Back in my teens my mother had a cast iron skillet she used a lot for cooking certain foods. Several said I ruined a good skillet when I sandblasted a deer head on it, but since it was never used anymore I decide to make a useful clock out of it.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/DeerCastIronClock072614.jpg
Anyway, I posted a message on my Facebook and several commented about cast iron skillets and how to clean them. Cast iron skillets have to be "seasoned" before using. Then every once in a while the skillet needs a good cleaning. Here are some of those comments on how to clean a cast iron skillet.
"I have a self cleaning oven. I put the skillet in the oven, upside down, turn on the clean oven setting, and go about my business. When the cycle is over, dust off the residue and season." -Lee Vertrees
"If it were only that easy. When I get a skillet that's rusty, it goes into the electrolysis tank. Caked with gunk, aka baked on grease, it goes into the lye bath. Seriously rusty skillets, that is. When I get the gunk and rust off, scrub with Barkeeper's Friend, then wash with a mildly soapy water, dry on the stove top burner and then wipe with Crisco, lard, or bacon grease. Then, wipe it until it looks like all the grease is wiped off, and into the oven for 15 minutes, wipe again, raise the oven temp to about 350 for a half hour, wipe again, and then raise the temp to 400-500 and leave in another hour. Turn off the oven and leave it to cool overnight." -Stephen Robinson
"I would never put any type of chemical in to a cast iron skillet..It will absorb into the skillet and may never come out!" -Linda Gillispie
"No fire. Too easy for your pan to get too hot, and either warp,crack, or get mill scale. Getting it too hot changes the molecular structure of the iron, and it won't take seasoning. Lye will not absorb into the metal. If you get a small lot, check it for lead contamination. Never sandblast one either, it you want it to retain its value. A blasted skillet is very difficult to reseasoning. If you don't have a lye bath, use the yellow cap easy off. It contains lye, and will melt try the baked on grease off. Check out the Facebook group, "Cast Iron Cooking". All this information is listed, how to identify unmarked pans, etc." -Stephen Robinson
"I did an old rusty skillet using vinegar and it worked great. I used plain steel wool for the sides that still had rust used a small amount of Dawn to get rid of the residue, seasoned it with bacon grease and baked it in the oven @350 for a hour. It came out great. I always make sure to fry potatoes in the newly cleaned skillet,1. the potatoes will absorb what is left in the skillet and 2. the frying will help season it even more." -Linda J Gillispie
Here are some tips on taking care of cast iron skillets.
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/a/Cast_Iron_Care.htm
Last Friday at 11:00am the Carter County officials and judges got together and took the ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in memory of our county commissioner, Bill McLaughlin, who lost his life to that terrible disease last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzTk5z97zxc
And this afternoon the Carter County Assessors Office accepted the ALS ice bucket challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmIb3u7jlR0&feature=youtu.be
This week some visitors from Australia stopped by my office to talk about an old U.S. Deputy Marshal badge their kin in Australia has in their possession. They wondered if anyone had any history on this Oklahoma Territory badge. It does have a number on the back, No. 285. Maybe someone has some info they can share with John and Shelley Hynard. If so, let me know.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/MarshalBadgeAU1.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/MarshalBadgeAU2.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/MarshalBadgeAU3.jpg
England and their Stonehenge has nothing on Oklahoma. I found out this week we have a Stonehenge and its right here in Carter County a few miles NW of Ardmore.
Here are the directions give to me: "You go north on Kings Road from Highway 70 all the way to Lake Scott King turnoff. Turn left (west) Acorn Road. It winds around to the west and this place is between Kings Road and Deese Road." -Mike
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/OklahomaStonehenge.jpg
As of today we have $375 pledged toward the purchase of a granite memorial to be placed in Healdton in honor of the City's police officers who have gave their lives in the line of duty. I do hope some more of you will join with us so we can make this come true.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/hutchison.html
Since I got about 35 tan pavers last week, I've sandblasted several for friends who requested it some time back. But since they are a future event, I can't share them yet. But I will share this paver, it really turned out beautiful.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/HelmsPaver.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/TanPavers082014.jpg
Q. Where is the sole archaeological park of Oklahoma?
A. Spiro Mounds
Q. Mister Ed, the talking horse
from the 1960s TV show, is buried near what Oklahoma town?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
Oklahoma's first state regulated oil
field was at Healdton, Oklahoma.
http://www.okmoga.com/html/tour_details.php
From This and That newsletter archives of August 26, 2000:
This past week I learned about the broken
cookie store in Marietta, Oklahoma closing down its retail outlet. Those of you
from this area knows how hard it was to drive by that cookie factory, smell
those delicious cookies baking, and try not to stop. A person just had to stop
and buy those 99 cent bags of broken cookies. For whatever reason, the retail
outlet is now closed after decades of serving the public. Here is a photo of the
sign that attracted people to the outlet store in Marietta. The sign has now
been painted over.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14b/MariettaCookieSign2000.jpg
----------------------------------------------------
I mentioned a few weeks ago about a
proposed flowing fountain was talked about being installed in 1915 at the Carter
Count Courthouse. The exact time was February of 1915 and there was already a
water pipe installed on the west side of the courthouse in the center of the
flower plat. The fountain was be made of concrete, a six foot deep area, and
backed with rough rock. The ladies civic beauty league had talked about
installing the fountain for some time, and it was estimated it could be done for
less then $200. If the commissioners did not have the money available to build
the fountain, a new movement would be made to revive the stagnated women's
league, in hopes of getting the fountain built. In 1915 there was not one
fountain in any of the city parks, nor in any of the yards of the more
prestigious home in Ardmore. I am still trying to find out if the fountain was
actually installed.
----------------------------------------------------
"Hi, do you have any record of there being
Coca-Cola on the mountain off of I-35 north of Ardmore that has the Lazy S on it
now? Have a sister who claims she can remember that."
----------------------------------------------------
"Hi Butch, I am glad to see someone is
interested in researching that infamous deputy, Bud Ballew, other than myself. I
was in London recently and was unable to look up any articles about the infamous
duo because I didn't make a reservation to do research in the library there far
enough in advance. I do have a friend in London who said she will have a go at
finding articles about them in the London Times when she has a chance. I'll post
them on the net when I get them. Let's hope she gets around to that soon. I have
some questions for Ballew's great-granddaughter and or the folks that are
planning on writing the book about Ballew. Is there any documentation that Bud
was a deputy marshal? If so, from what year to what year? Also, do any of them
believe the explanation given by Mrs. Riotte as to why Ballew killed Brazil? I
for one do not believe it. One reason is that Brazil had never proven himself to
be much of a gunman or exceptionally brave. For example, when Brazil attempted
to arrest my great-grandfather, George Love, for trafficking whiskey, he and his
men ambushed George and fired at him from ther hiding places. And when George
killed one of the deputies, they all fled the scene. This is not, I think, the
way a lawman who supposedly freightened a character like Ballew would behave.
Again, any comment from folks more in the know would be appreciated." Steve
bsriner@hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
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
Non-ethanol gas (pure gas) stations in the Ardmore area.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/puregas.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
Dear Butch: My uncle found a copy of this book in a garage sale and showed it to me; I was so enamored with it that I just had to have a copy. I found one on line and ordered it and I felt I need to let you and your readers know about it. The book ?Readings in Oklahoma History? by Edward Everett Dale, Professor of History (Author), Jesse Lee Rader, Librarian in the University of Oklahoma (Author).
It is a collection of some of the more important materials
(Indian treaties and much more) required in the study of Oklahoma history in a
single volume. This 865 page book covers Oklahoma History beginning with the
Spanish in the Mississippi Valley and Coronado?s Expedition up to State Hood.
-Larry Paul
http://www.amazon.com/Readings-Oklahoma-History-Edward-Everett/dp/B0000EEKAV
"Butch, Please don?t let this Newsletter disappear into Facebook ? I think there are many of us who STILL do NOT Facebook. Thank you."
"Your entrepreneurial newsletter struck another chord.
You mentioned Dr. Von Keller, an early doctor in Ardmore. Back when they began construction of Ardmore Adventist Hospital, prior to Memorial Hospital, the old Von Keller house, a 3 story structure had to be removed. It was a time when construction was very slow. My dad, Frank Young, owned Ardmore Tile and Mantel (ceramic tile and floor covering company) and to keep the employees busy and on the payroll till business picked up, my dad bid and won the demolition auction of the old house. It was similar to the 'Keystone Cops', watching some of the antics of demolition by tile setters and floor covering workers. Pure luck that someone did not get injured or killed. Three floors high, no safety ropes or scaffolds, prying loose through 'brute force' lumber that even then was rare. We removed 2X4 studs from that old structure that were 23' long and straight as an arrow. Syringes and old bottles that were inside the old walls. My dad built 3 houses from that old structure that are still existing today in 500 block of C street S. W. Not a formally educated guy but, a lot of entrepreneurship. A lot of lumber came out of that old house." -Dale Young
"Another part of Ardmore's history most people don't know about is the zoo that the Jaycees sponsored and built on the county property southeast of Hardy Murphy Coliseum. My dad (Frank Young) was, I guess chairman of the zoo committee because he spent many hours, as did other members like Jon Hargraves, Cal Baird, Dewey Hignight and others. They would go out to that zoo sight and pour concrete by car lights after working all day. They acquired animals by all kinds of bartering, donation or other means. They had lions, bears, monkeys, alligators, possums, fox. Goddard ranch authorized them to capture some of their exotic deer. The method of capture was not rocket science. A couple jeeps and questionable good thought, we would chase the deer with the jeep and either lasso or me and my best friend, James Oxford(we were recruited to help in this endeavor) would bale off the jeep at full tilt onto the young deer. Not a recommended method. Somehow, we did capture two or three young deer that became zoo features. When new additions to the zoo were located, my dad would bring them home until proper lodging was ready at the zoo. The possum use to cling to my shirt like a leech. The young alligator never did make much of a pet. The city never did really appreciate the zoo maintenance and eventually it had to be abandoned as the old animals died off. My dad was the first 'Lifetime' member of the Ardmore Jaycees and was the only one until the late 60s when Julian Noland was bestowed as a 'Lifetime' member and if not mistaken, I think Bill Carpenter with the Joe Brown Company later received a 'Lifetime' award." -Dale Young
"You mentioned "new post office", I assume you meant the one on 1st and B street SW. The old Hardy Sanitarium was located there. My niece was born there in 1954. There was a driveway that divided the hospital. The ambulances would pull into the driveway to unload and load patients. As I look back, it was a bit archaic. Dr. Hardy, as he aged, was a bit eccentric. He drove a 1946 or 47 Ford and would park in the middle of Main and C street to go into what was then Grissom Drug. Where Lincoln Bank building is now. I guess everyone just accepted his decision." -Dale Young
"My wife and I read this from the last T&T with considerable glee.
Wetumka, Oklahoma is most widely known for the circus that never came to town during the early 50s. A circus promoter came into Wetumka, or at least he said he was a circus promoter, and sold tickets during the week to the townspeople for a circus that was suppose to be in town the coming Saturday. The circus never came, and the folks knew they were had by a quick talking con artist. The people of Wetumka still have their Sucker Day the last Saturday of August each year to celebrate the circus that never came.
In 1954 we lived in Pampa, Texas. I had recently graduated from Oklahoma A&M and gone to work with an oil company. We had no children then and my wife was a little bored staying home all day. She applied through the Texas Employment Office for a part time job. A circus promoter wanted to hire several local people to sell circus tickets to the local merchants for them to give away to customers as a promotion of their businesses. The man said his name was Williams. He hired three local ladies, including my wife, to make phone calls to the merchants to sell the bundles of tickets. He gave them a brief script as a guide when selling the tickets. The ladies were to be paid according to the number of tickets sold. My wife is a pretty good sales person. After one day on the job she insisted that Mr. Williams pay her each day for her commissions because not only was she a good saleslady, but she also was a keen observer of human nature. She did not trust Mr. Williams. True to form two weeks later he left town with all the money and stiffed the other sales ladies. The circus never showed up. NOTE: My wife is the former Patricia Paschall, the daughter of Bert and Mabel Paschall, owners and operators of Paschall Village at the southeast corner of Lake Murray State Park from 1946 to 1975." -Don Davidson, Brenham, Texas
"If you go to http://www.avvo.com , you can post a legal questions and one or more attorneys will most likely respond to you."
"Love builds bridges where there are none." -R.H. Delaney
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Bells of Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Carter County Courthouse Paver Project
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/pavers
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/
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