If you’re looking for a certain article I wrote in a past issue of “This & That” you might find it faster by doing a “search” with your browser. With Netscape just click your mouse at the top at EDIT and then FIND and type in the word or words you’re looking for. If you use Internet Explorer, just click on EDIT and then FIND ON THIS PAGE to do a search.
Below is January 1, 2000 to March 25, 2000.
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Saturday, March 25, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 153
We’re close to reaching our goal of $1,500 (the minimum needed) to purchase the monument. I’ve talked to several of the survivors, and listen to their heart wrenching stories. One survivor, Robert A. Dwyer, 20, of Glen Cove, NY had only minor injuries in the plane crash. But he was killed two years later near his home in NY in a car accident. I hope we will have enough donations to purchase some granite benches, so people can sit down at the site while visiting the memorial. Please help us finished this job.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.htmlA reader in Arkansas talked to the sister of one the victims. This reader told me the sister broke down and cried during two different phone conversations with her. The sister wanted to thank us for this memorial stone, and that it meant so much to her.
This week a reader sent in a photo of Wanda Stonecipher. She was one of the stewardesses onboard that doomed flight.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/photos/wanda1.jpgA friend I’ve known since the early 60s and lived a couple blocks from me in the Northeast part of Ardmore called me this week. Her mother and father worked for American Flyers. She gave me some photos of a couple American Flyers planes.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/afplane1.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/afplane3.jpgAnd she had in her possession a letter written one week after the crash by Mrs. Reed Pigman. Mrs. Pigman was the wife of the pilot who died in the crash that night in 1966.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/aflet.jpgAnd this another photo showing many of the American Flyer employees and others back in the 60s.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/afgroup.jpgI received a lot of email this week about “the man with a beard who rode the bicycle”. He was Coleman Jones and I remember him well. Years ago I had bought my first new car….. a 1971 Buick Skylark. Boy, I loved that car. It had a 350 V-8 engine and would do over a hundred miles an hour! Not like these whimpy cars of today. A couple years later I had been to a meeting one evening at the Convention Center in Oklahoma City, and while my car was parked there, someone stole the tag. I had to get another tag a couple days later. So, I decided to place it on the back window, inside, instead of on the back of the car, beneath the bumper. A few weeks later I had my car parked in front of my house, and Coleman Jones came by riding his bike. He look and thought I didn’t have a car tag. So he stops, knocks on my front door, and says, “Sir, did you know you don’t have a car tag?” I explained what happened and the tag was behind the back glass. He looked and said, “well I’ll be, you do don’t you?”. That was one of my few experiences with Mr. Coleman Jones.
I found a great FTP program for those of you who FTP to sites. It’s call LeechFTP.
http://stud.fh-heilbronn.de/~jdebis/leechSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Coleman Younger Jones was the bearded man on the bicycle. He and his mother lived across the street from me on Douglas Blvd. His mother was reportedly a member of the famous Younger family. Her second husband was named Charles Carter and he was the early U. S. Congressman from Oklahoma and member of the family for which Carter County was named. Coleman Jones’ aunt owned the Whittington Hotel.”
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“This is in reference to the person who wrote about “a man with a long beard who rode a bike all over town”. Sounds like that would have been Mr. Coleman Jones. He didn’t’ seem friendly by appearances, but he was very pleasant if you talked to him. Local rumors have it that he was Harvard educated and extremely wealthy. Someday I’d like to know the real story about him. Wasn’t there something in the Ardmoreite about him many years ago?”
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“I remember that man. Always saw him at least once when we were in Ardmore. He really got around on that bike. One time, I was with my Uncle in Ardmore when we saw him. My Uncle told me that he was Santa Claus and that is where he spent his time when he wasn’t at the North Pole. I didn’t say so but I didn’t believe him… the guy just wasn’t fat or jolly enough!”
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“Well it just happens that I knew Coleman Jones practically all of my life. Mrs Jewel Whittington was his aunt, I believe, and & after her husband was deceased she became the sole operator of the “New Whittington Hotel” Before the explosion in 1915 the hotel was known as the “Whittington Hotel” but when it was rebuilt it was named the “New Whittington Hotel”. The hotel was very elaborate in its early days & retained that air throughout its existence. Coleman Jones worked at the desk of the hotel – he was clean shaven & rather nice looking in his younger days. Reportedly he was a graduate of Dartmouth College and was very well educated. He was articulate and could hold your attention with his very interesting observations. He certainly was no kook, yet for some reason, perhaps know only to himself, he assumed the role or appearance of a very eccentric person. When I came back to Ardmore, I was amazed by his appearance and I speculated that he had taken on the roll of some character he had read about. To me, Coleman Jones was a gentleman not to be feared or made fun of.”
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“The man with the long white beard that used to ride a bicycle all over town was Coleman Jones. He was a nice fellow, but certainly a little eccentric. He lived in the old family home of his parents at Douglas Blvd and about 7th s.e. It was a white frame house. The house is gone now, and there is a red brick home in its place. I believe he was a member of St. Phillips Episcopal Church, but seldom went.”
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“In the article from the Lone Grove Ledger, it mentioned that there was no information on Dundee. Approximately 3 miles West of Healdton (on Texas Street) was a community that emerged during the oil boom. It was called “Ragtown” or “Tent City”. There was a school there which was known as Dundee. To the best of my knowledge…Dundee was only the corner on which the school stood. There is a large granite monument there. Across the street, there was a post office… it was McMann, Oklahoma. Back to the East, there was another post office and it was Wirt, Oklahoma. I think Wirt was the main name of this area. In some Oklahoma history, there was an article written about the outlaws that came to this big boom area. The name of the article was “The Wickedness of Wirt”. One of the post offices (Wirt, I think) consisted of a wooden one window structure inside the building and this structure is on display at the Healdton Oilfield Museum. My Mother was a 1927 graduate of Dundee and she worked in that post office. She is 94 years young and still living at home!”
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“I wanted to invite you (and anyone else) to the gathering of the Buckskinners or Fur Traders at Fort Washita. We will all be there dressed in those buckskins and carrying our black-powder rifles, knives and tomahawks. I will be there from Sunday, March 26th threw Sunday, April 2nd. Hope you find time to come and see how they lived before 1840’s.”
Schedule of Events:
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ftwashr2.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ftwashro.jpg
Ft Washita Website:
http://www.trinex.net/users/trooper/
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“Hi Butch, I found this new message board last week. It’s more or less local.(Durant, OK area I think) Didn’t know if you’d seen it or would be interested. The roughed up game trail in an area that I’d been watching south of Wilson, proved to be LARGE wild hogs. Still looking though.”
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/55349
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“In response to the mailer last weekend, if they want to find towns no longer on the map, all they need to do is pick up a copy of Treasure Hunter magazine. In the classifieds they will find an ad for reproductions of old maps. One place to look would be Oklahoma Treasure traders out of Fort Gibson (918) 478-2525. We have studied several in Love County and know how to find maps of several ghost towns there. Are you aware of the Wilson that used to be east of Ardmore rather than west of Ardmore. One map of the early 1900’s shows this. Also, do you have any idea why the Spanish Fort historical marker is on the Texas side rather than the Oklahoma side, when the maps show it to be in Oklahoma. Or do we have this incorrect?”
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“This is a good site to listen to the DFW air traffic control talking to pilots.” http://www.audionet.com/simuflite/
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“Thanks to Bill and Boots Hamm the mystery of “Dude” Rickey buried on the Goddard Ranch has been solved. I am a Rickey descendent so of course the paragraph caught my eye. “The Hunt Began”. The only info the Rickey Family Tree had was his birth in Portsmouth, OH. Bill Hamm researched him at the Library, then at the funeral home. Boots did all of the neccessary scanning and pc activity. He apparently was a prominent citizen, as the Governor came for his funeral. L.D. “Dude” was a first cousin to the well known baseball legend Branch Rickey. It seems “Dude” left OH in 1906 and never looked back. His passion for the Ardmore area was very strong. He his buried on the Goddard Ranch by his own request. The researcher of the Rickey Family asked me to send you and the Hamms his gratitude and appreciation for all the information he received. I thank you also!!!!! No info on Little Joe, the horse.” http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rickey.jpg
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=============================================================I’m so glad a national emergency was averted this week. Had the strike went forward, Twinkies could have been a thing of the past. What would this country be like without Twinkies? Twinkies is an institution all by themselves. Now, let’s fix a Twinkie shake! ummmmmmmmm
When our courthouse was built in 1910, the builders inscribed some famous quotes above each of the entrances. The problem was a person could never read them. The only way to read what was inscribed above each door in the granite stone, was to go there at night, stand under the entrance, and shine a light up, causing a shadowing of the lettering. About three weeks ago I decided to darken the lettering to make them readable. Here is one of those quotes by Seneca.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/doorsay1.jpg
Seneca was a Spanish-born philosopher, playwright, and scholar.
http://www.ga.k12.pa.us/academics/MS/8th/romanhis/seneca.htmSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, March 18, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 152
If all the pledges come in toward the memorial stone, I think it is safe to say we should be able to soon place the order for the granite memorial. We have received $1,650 in pledges. So we are almost home! As I told everyone in the beginning, we will purchase the biggest, nicest stone we can, with the money we have available. I want to thank everyone who has mailed in their pledge. We now have $985 deposited in that special memorial fund account! We’re getting closer! Soon!
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.htmlHere is a drawing of what the monument should look like once it is completed and set. We welcome your comments, suggestions.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/photos/memstone.jpgI had a heart touching phone conversation with one of the survivors of the 1966 air crash. Terry Mayer was 19 years old when that plane went down northeast of Ardmore. He said he spent a total of 18 months in the hospital from his injuries, most of that time at Ft Sill, Oklahoma. At the time of the crash Terry lived in Star City, Arkansas. He now resides in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Terry said the accident haunts him everyday and he will never get over the pain and anguish that night.
This week I received a touching email about the memorial and praising the work so many of us are trying to accomplish. It is emails like the one below that gives me the energy to continue on until this memorial is a reality:
“I am enjoying your “T&T” each Sat., as it is forwarded to me and I forward it onward. It has tied old friends and brought new friends together. Thank you. Would you please, add me to your mailing list. I am so thankful that you have reached out to our community, which is stretched across the world, for a memorial for the ones in the Arbuckle crash. It was so devastating, not to mention the families involved. Ardmore came to a single mindedness that day. I want to make my pledge of $25 and will send the check on the first of April. It’s not much, but it is what I can do. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share in this wonderful act of love. Thank you, again.”
Last week I had the place right but the building wrong. I’m talking about Hargrove College. The original Hargove College in Ardmore was located at 10th and D Street NW. It burned down in 1894. Here is a pic of it.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hargrov1.jpgThe second Hargrove College was located at the Carter Seminary on Chickasaw Blvd NW. It burned down in 1957.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hargrove.jpgHere’s a pic of Woods County courthouse I receive this week. The county seat is in Alva, Oklahoma.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodsco2.jpgThanks to Bruce Hoagland at OU, I now have a lot more photos of Oklahoma courthouses. Almost 50 courthouses!
http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/ardmore/county/chouses.htmlIn the southwest corner of East Main and Caddo here in Ardmore used to be the old Whittington Hotel. Here’s a 1907 pic of it.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/whitth.jpgDuax runs quietly in the background, sounding an alarm whenever a modem connection is established or broken. It also provides connection information, including the bytes sent, bytes received, connection speed, and connection time. In addition, Duax displays blinking lights when data is sent or received. It can log connection data to disk and it can display the brand, type or name of your modem. Freeware
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/3680/html/duax.htmlSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I called and they gave me a special treat! Call and see what they do for you! Only takes 45 seconds. I swear! You’ll laugh when you hang up the phone! The following is the Customer Service number for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company. Dial the number and listen to their message, until the time you are requested to choose an extension – and then you can hang up.” 1-800-578-7453
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“BUTCH, I GREW UP IN ARDMORE AND REMEMBER A MAN WITH A LONG BEARD WHO RODE A BIKE ALL OVER TOWN. IT SEEMS TO ME HE LIVED ON DOUGLAS BLVD IN SOUTH EAST ARDMORE. MY DAD RAN A SERVICE STATION ON THE CORNER OF LAKE MURRAY DRIVE AND C STREET SO I WOULD SEE HIM COME BY. IT SEEMS HE WAS CONNECTED WITH THE WHITTINGTON HOTEL. DO YOU HAVE ANY REMEMBRANCE OF THIS GUY. HE NEVER BOTHERED ANYONE BUT ALL THE KIDS WERE FEARFUL OF HIM.”
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“Butch, wouldn’t it be something if some of the survivors of the crash could be here for the dedication of the memorial?”
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“Venus is between Dallas and Cleburne, Texas, on U.S. Highway 67 and has a population of 977, according to the Texas Official Travel Map (highway map put out by the Texas Department of Transportation).”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/venus.jpg
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“Butch, Are you not putting your photos in the net drive albums anymore? This is the 3rd. week of This & That , I’ve been unable to view. It appears all your folders are full. I just hope a fix is in the works. http://history.users.netdrive.com
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“Hi! I receive T&T by forward from a wonderful family friend in Ardmore. I am living in Germany with my husband who is serving in the US Army. I enjoy all of the little tidbits and great information you put out about our area’s past and present. Keep up the good work.”
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=============================================================Just 7 miles west of here is Lone Grove, Oklahoma. They have a weekly newspaper called The Lone Grove Ledger. Each week there is a column in it about things that happened in the county. One part is “85 Years Ago” and I love to read it, it has so much history of long ago. This past week they listed towns in Carter county that existed 85 years ago, but no longer. I found several Carter county towns I didn’t recognize… Boland, Monk, Loam, Homer, and Chargis. It also lists towns that no longer exist in Love, Marshall, Murray and Johnston counties.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/poffices.jpg“If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.” -Abraham Lincoln
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, March 11, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 151
We been moving right along on the memorial marker for those 83 who died in that 1966 airplane crash northwest of Ardmore. John Kastner, ranch foreman for Goddard’s Ranch where the plane crashed, was kind enough to show me the crash site this week. As I walked around on that mountain side, I felt as if I were walking on sacred ground. I could almost feel all those souls right there with me, and the tragedy that took place that rainy Friday night. I took some pics of the crash area. Just go to the link below and you will find them at the bottom.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.htmlJust a few miles east of here is a granite quarry, near Mill Creek, OK. I’d like to see the marker next to the “rest stop” 1/2 mile north of Highway 177 and Highway 53 (about 8 miles north of Dickson, OK). It’s may take around $2,000 to have a stone made large enough to have the names of each one who died listed on the stone in 1 inch high letters.
If you’ve already made a pledge and haven’t sent it in, please do. We are so close to making the memorial stone a reality. If you know anyone who might make a contribution to this cause, please contact them. We are going to need around $2,000 to make this come true. Make your checks/money orders payable to “American Flyers Memorial Fund”. We will deposit all contributions into a special American Flyers Memorial Fund account for safe keeping. Please mail them to, Ardmore, OK 73402. Thanks.
Last week I had a typo on the link to the emails I’ve received concerning the 1966 air crash. This is the correct link:
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/stories.txtYesterday The Daily Ardmoreite had an article about the memorial stone and the effort to have one erected.
http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/031000/new_66crash.shtmlEvery now and then I get an email with a photo attached that almost knocks my socks off. This week that happened. I received a photo of the old, no longer here, Hargrove College. The college was built in 1909 and burned in 1957. It was located at the Carter Seminary in Ardmore. This is truly a glimpse into the past!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hargrove.jpgA couple weeks ago I mentioned the round barn northwest of Ardmore on the Merrick Ranch. I heard it was moved here in the 40s from the Military Depot at McAlister, Oklahoma. The pic shows the south side of the round barn, it looks pretty good. But the north side is all caved in and rotten.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rbarn.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“You sure did rattle the ole memories in this weeks T&T when you talked about Ulis Barnett. I knew Ulis because he only lived about 2-3 blocks from my dads service station and we would watch him go to work and go home in his 3 wheel specially made bicycle cart. A lot of the times he would stop at the station and just talk about what ever was going on at the time. I have even watched him perform a wedding ceremony at the old temporary fire station across the street from dad’s station. I’ll bet that his son has a lot of interesting stories.”
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“Go out D st. N.W to 9th. ave (Ardmore) and you will find a little park located between 9th & 10th avenues. There is a plaque that was placed there by the Oklahoma Methodist Historical Society in 1964 which states, “Hargrove College 1895-1914” “A Methodist college once stood here, begun by the City of Ardmore it was given to the Indian Mission Conference of the Methodist Church, named in honor of Bishop Robert K. Hargrove. In 1907 the school burned but was rebuilt north of the city. It exerted a vital religious & educational influence throughout the area.” I don’t know where it was rebuilt but when I was growing up on 12th. Ave the entire block north of the little park, which would be all the area between 10th & 11th. N.W stood vacant.No houses appeared on that block for many years – I was told that the land was a part of the Hargrove College campus. You may find a history of the school in Paul Frame’s History of Ardmore.”
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“I loved the beautiful pictures of the old Northwestern Normal school that was burnt down in 1935 and the new one was rebuilt. I was very shocked when I went to the official schools web site and they have no mention about the school fire or the rebuilding. They talk only about the school and nothing about how it was the town of Alva that made this happen, especially the decision to rebuild. Without the people of Alva the school would never have been built. I guess that only goes to show that nowadays the people in the towns mean nothing as the government makes the decision to build anywhere they want and anytime they want and we will pay for it no matter what! I can see how back then the people had the power to choose what they wanted built but now it is no longer up to the people but Congress or the state legislators. That is really sad. I sent a letter to the Northwestern website and told them how could they omit the fire and the way the town on the very next day decided that they were going to rebuild and whats more is that they did not even cancel any classes even though they had no school building to teach in. Heck man, nowadays if the heat or air conditioning stops for a short time they close the school for days! Oh Lord, how we have become such a ungrateful country.”
http://wwwpubco.com/normalschool/index.html
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“I loved the picture of the Carter County Courthouse with the 3 men. That guy on the right really looks like a real big shot man of the community. I sure would love to know who he is as well as the other guy that looked like he is a poorer man and at their mercy!”
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“I am very sorry to hear about your Uncle but glad you have many good friends who helped you in your time of need like Tim Hill.”
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“Hi, Butch. I was wondering if you know anything about the “pony boys” who were part of the Pony Express and delivered the mail. I recently learned that my great grandfather, Robert Lincoln “Link” Armstrong, was a pony boy and was the first one to deliver the mail to Ardmore. I do not know when that was but he moved to the Baum, Oklahoma area in the 1870’s or 80’s and died in the summer of 1933, so that gives us somewhat of a time-table. Anyway, I am researching the Pony Express and will send you what I find about the “pony boys”…I did not know that the mail carriers for the Express were called that. Interesting, huh? If any of your readers have any info, maybe they could let you know.”
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“I agree with you about the book “Song Unsung” by Elizabeth Long. It is (in my opinion, also) full of a lot of unnecessary foul-language and rambles about so much that it makes it difficult to understand what the author is trying to convey. I had planned to buy it, since I knew the author, but checked it out from the library first. Glad I did. Money well-saved.”
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“hi butch, i totally agree with you on libby wells (chapman) book (songs unsung.) i bought that book and read it over a year or so ago…..”
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“I read the comment on “Libby” Long’s book, SONGS UNSUNG. It WAS poorly written. However, the way I understand it, her goal was to write about her past in order to put it behind her. She accomplished the writting part and I hope she was able to put her past behind her as she hoped. Again, I agree it was poorly written, but she does give us some insight into the seedy side of life in a small town. There is a lesson to be learned from the book too– the life of a drug addict is one of misery.”
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“Just thought you would be interested in this, I was reading on your web page, that your issue of “This & That News-Letter”, probably goes to up to several thousand, once everybody forwards it on. Well, I wonder if you know just how far away some of the people are that read it? I get your issue of “This & That News”, forwarded to me, by a good friend in Ardmore, way down here in NEW ZEALAND!, every sunday (As we are one day ahead of you).”
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“This is an old School. On the back the post mark says Venus Mar 5 – 7AM 1909 TEX. The pencil is so light that I have to get my large magnifying glass and see what it says. I have never heard of Venus, TX. I wonder if it still is a town?”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/venus.jpg
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=========================================When I was up at the Goddard Ranch north of Dickson there was this one lonely grave by Highway 177. It is where an Oklahoma Game Ranger wanted to be buried by the name of L.D. “Dude” Rickey. He was born in 1877 and died in 1939. He was a game ranger from 1935 to 1937. Does anyone know more about this man Rickey? Here’s a photo I took of his grave. He is the only one buried there, except for a horse by the name of Little Joe (1939-1971).
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rickey.jpg“Friends are born, not made.” -Henry Adams
http://www.anova.org/henry-adams.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 4, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 150
This past week I have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of pledges to place a memorial monument near the sight of the 1966 aircrash northeast of Ardmore. I thought it might take a month or two to get enough pledges to have the granite monument made. But so many of you opened up your hearts, and within 48 hours after last week’s T&T went out, we had received close to $1,000 in pledges. Rick Feiler and I have opened up a non-profit account at the Citizens Bank here in Ardmore. I’m asking each one of you who made a pledge, to mail it in now. Make your checks/money orders payable to “American Flyers Memorial Fund”. We will deposit all contributions into this special American Flyers Memorial Fund account for safe keeping. Please mail them to, Ardmore, OK 73402.
Even though we have a thousand dollars pledged, that is not going to be enough to purchase a stone large enough to have all 83 names listed on it. Everyone I’ve talked to so far does not want to settle for a smaller stone, one that will not list the names of those who died. So please, let others know about our need. And remember that so far, all the pledges have come through the efforts of our emails. Maybe you know someone who does not even have a computer who may want to contribute to this memorial. Let’s get the word out and put in place a memorial stone beautiful enough to truly honor those young men who died that night back in 1966. Ee’ve learned that people still care even 35 years after that fateful night. Now let’s make it happen.
I’ll be watching my mail everyday, so please send in your pledges now so we can mark you down as PAID. Thank you.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.htmlAlso I’ve received a lot emails from all over the country, telling me their story of the tragic plane crash. So many, I decided to put them on a webpage by themselves. Here is the link to….. “In Their Own Words”.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/stories.txtThis week I had a special visitor from Roff, Oklahoma. He is the son of Ulis Barnett, a Justice of the Peace here in Ardmore back in 1935. He had some old photos, so I scanned one showing Ulis Barnett in his office at the courthouse. His office was in the southwest corner on the first floor, which is now known as the “land records room”. This is a 1935 photo belonging to Gary Barnett in Roff, Oklahoma. Thanks Gary for the pic!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/barnett.jpgHearMe.com offers a free voice program that will allow up to 500 people to talk live on the internet as one group. I just hope all 500 people don’t try to talk at once. hahahaha
http://www.hearme.com/products/voicecreator/This week my 82 year old uncle, Pratt Carmon, here in Ardmore had a severe stroke, leaving him unable to speak or walk. The Ardmore Fire Department responded to his house and helped the ambulance in getting him to the hospital. Firefighter Tim Hill called me at work to tell me of the emergency. I was the only relative my uncle had with him for nearly three hours, until his daughter could get to the hospital. It’s really nice to have friends who go out of their way to help in an emergency as Tim Hill did for me. Thank you Tim. Friends, they make life worth living.
Another uncle here in town, he’s 89, is here only by a prayer. He’s health has deteriorated so much the past year. It is so sad when our physical bodies play out. When we still have good health, we have so much to be thankful for.
Here’s a great 1908 pic of the First Baptist Church at Cordell, Oklahoma. Is that a bell tower I see? 🙂
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cordchu.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I don’t think you have this one. It is a picture of a bell in front of the Doughtery Baptist Church in Doughtery, Murray county, OK. It is still in use today. I hope you can use it.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dou_bell.jpg
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“Butch, check this out a seminar on your favorite subject Oklahoma Lawmen is at Shawnee, OK.”
http://members.aol.com/OkCowboys/AndIndians.htm
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“You know?? I always look forward to your This and That. I seem to always find a treasure. The gem of the week this time is “A Treasury of Primary Documents”. Wow this is super. My great grand parents were in the states for awhile as was a brother of my grands who stayed there and so this is super. Thank you so much for keeping me on your mailing list Butch.”
http://www.universitylake.org/primarysources.html
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“I was cleaning down in my basement this weekend in Northwest Oklahoma (Alva, Oklahoma) and found yet another unique picture of northwest Oklahoma’s “Castle on the Hill (Northwestern Normal School) 1901.”
http://wwwpubco.com/normalschool/index.html
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“Regarding the new Golden Dollar, I started to vote in your poll, but I can’t. I love the picture of the Indian lady and child, but the Liberty over the top of the coin takes away from its beauty. The two do not mix well with me. The TRAIL OF TEARS is only a start of why the two can’t mix. As a citizen of the United States I am proud of MY country, but its only mine through death of the people of my heart.”
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.html
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“Butch: I love This and That! Thanks for taking the time to put it together. I am fascinated with the history of Southern Oklahoma. My wife and I bought the old St. Agnes Academy building in Ardmore and have turned it into a beautiful Bed and Breakfast. We are looking for tidbits of history about the Academy and anyone who attended the Academy or had a relative who attended. You have found a couple of wonderful pictures which our friend Steve Sexton forwarded us (before we subscribed to T&T. Do you have anything else about the Academy? How about some of your readers? We’d love to hear from anyone about this fascinating bit of history. Thanks, Jim & Maxine Huggins.”
stagnes@ardmore.com
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/stagacad.jpg
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=============================================================A friend here in Ardmore loaned me their book “Mill Creek, The Life and Times” by Harold Dean Garrison. Mill Creek is about 30 miles east of Ardmore and Mill Creek resident Harold Garrison wrote a very informative book on Mill Creek history in 1995. As I was reading through the book, I noticed several interesting things. In 1921 Mill Creek schools started their football team. But in 1924, their star football player, Curtis Williams, broke his neck in a game against Ada. He died from the injury several days later. It was then Mill Creek closed down their popular football team, never to start it again. Also in 1932 Mill Creek had a very bad shootout with bank robbers. The bank robbers were eventually caught and sent to prison. I don’t know if the book’s author, Harold Garrison, still has any copies of this most unique book, but if you’re interested, give him a call at 580-384-5414. The book is nearly 300 pages with over 50 rare photos in it. If it’s Mill Creek, OK history you want, this is a great book!
Another book I been reading is by an x-Ardmoreite, Elizabeth A. “Libby” Long. She tells about her marriages to two of the infamous Wells brothers, Ardmoreites Robert and Don Wells. Long’s life with the Wells brothers was one of alcohol, casual sex, drugs, suicide, and violence. She mentions in her book a lot of Ardmoreite names which I’m sure was to their dismay. Her book “Songs Unsung” is in my opinion a poorly written book and unless you really want to learn about the Wells family, my suggestion is to save your money. http://www.galdepress.com/su.html
“Believe in your own powers, and your own potential, and in your own innate goodness.”
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, February 25, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 149
Southern Oklahoma has had some much needed rain the past week. Many farm ponds were completely dried up… maybe with some more rain they will be full of water again.
On a rainy Friday evening, April 22, 1966 an airplane with 92 young teen aged years boys crashed into the side of the Arbuckle Mountains some 20 miles northeast of Ardmore. The plane was carrying the 93 Army young soldiers and a crew of five. Nearly all the crew members were from Ardmore or nearby towns, since the plane’s owner was American Flyers Airlines, Inc., headquartered at the Ardmore Airpark north of Ardmore.
Crew members were: Reed Pigman, Pilot and President of American Flyers; Wilbur Marr, co-pilot; Charles M. Gray, flight engineer; Anthony Pica, chief flight engineer; and two stewardesses…. Wanda Stonecipher of Stratford, Oklahoma and Dyana Duncan of Jacksonville, Texas.
I was not working yet for the Ambulance service when the crashed occurred. But my future boss, Bill Lewis, was the manager and drove an ambulance to the scene of the crash. Bill knows exactly where the plane went down, and I will see if he will take me there in a few days.
Why I am telling this story, is because myself and others would like to see a monument erected on the side of that mountain as a memorial to all those young boys who died in the firey crash. I’ve talked to several people and they support this idea of a memorial stone. Two people have already pledged $25 each to go toward the cost of the memorial stone. I have personally pledged $25.
I would like to first see if any of you out there will join with me in pledging a contribution to help pay for the granite monument. I estimate it may cost up to $2,000+ to have the stone made. Especially if we place the names of all the victims on the marker. I’ll create a webpage telling about the crash, and list first those people who pledge money. If we raise enough in pledges then we will ask for the money and those names will be changed from “pledges” to “donations’ as the money is received. We will only list name, city and state. People who wish to remain anonymous will be listed as such. I hope to have enough money raised by the April 22nd anniversary date so we can begin.
But first things first. If you would like to make a pledge, please send me email, telling me the amount you pledge, so I can mark it down. Here is the initial beginnings of the memorial page I’ve started.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.htmlIn the weeks ahead I will be telling more about this terrible aircrash north of Ardmore in 1966. I have the original special Saturday edition of The Daily Ardmoreite telling of that dreaded crash. Please support me in this effort if you can.
Bruce Hoagland at OU in Norman has sent me several more pics of Oklahoma courthouses. One by one we are getting there. http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/ardmore/county/chouses.html
One reader wrote in this week saying when she received my T&T it said, “This message can not be converted”, and thought I may have a virus. No virus, but here’s the answer:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q167/2/66.aspLast December I visited a Choctaw Indian lady just wsst of Davis, Oklahoma who has the original bell from the old Presbyterian church of Davis in her front yard. How she came upon the bell, was the church and property belongs to her and when the church closed down many years ago, she moved the bell to her house near Camp Classen. Boy, I wish I had this big beauty in my yard!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/presbell.jpgTalking about Camp Classen, it’s a camp for kids, nestled in the beautiful Arbuckle Mountains just west of Davis, Oklahoma. The camp has a couple of bells too. Here’s one that’s mounted in front of the kitchen there on the camp grounds.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/clasbell.jpg
If you haven’t visited my Bell Page lately, its growing!
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/italy/56/index.htmlDown on Caddo street here in Ardmore is a business that is almost a legend. It’s name is Key Feed Store and its been there for many years. I was in there last December and snapped a picture of their pecan crackers (they have 3). I would imagine many people have never seen a pecan cracker, watching those pecans drop from that chain picker upper and then down that cracking shoot. Quite a noisy contraption.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pecancrk.jpgHere’s a pic of the old scales Key Feed and Seed still uses to weight things in their store. It’s an oldie all right.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/scalesk.jpgThe old Colston Building here in Ardmore was built in 1917 at the southeast corner of Main and “A” street SW. It’s where the Citizen’s Bank is currently located in the lobby. When built there was a humongus steam driven electric turbine installed in the basement to provide electricity for the building. Here’s a pic of that monstrosity of a machine.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/colstone.jpgIf you want to make money on the Net, my sister in Oklahoma City has a website with lots of “money links”. She’s already made a zillion dollars surfing here and surfing there. hahahaha
http://becky.koolhost.comSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“The last two weeks I have just read an occasional e-mail and left the rest to read later. Well, last night I opened my account and had 120 e-mails waiting to be read!! I could spend a whole day reading all those. I left most of them, only read 2 or 3 from close friends. This morning when I got online, I found your This & That and read it FIRST. I look forward to it each week.”
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Just for interest’s sake, no your probably not secure even with a dialup account and certainly not with a DSL, Cable or other fixed IP connection. I run two firewalls, one on my personal computer, one on the main internet server at my house. Anytime I get port scanned by someone looking for a way in the address is captured along with the date/time and entry attempt and it is automatically uploaded to my website at http://www.chickasaw.com/~waedens/attacks.html We are getting Cable and DSL both in the next couple months and I was getting ready for the strains of a fixed constant connect IP address when I installed a couple firewalls just for the protection of my home network. Anyway thought you might find that interesting.”
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“Butch I got the zone fire wall as I am always on the net with adsl and after doing the check it said that it could not find me on the net so I feel safe with my data as a mortgage broker I have sensitive client information on my drive this is a big relief to me”
http://www.zonelabs.com
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“Butch, some of your readers might be interested in the following web site. It is titled, “A Treasury of Primary Documents”. It is a massive collection of the literature and documents which were most revelant to the colonists’ lives in America. The documents are dated from 500 BC up to 1800.”
http://www.universitylake.org/primarysources.html
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“ever wonder what program uses that file extension? Now you can get the answer from one large web data base. Every file format in the world.” http://www.whatis.com/ff.htm
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“Since I don’t have graphics I can’t look at the photo, but that curve is etched in my mind from the many times I drove it before I-35 was built. It was an even more terrifying experience coming upon it from the south (going downhill) when it was covered with ice. I believe it was marked 25 mph even before World War II and still is– and if anything that’s a little faster than it’s comfortable to take it even in dry weather.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hairpin.jpg
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“Butch, I have been reading your this & that, here in Salt Lake City for a couple of years and it bring back a lot of memories. I am originally from Gene Autry and was wondering if maybe you or your readers could help me out. My dads health is deteriorating and my wife and I are thinking about moving back there this summer or fall. My wife will be transferring with the post office but I will need a job. I have over 15 years management experience. Currently I am the Night Production Manager for a cabinet manufacturing plant with 63 permanent employees and up to 15 temporary employees at any given night. We will be looking to transfer somewhere within a 50 mile radius of Ardmore. If you or your readers may know of a possible position please let me know. We will be in Okla. on vacation in mid April and would be glad to meet with someone then.” cox2506@slkc.uswest.net
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“Hello, I have a tournament at Lakeview Golf Club in a few weeks. If you have any information on this course, it would be really helpful to me. If you could tell me anything such as the speed of the greens, if the greens are large or small, or the distance of each hole, I would be thankful. ousnrs1@yahoo.com
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“Hi Butch I wanted to tell you about a site I found yesterday. It is a site that has all the Presidential candidates listed and tells how each candidate stands on all the issues. It also has a quiz you can take that will tell you which candidate is best suited to your own political philosophy.” http://www.issues2000.org
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=============================================================The winner of another one of my wood gizmos is: mpclark@wtrt.net
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodgiz.jpgSo far those who like the the new “golden dollar” is split 50/50.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.htmlJust 32 miles northeast of Ardmore is Sulphur, Oklahoma. A Vietnam veteran in that town has made a webpage telling about his visit back to Nam in September 1999. His page starts out so simple, but so powerful…. “All Gave Some, Some Gave All.” The young people today have no realization what others have given up in the battles for democracy and freedom in times past.
http://www.brightok.net/~larrym/“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.” -Albert Schweitzer, 1875 – 1965
http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/96jan/schweitzer.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, February 19, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 148
Bruce Hoagland, geography professor at OU, sent me a really great photo this week. A pic of the bell in front of the Coal County Courthouse at Coalgate, Oklahoma. Now is this a bell or is this a bell!!!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/coalbell.jpgAlso Bruce sent in about 14 pics of courthouses from across the state. I have them listed on the webpage below! We’ll be adding more courthouses in the weeks to ahead.
http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/ardmore/county/chouses.htmlAlso I’ve made a Folder named Courthouses at my netdrive.com Website and all the courthouse pics can be found there too. http://history.users.netdrive.com
I tried a freeware program this week called Form Pilot. It let’s you do away with the typewriter for filling out forms. I scanned a Workman’s Comp file, imported it into Form Pilot and it did a great job. It let me fill in the boxes, put the actual form in the deskjet printer, hit PRINT and it put the words right where they are suppose to be on the form! You will need a scanner.
http://www.colorpilot.com/invention/typewriter.htmlMany people have asked me if their computer is secure from hackers and the like while online. I don’t really know the answer to that question. But zonelabs.com sure does! They will even test your computer while you are on the Net to see if a hacker can get to your hard drive and data, etc. If you really are concerned about security while connected to the Internet, then go to zonelabs.com and let their software be your firewall. http://www.zonelabs.com
Ardmoreite Bennie Winter had a nice write-up in the paper this week on his 13 year biblical research and book.
http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/021600/liv_author.shtmlCourt Clerk Karen Volino has a new service on her website. It’s outstanding Bench Warrants. It’s updated every Friday.
http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/ardmore/county/warrantsTalk about updating, I have some new help with the Carter County Government website and sprucing up the webpages. She’s a lot more color-coordinated then I am. Her name is Jennifer Johnson, a dispatcher at the Carter County Sheriff’s Office. In the weeks to come, Jennifer will be helping me re-doing our webpages, so they will be the most professional looking that we make them. She just re-done the Carter County Deputy Rangers Webpage this week. Yes, that’s her husband listed as the Director of the youth program, Deputy Sheriff Gregg Johnson. Jennifer will be a great asset to Carter County!
http://cartercounty.homestead.com/deputyranger.htmlSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch, wow do I ever enjoy your “this and that”! I like the different sites you tell about- I recently got callwave and love it, and today I got signed on with freeway for free long distance. Thank you! The Jack Smith that died: could he possibly have been a Dickson school bus driver in the late 1970’s? Also, do you know if the Ardmoreite has an on-line edition?”
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“Just a note: about various Okla. Courthouses: A Courthouse without a dome may be beautiful, but without a dome they look like a Hospital. That is not to mention what our State Capitol looks like.”
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“This e-mail message will entitle you to a FREE copy of my new found friend, ‘BonziBUDDY!’ He is an interactive parrot that travels the Internet with you, speaking, singing, laughing and learning from you over time! BonziBUDDY normally retails for $40.00, but for a limited time, this e-mail entitles you to a copy of the full version – FREE!”
http://www.bonzi.com/bonzibuddy/bonzibuddyfriend.asp
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“i really haven’t had a chance to read your t&t this last two weeks. and this week i finally got to catch up. As you know i am not from this area orignaly but have enjoyed learning about the area from you. I live south of wilson, OK and would like to know more bout the area i live in. If any of your readers have something of interest to share i would enjoy learning about it.” raftersm@excite.com
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“Everyone should check this out…It’s free…works great, and for the first time ever I now have a secure windows95 PC that hackers scaners will not find when I’m connected to the internet. (go to test page at shieldsup now and test your system, then go back after install and retest…link is listed below).”
http://www.zonelabs.com
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“Butch, Attached is an interesting photo that was sent to me. An old photo of the sharp curve on 77 near Turner Falls.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/hairpin.jpg
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“A friend of mine has been sending me T&T. I am enjoying it VERY MUCH!! I was born and raised in big A and enjoy the stories about Ardmore and the surrounding area. I was wondering if you could add me to your list?”
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“Butch, would you do me a favor and tell your readers about a NEW web site online concerning “Cherokee Strip Museum”! The Cherokee Strip Museum Association (Woods Co., Alva, Oklahoma — (580)327-2030) invite you to drop by online and in person to view a piece of the past with them. They have 40 rooms in the Museum (which was the old Alva General Hospital) for viewing, including the Drug Store, Prisoner of War Room, Kitchen, Country Store, Gun Room, Model Railroad, Old Saloon, the Oklahoma Room, and Agricultural Building, Implement Yard, a very special One Room School House and many more displays. Several of their rooms are available for viewing in their online Gallery. So–get in there and sign their Guestbook! — Pat L. Steed is the webmaster” http://www.alvant.alva.ok.us/csm/csm.html
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=============================================================Weather permitting, this weekend I’m taking my camera northeast of the Ardmore Airpark (15 miles NE of Ardmore) in search of an old round barn. I just learned about it this week…. suppose to be a really neat piece of Carter county history. Wish me luck on finding it!
As you can guess we have a lot of carpet spread over 4 floors at the courthouse and in the Annex building next door where my office is located. From time to time we need carpet cleaned and this week a service here in town called Kelley’s Carpet Cleaning steam cleaned a couple of the offices including around the county commissioners offices in the Annex building. After they are through it looks like new carpeting almost. Their cleaning apparatus uses 260 degree steam and I mean you have no trouble seeing where they’ve cleaned and where they haven’t. The “steamer” is in their van with long hoses ran into the building. They use the latest technology and their prices were very reasonable.
The winner of another one of my wood gizmos is: bdixon@brightok.net If you want in next week’s drawing, and have not submitted your name already….. let me know by email.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodgiz.jpgI’ve added another Poll. I was at Wolly World this week, and had two dollars change coming back. She gave me one good old Green Back Dollar and one of those new ridiculous “gold” dollars. hahaha Do you like the new “gold” dollar? To cast your vote:
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.html“So many nights I’d sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now you’ve come alongAnd you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days and fill my nights with song”
– Debby Boone 1977See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, February 12, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 147
I promised last week that I would do another Internet broadcast on my givemetalk.com website. Since then givemetalk.com has came out with their free HomeStudio program. I just downloaded it and in a few days I’ll make good on that promise. I’ll let everyone know when the broadcast is ready to hear. Wish me luck because I still don’t know what I am doing. haha
Earn up to two hours of long distance each month by listening to short ads targeted to your interests! You earn 2 minutes of free long distance for each 10 – 15 second ad you hear! Use FreeWay from any touchtone phone — just like a calling card! Call anyone, anywhere in the U.S. No need to change carriers — and no monthly bills! http://www.broadpoint.com
Bruce Hoagland, a history professor at OU, sent me three pics of the courthouses in the Panhandle of Oklahoma. They are: Beaver County Courthouse-
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/beaverco.jpg
Texas County Courthouse-
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/texasco.jpg
And Cimarron County Courthouse-
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cimarco.jpgThe Carter County Court Clerk recently had a group photo made of her employees. They are from left to right, front row: Jeannie, Nancy, Court Clerk Karen Volino, Bonnie and Teresa. Back row left to right is: Daria, Jodie, Joan, Debbie and Pam.
http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/ardmore/county/photos/ourgang3.jpgMP3 Fiend helps you locate and download free MP3 audio files on the Internet by searching 11 different MP3 search engines at the same time. It locates and verifies files on both FTP and HTTP servers, and when it finds the same file on more than one server, it displays the server with the fastest speed. http://www.mp3fiend.com/
eFax.com has just came out with an upgrade to their program. If you don’t have a fax, this is a great alternative! http://www.efax.com
A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Copyright The Ardmore Daily Press
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Saturday, May 2, 1925Police Cars to Be Equipped With Sirens
The police department are thinking of installing sirens on all cars owned by the city policemen in order that they may proceed with haste in making an arrest. At the present time the officers are sometimes delayed in answering a call due to the fact they are held up by traffic congestion.
The car of Fred McNeely is now equipped with a siren similar to the ones on the fire trucks. If this system proves satisfactory more cars will be equipped with sirens it was stated at the police station yesterday.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch this morning’s T&T had a lot of things that I remember. First the Henry Guess killing. I was in my teens and I remember well because my family knew Henry and he was the youngest brother of Bill Guess. None of the family really believed that the true story got out and a lot was covered up but that was a long time ago. I remember the early morning telephone call that my father got because the police were trying to find out how to contact the Guess family as all the brothers were living in California. Henry was a nice man that became involved in that old demon “alcohol”.”
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“Hello Butch, Will you please e-mail me info as to how to get your T&T? I was born in Wilson “many” years ago and still love to hear about it. Thank you so much. I haven’t left my computer since I heard of T&T. I am reading all of the back ones. I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying it. It really brings back wonderful memories. You are amazing.”
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“In the late 30’s or early 40’s there was a butcher that worked at the grocery store and I guess it was Hunts and his name was Henry Brumley. He made the chili for the store and it was supposedly a secret recipe. He was a friend of my dad’s and gave him this recipe but said he could never give it away. For years I remember going with Dad to the store, the one on East Main and I believe it was Fraziers. The meat had to be specially cut, beef roasts and port loin. He picked his spices carefully and always fresh garlic but what now seems absolutely gross is he would buy SUET. Most of you know suet is just the hard fat on the beef. Pounds of suet. When we moved to Colorado we would go downtown in Denver and get these same ingredients. He would also use venison and antelope at times to replace the beef. Never any beans. It was good to me then but as I got older the “grease” just made me ill. But this man Henry Brumley was the butcher there in probably 1939. His daughter was Nettie Peden of the Peden Jewelry Store that used to be on Main near the old Paramount Theater. Just fun recollections.”
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“Hello Butch. I sent after the tape. My husband and I both set and listened to it and discussed the area (Browns Springs) the song was written about. We liked the tape. Others should send after it. The cost was $2.00. You have some very interesting articles in your newsletter. Sure enjoy the pictures also. Good article on Grapette- The 60s and 70’s. Keep up the good work.”
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“I live at Wilson, and wanted to say something about DemiJon. It is a creek, almost two miles south of the Wilson park, located on Highway 76, but extends east-west quite a way. It runs into Walnut Bayou. I don’t know about there being a community near it called DemiJon at the turn of the century, but it is possible. There were several now defunct communities located down that way. Also wanted to say I enjoyed the Big Foot report. (I’ve become a believer, though I’ve never seen one.) Thanks for the T&T, I look forward to it every weekend and have learned a lot about this area that I didn’t know.”
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“Stamps, Arkansas is named after a diffent branch of the Stamps family tree. Stamps, Arkansas was named after Hardy James Stamps. Hardy was the grandfather of the first mayor of Downey, Calif. Hardy and William Oscar Stamps come from the same grandparent… Hardy James Stamps great grandfather was Timothy Stamps. The William Oscar Stamps who was the beginning of the Stamps Quartet continuing with his son, Virgil Oscar Stamps, the fathers common great great great grandfather was Timothy Stamps. I do Stamps genealogy and anyone with the Stamps name “claims” the Stamps Quartet, Virgil or Frank, as a 2nd cousin. And there is a place in Upshur, Texas called Stamps, just a cross road in the county…where William Oscar (W.O.) Stamps had a homestead. My Stamps family lived in Oklahoma and my great uncle heard them play, too.”
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“eeeeehhhhkkkkk – it’s monday morning Butch! Where is me this and that????? Please, please please dont say you are ill, or have you forgotten to press return and send it out???? *S* Monday mornings will never be the same without it!!!!”
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“hi butch, don’t know if you have seen this, free U.S. mail delivered postcards. you have to wait 36 hours to send another. ads on cards cover postage! Stonewall, OK.”
http://www.dair3.com/dairgram/index.cgi?path=initial&cred=dair
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“Hey there…Everyone always contributes something so, here is my contribution. This will help the people w/car fever and it is quite interesting. Once I had looked a few things up, I got an e mail from them and it had some very interesting information in it!” http://www.bluebook.com ————————————————————-
“Butch. Just going over the information that you have been putting out, and you do have some interesting information ect.ect. In reference to the person that was in need of knowlede about the location of dimijohn. I along with countless others used to play on the creek of dimijohn south of wilson, oklahoma. There was a store, and residence at the county road intersection just before you got to the creek named dimijohn, coming from wilson. There were several homes in the sparsly populated area. I would think that this is the location your reader is refering to. This would be approx a mile and one half or possibly two miles south of wilson.”
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“Butch, I know that you read the obituary columns in the Ardmoreite but did you notice the death of Jack Smith in this weeks paper? There was no mention that he once served as City Manager of Ardmore (in the 50’s I think). I don’t have a story to relate about him but maybe it should be noted that he was a home grown Ardmoreite (which is unusual).”
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“Butch, I saw in “This and That” that an author is looking for the Arnolds who testified against Machine Gun Kelly and his wife Kathryn. The following is some information about the Arnolds testimony in the Machine Gun Kelly kidnapping trial in Oklahoma City. Also, is the narrative about an incident that ended in Ardmore involving one of Kelly’s associates. I hope you find it interesting. The book is very interesting. There is a bank robbery described that occurred in Mill Creek.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/mkelly.txt
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=============================================================The winner of another one of my wood gizmos is: okmtman1@aol.com If you want in next week’s drawing, and have not submitted your name already….. let me know by email.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodgiz.jpgFor a number of years the Time Out Restaurant has been located at 101 North Commerce here in Ardmore. It closed at the end of 1999. I noticed this week that Tan and Tone America is now going in where the Time Out Restaurant was located. Oh such irony… where we used to go and sit down to eat and get fat, now people will go in to take it back off. hahahahaha
“A good way to judge people is by observing how they treat those that can do them absolutely no good”
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
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Saturday, February 5, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 146
My first attempt at internet broadcasting received a good reception by the email people sent. Several of you gave me a couple ideas for the next one… hopefully in a few days.
A reader passed along to me a URL that is a great place to find all kinds of help if you have Windows problems…. need drivers technical support and the like. http://www.fixwindows.com
This week a friend in Bartlesville, Oklahoma sent me some nice photos of the Washington County Courthouse during all the snow that hit Oklahoma last week.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wash27a.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wash27b.jpgIf you want to learn Sign Language, here is a great program and best of all its free! http://home.att.net/~aslslant/
In a T&T last November, I told about going to the Arbuckle Mountains north of Ardmore on a cold Tuesday night. It was November 2, 1999 and a night I will never forget. A man and his wife and their three sons own 120 acres in those mountains and have been experiencing Bigfoot sittings for a long time. They took me down up into the mountains, and what I really seen I don’t know. But I did see two red eyes back in the timber. Plus they showed my other things that indicated a Bigfoot had been in the area. Fact or fiction? I don’t know. But I know we are were all heavily armed, and depended on each other to come back down out of those mountains safe. Why I am telling you all this, is this week there was an article in The Daily Ardmoreite telling about sightings over in southeastern Oklahoma. So who knows. Maybe?
http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/013000/new_bigfoot.shtmlArdmoreite Robert Hensley came through this week with a great pic of the invisible “little helper” and Dr. Washington, Choctaw Indian doctor, that was featured in the Daily Ardmoriete on January 21, 1979.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/kwanakua.jpgHere’s another one of the St Agnes Academy on “E” Street SW next to the Catholic Church many years ago sent in my Robert.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/stagacad.jpgA reader wrote me to tell about the link below and the wealth of geographical information that can be found there. I checked it out and Wow is all I can say. A database of geographical information like none else I have found.
http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/A reader sent me a URL with great info about Grapette!
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/bottle_collecting/20035A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Ardmoreite Obie Johnson acquitted of the murder of Henry Guess at the Blue Front Cafe. Here is the article about the February 2, 1947 shooting from the Daily Ardmoreite:
“Obie Johnson was acquitted of murder charges in connection with the death of Henry Guess in the district court Friday, as Judge Monroe presided.
Johnson was charge with shooting Henry Guess to death in front of the Blue Front cafe on Caddo Street, February 2, 1947. The defense headed by Joe Ben Champion and Wilson Wallace of Champion, Champion and Wallace produced witnesses who testified that Johnson acted in self defense of his life and business.
Guess had caused trouble in the establishment several times, and had been told to stay out of the Blue Front, which is owned by Johnson’s uncle Earl Mann, according to testimony. On the night of February 2, Johnson had asked Guess to leave and in the argument that followed it was testified that Guess pulled a knife on Johnson, and the later was forced to shoot to protect his life.
Alvin Bruce and Joe Culp represented the State in the case.”Here is a newspaper clipping announcing Obie Johnson’s bid for Constable of District 1 during this same time with his pic.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/johnsonc.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hey Butch…..I JUST LOVE WINNING STUFF!!! The gizmo will be a perfect addition to my collection of gadgets tricks and jokes. This is too cool…Thanks”
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“Butch- The picture with the men described as Tom-Fleet Cooper’s garage may not be correct. The reason for me saying this is that my dad, Brook Simmons, is in the picture. My mother had this picture and as I remember, Dad worked for a freight company which I thought was in or to the south of Echol’s Storage building north of Bluebonnet. Cooper’s dealership and garage, as I remember in the late 40’s, was located where the county health office is now. Maybe someone with a better memory than me will respond. Dad is 6th from the left. The 5th man may be Alton Greenway, but not certain. There was a Bob Dulaney Freight company in Ardmore in the early years. Notice the freight crates and no greasy mechanics. Surprised to see the picture.”
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“hi, enjoyed your broadcast of the Ruby Hardy story. The site worked well overall, was a little choppy in spots. You never know about these Ardmore families. I’ve seen to much of this kind of thing over the years here. A good recent example was that car dealer that allegedly shot himself multiple times, but who knows for sure. Hope you give us a replay of your big foot expedition to the arbuckles. That would be interesting haha. Thanks”
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“I think that it turned out very good… hope you do another good story. But was wandering how old was Mrs. Hardy that just died? I listen to this at 1:20am and it was kind of jumpy… coming in, in sperts.. but it still sounded real good.. Just keep up the good work.”
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“Butch what a novel idea you have come up with. Your audio presentation was well done. Obviously you should have followed a course in teaching, especially history. I mean any kind of history, but the history of our region is very well received and you have made it very interesting by your genuine love for what you are doing. Thanks!”
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“butch.. came thru loud and clear..PERFECT reception. Using WIN95/NS4.07 using real audio..streaming,buffering..and it’s fast ..at 56kV90 When the popup comes up .. you don’t HAVE to DL the ‘latest’ real audio unless you want to ..it comes thru fine with what I’ve got .. don’t recall what ver it is ..anyhow ..MOST interesting !! Love it ..what next ??”
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“Butch, I sit down about an hour ago to listen to your broadcast on the above. However, I got carried away with some of your links on your T&T and just now remembered what I had sit down to do. 🙂 Very interesting broadcast! It was as clear as a bell and what a fascinating topic!! You do good work.”
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“I think you did an absolutely wonderful job…not even a twinge of nervousness.. congrats!”
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“I read A. Bob Jordan’s obituary in The Daily Oklahoman a couple of months ago. His bus line served much of southeast Oklahoma. (And when I used to ride the Nichols Hills Transportation Company city buses in the Oklahoma City metro area two or three decades ago, several of the N.H.T. drivers were eager to get back downtown because they also drove for Jordan Bus Lines and were often cutting the time very short before they had to take a Jordan bus out. Before that, when I lived in Konawa in the early 1950s, all the bus service (quite a few buses a day) was Jordan/Denco. I never was entirely sure what the connection was between Jordan and Denco, but I believe they were affiliated in some way. My January, 1931, copy of Russell’s Guides shows schedules for Jordan Bus Lines.”
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“Hi Butch, just want to say thanks again for the T&T. It’s so nice to get those interesting tidbits from back home. Sure makes my day up here in NY.”
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“Here is the information my husband and I combined put together on Chili Bowl Chili and we thought your readers might be interested in the strong connection to Ardmore. A Mr. Otho Hutchins worked at H.A. Brooks Gro store on N. Washington back in the 30’s. He made a very good chili. He moved to Tulsa and started making spices and later his chili. He had a brother-in-law named Matt Berryhill. They went into business together making Chili Bowl Chili. The Berryhill family were still running the Chili Bowl Co. as late as the l980’s. I have lost tract of the co in the last few years.”
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“I have published 22 photos of the 12th Street Entrance area of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area park , covered in a thick blanket of snow, on the internet.”
http://www.homestead.com/chickasaw2/snow012700index.html
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“I don’t see how, unless a pay off was made that Judge Hardy got off and not-guilty. I don’t buy his story of accidental and do NOT see how the leaned gun could possibly hit Mrs. Hardy in the face when the gun was leaned up against the car and she was facing the backseat to untangle dog. Too many witnesses having accidents… and attorneys trying to confuse the issue with the Viola Ross and six children scandal. If I would have been on the jury…… He would have gotten my vote of guilty! I guess every county and community has their little mobs of power and pay-offs, don’t they!”
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“Butch, just finished reading your mail, I sure enjoy all the good information you and everyone puts out. I just thought I would let you know my wife and I just bought an antique dealership here in Marietta, Oklahoma. It is called the Bargain Bin Antiques and Collectibles. We are located at 214 West Main Street in Marietta, we would appreciate it if you would pass on this information to all your readers. Our email address is mailto:buxton4@brightok.net for any one interested, please stop by and see us and check out our store we have a lot of neat old antiques for sale.”
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“Enjoy your site each Sat. morning. Noticed when you signed off, you wrote “Ardmore Oklahoma”. Is this your name in some Indian language? I grew up in Anadarko and had many “Redman” friends. Cherokee, Creek, Kiowa, and many tribes, I cant remember. I was given an Indian name by my best friend. He was a Kiowa. He was older than me, but we attended church together, and I really enjoyed him. He had a younger sister who was in my class in school. She was truly an Indian princess. I always wanted to go on a date with her but was to shy to ask her out. One time in church, I asked my friend, how I could get his sister to go with me to the movies. He said say something to her in “Kiowa language” and she will like you and go out with. So he proceeded to teach me something I cant remember now but it ended up with the word “Sawpodle” Well I practiced this little saying and the next week in class, when I saw her, I spouted out what he had told me and she started laughing. I knew I had been had. She wanted to know who had told me to say this? I said your brother. She said you just called yourself “A Crazy White Man.” I cant remember if she went out with me or not since this has been over fifty years ago. But I will always cherish my friend Victor. Hope you enjoy this little tale.”
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“Hey Butch, sorry to hear it is snow on the ground, I have been wearing short sleeves and t-shirts. Weather is fantastic but don’t move out here like the other 2 million people have this past few years. Thanks for putting me on your list and keep in touch.”
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“In your newsletter, I read one msg that talked about Napster.com being worthless. Maybe they don’t understand about picking the lowest ping rate to download from. It can take a long time, depending one your own connections and the one you’re dl’ing from. Oh well, to each, his own. Right? I still use napster and have it going right now. It’s kind of like having your own radio station, except no commercials.”
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“Butch, do you know anything about the town of Demijohn, located near, possibly south of, the Wilson – Zaneis area that existed around 1900? I grew up in Healdton; my granny was born in Demijohn, but I don’t know where it was or anything about it. It might have been near the now-defunct community of Hewitt, just e. of Wilson. Thanks.
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“Butch, The following classified ad appeared in the Ardmoreite this week:
Announcements
Personals
“In 1933 M&M Luther ARNOLD and daughter Geraldine of Ardmore testified in Machine Gun Kelly case. Author seeking how to locate Geraldine or her children. 703-960-3119.”
Obviously, “M&M” stands for Mr & Mrs, but I didn’t know anyone from Ardmore had ties to Machine Gun Kelly. The area code in the ad is from Virginia. Finding these people sounds like a job for the readers of This & That!!!”
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“Butch: The mines that were located at Overbrook, Oklahoma were asphalt mines,according to the following article. The Daily Ardmoreite, Sunday, July 25, 1993 (special birthday insert) “Young Ardmore” The Manuscript of Julia K. Sparger pg 4 ,column 2, second paragraph( the following is a partial copy). Another resource of the area was begun south of Ardmore in 1890 by S. Zuckerman, M. Munzesheimer & B.C. Burney, later M. Westheimer & S. Daube. About 1895 the first paving with asphalt from mines near Overbrook began. The operators paid the Chickasaw Nation $500.00 a year for their lease & 10 cents for each ton sold. The asphalt was one of the stimuli later for a search for oil in Carter County. I have a postcard showing paving main street Ardmore I.T. with asphalt from the Ardmore area.”
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“PhoneFree lets you enjoy hands-free, full-duplex voice conversations over the Internet, with digital sound quality. You can download and use PhoneFree, with absolutely no charge, from the link below.”
http://www.phonefree.com/ “The photo of the 1909 baseball team (with big “G” on uniform) was found on a postcard postmarked Guthrie, Okla., Aug 21, 8:30pm, 1909. It was sent to my grandmother (Constance Warwick) who was staying in Colorado Springs, CO. and getting her mail General Delivery. It also has some other postmarks on it…. Aug 30, 1909, Denver; Sep. 2, 10am, 1909, Colorado Springs, CO. Grandmother’s beau (Will McGill) sent her this message, “Have won both games since my return. Feeling fine. Hope you are ‘thusly’. — Mc” My Grandfather is the “lean, long-legged player standing on the backrow, third from the left. I’m sending the picture along with this email and was wondering if you could run it in your newsletter of 700+ readers to see if anyone out there recognize any of the players.” If they do, email me at mailto:OakieBelle@home.com http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/guthbase.jpg
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“Some one asked in one of your T&T’s about the Stamps Quartet, saying they were from Texas, well they are orginally from a small town in southwest AR, named Stamps. They did do a lot of tours in Texas, I also saw them there years ago.”
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=============================================================The winner of another wood gizmo is: drcoxadc@brightok.net
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodgiz.jpgA couple weeks ago I talked about Hunts chili being made by my friend George Hunt back in the 60s at their store at 726 3rd NE here in Ardmore. I guess George heard about my article on his chili (he doesn’t have a computer) and last Monday morning, there was a block of his chili on my desk! Friends are Priceless.
Thanks for all the emails and request almost daily for my T&T… its humbling to say the least. I didn’t have space to put everything in this issue. I appreciate all of you.
“To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed, that can make life a garden.” -Goethe 1749-1832
http://www.econ.jhu.edu/People/fonseca/goethe.htmSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 29, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 145
I have a new announcement with this issue of my T&T. I am now broadcasting some of the past episodes of my “Glimpse Into the Past” via the Internet using GiveMeTalk.com website. This is my first time to try this new media… and so I need some feedback. Just go to my Home Page and you can click on the GiveMeTalk.com icon. You will need RealPlayer to listen to the broadcasts. Boy, this technology just gets better. But be advised if the net is “congested” the broadcast may get a little choppy. Anyway, try it and see what you think!
http://www.brighok.net/~bridgesFound a great place to pull down maps for that next vacation!
http://www.MapsOnUs.com/Ardmoreite Robert Hensley sent me a couple more fantastic photos this week! This first one is the old Jordan bus cafe, 1948, located at #30 South Washington, corner of 1st St S.E. and south Washington. Seated under coke sign is Darryl Sears, Jordan bus driver, woman in plaid is Zela McClain. Notice signs, Barbecue beef sandwich, .30 cents and plate lunch for .55 cents! Times sure have changed!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/jordbus.jpgThis is the second photo Robert sent….. Tom & Fleet Coopers Auto Garage, Ardmore, Oklahoma. Located at 401-403 West Main where the First National Bank is now. 4th from front is Hoot Halloway, 2nd in grey suit is Tom Cooper, (owner of Tom Coopers Dairy), first, in white shirt is Fleet Cooper. Circa 1925
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/coopauto.jpgKeep your friendships alive! Zing.com is the easiest and quickest way to use your pictures or ours to make your mom smile, your friends laugh or your lover blush. Brighten someone’s day with a ZingCard It’s fast, fun and free! Staying connected is just a click away! http://www.zing.com
We had some excitement downtown last Monday…. some welders were cutting out the old jail on the third floor of City Hall and caught some wood on fire. But luckily there was only minor damage.
Every wonder the meaning in a name?
http://www.behindthename.comA reader wrote in this week and said when he was running Internet Explorer 3.02 he could not pull up my Xoom pics. But since he changed to Internet Explorer 5 he can now see the Xoom photos!
You can also find pics in this issue at my Photo Album:
http://history.users.netdrive.comSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Thanks for the picture of Ardmore Court house, my husbands Grandparents Hiram Joseph Potter and Ethel Smith were married there in 1926.”
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“One of your readers wrote that Napster is Worthless. I also have tried Napster and dumped it. What good is a service where you can’t get a download compleated because you have no control of the source. (other user) I have over 250 megs of classic rock MP3’s and was using winamp to play them until I discovered that the new realplayer7 also plays MP3’s and MP3 playlist made with winamp. What a great stereo sound with realplayer7. Soon you can find a link to very large MP3 collection at” http://www.angelfire.com/biz5/value4u
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“Yea lets have a drawing and count me in!!!!”
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“Hello Butch. I was glad to get T&T this week. I saw one of the emails that was sent to you last week about the Chili Bowl chili at Sams…. Chili Bowl is good chili and only cost 5.89 at Sam’s That’s about 1.17 per pound. It comes in a 5# container.”
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“Butch, I checked out the > http://www.mailstartplus.com/ and was concerned with one of the “Terms and Conditions”. It stated it was not liable to the user if the site was discontinued and did not have to notify the user. I don’t know about other mail sites and if they have the same terms but I would be concerned about not being able to access files I had saved if the mail site was discontinued. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.”
mailto:pcooper@brightok.net
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“I enjoyed your T&T today… I like the pics of the court house and churches of 1927. They sure have not changed any. next week you should but in the 2000 pics of them and compare them.”
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“Butch – I make my own chili. You can find the recipe on my home page.” http://home.earthlink.net/~blantrip/chili.htm ————————————————————-
“Butch, in the Ardmoreite, dated January 21, 1979, there is an article about Dr. Washington and Buster Ned. It seems the American Trail series filmed Buster Ned and Mac McGalliard telling the story of the Kwanakuasha. In fact one of the pictures shows Mac holding a book about the story of the Kwanakuasha, I guess. My clipping of this is torn and faded not suitable for scanning but I did have the picture of the Dr. and the little man standing on the table. You probably remember this article.”
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“Remember a few weeks ago I reported back to you that I could not access any of your XOOM photographs. At that time I was using Internet Explorer 3.02 browser and mail. Within the past few days I have upgraded to Internet Explorer 5.0 browser and mail, I now can access your XOOM photographs. Problem musta been the older version of Internet Explorer that prevented my viewing the XOOM photographs.”
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“I have printed out your photo of your wooden works-of-art. I am going to stick it up on my pinboard at work. What are you going to use them for? – part of a garden fence or something else? Shame about the spelling mistake though!…only kidding! ha ha ha!”
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This is a photo of the bell tower at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ada, Oklahoma. It’s difficult to see the bell but it is there. And yes, the sky was that blue when the photo was taken. Only in Oklahoma!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/adacath.jpg
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“Phone line busy because your on the internet all the time? Now there is a free service that will get your callers message to you while your online. It’s called the Internet Answering Machine.”
http://www.callwave.com
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“Please follow this link: http://www.stpt.com/newsites.asp?ID=8 and cast your vote for Ardmore City Schools web site. When the page loads, scroll down and look for a yellow box with a red check mark beside Ardmore City Schools and please click to cast your vote. If we get enough people to vote for Ardmore City Schools web site, it will be featured on Starting Point’s “Hot Sites” listing for a whole month. We would appreciate any help through forwarding this to as many people that you have on your email list. Thank you in advance.”
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“Dear Butch: I am still at my hobby of collecting the antique National Currency. I am in the process of gathering information/documentation to produce a publication on the National Currency of Ardmore/Carter County. I shared copies of some of my collection with you and your readers some time back. Please ask if anyone has pictures of the old national banks or pictures/information related to the bankers. These were the banks that operated prior to 1935, of which there were eleven. Eight were in Ardmore, one was in Wilson, one in Healdton, and one in Berwyn (Gene Autry). I am attaching a copy of an Ardmore First National Bank Indian Territory $5 dated 1890.” Harold S. Pittman
mailto:halpitt1@gte.net
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/1stnote.jpg
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============================================Some of you wrote in asking what were those wood gizmos I was making and burning letters on. Well, its hard to tell you. They are little tricks or gimmicks you use to play on unsuspecting friends. They try to hook the end of the plunger on a rubber band inside the block of wood…… that really doesn’t exist. hahahahaha The two winners this week are grampe@gci.net and wootcon@sstelco.com Let’s give away another gizmo next week, so if you want your name added with the others in the drawing, email me.
Elian is a hot potato by watching the newscasts. In my Poll, 66% now say he should be returned to his father in Cuba. http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.html
I had about 11 more pics to share with everyone, but just ran out of space and time. I’ll try next week to get some more inserted in my T&T.
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” -Dale Carnegie
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 22, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 144
For several years I have been using Netscape. I started out with version 3….. and until this week had moved up to Version 4.07. Since I already have over 40 computers/workstations on the Net at work, I decided this week to switch at home to Internet Explorer Version 5. IE-5 did a fantastic job at migrating from Netscape to IE. After the initial installation of IE, it even let me import my Netscape mail folders along with their emails, and all my Bookmarks. The whole process went smooth as silk. Now that I’ve made the change here at home, I wish I had done it a long time ago. Mr. Gates has done the world a favor in offering Internet Explorer… and free too.
This past week I’ve been with playing with napster.com which I told everyone about last week. If you love music, this is a great site to download your favorites and listen to them using the MP3 player on you computer. Also there are a number of free MP3 players for download, just for the asking. I downloaded several songs…. and they sounded great. http://www.napster.com
Here’s a pic of Ardmore High School in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ahs1927.jpgHere’s a pic Ardmore Hotel in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ardhot27.jpgThis is a photo of the Country Club in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/cclub27.jpgThe First Presbyterian Church in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/1stpres.jpgArdmore’s First Methodist Church in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/1stmeth.jpgThe Carter County Courthouse in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/court27.jpgA 1927 photo of the refinery.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/refine27.jpgOur train depot as it was in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/depot27.jpgA photo of downtown Ardmore in 1927.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dtown27.jpgIn 1927 Ardmore had a population of 20,000. So really in the past 70 or so years when haven’t grown a lot. We also had 35 miles of paved roads, 40 miles of sewer lines, and 40 miles of water mains. We had 4 banks, 8 public schools, 22 churches, and 1 business academy. 15 hotels, 4 railroads, 3 newspapers, 4 fishing and hunting clubs, 4 cotton gins, a cotton compress, a cotton seed oil mill, a flour mill, and a pure bred cotton seed house. 8 public schools, 4 banks, a pecan cracking machine factory, 2 golf courses, a country club, a creamery, 2 bottle works, 2 hospitals, a Public Farm Market, 3 oil refineries, Southern Oklahoma State Fair and Western Association Baseball.
All the above pics can be found at my Photo Album by date:
http://history.users.netdrive.comA GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Copyright The Daily Press
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Sunday, March 29, 1925STROMAN WORKS FOR BIGGER AND BETTER ARDMORE
Only Dealer in Auto Replacement Supplies
in This Section of StateThe Stroman Motors Supply Co., located at 224 West Main street, Ardmore, is the only jobber of automobile replacement supplies in Southern Oklahoma. The business was started by E.J. Stroman and W.C. Davis in January 1923. They began in a small way and their business has grown to be a fair sized wholesale house. They have built up a reputation in the Ardmore trade territory for giving service and for fair dealing.
Mr. Stroman says that although their business has grown continually, yet they are still operating at a loss. This was expected. It takes several years to get a jobbing business on a paying basis. However, as expressed by Mr. Davis if their already long list of customers and friends increase during 1925 as it did in 1924 The Stroman Motor Co., should go safety over the top by the end of 1925, and Southern Oklahoma can boost of having a real wholesale automobile replacement supply house.
These men belong to the Chamber of Commerce. They are shouldering their share of the church and civic work. They merit success. And it is believed the business men and citizens of Ardmore and Southern Oklahoma will give them their hearty support.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hello Butch, I love your “site”. Has anyone heard of or seen the STAMPS QUARTET in Oklahoma area? They started out in Texas, but appeared in Oklahoma frequently. Way back in the 1930’s? The later Stamps Quartet sang back up for Elvis in 1970 until his death in 1977. Does anybody have a picture? Thanks.” LstCensus@aol.com
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“Not sure exactly what these pieces of wood are Butch, but the two easiest ways of doing almost any kind of lettering are dry-transfer (rub-on) and using a Leroy lettering set. You can probably find almost any type of font style and size in dry transfer lettering now, and they are available from most office and art supply stores. You would probably want to spray or brush on a clear coat of some sort to keep the lettering from getting scratched off. The Leroy lettering set uses a special pen holder that follows letter outlines in a plastic guide. You need a different guide for each size and font of letter. They are somewhat expensive and usually only used by serious draftsmen and artists.” Dan Major, Univ. of Okla. School of Industrial Engineering, major@ou.edu http://www.ecn.ou.edu/major/www
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“Butch, There are paint pens available at Hobby Lobby and other craft stores. They work well. Just like using a regular pen, but they are paint. This would probably do what you want.”
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“So.. You don’t eat that much meat and you’re looking’ for homemade brick chili. Have I got the place for you, my friend. It is a little meat market in Alva, Oklahoma. They make homemade brick chili w/beans or w/o beans. Your choice. They only use the leanest of leanest sirloin hamburger with hardly any fat. The Store’s name is “Whittet’s” in the south part of town. They started out in Dacoma’s Meat Market and the family grew and extended some of their businesses into Alva. REAL, LEAN MEAT… NOT that Grocery store processed meat substitute. Does it sound like I’m trying to sell small town meat markets? hahaha.”
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“Butch they have a good brick chili at Walmart. It is delicious but I don’t know the name. It is in a red sealed package on the top shelf down by the sausage and it is make in Okla. City. Its as good as the old Frasers chili (Frasers Mear Marker) we used to get.”
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“ole george hunt is one of the best people there is in my book. i’ve known him longer than i’ve known myself……my grandpa clarence woolery was also a butcher with george at some point (they may have worked at lasley together?)….i used to get off the school bus at 3rd. and Pst and walk to cashway lumber to work after school and i always stopped by hunts grocery and could smell that chili. now days i’ve been buying chili at Earnies ole fashion meat market. i’ve also known earnie and jackie forever……and they’ll fix you up on the chili.”
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“Butch, Can you please send this out to all on your list and see who all is a Mp3 buff as much as me. OK…. you now have spurred my interest… IMHO.in my honest opinion.. Napster is Worthless…. This coming from someone that has a “few MP3’s” yes i may not have as many as some… but i have used Napster and it is not what is it cracked up to be. I have close to 3,200 mp3s.. yes it takes a Ton of harddrive space..but if you are someone like me that HATES Games with a passion, loves to chat, and Loves Music with a Passion. then mIRC is the place to get music. Mp3s will soon be “tried to be shut down” but it wont happen for a while. The industry is trying to put a stop to them cus of the copyright stuff, but there are toooooo many ppl out there that use them, love them, and rely on them, just think, a Bar somewhere. goes computer then puts all their play list on a computer. They then can do a whole night of music and never ever change a cd or anything. I was wondering if anyone on the bridges list is into Mp3’s as much as i am? if so just mail me and then maybe we can do some trading. PS… like a while back when the song from the band Pearl Jam, “Last Kiss” was big and it was a Cover of Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers, Last Kiss. Just the mention of the song and in about 15 minutes i had the song from Both bands. When you are looking for a hard to find or impossible to find song that may take for ever to find on a CD then you can almost always find it on a Mp3. what is nice is if you have a Cd recorder then you can make you own cds off of the Mp3s that you download. well ok enough of my Rambling….. if you collect Mp3s, contact me.” ozone@brightok.net
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“Butch, I became a vegan vegetarian on January 1 based on information I obtained at this web site. I have read the book “God’s Way to Ultimate Health” by George Malkmus, and watched two videos by Dr. Lorraine Day, “You Can’t Improve on God,” and “Diseases Don’t Just Happen.” Check out the web http://www.hacres.com
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“Just wondering if you have any pics/info on the old Catholic school that was where the old Oak Hall school and the alternative school is now. Thanks for any help.”
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/italy/56/photos/stagn10.jpg
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“My brother spent many years in Mexico working in the oil business and he told me that Chili is not a Mexican dish. He said it was created in the U.S (probably Texas). There was once a little restaurant at Calera, Ok. that served super good chili (the restaurant is no longer there) & they told me that their chili is at Sam’s, by the name of “Chili Bowl”. I bought it at Sam’s but was surprised to find it in the frozen food department. It was the best chili I found since Dorn Moore retired. We should dig George Hunt out of retirement and put him back into the chili making business.”
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“butch try chili from harrisons gro on third ave ne. not spicey enough for me but is still good”
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“What I am writing to ask is this “Did you ever see the photo that Mac MacGalliard had in the Ardmoreite in 1976 about the Indian Doctor (I believe he was Dr. Washington)? It was a photo taken by a local photographer way back when, and as they did years ago (and may still do) there was a small round-top table next to the man used as a prop for the photo. After it was developed, there was a small “being” standing on that table beside the doctor. The photographer said that there was nothing on the table at the time he took the photo, and was pretty shook up when he developed it. Apparently, the doc told him that it was his “familiar”…that guided him through the woods at night when he was sent after to go treat one of his patients out in the Yellow Hills. I had a copy of this article and photo but left it at my Moms and she has either lost it or thrown it away. This makes for an interesting Indian legend about the “KonaKwasha” (spelling may not be correct, but that is how it is pronounced, I think). If you can find a copy of this, please let me know. I am so upset that I do not have mine and would love to have another one (of which I will not take to my mother’s).”
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“Several readers have been talking about Devil’s Den the past few weeks. My mom pulled some old photos that show some good views of the rocks, and I thought you might enjoy sharing them. They were taken in May of 1966.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dden1966.jpg
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“How often are you on someone else’s computer and needing to check your e-mail. If you don’t have telnet access, that can be a difficult task. But, if you can access the web, I urge you to check out MailStartPlus. Now, this isn’t “another” web e-mail account–it’s a way for you to access your POP3 account via the web. And boy, it’s slicker than snot! You can configure all sorts of mail options… plus keep your messages on the server for retrieval when you get home. And it’s FREE! Seriously gang, this is a “must bookmark” site.”
http://www.mailstartplus.com/
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“Ever wondered about any of your old High School friends. Go to
http://www.highschoolalumni.com/ and you might find them.”
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“Thanks for the newsletter. Maybe folks don’t see it, but it’s not so much the newsletter, it’s the content and how it is presented. Not many folks can achieve what you are doing, and it’s because it comes natural.”
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=============================================================Thanks to everyone who sent me suggestions as how to put lettering on my blocks of wood. I decided to use a very fine point woodburning tool. Here is a peek…..
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/woodgiz.jpg
So lets have a drawing for a couple of the wood gizmos next Saturday. Just send me email to be put in the drawing for the gizmos. I’ll draw two names from the hopper.Last Thursday night I got to see the total eclipse here in Ardmore. Clouds almost ruin the view, but they didn’t. It was pretty awesome. Hope some of you got to see it too.
My polls still says Elian must go back to his dad. But guess what? DrPepper this week took the lead against Coke. hahahaha
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.html“Friends Are Priceless”
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Butch Bridges
Saturday, January 15, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 143
For a couple months now I been trying to figure out how to print/paint lettering on some small pieces of wood. My friend, William Landrum, down the street helped me make the little pieces of wood in his shop. All I need to finish them is put some wording on the sides. Are there any artist out there that can tell me an easy way to do this? Sharpie pen? I am no artist.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rubwood.jpg
When I get them finished, we are going to have some drawings. We haven’t had any drawings in a long time.This week my friend Ardmoreite Robert Hensley passed along to me this most astonishing photo of Buck Garrett and Bud Ballew. Buck Garrett was the most famous sheriff of all time in Carter county. And Bud Ballew was his infamous undersheriff. There is an oil painting of this photo hanging in Ponders Restaurant at I-35 and Highway 142 on the north edge of Ardmore. That’s Sheriff Buck Garrett on the right, Ballew on the left.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/garrett8.jpgWell, I am pleased to say not one computer or Server at the courthouse crashed or had problems with the advent of 2000. Even a couple of “older” computers made the change over just fine. But I do believe it is because of a lot of program upgrading and such, that made sure 2000 was uneventful. Without all the upgrades and changes before December 31 there would have been a lot more problems, everywhere.
This past week The Daily Ardmoreite ran a feature story on the new “flight suits” the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service is sporting around now as their official uniform. The medics sure look better in those “flight suits” then we did back in the early 70s when I worked there. We wore solid white shirts and pants. Back in those days there was a Burger and Fries at the SW corner of Grand and “K” Street here in Ardmore. I was wearing my ambulance uniform, standing in line, and the person behind me made a derogatory statement about our uniforms. Maybe he saw something we failed to see? Times, they are a changing.
http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/011300/new_ems.shtmlHere is an Ardmore memory from long ago. An aerial view of the Skyview Drive-In Theater in the Northeast part of Ardmore on highway 199. Of course back then it was Highway 70, since the “new” Highway 70 to Madill had not been opened yet.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/skyview.jpg
Remember, those of you who can not pull up the xoom pics can go to my Photo Album at http://history.users.netdrive.comSo, what the heck is Napster? Napster is a completely new way of thinking about music online. Imagine…an application that takes the hassle out of searching for MP3s. No more broken links, no more slow downloads, and no more busy, disorganized FTP sites. With Napster, you can locate and download your favorite music in MP3 format from one convenient, easy-to-use interface. The only problem I see is if you are like me with only 180 megs free on the Hard Drive, you would soon fill it up when each song may be 4 or 5 megs. Otherwise this is a great site to find that special song you been searching for.
http://www.napster.com/Last week I told about a free program to download in Oklahoma to do tax returns. The state program is available February 4th.
http://www.oktax.state.ok.us/oktax/netfile99.html
A free program to do the Federal return can be found at….
http://www.TaxACT.comA GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Copyright The Daily Ardmoreite
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Monday, May 28, 1906HISTORICAL MURDER CASE
Final Chapter Being Enacted
Murder Committed in 1902Guthrie, Okla., May 27. – Sheriff Elliott, who recently went to British Columbia, has wired here that the prisoner under arrest there is Sam Green, one of the men under indictment for murdering Sheriff Bullard and Deputy Sheriff Cogburn, in 1902. Extradition papers are being prepared at Washington, asking for the return of Green to Oklahoma. When arrested the prisoner gave his name as G. McGiven. He arrived at Vancouver in April from Portland, Oregon. Sheriff Elliott went to Portland, in September, 1905, and to North Dakota in August, 1904, when he was informed of the supposed arrest of Green and his co-partner, Pete Whitehead. Both trips, however, were wild goose chases, but the Vancouver prisoner is positively identified as Green.
The killing of Jack Bullard, sheriff of Roger Mills county and his deputy Cogburn, occurred in June, 1902, near Cheyenne. Pete Whitehead and the Green boys, Sam and Richard, with Mrs. Sam Green and a confederate named Otis Stuhl, were in hiding near Cheyenne, having in their possession a bunch of alleged stolen horses. Bullard learned of their whereabouts and with Cogburn went to arrest them. As they approached the underbrush, where Green and his partners were hiding, the latter opened fire on the officers, instantly killing Bullard and fatally injuring Cogburn.
All members of the Green-Whitehead gang made their escape, excepting Stuhl and Mrs. Sam Green. Following their arrest, the defense was made that Bullard and Cogburn had called the women of the gang thieves and outlaws, and that the members of the gang fired on the officers to protect the honor of their women. But little evidence was ever given this story, however.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, Thanks a bunch for putting the article about Arch Campbells shooting in your T and T this week. You know I do a lot of Garrett and Ballew research, and can’t get up that way often enough to have a look at as many of the old issues of the Ardmoreite as I would like. So thanks again for this glimpse into the past.”
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“You are sending it much earlier than you did last year…was this one of your New Year resolutions? If so, I am here to tell you that you have totally messed up my housecleaning habits…break time used to be at midnight when I got your paper, now at 11 p.m I am sitting here reading all that you have to say. After taking off an hour earlier…who wants to clean house? hahaha”
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“About the ear candling….that has been very popular in our area for quite sometime. It does wonder for a person’s hearing, especially for those that have minor hearing problems and after a sickness. The thing is, if done too often, this can create a lot of problems for an individual. The removal of too much of the earwax tends to be an irritant to the ear drum….and oh yes, the linen type of cones are better than the other ones. They burn easier and the ash doesn’t fly as easy as the other types.”
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“This is just about the coolest thing since dirt. If you like music and mp3’s, this is about the easiest program I’ve ever used. You can download from hundreds of people and when you get your music library built up, they can upload from you. It is ssssoooo fun!! I’ve been doing this all evening and into the wee hours. Every genre of music is out there for FREE. You just have to try this…Kyle has been using it for about a week and I just started and already have well over a hundred songs.” http://www.napster.com/
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“Thought you would want this website. I live in Madill, Oklahoma and have subscribed to your website for a while now. I really enjoy all the neat info you send out. Here is the website for the Texoma Peanut Inn in Madill, This and the Clint Williams Peanut Co. here in Madill are owned by my neighbors family the Ortloff family.”
http://www.texomapeanut.com/inn/
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“Aloha Butch…. Love all the info and unique stories! I have a small request …is it possible for you to add to the subject line the volume and issue so as when saving they don’t overwrite each other??? I find that I refer back to them to send on info to friends or just for my own use and would like to keep them without having the hassle of renaming them ….. Just a thought!…. Mahalo”
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“I have received permission from Markie to tell you about a book, “Living On Holson Creek, A Choctaw Journal”, written by Neal White. This book is a collection of short stories written about Neal’s growing up years in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as well as current goings on here on Holson Creek. It has stories that will make you laugh, stories that will make you cry, and some that will make your blood boil. This is Neal’s first book, and as he is continuing to write short stories, there’s a chance of a second book somewhere in the future. But for now, if you would like a copy of the current book, just send a check or money order for $19.95 (which includes shipping and handling) to:
Neal White….. Rt.1, Box 2685….. Wister, Oklahoma 74966″
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“Tonto’s horse’s name was scout the lone ranger said hi yo silver tonto said gettem up scout I remember this from the movies and TV with my oldest son.”
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“I remember my father saying that his brothers older than him made the last trail ride up the chisolm trail from Texas just to be able to say they did it they stopped because trains had come to Texas. My father described to me and my sister what a trail ride was like the trail boss was king they held kangroo court when some one messed up and didn’t hold up his end. the punishment was usually harsh such as a whipping tied to a wagon wheel ETC not the good old days.”
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“Jet-Mail Monitor notifies you if you’ve gotten mail on one, some, or all of your POP e-mail accounts. You can set up Jet-Mail for a large number of e-mail accounts, and can configure the program to check as many of those accounts as you like. Jet-Mail has several other superb features. For example, when you get e-mail, a message appears on screen. Also, if you want, a sound of your choice will play when you get mail. Lastly, the icon in your system tray, at the bottom right corner of your screen, will change. You can choose from several different icons, including some that blink or move. Jet-Mail will let you open up Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook by clicking the icon. It’s simple to set up and use, and it’s completely free.”
http://www.cowon.com/engdefault.htm.
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“Don’t know if you are looking for submission tools, but I found this one and it’s FREE. Just download the program and start submitting to hundreds of search engines and links. They recommend submitting each url only once a month, so I put a little date as I submit each link. Anyway, maybe some of your readers could use it too! It works great on my machine.”
http://www.options-unlimited.net/freesubmit/thanks.htm
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“Hey Butch, I saw your note on ear candling and thought I would pass on some info to any of your readers who might be interested. Unfortunately I do not know the “science” behind ear candling. Some folks think it forms a vacuum and draws moisture or wax out of the ear. It seems to be an old home remedy that works sometimes but one needs to be a little cautious. Most important is to purchase or make “dripless” candles. If you buy ear candles that do not say “dripless,” than you really ought to be standing when you perform this bizarre act. Wax could slide down the candle and land on your eardrum. (NOT GOOD!)”
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“I have a question for you….it’s an Ardmore mystery that no one has been able to help me solve yet. Apparently about 1905, my great grandfather, Sylvester Clarence Ballard, was shot and killed in the Ardmore area. I have been unable to locate his grave or any information about it. I gather he was a bad person and got into some trouble around Lone Grove. My grandfather located his grave allegedly in Love County in the 60s but made my entire family promise to never ask around about Sylvester Ballard in the Ardmore or Lone Grove area. He was allegedly followed and warned to never return to the area or he’d be killed.” pj@unforgettable.com
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“Hello, It was great seeing the old Confederate Home. My Great Great grand father (Samuel Snellgrove) might be in the photo. He lived there when my Great Grandfather died in 1907( Norman Snellgroves). Is there any information on the residents of this home? My family went down to visit the home 3 years ago but came back with nothing. We did find Normans grave i a cow field in Hastings,Ok. Well thanks again for the chance to see the old home as it was back then.” mailto:bulldog@busprod.com
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/italy/56/photos/conhom10.jpg
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————————————————————-Last week I talked about ear candling, or ear coning. One reader wrote and said she was mailing me a couple of dripless candles just for that purpose. So if you don’t hear from me next Saturday, you can assume the procedure sucked my brain out and left me a blooming idiot. hahahaha
69% of you who voted in last week’s Poll, said Elian Gonzalez should be returned to his father in Cuba. And the saga continues.
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.htmlThe past couple weeks I decided to look for some “brick” chili. I don’t eat much meat anymore, especially greasy meats, for one reason all cholesterol comes from meat. There is no cholesterol in vegetables. Anyway, when I was a teen, my friend George Hunt managed the meat market at Hunts Grocery on 3rd NE here in Ardmore. George made REAL chili. This stuff they call chili that comes from a can nowadays, is no comparison to the chili George made at Hunts Grocery. Here’s a photo of George Hunt back in the late 60s at work in the meat market at Hunts Grocery.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/huntgeo.jpg
I remember going down to Pruitt’s Produce at the railroad track and East Main to get dry ice so Hunts could ship chili to other parts of the United States. He said people in other parts of the country can not find real chili like he made here in Ardmore. Brick chili seems to be another American institution that is slipping away. I was able to find “homemade” brick chili here in Ardmore at Buy For Less at Tiffany Plaza and also at Farmers Market on Mill Street. Winn Dixie had what they called “block” chili, but it was shipped in from who knows where. They had one brand of block chili made in Texas, it tasted like tamales sent through a blender, yuk. By the way, in my opinion the brick chili at Buy For Less was a little tastier then the brick chili at Farmers Market. But it really was hard for me to decide between the two, which was best.“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” – Galileo Galilei
http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/b/egalilg.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 8, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 142
In last Wednesday’s Daily Ardmoreite there was an unusual article. It told about an ancient practice called ear coning or ear candling. I had never heard of it. Here is the full page article from the Daily Ardmoreite. I’m just afraid it will suck my brain out. hahaha http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/010500/liv_healthwise.shtml And here is just a little of the gobs of information I found on the Net on ear coning. http://www.bibkit.com/coning.html
X-Setup lets you easily modify over 400 hidden options in your PC. It lets you tweak and change the settings for Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, ICQ, Windows Explorer, NeoPlanet Browser, Opera, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, your network/Internet connection, 3D video cards, and much more. X-Setup has an Internet Explorer-like interface that is easy to navigate. It also includes wizards for changing any setting in a step-by-step process. Windows 95/98/NT Freeware
http://www.xteq.com/products/xset/index.htmlI found a pretty good photo of the most famous sheriff of all times in Carter County. His name was Buck Garrett. His picture, along with his infamous undersheriff Bud Ballew, hangs on a wall of the almost-as-famous Ponders Restaurant here in Ardmore. This photo was taken in 1916. He was tough, but he had to be in those oil field days when the meanest people in the country were moving to Oklahoma. They moved to Oklahoma to help drill for “black gold”. And here’s Buck.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/garrett9.jpgFor Christmas a friend gave me a pint jar of Blackeyed Pea Relish. They were made by a company just 25 miles east of here at the south edge of Madill, Oklahoma. Boy were they good. Let’s see…… I like pickled eggs, pickled onions, pickled beets, pickled okra, pickled carrots, and just about anything else that is pickled, but for some reason pickled pickles I don’t care for. hahahaha. But that jar of blackeyed pea relish from Texhoma Peanut Inn in Madill was delicious! The jar listed a website for them on the label, but the URL no worky. Anyway is a recipe I found on the Net for blackeyed pea relish.
http://recipes.taronga.com/sauces/blackeyed-pea-relish.htmlA GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
The Daily Ardmoreite
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Wednesday, January 26, 1916ARCH CAMPBELL WAS SHOT AND KILLED TODAY
AFTER A FUSILADE OF BULLETSWELL KNOWN CITIZEN WAS FOUND TO BE A
CORPSE ON BARBER SHOP FLOORA fusilade of bullets from six revolvers in the hands of five officers of the law and a citizen of this city alleged to be crazed with liquor, resulted in the instant death of the latter in the Palace barber shop here shortly after the noon hour today.
From eye witnesses of the shooting it was learned that Arch Campbell entered the Palace barber shop and endeavored to start trouble with some of the workmen, when police officers Dave Frazier, McCoy and deputy sheriffs Ballew and Williams and constable Henson made an attempt to apprehend him. It is stated that he warned the officers not to enter and began shooting at them. They all drew guns and a fusilade of bullets followed. When it was over, it was found that Campbell was dead and Deputy Ballew was seriously wounded, a bullet entering his body near the left shoulder and completely penetrating his body.
Ballew was taken to the Hard sanitarium for treatment and his wound is considered dangerous.
No one seems to know what prompted Campbell to begin shooting. He was a peaceful citizen when not under the influence of liquor, but it is alleged that he has been drinking heavily of late, and was in bad temper at the time.
The remains of Campbell were taken to the undertaking establishment of T.C. Bridgeman to be prepared for burial. Sheriff Garrett examined the body and stated that he was shot four times, once through each arm, and twice in the head.
Immediately after the shooting an immense crowd assembled and it was necessary for the proprietor to close the place and call the officers to disperse the crowd.
Workmen in the place states that Campbell when he entered, went to the rear of the shop and called for them to come back there, but they, noticing his condition told him that they were busy, when he pulled his gun and compelled compliance with his demands. At this time Frazier started to enter the shop, when Campbell warned him not to do so, and immediately began firing. The officers who had received the warning entered from the front and rear entrance and began firing with the above result.
Dr. Hardy stated this afternoon that Ballew was badly wounded, but unless unforeseen complications set in, he would undoubtedly recover. This is the second time within the past two months that Ballew has been wounded while making an arrest. The first was in Ragtown some time ago, when one man was killed while attempting to hold up a restaurant.
Campbell has lived in this section of the state for many years and has many warm friends who were surprised at his actions as he was always considered a very peaceful citizen.
The county officials are making a thorough probe into the affair and will be in position to give out a statement tomorrow.
The killing of Arch Campbell today is a sad page in the history of Ardmore. No one wanted to kill him, he was one of the best fellows in the world. He entered the barber shop and first asked Dee Elliott to follow him to the rear. The barber replied that he was busy. He then asked Joe Huckaby to come with him. Huckaby’s reply was “I have nothing on me.” Campbell then drew a new .45 calibre Colts pistol. When Elliott and Huckaby saw the gun, they told Campbell they would come and started toward him. At that time officer Frazier appeared at the front door, and Campbell then turned his attention to the officer, warning him not to enter. This delay gave the barbers a chance to get out of the building, and they did so.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Happy New Year Butch! Was great to see This & That on the Web this morning! All that preparation paid off! Your correspondent inquiring as to where he can obtain documentation regarding his Chickasaw/Cherokee Heritage, may wish to contact Steve Nail in the Chickasaw Language Retention and Genealogy office in Tishomingo 580-371-0150. People from all over the U.S. use this wonderful resource. Steve provides expert help from extensive Micro-filmed documents.”
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“There was a discussion of the Lone Ranger in the Downhold group (made up of former United Press and United Press International reporters, editors, etc. and it was finally established that what he said was “Hi Yo” (or “Heigh Yo”) not “Hi Ho.””
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“Hey Butch, You mentioned The Lone Ranger’s horse, Silver, but do you remember Tonto’s horse’s name? I believe it was Scout. I used to have a plastic set when I was a kid. Those were the good old days of TV.”
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“Good to get your New Year T&T. I checked at 12:30a.m. this morning and it was there. No Y2K bugs here in Juneau, Alaska. I was trying to hear the new bell ring that was made and shipped somewhere but I never got to hear it last night. Where and when was it supposed to ring. I am sure you know the one I am talking about. That huge one you had on your T&T a few months ago. I hope the New Millennium will treat you to a glorious and best year ever.”
http://byroads.com/magazine/peacebell.html
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2000/0001/01/000101cel.html
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“I hope you had a quiet New Year’s Eve!! I went to a small party in the country. I experienced something that I am sure people experienced in 1899, 1799, and earlier. When I set off some firecrackers, the horses ran away!”
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“Hello Butch. Someone sent you a picture shown in your December 25th This & That. photos/006.jpg On the building is reads SHAVER. That photo is in California. There is a place called Shaver Lake in the mountains above Fresno. I have been there several times. Also notice the large pine trees, after looking close at the photo to right of sign is CAL. Hope I am right on this one.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/006.jpg
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“Butch we are having withdrawal from your newsletter so could you please send it to us here in Palm Springs for the next few months. We had our connection to Brightok cancelled for the winter since we were going to be gone and my how we have missed having such a wonderful server, The weather is great out here and we are enjoying visiting with family and friends here. Also have wanted to ask you if any of your readers have any old pictures of Sulphur, Oklahoma would they be nice enough to share them with the Murray County Historical Society. Anything you could do would be appreciated.”
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“Butch, I would like to buy a grandfather or grandmother clock. Working or not. If you know of any let me know.” mailto:jhp@airmail.net
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“Dear Butch, Thanks to your glowing review in your T&T, I have sold a grand total of one (yes, uno) tapes. I hope the lady in California enjoys it, though. Thanks for the referral! Don Bridges”
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“I do so enjoy This & That. You are some guy to spend so much time bringing so much joy to other people. I like your web page, your pictures (the old geezer thing was cute – who woulda thought that was an affectionate term in England or whereever!!). I went to the link that had the history of the Chisolm Trail and printed the whole thing to send to my brother who is a history nut too. My grandfather used to talk about the Chisolm Trail a lot. I wish we had written down his stories. I like your bell pictures and the courthouse stories and pictures and all the stories about the surrounding towns and areas. Hey, I’ve been to 10 acre rock!! Now that’s some rock!! I had never heard of Brown’s Springs. It sure sounds like it has a grizzly history. I don’t know how you can ever get repaid for all the work that you do for all of us. I feel like you’re getting the short stick. I assume you enjoy doing it or you wouldn’t do it.”
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“…to try out Paltalk, a FREE software program that lets you speak (literally) to friends and family worldwide without long distance charges! Paltalk does this by utilizing your internet connection to carry your voice across the internet. You choose Pals to put on your PalList who will appear in bold type when online. Simply double click an online pal and start talking! The Paltalk Team. Talk Free Anywhere”
http://www.paltalk.com
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————————————————————-MrWakeUp.com has been working flawlessly everyday. The “computer voice” wakes me up each morning Monday through Friday. I don’t even set my alarm clock anymore. And its all free!
http://www.mrwakeup.comTime for another poll. “Should the U.S. return the little Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba?”
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/thepolls.htmlI friend has 5 laying hens given to him a couple weeks ago. He now gets 5 eggs a day and been giving me some of them. They remind me of my grandmother Carmon and great grandmother Miller who both had laying chickens. These eggs I been getting are not like the eggs a person buys in the grocery store. Those chickens have never had their feet on the ground. These eggs have a dark yellow. Sure good hard boiled!
Today (Saturday) is Elvis’s birthday, the King of Rock and Roll.
“See with your eyes. Think with your mind. Believe with your heart!”
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, January 1, 2000 !HAPPY NEW YEAR! Vol 4 Issue 141
It is 1:40am Saturday, January 1, 2000 in Oklahoma and we got electricity, water, phone and all. Hahaha. If you get this email, then it looks like email in the Millennium is working! With all the hoopla the past year or so, and especially the past few months, I’m ready for 2000 to bring whatever it brings. I am believing it holds so much opportunity, and good things.
First there was efax.com then dialpad.com and now there is MrWakeUp.com. MrWakeUp will be your alarm clock every morning and a whole lot more. It can reminded you of birthdays, when to take your medicine, notify a group of people of an event, tell you when the package you mailed by UPS and FedEx arrived and plenty more. You just sign up (its’ free) and then setup your schedules. Every morning your phone will ring with your wakeup call and a voice telling you its time to get up. It’s cool!
http://www.mrwakeup.comSome time ago I took a photo of the Gainesville, Texas train Depot (built in 1902). I passed it along to the Northeast Texas Railroad Archive in Texas. I had forgot about that little contribution until this week when I was doing a search using Metacrawler.com for something. After looking at the photo again, I think it may be one of the best photos I’ve snapped. The reason I took the photo back in June 1998 in the first place was my great grandparents on my mother’s side, Howard and Ada Carmon lived in Gainesville, TX around 1880 after moving there from Pennsylvania. I go to the Fairview Cemetery there in Gainesville once in a while to visit their grave site.
http://TXDepot.Railfan.net/Gainesville.htmlSecure.com has been taken over by intuit.com which means there is no more free tax return program for downloading. But I did find that TaxACT.com still offers their free tax return program. I know there are several companies, including Intuit (TurboTax) that will do your tax return for a fee. The program is available Jan 10th for download. But I firmly believe there are two things we should get free. A program to pay our taxes and a program to block smut and porn. To pay to do either is almost like a slap in the face. http://www.TaxACT.com
And if you live in Oklahoma and want the state’s free program to do your state tax return, it’s available Jan 14th
http://www.oktax.state.ok.us/The Oklahoma Emergency Medical Technician Association now has a website. I’m proud to be its Founder and Incorporator back in 1976. Though I haven’t worked on the ambulance since December 1985, I still admire the life saving work paramedics are doing. EMS has come a long way since that first EMT class in Oklahoma
way back in 1972. http://www.oemta.com/A piece of history died this week. Clayton Moore aka The Lone Ranger to many of us, died of a heart attack on December 28th. His horse Silver, Tonto his companion, The William Tell Overture, and “Hi Ho Silver Away!… all a part of a time when the good guys won, and bad guys went to jail.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/351049.aspSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I am writing to you in regards of your news letter. There was an article about the Oklahoma State Seal. I do not believe that it was stolen. In my history class, we learned that Guthrie was just a temporary state capital until 1913. Charles Haskell wanted to move the capital. The people decided to hold an election. Although Charles Haskell and his crew played a dirty trick, they won the election. Fair and Square. So the State Seal was moved to Oklahoma City in 1910.”
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“Have you ever experienced the complete disappearance of all your ICQ data after formatting your hard drive (or after a fatal crash destroyed all your information)? JVDE ICQ Backup will prevent your important ICQ data from being lost. Only a few clicks are required to save your stuff!”
http://home.wanadoo.nl/jvderve/jvdeicqb.zip
http://www.jvde.demon.nl/JVDE_Software/
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“Something to ring in the New Year. I was hoping the bells were ringing but thought you might enjoy the bells any way HAPPY NEW YEAR” http://www.justsaywow.com/peace2.htm
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“Butch, I can’t get your XOOM hot links to link up. It’s been about 52 years since I was in that little store located near Marsden, OK and would sure like to see the photo that guy sent to you. Of course, it was a little longer than that when my grandmother did laundry at the Pottawattomie village near Marsden.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/marstore.jpg
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“I was sorry to hear that Ireland took what we said about “old geezer” the wrong way. I for one found it funny. I call my husband that all the time and it’s also a very American expression. We all hit geezerhood eventually, well a lot of us!”
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“MERRY CHRISTMAS BUTCH and our wishes for all of us that we begin the new millennium practicing considerations and kindnesses for not only others but for our beautiful planet and all the forms of life which inhabit it. May we remember that all life is precious and that the resources provided us are not inexhaustible. Thank you Butch for the joy of This and That!”
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“I have recently started up my hobby of collecting pumpjacks that are used on oil and water wells. I have 3 already. Do you remember seeing mine when you were here a few years back? I was wondering if you could put something in you T&T so if anyone knows of the location of some for sale they could email me.” jhp@airmail.net
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“My family has always known that our roots were Native American, but could never find any documentation showing that they were signed up on the Dawes Rolls. However, a recently acquainted relative from Texas sent me some info that he pulled from Ancestry.com (he has a membership) showing that my gg grandparents were, indeed, Native American (at least part) – he was Cherokee, she Chickasaw. My question is this “how do I go about locating documents (birth certificates, etc) which would link them to our present-day family?” mailto:Cardi11647@aol.com
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“I’m getting error’s on the pic’s from Healdton and Pontotoc Co. Please update me when their up.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/006.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/008.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/009.jpg
Also remember all these pics are on netdrive.com
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http://www.iigs.org/newsletter/9810news/melungeo.htm.en
The Mystery of the Melungeons
http://www.bright.net/~kat/sowhatis.htm
So, What is a Melungeon Anyway?
http://www.bright.net/~kat/melung.htm elungeon Ancestry
Research Page hi, here the meaning of BLACK IRISH AND BLACK DUTCH. always been told I was that.”
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“Butch: Today my 3 year old grand daughter offered me a drink of her “Minute Maid Grape Cola.” It’s by Coca Cola Company. I immediately thought it was Grapette, but realized it was perhaps a little bit sweeter, but a very good substitute.”
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=============================================================“To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Throttle up! See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
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