A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Monday, September 4, 1933 in Ardmore, Oklahoma, a car chase took place that would make headlines across the country. Harvey Bailey, outlaw, was being held in jail at Dallas for kidnapping Oklahoma City oil man and millionaire, Charles F. Urschel. The Dallas county jail, constructed in 1914 in the southwest corner of Main and Houston streets, was considered escape proof. But somehow, a gun was slipped to Harvey Bailey, he took a jailor captive, and the two fled in the jailor's car. Bailey was associated with the mob. It was on his farm that police arrested one of the key murderers of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago. Machine Gun Kelley and Bailey were the suspected kidnappers of oilman Urschel. Washington DC anti-crime administrators had even sent 6 Army airplanes in search of Bailey.
After fleeing the Dallas jail, Bailey took back roads to Oklahoma. Love County Sheriff Sam Randolph received a tip that Bailey was in the Ardmore area. Soon afterward, Bailey stopped his car to get gasoline and was noticed immediately. Ardmore Police Chief Hale Dunn, and detectives Bennett Wallace and Raymond Shoemaker gave chase to Bailey, leading them on a wild chase through Ardmore. At the corner of North Washington and Second Street in front of the Mulkey Hotel, Bailey lost control of his car, hit the curb, and broke the spokes away from the tire. He was immediately surrounded by police and taken into custody. Jailor Nick Tresp, a hostage, was unharmed in the crash.
I remember my Dad, R.V. Bridges, telling me that he was in the Army Reserves at the time. When they moved Bailey from the city hall jail, my dad and another Army reserve were posted on top of the old Coca Cola building across the street (where the County Detention Center is now located) with a machine gun. He felt kind of silly being posted up there with two machine guns. There were spectators all over the area when they came out with Bailey, and he said there was no way they could shoot without hitting a lot of innocent bystanders.
In the old photo below parts of the Red River bridge north of Gainesville, Texas can be seen.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/RedRiverBridgeThackerville.jpg
This week I received a request from a friend to find a photo of the old Comanche, Oklahoma hospital where her husband was born in 1958. I Googled several times but came up empty handed. But Michael Pineda was able to locate a photo. Because there did not seem to be a picture of the hospital to be found on the internet, I would assume this photo is a rare look at the hospital in its hay day.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/ComancheOKhospital.jpg
The Washita County courthouse has been going through a facelift the past few months in Cordell, Oklahoma.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/WashitaCountyFacelift012315.jpg
I received a package in the mail this week from Marie Wren of Fillmore, California. Marie has compiled the history of her pioneer family in Love County who settled along the banks of Hickory Creek, Pickens County, IT near Overbook. Marie's grandparents, Mary and Charley Rudd, took up residence in Indian Territory in 1893. There is a tremendous amount of genealogical and historical information on the Rudd family in the 350 page book. Marie said there is a copy of the book in the Ardmore Public Library.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/MaryCharleyRuddBook.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/MarieWrenCard.jpg
If anyone from the Marietta area reads the above, I'd like to see that the book make it to the library/historical society there in Marietta for the public use.
Below is a link to an almost 1 inch thick solid brass plaque a friend has in his possession in Lone Grove, Oklahoma. I sandblasted it this week to clean off the deteriorating and peeling paint to make it ready to paint anew. The Latin at the bottom roughly means: "Submerged we are on the enemy".
The plaque is with John and Guin Ryan of Lone Grove, and belonged to his wife's dad, Oliver Durham, who was a brown Navy Seal, Patrol Boat Riverine. He worked for NATO from 1962-1968 with a Level 6 security. In Vietnam he patrolled the rivers, protecting the supplies to the troops. He got the purple heart and four other medals. His full name: Oliver Earl Durham.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/SubmarinePlaque1.jpg
Guinevere Durham Ryan's dad, Oliver Durham, is on the right in this photo.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/OliverDurham.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/PineappleFleet.jpg
If you want to lose some weight and feel better too think about trying a TruVision 7 day trial pack. I'm below 180 pounds now and a lot of my gut is now gone, and that is where I wanted to see it work the most, in the stomach. My energy level is way up and my desire to eat all the time is way down. TruVision has really suppressed my appetite. I have Trial Packs ($20) in stock now if anyone wants to try it. It's been like a miracle for me. Check it all out at the link below.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/truvision.html
http://butch.truvisionhealth.com/
If anyone has been saving my newsletters through the years I am looking for Issue 573 dated January 24, 2008. Somehow, when I don't know, #573 was overwritten with a partial #573. If someone has it, even a paper copy in a binder, let me know.
Q. The pressurized flight suit
was invented in Maysville, Oklahoma by this famous pilot.
A. Wiley Post
http://www.blogoklahoma.us/place.aspx?id=478
Q. This state highway runs from
Oklahoma's highest elevation to the lowest elevation in the state.
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of February 13, 1999:
Someone gave me this photo of the
bell in front of the Prague, Oklahoma Fire Department. Now this is the kind of
bell I want!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/pragbell.jpg
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"Of everything in your mailing, this one I
will argue.... With a lot of hours on the net, and a lot of sites visited, I've
never had a problem with a cookie... And, I will be using them soon for tracking
purposes myself... So as I can mark "New" just next to the items that are new
since your last visit, and I have a couple other things I'm thinking about
implementing with them... So, I would recommend accepting them only from known
sites, but not just flat out refusing them... Asides from that, interesting
reading."
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"Butch, This is a picture of some of the
dignitaries at the burial of Hardy Murphy's horse (in Ardmore). Reading left to
right they are: Floyd Randolph, Jim Askew Sr., Jim Askew Jr. Hardy Murphy, Mayor
Iley Oxford, City Mgr. Emmet Brown, Ray Colvert, Unknown, Quintin Little, Carl
Holden and Guy Harris."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/photos/hmhorse.jpg
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The Eisenhower Interstate system requires
that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable
as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
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"I'm panicking! Didn't receive my T&T
today.... hope you are ok."
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Friday I had an unexpected surprise.... I
was gone from my office for a few, and when I returned, my friends Rick and his
wife and his office manager, Sharon, had left me a Valentine gift... Pineapple
pie! Everyone wanted a piece of it... and I held them off as long as I could,
but I finally gave in and let several of my co-workers have an itty bitty
taste... hahaha.
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Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/index.aspx?mss=152754
Non-ethanol gas (pure gas) stations in the Ardmore area.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/puregas.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
If you're a frequent flyer, forget about those ads on the TV
like Kayak, Priceline, Travelocity, etc. Nothing beats Google Flights for
finding low fares.
https://www.google.com/flights/
"Butch I remember someone saying that back in the 30?s the Park or the CCC boys planted the cedar trees in Platt National Park? I found this in a search for Cedar trees and Platt National Park." -George Peveto
Monday, Aug 8, 2005
Recently, a contractor, Eastern Red Cedar Mulch, LLC of Stillwater, Oklahoma was
awarded a contract to clear Eastern Red Cedars from 20 acres in the Platt
District in Chickasaw National Recreation Area. They utilize specialized
equipment that was equipped with rubber tracks, which are light on the land, to
clear cedar trees. After one to two months, the contractor will return to grind
the dried cedar trees into landscape mulch, which will be distributed to the
Dallas landscape mulch market. Piles of cut cedars can be seen from U.S. Highway
177 and the park's Southeast Perimeter Road.
The contractor cut all female and most male cedar trees in the 20 acre plot.
Older male trees thought to be planted by the Civilian Conservation Corp were
saved along with deciduous trees five inches and larger.
The removal of cedar trees with the use of control burns and mechanical
reduction in Chickasaw National Recreation Area has been a continuous process
for several years with plans to continue. The cedar trees are being removed to
allow the native grass to re-establish and the prairie and remaining deciduous
trees to prosper. Also, views and vistas will be returned to the historic Platt
National Park area thus restoring the cultural landscape and conserving water.
Although Eastern Red Cedar and Ash Juniper are a native species to Oklahoma,
they are extremely invasive and can only be controlled by fire or mechanical
means (cutting). According to the Strategy for Control and Utilization of
Invasive Juniper Species final report published December 11, 2002 by the Red
Cedar Task Force, it is estimated that cedars are expanding by 762 acres per day
or 300,000 acres per year.
http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/park_news/831
"In the mid 50's, several soft drink companies... Dr Pepper. Canada Dry. Pepsi... experimented with cone shaped tops on their cans... forerunners of the "tab."
http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-05/enhanced/webdr08/21/12/enhanced-16854-1400690730-15.jpg
"Woodford Stagecoach stop: Here are some of the images that I took back in 2008." -Cecil Elliott
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=334271F9EE888CD2&id=334271F9EE888CD2%21610&authkey=%21AO8fYl3WLEOhumQ&v=3
Don't forget, Saturday is Valentine's Day.
I may not be a smart man but I know what love is. -Forrest Gump
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Follow me on the TruVision lose weight program
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/truvision.html
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
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells:
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm's Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
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://cartercountyOK.us/
All previous issues of This & That can be found on my
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