This and That Newsletter

www.OklahomaHistory.net

Vol 12  Issue 577     Circulation 5,000      February 14, 2008

Ardmore, Oklahoma

email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net

Toll Free Number in Oklahoma:  580-215-4333


Today is Valentine's Day and I hope everyone remembered their sweethearts with something special. I gave my sweetheart aka Jill Bernardy Bridges a miniature rose plant since she loves plants and flowers, and the miniature rose bush can be replanted outside and continue growing. Since today was that special day, we had some musical entertainment arrive at the courthouse. The Dickson Showcase arrived to sing "Build Me Up Buttercup" for Helen McReynolds at the Election Board. I snapped this photo of two members of the group, Hawk Rouse on the left and Helen's grandson, Joel McReynolds on the right as they belted out Honeycup in Helen's office. That's Christie McGee on the far right helping with the sound player.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/DicksonShowcase021408.jpg

Doug Williams bought about 7 acres east of Ardmore a few miles and he was told there was some kind of marker put on the property by the state.  He found it this week. Can anyone give us more info on exactly what this marker is?

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/WilliamsGeoMarker.jpg

I am always amazed at the free genealogy information one can find on ancestors on the world wide web. I ran across a photograph of my grandfather 8 times removed, John Carman who came from England to first settle in Roxbury, Mass in 1631. In 1643 he is listed on the Indian Deed purchasing 165,000 acres of land from the Indians on Long Island New York which would become Hempstead, Nassau County, New York (east end of NY Island) where he continued to live until his death in 1653. (My Carman line would change the name Carman to Carmon around 1880.) Anyway, thanks to the internet I found a photo of my ancestor from England, John Carman.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/JohnCarman.jpg

The grandkids are here visiting this week from Illinois with their mother Adela.  Jill and I took them to Jim Hill's place at Springer to see his 3 miniature horses, since they just love animals. Belle is almost 3 and Victor is over 1 year old now.  He's just starting to talk! Below is a pic I took of Jim Hill's miniature horse, one of three he owns.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/JimHillHorse021208.jpg

Jill and Adela took the kids to the Gainesville Zoo on Wednesday, they had a fun time.  If you have any animals they can see before leaving soon, let me know, we'll bring the bunch out (if it's not too far a drive).

Ardmoreite Bert Powers (1908 - 1987) was in the first group of Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers to take to the highways back on July 18, 1937.  Eighty-four men commenced patrol on Oklahoma highways that day.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/BertPowers.jpg

I bought a 50 lb bag of Bluebonnet Feeds corn this week to put in the deer feeder behind our house.  I've been told we will have 5 or 6 deer visiting every evening, so maybe the corn will bring them out.  I have set the deer feeder to throw out corn for 5 seconds at 5pm and 5:30pm.  I snapped the picture below just as the feeder kicked in, you can see some of the corn flying through the air.  Time will tell if we start seeing deer in the evenings.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/DeerFeederCorn.jpg

Several times a day our neighbors two dogs come over to visit.  Jill even placed a basket on the front porch for them to sleep in.  They are precious dogs, so lovable.  Here is a pic I took of them both in the basket.  My camera setting was a little off for night time, but you can see them both.  Since I dont know their names, I just call them Pete and Repeat.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/PeteAndRepeat020908.jpg

The T&T newsletter went out without a hiccup last Thursday evening using my new internet provider Arbuckle Online High Speed Wireless.  Over 1,500 emails zipping through the air to their receiver tower just north of the American National Bank in Lone Grove.  I wish I could say the same thing about my cableone internet, its been nothing but a headache since February 5th when I took my cablemodem in for credit.  As I mentioned in last week's T&T, they told me they would keep my internet account active until the end of my billing cycle, Feb 14th, but they didn't. They turned it off right after I left their office at 4:30pm. Now they tell me I might get a refund, but I can't find out until next week when the office manager returns from vacation.  So who knows how it will turn out.  The moral of the story: Don't turn in your cablemodem before the end of your billing cycle.

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

"Butch, This is a pic of the "contraption" as I call it, that sits east of the Wilson Museum. This was used in one of Wilson's early day lumber yards to make window and door frames." -Mindy
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/WilsonLumberPlaner.jpg
LINDSAY SWEEPS THE WORLD.  From the 1920s to the 1970s, Lindsay in Garvin County OK was known as the broomcorn capital with the promotional slogan: “Lindsay Sweeps the World”.  The sandy, rich soil along Rush Creek is ideal for broomcorn, but broomcorn is too labor intensive for today’s USA economy: harvesting broomcorn requires human handling at least 10 times, 17 times by the estimates of some.
.
Please send photos of broomcorn or broomcorn harvesting equipment.  I have collected, and am collecting, data for writing a small monograph about broomcorn, since I was raised as a “straw boss with a jonnie knife, a water jack, and an ant” in my dad’s broomcorn fields and sheds.  Patricia Adkins-Rochette of Duncan OK, prochette@juno.com www.bourlandcivilwar.com
.
Patricia Adkins-Rochette, 580-252-2094
1509 Shadybrook Lane
Duncan, OK 73533, www.bourlandcivilwar.com
BOURLAND IN NORTH TEXAS AND INDIAN TERRITORY IN NORTH TEXAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR: FORT COBB, FORT ARBUCKLE, AND THE WICHITA MOUNTAINS

"Butch, my husband grew up on 2nd Ave. S.E. and worked for OGE for 41 years-- retiring 21 years ago so he knows a little about the building on 2nd Ave.  He says that at one time it was a small generator and it could not keep up with the needs of a growing town so it was shut down many years ago and at one time OGE used the building for storage before it was turned over to the city.  He can remember almost everything from 85 years ago, he is my living history reference."  -Charlene Gilliam
"Hi Butch. Glad you got settled in your new home. I am just making a comment about the post in your last newsletter. I remember that in (I think) the 40's to 50's that my father used to talk about going somewhere to cut Broom Corn.  We also lived in Atoka then when I was young from about 1943 to 1949( Not sure if that was when he cut broom corn or not) then moved to Tishomingo, then to Ardmore where my father owned a Radio and TV repair shop. The post about the Broom Corn comment brought back memories. Hope you enjoy your new home."  Bddiiorio@hotmail.com
"Butch, OK... so I'm only 2 months late in getting these pictures out. We took a drive on Christmas afternoon and came upon these structures in the parking lot of the beach/marina area. Looks like they will be installing new docks. That pile of Styrofoam was HUGE! I'll be interested to see where they end up. Does anyone know anything about all of this?"
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LakeMurray122507a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LakeMurray122507b.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LakeMurray122507c.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LakeMurray122507d.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/LakeMurray122507e.jpg


"Butch here is the latest cemetery that I have gotten cataloged on www.findagrave.com  It is the Dillon Cemetery (also known as the old Berwyn Cemetery) it is located north of Gene Autry on private land."  -Doug Williams
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GScid=2249173&CRid=2249173&pt=Dillon%20Cemetery&
The Daily Ardmoreite 6-22-44

DICK'S VISIT RECALLS WORK

He Is Credited With Building Ardmore as City's First Mayor

R. W. Dick, an early day lawyer of Ardmore, was here Thursday from his home in Oklahoma City. He was Ardmore's first active mayor. He built the city lake and put in the water works, built sewer lines, paved streets, took up the board walks and put down concrete. The wide sidewalks on West Main were of his building. He made an entirely new city of Ardmore. When statehood came Governor Haskell appointed him superintendent of the Oklahoma penitentiary. He built the penitentiary at McAlester and moved the state's prisoners from Fort Leavenworth where they were in a federal prison. When that work was finished he moved to Oklahoma City. He made successful ventures in oil in the state of Louisiana and owns valuable real estate in Oklahoma City. He lost Mrs. Dick only a few years ago. Mrs. Dick was active in the Christian church, in the Ladies of the Leaf and in the Orio club. The people are reminded that human nature does not change. While Bob Dick, without money to start with, bought the city water reservoir and made a city out of a mudhole, he was fought bitterly at every step he took and was assailed viciously in the press. However this paper was always his friend.


The Wilson News submitted by Mindy Taylor

8-4-1915
Electric Lights for Wirt
W. E. Gupton has about completed arrangements for installing an electric lighting plant in the booming hustling oil city of Wirt. Mr. Gupton has already secured contracts, we understand for over 500 lights, and will probably have his light plant in operation within the next thirty days. In addition to operating the light plant, Mr. Gupton will conduct a general machine and blacksmith repair shop at Wirt. Mr. Gupton comes to Wirt from Oil City, but is originally from Central Kentucky.

12-16-1915
Makes Raid on Wirt
Last Sunday Charley Jones made a raid on the gamblers and bootleggers of Ragtown, brought in eight men and $180 in cash which he secured from the tables. Mr. Jones stated that he only visited a few places as the rest of them were wise before he could get to them. This is the first time Mr. Jones has done any extensive reading by himself, but he says that the boot-leggers and gamblers had better look out. It looks like he means business. A Challenge Judge Wiseman has made a state wide challenge that he is the champion soup eater of this state, and wishes to challenge any man, woman, or child except Jim White or J. E. Oxley to a soup eating contest, it is said that every time the Judge goes to Ragtown that he eats a bowl of soup for every 30 minutes spent in that city. Old maids are barred from this contest.

Correction: In the Jan. 12, 2006 Museum Memories column I noted that the Post Office had moved from the Dr. Darling building to the Ballew Drug Store location in 1925. This was taken from a history of the post office as I had no newspaper articles to show when the move was made. I have been corrected by several Readers, but have been waiting to make the correction until a date for the move can be found. If someone knows when the P. O. was moved to the Ballew Drug Store location, please send me a note.

Melinda Taylor 723 Hewitt Rd. Wilson, OK 73463 or call the museum at 580-669-2505 and leave me a message.

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations 1968

Why do you build me up
Buttercup, baby, just to let me down
And mess me around
And then worst of all
you never call, baby
When you say you will
(Say you will)
But I love you still
I need you
(I need you)
More than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up
Buttercup, don't break my heart

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

http://www.OklahomaHistory.net

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