This and That
Newsletter
A Weekly Publication
Vol 17 Issue 851 Circulation 5,000 May 16, 2013
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
email address: [email protected]
580-657-8616
If gas continues to rise like it has the past two weeks, our little out of town excursions may be far and few between. With gas prices sky high I wonder what the future brings. Gas in Ardmore is now approaching $4.00 a gallon. Ouch!
During the early 1940s the U.S. was caught up in a world war. Many items we take for granted today, were almost non-existent during those years. When I worked at the ambulance service in the 70s one of my partners was Cliff Easley. Cliff was captured during WWII and spent 2 years in a German POW camp. When the war ended and Cliff returned home, he went to the old post office building in Ardmore (N Washington and W Broadway) to sign up for "war stamps". They told him he would only get about 15 gallons of gasoline a month because of rationing. Cliff told the man he had just returned from spending 2 years as a POW, and "he could keep the damn stamps". Cliff had to buy his gasoline on the black market at a higher price, but he did get gasoline for his car. Gasoline was just one of many things that were rationed because of short supply during WWII. People used "war stamps" to obtain those rationed items. I have placed on my Home Page the "war stamp book" that belonged to my mother and father back in 1943. The little stamps in the booklet were perforated for easy tearing, to trade for commodities.
http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60qOtTaz6VQ
This Saturday is the big day in Konawa. The Oklahoma Outlaw Lawman History Association (OKOLHA) will be hosting a Rendezvous on Saturday May 18, 2013 at Konawa, Oklahoma (NW of Ada). The history conference will be held at the Konawa Community Center at 630 North Madison. The conference is open to the public and there is no admission charge. The link below will take you to the agenda. I can see there will be some very interesting history shared to all in attendance! Ken Frates will be the guest speaker.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/KonawaRendezvous.jpg
Below is a map I marked with a red X showing the location of the Community Center.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/maps/KonawaMap.jpg
Anyone having a GPS (we love ours) can poke in the following and go right to it.
34.964600, -96.749968
I been real happy this week with custom engraved brick orders coming in from all around. I enjoy doing them.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/GrantGeorge.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/ReginaBenson.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JoeMcReynoldsBrick.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/
Q. Quartz Mountain is in what
mountain range?
A. Wichita
Mountain range in western Oklahoma
Q. Which city in Oklahoma has
the largest supply of oil in the world?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of May 13, 2000:
Here's a view of the pavilion under
construction on the west side of the
courthouse.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/Pavilion2000.jpg
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I learned something last week about a
place in the western part of Carter County I didn't know. There is a neat little
place five miles north and then 4 miles west of Healdton, Oklahoma where people
can enjoy a nature trail. A friend in Texas and an x-Healdtonite sent me email
about it. Then Frank Eck in Healdton mailed me the May 11th issue of the
Healdton Herald Newspaper in which there was an article about this little secret
known only to those in that part of the county. It seems that the property
owners, Dell and Sondra Jennings, opened up the nature trail in memory of the
late Oscar Ruth. The trail has been named the Walking Tree Trail and is open to
the public. They ask you to bring an old pair of cowboy boots to hang on the
"Cowboy Fence". I haven't worn a pair in 25 years, but I'll look around for a
pair when I go out there. Maybe we should set up a meeting date and all go? Yep,
sit around a fire some evening, roast some wieners and marshmallows, and tell
some big stories..... might be fun!
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"You are correct in that the Ardmore Hotel at West Main and C Street had the
revolving front door."
----------------------------------------------------
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/index.aspx?mss=152754
Check gas prices by town or zip code anywhere in U.S.
http://www.kmov.com/traffic/gas-buddy
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"Butch, I'm sure you have received several pictures of Dr.
Boyd's sugar pill bottles over the years but I couldn't resist sending this
anyway. I found this in my garage yesterday. It probably once held poison ivy
pills given to me about 60 years ago." -Lance Straughn, Wilson
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/DrBoydBottle.jpg
"Turn on the sound and check out videos about Oklahoma."
http://www.travelok.com/video
Her neighbor's dog, a pit bull, suddenly climbed the fence and came right for her. A Tulsa woman is in the hospital after being attacked by a neighbor's dog.
http://www.news9.com/story/22238019/tulsa-woman-injured-after-neighbors-dog-climbs-over-fence-attacks-her
"13 year old Clay Hodges a 7th grader from Wilson middle school started a fundraiser in 2008 raising almost $700 for new Welcome to Wilson signs that are being placed on the east and west entrance of Highway 70 coming into Wilson." -Frank Schaaf
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ClayHodges2013.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/ClayHodgesPaver.jpg
All Graham School Alumni – no matter what year you graduated - from Graham, Oklahoma are invited to attend a reunion to be held in Ardmore, Oklahoma on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8, 2013. Contact Kenneth McGee or “Graham Bearcats School Reunion” page on Facebook for additional information. The deadline to let us know you are attending is Friday, May 24, 2013.
This video is of a steam operated factory which is a remnant of the Industrial Revolution still in commercial operation today. Its called the box factory in Oak Run, California. They make wooden boxes for customers all over the world. The video is 15 minutes in length and very interesting to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/v/_mKSKZau9qs
What: 3rd Saturday Sale
Date: Saturday May 18, 2013
Time: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm (GMT-06.00) Central Time (US & Canada)
Location: 1100 Woodall-Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX
http://www.sidewalksale.com/
The website below contains pictures of 12,000-year-old unexplained structures found in recent years.
http://www.wimp.com/unexplainedstructure/
"Dear Butch. First, let me thank you for the enjoyment I experience every Thursday night when I receive your news letter. I have been tempted many times to write to you as I read about familiar people and landmarks in Ardmore. Attached is a letter from my daughter who lives in Byron Bay, Australis. I sent her the picture of the Whittington pool that was included in this week's newsletter. I forward items and pictures to my 3 children that I think might interest them. Interestingly enough, my daughter living in Australia was the person who first found your site on the internet and forwarded the 1947 class Criterion to me. I, too, was delivered by Dr. Higgins in my grandmother's home on 3rd Avenue, NE. , March, 1929. I remember him from childhood visits. We loved going to the Dr. so we could get a hug from this wonderful man. I married Bob Parker in 1947 whose father owned Parker Studios on main street, down from Priddy's. I wonder if there are any pictures in your files of the Parker Studio or if anyone has memories of it. I think my father in law made the first large glamour shots of the girls in Ardmore High. I have lived in Texas, California, and for the past 21 years on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii, but am never far from fond memories of growing up in Ardmore. Thank you again for keeping those memories alive. My wonderful teacher, Mr. Crockett managed the Whittington Park pool in the summers. What a wonderful person he was." -Patty Cude Parker
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/WhittingtonPark1920s.jpg
"Hi Butch. This regards the inquiry in this week's This and That about the "Blue Jay Drive-in." It was operated in the 1950's by Jay Garner and was called Jay's Drive-in. I ate there a lot and the food was excellent. After the bowling alleys opened in Ardmore, Jay Garner bowled a perfect 300 game. As I remember, he won a $5,000 prize. Jay's daughter was Vicky Garner. She would have been in about the class of 1958 at A.H.S. She was a very nice and pretty girl. Keep up the good work Butch. We all enjoy reading This and That. It brings back so many memories. I enjoyed seeing the picture of my good friends, Charles "Jug" Bailey, Tommy Lakey and Jimmy Brooks. Tommy came by to see me several years ago. "Jug" and Jimmy are resting in heaven. Bless them, they were really good guys." -Ken Bacon
"Dear Butch, Thank you for sharing your brick factory information and photos. I am an artist focused on ceramic sculpture. During my years in school at the New York State College of Ceramics in Afred, NY, I had many experiences with tunnel kilns in the ceramic engineering department. Brick clay is ceramic clay with alot of 'grog' in it. Grog is ground fired clay, resembling big sand granules. It makes the clay stronger and prevents it from warping. This kind of clay is used for large sculpture, tile and brick. I have toured tile companies and it is very exciting to see the mass amounts of clay being mixed on a much larger scale than a fine arts studio would need. I would like to visit this brick manufacturer sometime for a tour. I am glad your sandblasting is coming along. Thanks for sharing and touching lives with your newsletter. For those of us that don't get out much, it is the little things about small town Oklahoma that are wonderful treasures." -Nicki Wood
Greater Southwest Historical Museum, Ardmore
"These are graves at the Vamossa cemetery north of Ada, one if them has a bag hanging in it. Anyone have any idea what this is for?" -Doug Williams
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/VamoosaCemetery2013a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/VamoosaCemetery2013b.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/VamoosaCemetery2013c.jpg
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
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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