This and That
Newsletter
A Weekly Publication
Vol 15 Issue 757 Circulation 5,000 July 28, 2011
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
email address: [email protected]
580-657-8616
Cecil Elliott in OKC sent in some interesting photos this
week. Hominy, Oklahoma is 40 miles NW of Tulsa. Back in the 90s Hominy had a lot
of full color murals painted on the walls and sides of businesses in downtown
area.
Ardmore used to have a few murals, but they have all but disappeared, and the
couple that can still be seen, are faded and peeling. Now I wonder how all these
beautiful murals are doing in Hominy, are they still there, still
the vivid colors like in the photos Cecil took in 1996?
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_01.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_02.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_03.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_04.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_05.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_06.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_07.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_08.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_09.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_10.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_11.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_12.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_13.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_14.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_15.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_16.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_17.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_18.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_19.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_20.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_21.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/OsageMuralsHominyOK1996_22.jpg
Cecil took this pic of Deputy U.S. Marshal Wiley Haines old homeplace in Hominy, Oklahoma.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/WileyHainesHomeHominyOK.jpg
In my September 7, 2002 T&T a Reader sent in something special at Hominy Cemetery: "Also, on the way home I took the scenic route and stopped by the cemetery for the town of Hominy, Oklahoma (Osage county). They have several "Native American" graves that are unusual. They put a pipe (looked like 1" galvanized) in the ground on top of the grave for the spirit to escape. They were about 6 feet tall above ground. Most of the graves appeared to be from the 1920's through 1950's. They are visible in the background of the picture." -A Loyal Reader, John Lashbrook, Stonewall, Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/HominyOKCemetery.jpg
Its been so long since rain, and so dry on our place south of
Lone Grove, I decided to try and save our 3 grapevines. I had been just using a
water hose, but that's a lot of trouble. I thought about using a soaker hose,
but I have not had good luck with soaker hoses over the years. They'd work fine
for a summer or two, then crack and developed holes, etc. Two weeks ago I even
bought a 50 foot Sprinkler Hose at Lowes for 10 bucks. It lasted
about 8 days and developed a large hole in the far end of the hose, so the water
shot up in the air from that hole, and the other sprinkler holes just barely
drizzled. The sprinkler hose had a 10 year warranty, so I got a
refund.
I needed something to water those grapevines with, so I took 2 pices of 1/2 inch
PVC pipe and a couple connectors and made me a sprinkler by drilling 1/16 inch
holes along the PVC pipe about 6 inches apart. Worked great! Even after paying
about $2 for a PVC to HOSE CONNECTION, I still had less then $6 in the sprinkler
system.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/GrapevineSprinkler.jpg
Speaking of rain, Doug Williams shared a picture he took this week of just how dry it is in Ardmore and southern Oklahoma. He took a tape measure and stuck it down into a crack on his property, and it reached bottom at 27 inches. Man it's bad.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/WilliamsDrought072511.jpg
Thanks to those of you who sent me belated Happy Birthday wishes last week. For my birthday Jill bought me a really nice electric slide miter saw with laser guide. I've already used the heck out of it on some of the projects I been working on around the house, exact cuts, I love it!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/KobaltMiterSaw071811.jpg
Boy, gold and silver has shot up in price the past few years. Every year Jill and I buy an American Eagle silver dollar for the two grandkids, Belle and Victor Noyer, in California for their birthdays. The first silver eagle we bought 5 years ago for them cost $13 each. I picked up one this week from Lynch Coins on West Broadway (Gary's Flowers) and the price has now sky rocketed to $49.50 each. Here's a pic of Jill and the grandkids when she visited her daughter, Adela Noyer and was waiting at the airport.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/JillBridgesAndVictorAndBelleNoyer.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/JillLawtonAirport7a.jpg
The last week of March we bought 4 baby chicks (one turned out to be a rooster). One of the 3 young pullets laid her first egg this week, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. We are back in the egg business. lol
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AustralorpEgg072711.jpg
The drought is still in full swing in Oklahoma, and swinging east. The drought has worsen across Oklahoma since last week.
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
From This and That
newsletter archives of July 25, 1998:
A couple weeks ago the Carter County courthouse sold an old Mosler Safe that had
been in the Treasurer's office for so long no one really remembers when it was
obtained, probably 1910 when the courthouse was built. The safe was so hard to
lock and unlock, using this crank, it was impossible to use. There was a
manufacture date on the safe of 1892. Here's a photo I took of the safe.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/MoslerSafe1892.jpg
Q. In what town was the
first Boy Scout Troop of America formed?
A. The first Boy Scout troop in America is claimed to have been
organized in Pawhuska, Oklahoma in May 1909 by John F. Mitchell.
Q. What state has more
man-made lakes than any other state?
A. (answer in next week's newsletter)
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG....."Hi Butch, Do you or anyone on your T&T mailing list remember the name of the pool hall that was not quite a block north of the Tivoli theater back in the forties and fifties? I used to play a lot of snooker there and I remember there were some really good pool and snooker players there. I saw quite a few dollars cross those tables." -Jim Bramlett, Henrietta, TX
"Has anyone ever seen or heard of a gas stick. They used them way back when they had the gas pumps with the handle on the side that you used to pump gas into the glass cylinder. I can’t remember where the gas tanks were on those old cars but the stick was like a yardstick only marked in gallons and you put it into the gas tank to see how much gas you had. I don’t guess they had a gage on the dash back then. OOPS, I am telling my age again. I called one of my former classmates to see if she remembered them and she did, so I know that I am not dreaming. When I was calling people about our class reunion, one lady said that the trouble with living so long is that there is no-one who remembers the things that you remember." -Frances
Follow-up: "I wrote you earlier about gas sticks and the location of gas tanks on OLD cars. Last night while watching the Waltons, the storekeeper put gas into a man’s truck and the tank was in front of the windshield. Tonight I noticed that there is a gas cap in front of John Boy’s windshield. So I guess that question has been answered. At least on those two vehicles. Watching the Waltons brings back almost as many memories as reading T&T." -Frances
"Another train video. Crank up the sound." -Dwane Stevens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjRcraJm6r0
"I used to go to Carl's Coney Island for lunch sometimes while I was still in Jr. High at the old school, that would have been around 1972 - 1974." -Roxanne
"I was wondering if any readers may have a photo of the drive in theater that used to be at the Healdton Wilson Y...?" -Barry
"I did a little on line research and put it together with stories told me by a friend and have a little info to add to the aircraft plant in Ft. Worth. Around the start of WWII the Government built an aircraft manufacturing plant on the west side of the existing Carswell Army Air Corps Base. It was within the city limits of White Settlement, Texas. The primary force in bringing this manufacturing plant to the Tarrant county area was Amon Carter. It was originally named or designated, United States Aircraft Manufacturing Plant Number ??. My old timer friend knew the number but I forgot it. He was a security guard at the plant as a young man and retired there still in security. This was in or around 1942. At some point in time not long after the plant was in operation, Consolidated Vultees Aircraft Corp. acquired ownership from the government either by pruchace or deed transfer. The name Convair was merely a nickname or moniker for the full name of the company. From that point on, the different owners are as described. This is not the gospel but the best I could put together with the info I had." -George Davis AHS Class 1960
"Butch the bell in last weeks T&T hung in the Blue Bell Free Will Baptist Church at Bluebell, Oklahoma until the new building was built. My Parents, Emery and Eva Hankins purchased the Blue Bell Grocery across the street from the church in 1963. They ran the store until my mother's death in 1969, then my wife and I took over the store and ran it until 1973 then closed it during the recession of those years. Mom and Pop stores were once the heart of a community. Then they started to disappear because of transportation becoming better and the small stores could not compete with the larger supermarkets. That was the end of another era and the beginning of a new. Old things pass away and new things take their place. A mixture of sadness and excitement. God Bless Butch." -Don Hankins, now of Tampa, Florida
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/BluebellOKBell072011.jpg
The Davis News: 100 YEARS AGO: A.A. Atcheson, a post office inspector, recommended that a post office at the zinc mines be established. It would be located at the Hope-Sober camp in the Arbuckle Mountains. R.H. Park started a dray line in Davis. He promised prompt service and entire satisfaction. G.E. Anthony and W.A. Goodson leased the skating rink. They assured readers of The News that good order would be maintained. The main road west of Davis was being changed "at the place it runs so close to The Washita River." Druggist John Easter, who was injured when he was thrown from a buggy, left for Manitou, Colo., to recuperate and regain his strength and health. J. F. Neely was offering to pay 5 cents a dozen for empty pint-size beer bottles delivered to him at the Kelly ice house.
"We need rain bad as we in Wagoner are currently without water as pump busted at water station and gonna take 6 weeks to get the parts to fix it. So please bring rain to Wagoner, Oklahoma" -Eddie Norman via Facebook
"I love those good old salves and ointments! A couple weeks ago, I got a deep sliver on my palm, and could Not get it out! So I used "PRID" and a blister Band-Aid, and it drew it right out! Now it can really heal. I saw the PRID salve at T and M, my pharmacy in Ardmore!" -Lisa Strohm Holden via Facebook
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/PRIDsalve.jpg
RE: measuring water well depth. The man who told you about the blue chalk was using a 'water-finder' method that's used to detect water in underground fuel storage tanks (I operated a Phillips 66 service station for awhile and we used that method frequently to check for condensation (or leaks) in the large tanks. It detects water but not fuel, and turns blue if water is present. I use a Fiberglas tape with a padlock fastened to the end to give it weight and then drop it (through a hole in the concrete cover) until I feel it hit bottom. Then I pull it up slowly with the tape between my fingers until I feel the water on the tape. The tape measure is actually a 100 ft one but I didn't originally know that the well was so shallow. The wells are a bit deeper a block north but they are on higher ground (probably 10 to 15 feet higher). A few years ago I saw a drawing of the path of the aquifer and how it 'snakes' its way from north of town and then east-back north- east again- and then on south on its way out of Perry, OK. At that time I didn't realize just how important it was nor the great distance that it traveled (from Nebraska to south Texas)." -Roy in Perry
"Howdy Butch. Just wanted to mention that the copperhead snakes are thick here at my place in NW Carter county. I've seen more this year than since I moved here. I was shooting them but now I just leave them alone. Grasshoppers have overrun the place and they seem to be eating them. I think I have two dens of them, one under my work shop and another under my ham building. As long as I take a bright flashlight outside at night I'm ok and can spot them crawling around the place. They have a favorite spot in some bushes about ten feet from the ham shack and they crawl from underneath the building to that spot after dark. I can locate them there almost every night."
You may get what you want, but you might not want what you get. -Butch Bridges
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a
minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells:
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/crash66.html
Official
American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com
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