with most eating places, in southern Oklahoma at least, is fresh cut french fries. We ordered a plate and they were delicious with ketchup, peeling and all.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WagonWheelFries.jpg
Just before leaving, I snapped a pic of the outside of the cafe.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WagonWheelOutside.jpg
This is a framed photograph hanging on the wall in the Wagon Wheel Cafe, a picture of the old Wilson, Oklahoma pool hall. I see some guys on the left playing dominos, a favorite pastime by many old timers back then.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WilsonPoolHall.jpg
Of course we could drive through Wilson without stopping to see our friends Dan and Susanne Jolliff, owners of Coffee Professionals. With winter coming on, we wanted to make sure we had a supply of OkieBlend coffee. While visiting the Jolliffs, they showed us their newest van for delivering all their coffees and sundries.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/CoffeeProfessionalsVan.jpg
If you're in the Wilson area during the weekdays, stop in and visit Dan and Susanne, and pick up some coffee while your there. Or if your too far away for a visit to Wilson, drop by their website and place an order. Below is a scan I did of a listing of all the good things available.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/CoffeeProfessionalsMenu1.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/CoffeeProfessionalsMenu2.jpg
http://www.coffeeprofessionals.com/
After visiting with several people in Wilson, Jill and I traveled on over to Healdton, Oklahoma and noticed two old cabooses in a backyard on West Lincoln Street. I was told these were originally moved there and turned into a bed and breakfast type setting, but for whatever reason, that never happened.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/HealdtonCaboose7a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/HealdtonCaboose7b.jpg
A year or so ago a Reader told me about a rock SW of Lone Grove called Poker Rock. This is one piece of Carter county history I had never heard of until 2 years ago. The story goes that back before Oklahoma was a state this rock was used by groups of men to congregate around and play poker, and drink moonshine. I'm sure there was lots of illegal activities going on around this rock, since it was way out in the boonies, a long way from law enforcement officials. Last week we were traveling west on Timber Road (2 miles south of Lone Grove and Highway 70) and there right in front of me was this huge rock. What a unusual piece of history, just sitting there in the yard. Jill mentioned how she wish she had Poker Rock, she could do some landscaping and turn it into a water falls. That hole in the side sure looks spooky, not telling what is down there. lol
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PokerRock7a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PokerRock7b.jpg
Doug Williams sent in a pic of their sweet potato plants growing in their yard. It's a beautiful plant that is overlooked by most growers.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WilliamsSweetPotatoPlants.jpg
Drake store used to be located 8 miles south of Sulphur on Highway 177. At one time there was a state Historical Marker located at the Drake store telling about a Gov Cyrus Harris of the Chickasaw Nation. Harris was the first governor of the Chickasaws, a post he would hold for 5 years until he resigned in 1878. Cyrus was born in August 22, 1817 in near Pontotoc, Mississippi and moved with his mother to Indian Territoriy in 1837. Speaking both English and Chickasaw fluently, Harris served as an interpeter at several Chickasaw removal councils. On January 6, 1888 he died at his home in Mill Creek, Indian Territory. Cyrus Harris is buried 1 1/2 miles west of Drake in the Drake Cemetery. -Mark of Heritage
Jill and I are the proud owners of 3 acres not too far south of the Lone Grove post office. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but last Friday it became final..... we are now land barons. Now to work on getting a home built on it. We are looking forward to living in the country..... and nature. More in a future issue of T&T.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/OurNewHome.jpg
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"Does anyone know where the Star Cemetery is or was located? I think in the Madill, Kingston area not sure. My great grandmother, Josephine Keith Nail was buried there in about 1912. She died of pneumonia or exposure after a blue norther blew in while she and my great grandfather Charles Columbus Nail were riding in an open wagon. Both of them were part Native American. She was part Cherokee and he was 3/4 Choctaw. I was told I have relatives from the Nail family who work in Kingston, OK at the City offices but was not able to stop by when in Oklahoma in early August for my mothers interment at the Oakland Cemetery by her family. I have looked for the Star Cemetery in Oklahoma cemeteries and found many old neighbors and my uncle, Alfred Koons and his wife Imogene in the Mannsville Cemetery. I would like to find out where it is located." -Loretta Koons JLMK1943@aol.com
"A guy and his wife that I work with made this website... check it out and register if you want to... he's trying to build viewers to their site... check out the "lowest gas prices" tab." -Jerry http://www.ardmoretoday.com/
"My dad worked at Murphy's for 30 years or more. The shop was 1 block east of the intersection of Stanley and South Washington. Most of the equipment in the original building was belt driven powered by a single electric motor. The speed of the lathes was set by moving the drive belt to different size pulleys. The center building was the welding shop and the 3rd and last building housed the lathe my dad operated. It was a 6 & 9/16 in. hollow spindle lathe primarily used for straightening and threading drill pipe." -Marion Patten in Lago Vista, Tx.
"Once again, thank you for your help in our quest to track down Elvis Roy Jones, the flight instructor who was at American Flyers back in the early 1960’s. Perhaps some of your readers will remember him or his family. My husband, Michael was about 10 years old when they lived in Gene Autry, and spent a great deal of time roaming around on his bicycle, fishing in the ponds, picking up pop bottles at the airport, etc. He would love to make a contact with his childhood after all these years. He was particularly fond of “Mr. Haynie” at the store in Gene Autry." -Judith Jones JJones@cityhs.net
"Mr. Bridges, I just ran across your website. I am looking for info on Sheriff W. C. (Bill) Everheart. He was Sheriff in Grayson County, Tx, then a U.S. Deputy Marshal, I think, in Oklahoma and Texas. You have a very interesting site." -Bob Everheart in Keller, Texas
The good times we put in our pocket. The hard times we put into our heart. -Les Brown, motivational speaker
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
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American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
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Official American Flyers Memorial Website
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Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
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Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
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Carter county schools, past and present
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Carter County Government Website
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