Ardmore, Oklahoma
Email: [email protected]
11:11 PM 3/22/2022
Phone: 580-490-6823
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Below is November 3, 2005 to November 24, 2005.
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November 30, 2005 Circulation over 5,000 Vol 9 Issue 462
I never cease to be amazed at how my newsletter and webpages circulate around the country and world, and the emails I consequently receive. In 1949 an Ardmore love story came to an abrupt end by a young couple in their teens. The first part of this month a man in New Mexico found a 1949 Denver Post that told about this sad love story and put it in a song. Songwriter Greg Laumbach, “The Singing Professor”, was so overcome by the sad story on the front page of the Denver Post he sat down and made a song about it. Its ironic this 19 year old boy left this world just 14 days before I arrived. The link below will take you to the story, the couple, the writer, and the song. <—– Click Here
I was in Gainesville last weekend and ran across Elvis. Yep, he’s not dead, he’s living just 40 miles south of Ardmore in Gainesville, Texas. And to maintain his low profile, he’s running a furniture and antiques store just 3 blocks east of I-35 on California Street exit. And to think he’s been hiding out just south of here and we didnt even know it. <—– Click Here
Okay, maybe this is not Elvis, but he sure looks like the man with the gyrating hips. His name is Patrick Carson and he used to do Elvis impersonations in Las Vegas and more recently Dallas. But he too decided to get out of the limelight and moved to Gainesville, Texas but even there he cant get away from us dyed-in-the-wool Elvis fans. I wouldnt have discovered this little known Gainesville secret had I not stopped to take a picture of the life size $990 gorilla sitting outside PAC Furniture Oulet on California Street. Elvis runs the PAC Furniture Outlet. <—– Click Here
Elvis also had a couple of pool tables for sale inside the building. These are hand made there in Gainesville by a man who makes them out of Alder tree wood, a very hard wood. This table cost about $6,000. <—– Click Here
Here a picture I took of the PAC store that Elvis runs in Gville. Elvis’ real name is Patrick Carson and the store location is 302 West California Street. <—– Click Here
If your in Gainesville anytime, stop in and check Elvis out. Patrick doesnt do many Elvis impersonations anymore, but still does a few around Gainesville from time to time. <—– Click Here
But you know, Elvis is not the only secret the people of Gainesville is hiding from the rest of the world. And to keep a lid on this they even put a misleading name out front. Its called the Fried Pie Company, but you will find inside its walls one of the best hamburgers on the planet. Even Elvis would want one of these burgers! And at $2.69 its one the best values in north Texas or southern Oklahoma. Oh yea, they got great fried pies, but give me the hamburger! And not the original red brick streets in front. They are still there on all four sides of the courthouse square. I sure like that…. goes back 100 years. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Guess I better tell everyone where this great hamburger can be found in Gainesville. Its just catty cornered from the Cooke County Courthouse to the SW. When you’re at the courthouse square, look in the SW corner, you can’t miss it.
Speaking of Gainesville, Texas I noticed when I was there the courthouse is having a major face lift. I know in 1990 the copper dome was replaced at the cost of about $90,000 , but this week I was told they are putting back the wood windows on all sides of the building. The windows were wood until about 5 years ago and at that time replaced with brown tinted aluminum windows. Now after some reflecting back, I guess they decided to go back to original wood. I’m glad they are going back to original wood, since I have a special interest and connection to Gainesville. My maternal great grandparents, Howard and Ida Carmon, left Pennsylvania around 1880 and settled in Gainesville, Texas and are both buried near the front gate of Fairview Cemetery.
View of main entrance to Cooke county courthouse on east side <—– Click Here
View of northeast corner of the Gainesville courthouse and Civil War memorial <—– Click Here
View of inscription under Civil War memorial. It reads: “The the women of the Confederacy, whose pious ministrations to our wounded soldiers and sailors soothed the last hours who died far from the objects of their tenderest love; and whose patriotism will teach their children to emulate the deeds of their revolutionary sires!” <—– Click Here
View of southwest corner (I was standing in front of the Fried Pie Company) <—– Click Here
Overall view of west side where the small basement entrance was removed. <—– Click Here
I thought I had a picture to show everyone just what entrance as been removed on the west side of the Cooke county courthouse, but cant seem to find it right now. I did find this one, and you can see the top of the lower than ground level entranceway on the west side. It opened up into the basement area. The new west entrance will have steps going up into the first floor area like the east side entry way presently does. I have drawn a red circle around the now gone west entrance. You can also see the brown tinted aluminum windows that are now gone too. <—– Click Here
A closer view of west side present day construction where the entry is gone. <—– Click Here
A very close up view of the west side. You can see where the places are on the wall where the west entryway was attached to the courthouse. <—– Click Here
I took a picture of the sign outside the courthouse that gives all the details as to the company awarded the face lift and restoration, the architects, the engineers, the consultants, the commissioners and the county judge at the time. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
I received an email this week from a lady in Elk City, Oklahoma. She looked over my “hamburger webpage” and decided to post a hamburger picture on her website. I guess my endeavors are paying off or should I say catching? lol <—– Click Here
I was at Rosehill Cemetery over the Thanksgiving Holidays and noticed in the Veterans Section there are about 30 or so markers that are broken. You can see in the photo where rebar and wire has been used hold the broken markers upright. I talked to Doug Williams about this and he has agreed to help me repair those that are broken. Doug’s had a lot of experience with pouring concrete and that’s what we’d use for the base. I think we can make new markers for about $20 each. Doug and I would donate our time to setting the “white concrete” markers on a concrete base as seen in the photos below. It would be my hope some of you who would like to see these fixed, will make a pledge of $20 to pay for one marker. As pledges come in we’d replace them one by one until all 30 something are replaced. Let me know your thoughts on this, and lets see if its a workable plan. I know it would take several months to complete the project. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Not sure what is going on. My website received over 525,000 Hits for November. The hosting service where I have OklahomaHistory.net keeps tally of all the hits, etc., and according to them, thats the figure for Nov. I can hardly believe it. Thanks everyone. <—– Click Here
SOAPBOX: This week a pack of six pit bull-rottweiler dogs mauled a 76 year old woman to death as she worked in her yard at Thorndale, Texas (NE of Austin). How much longer must people live in fear of these mauling dogs? <—– Click Here
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
What a delightful photo of the Salt Creek School that was posted in Butch’s T&T. There was an area known as Salt Creek back in the 1880s, 1890s (Indian Territory). My great grandfather George Davenport moved his wife and sons to that area in 1893 where he traded his wagon and team for a piece of land. Their fourth son was born there, and sadly, G-Grandmother Allie died there in 1896. Salt Creek is south of Macomb, Oklahoma about five or six miles. I’m not sure how long the creek is or from where-to-where it stretches. Last summer I was over that way for a reunion and drove off south looking for it. I finally gave up and pulled in where some folks were gathered and asked. Sure enough one fellow knew all about it and pointed me another mile south. It had a new bridge across it and was unmarked so it’s really difficult to locate. The way I found it was, if you can find where the old Anderson School was located (it’s now a residence), it’s a couple miles south of that intersection. Folks over that way are just really nice as I stopped three times to talk to folks and inquire about Salt Creek and other sites. I hope this is your Salt Creek area… and helps you identify your photo.” -Mae (Davenport) Cox <—– Click Here
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“Butch, I thought your readers might enjoy this old school photo taken at Ardmore’s Franklin School in Spring 1949. This is Miss Love and her fifth grade class posed on the north steps of the school. I’m thinking the population was so that this was the only fifth-grade class in school that year. How well I remember the stern Miss Love, and I think we all toed the mark, so to speak. On the back of the photo, in my fifth-grade penmanship I wrote the name of each student and will be happy to share that info if anyone would like to have it. The fondest memory I have of Franklin School in the 1947-1950 era, are those wonderful chili buns they served on Fridays in the cafeteria. I’ve tried for years to duplicate that chili recipe, but could never quite get it to taste the way those did back then. We were given a half-hotdog-bun filled with that wonderful chili, and some carrot sticks on the side. If we ate everything they served, we could then go back and get another half-chili-bun! mmmm-good! Anyone else remember them? I can be reached at [email protected] -Mae (Davenport) Cox <—– Click Here
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“Hi Butch, I have been reading your T&T and remembered that I had not let anyone know about the death of my older and only brother. I know that some who knew him do read the T&T. Bobby (Bob) Franklin, he graduated in 1948 from Ardmore. From the time he was about 12 years old he worked at the old Pioneer Hardware Store next to the Globe Theater. He was married for over 50 years to Charlene (Jones) Franklin. He went to work for Amaco oil company the day after he graduated and worked for a few years in Nebraska then moved to West Texas and then to Longview Texas until he retired and lived at Lake Bob Sandlin, Pittsburg Texas. He died September 3, 2005 at 76 years. He loved going home to Ardmore. Thanks.” -Jo Evelyn (Franklin) Barton [email protected]
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“Butch if you look in the circle on the left where the scared lady is, (right above her left eye in her hair), is a figure that appears to be standing by a campfire. The figure is holding something in the left hand, possibly another log for the fire. The right hand is stretched out to the fire.” -Sue
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“On Thanksgiving Day my grandaughter was home from college, and since she enjoys cooking and entertaining, we decided to try the steamed omelettes in a plastic bag that you described a couple of weeks ago. Inspite of our misgivings, the process works beautifully. We did not need any of the standbys we had lined up, just in case. I would recommend a side of hot biscuits or some of those Ardmore High School Sweet Rolls. Don’t forget the Salsa!” -Carolyn Frei
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2nd Annual Springer, Oklahoma Children’s Christmas Parade
Saturday – December 17, 2005
Parade starts at 2:00 PM
Parade entries meet at 1:00 PM at the Springer School parking lot.
For more information contact:
Dale Genn – 580-653-2842 or City Hall 580-653-2500
Parade entry fee: 1 brand new toy
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“I’m trying to find out any information about the part of the Aldridge family that had the Aldridge Hotel in McAlister. My Great Grandma was Julia A. Aldridge and I’m told it’s one of my ancestors. Got any suggestions on where I can locate this information?” [email protected]
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Butch a song came in my head that I think I heard as a child. I wonder if anyone knows where it came from. The best I remember it goes:
Pie, Pie Tater Pie
I just love that Tater Pie
Efer, Ifer pass me the Pie fer
I just love that Tater Pie
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“Butch, I own 80 acres just east of Maud, Oklahoma along the old railroad tracks; south of hwy 59. I’m looking for photos of my property during the 20’s and 30’s. We have numerous foundations on the property and two old roads that I’m told were railroad spurs for the wagon trains heading to the Bowlegs Fields. You can see them in satellite photos of the property. If you have any old photos that may include the railroad loading docks or train station please let me know. I would gladly buy copies of them. Or if you know of someone who might have photos please send me a contact. I would be interested in any old pictures of Maud as I’ve lived here all my life. Thanks a million for any help you can provide.” -Dean Colvin [email protected]
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This is a photo of early day visitors to the Prices Falls area, near Dougherty, Okla. 1900 <—– Click Here
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“Butch, I happened to be in Silver Dollar City when Les Gilliam was appearing there in October. I have enclosed a picture of the two of us. There were also a couple of men there from Tishomingo who play music. They came up and talked to him also. Smiley Weaver of Ada was playing steele guitar for him. Smiley is well known in the music circles of Oklahoma. Les had a very good show. Even my daughter enjoyed it very much and she really isn’t into that type of music.” -Frances Dunlap <—– Click Here
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“Hello! I have an ancestor that is buried in Rollins Cemetery located between Mannsville and Simpson in Marshall County (Bertha M. Horton Wilkins). My mother and grandmother have taken trips to visit the grave site but have been unable to locate the grave site. Relatives that have been there before have explained the location to my mother but she seems to get confused and has not found the site. My Mother and Grandmother are planning another trip to visit soon. I was hoping to find a map with the exact location of the site marked to help guide them to the correct marker but can not find the contact name or address. Do you know who I could contact to acquire such information? Any help would be greatly appreciated.” -Cindy Haley [email protected]
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“I was looking for something else yesterday, when I came across your previous website. Your correspondence was dated, if I remember correctly, (I tried to find it again before I emailed you but I guess I got my wires crossed and couldn’t backstep, which is about par) March & April of 1999. Mr. Lindsay was telling you about Pop City, and only had a brief mention of him going to tell you about another small community called Silver City, it’s on OLD 51 between Mannford & Oilton. I was thru that area last year, 30 years ago the little store was still open and the little gas station was still open, don’t remember them selling gas tho. Seems like there was a small frame church just north of the NW/c of “downtown” and the little brick church just east of the SE/c has been added onto. The little store and the gas station looked like they hadn’t been occupied for some years. Just curious about the history of the small community.” [email protected]
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In addition to writing the English words to Lili Marlene, Tommie Connor wrote I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Jimmy Boyd recorded it at the age of 13 in 1952, and it sold a million records.
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Underneath the mistletoe last night.
She didn’t see me creep
Down the stairs to have a peep;
She thought that I was tucked up
in my bedroom fast asleep.
Then, I saw Mommy tickle Santa Claus
Underneath his beard so snowy white;
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Daddy had only seen
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night.
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Underneath the mistletoe last night.
She didn’t see me creep
Down the stairs to have a peep;
She thought that I was tucked up
in my bedroom fast asleep.
Then, I saw Mommy tickle Santa Claus
Underneath his beard so snowy white;
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Daddy had only seen
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night.
See everyone next week!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
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November 23, 2005 Circulation over 5,000 Vol 9 Issue 461
Rapid Robert’s. Now thats a play on words that makes a person think of a lot of things in rapid succession. lol. So what is Rapid Robert’s? A T&T reader in Wynnewood told me everyone in that area knows about Rapid Robert’s. Its one of the best places in Pauls Valley to stop for gas or pick up some last minute items before heading home after a long day at work. Rapid Robert’s is just east of I-35 and the Pauls Valley exit about just 1/4 mile to the east at Indian Meridian Street. That’s the first traffic light east of I-35 and Highway 19. Rapid Roberts was built around 1986 and started out as an appliance store, but that soon closed. That is when Bob Rodgers took over the building, turning it into a convenience store named Rapid Robert’s. Bob’s daughter, Jenny Sue Rodgers, was named the OU Homecoming Queen this year. <—– Click Here
Rapid Robert’s changed hands in 1998 and David Cathey became the new owner. David among the first subscribers to my T&T nearly 10 years ago. My how time is flying by, I can hardly believe its been that long. David contributes to the mailbag regularly and even includes photos he takes with his digital camera of Oklahoma places. I stopped in at Rapid Robert’s last Saturday and talked to David, and he said he’s going to take some pics in Paoli, Oklahoma soon. Paoli is just a 7 miles north of Pauls Valley and there is an interesting piece of old history still there, so I can’t wait until David fills us all in on the details and photos.
This is a pic I took of David Cathey standing at the checkout counter at Rapid Robert’s along with one of his clerks. The second photo is an outside view of the store. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Oh, and one more thing about Rapid Roberts (Phone 405-238-3836) in Pauls Valley, David stocks Okie Blend Coffee too, the coffee made in Wilson, Oklahoma. So, stop by and tell David and the bunch Hi… tell them Hello for me to! You can email David at [email protected] <—– Click Here
Last week I mentioned placing a Guest Book on the front page of my website and inviting anyone to drop by and sign it. What I didnt realize at the time, is the guest book kinda becomes a registry of T&T subscribers or “Who’s Who” of sorts. Features of the guest book allows those who sign, to also add their email address and/or website. So what happens is when others scroll through the guest book, and see someone you want to contact, they can just click on the little email icon at the far right that line and send them an email! Pretty neat. Hope a lot of you drop by when your not busy and sign the Guest Book, and dont forget to add your email address (and website if you have one). The link to the Guest Book is just the the right of the picture of Turner Falls. A number of you have already signed in the past week. Also I’ve added this week to the top of my website for those of you in other time zones, the date and time display. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Also in the Davis Museum was the equipment used by Mr. Paris Price in his broom making factory located in Davis years ago. I find these pieces of equipment so interesting. I’ll tell you, for a small town of about 3,000 Davis, Oklahoma has a great history museum… maybe one of the best in the area! <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
In the past we’ve talked about Tiny Chapel SW of Dickson, Oklahoma. Here is a blog developed a few months ago by a T&T Reader on which he’s posted several photos of Tiny Chapel. <—– Click Here
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“About your cinnamon roll recipe from Mrs. Willie Sharp: yep, I remember those cinnamon rolls– they were worth fighting over. Anyway, my son’s sister-in-law is quite an accomplished baker and I gave her the recipe and she baked up a batch for our church dinner last weekend. Oh, my gosh!!!! I thought I’d done died and gone to heaven!!! I felt like I was bake home again in school. Jess didn’t have caramel flavoring though and we don’t drink coffee (Mormon, ya know), so she created her on caramel flavoring and they were just as good. She made 2 huge batches and they were gone within 10 minutes!! They were the hit of the dinner and people were begging her for the recipe, but she just winked at me and said it was a secret family recipe. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for post that recipe. I have a feeling that Jessica is going to bringing those cinnamon rolls to the family Thanksgiving next week.” -Arkansas <—– Click Here
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“Good Evening Butch, I just completed reading the article about the “Lake Murray Meteorite” in your latest “This and That” column. The story reminds me of the time when as a young lad of 14 I observed a meteorite roaring across the fall sky at Connerville, Oklahoma in the year of 1944. The sighting of the meteorite occurred as follows:
The Huge Rumbling Meteorite- In the early evening on a late, fall day of November, 1944, several of us Connerville, Oklahoma boys were using our homemade slingshots plinking at bullbats as they dove for mosquitoes. As we shot at the bullbats, we heard a rumbling sound coming from the sky. We looked up into the sky toward the east. From our position we saw a large burning and smoking object streaking across the horizon moving rapidly in a northerly direction. It emitted a trail of fiery burning black smoke and a rumbling sound as it noisily passed across the upper atmosphere. We continued to watch and listen as it roared from us in its northerly atmospheric path. Nothing about meteorite was mentioned on radio our only means of media. As far as I know there was no mention of it in the newspapers published in Ada and Tishomingo. At that time none of us boys had no knowledge of a meteorite. However, we later learned through the local grapevine that it was a large meteorite. It probably was hundreds of miles high at that time of passage as it streaked across the horizon. But to us boys the meteorite looked much closer. It is uncommon to see a meteorite that close to earth, but it is rare to see and hear one at the same time during the day light hours. Perhaps someone else might have seen the same meteorite. If so, please notify me.” -Grant West, [email protected]
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“Butch I am wondering if any of your readers have any information about this old school. Salt Creek School, OK Indian Territory 1886. Where it was located, anyone who attended or anything at all. I am wondering also if might be the old school that was once used for funerals at Gordon Cemetery near Marsden in Love County??? I am attaching a picture that was furnished by a cousin of mine. I am also trying to find a picture that might be in better shape (to make out the people) if someone else has one they would be willing to share. If anyone has any information please send me an email.” -Sue McGuire [email protected] <—– Click Here
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“To all the Tater Hill Holley’s, I regret to announce the death of Robert L. ” Bob ” Smith of Wichita, Kansas, Eldest son of Britta Faye Holley of Tater Hill. He passed Nov 7th when his heart stopped. He was 68. The obituary can be seen at the link below. Any kin who would like to send a card to the family, contact me for address information.” -Kirk Holley Smith [email protected] <—– Click Here
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Mill Creek high school building, Mill Creek, Oklahoma 1910. <—– Click Here
————————————————————————- “Butch, look at the water fall again and see a standing nun immediately below the second red circle, who is dressed in black.” -Grant West, San Antonio, Tx. <—– Click Here
————————————————————————- “Just an update on Fields Pies in Pauls Valley. Their website is www.fieldspies.com AND they sell more than just their delicious Pecan pies – they also have German Chocolate, Lemon Chess, and Pumpkin. Yesterday, (November 16, 2005) they also happened to have Apple and Caramel Pecan. You might mention to your readers that the pies are much cheaper if you go to the drive through window – only $3.00 for the Pecan Pie I bought yesterday – and it was fresh and still warm!!!! Yummy. At 1-35 and Exit 70 (south of Pauls Valley) you would take the Airport Road exit – the Wal-Mart Distribution Center and Bedre’s Chocolates (another yummy place) are on the West side of the exit. Turn right (EAST) and follow the narrow 2 lane very bumpy black top road around the corner (past the Pauls Valley airport & golf course). After you turn the corner passing the golf course take the 2nd road you can turn right on (I think there’s a little sign that says Fields Pies) and go east about 3-4 blocks and you’ll see the pie factory (I think it’s at the south end of Walnut Street). There’s a little building out front you can just drive up to in your car and can order the pies right there. You can pick up fresh pies from 9 am to 5 pm M-F. I called them and doubled checked the info for you this morning and they have Pecan, German Chocolate, Lemon Chess & Pumpkin for $3.00 each and they also have Apple, Cherry, and Butter Scotch Pecan for $4.00 each. Their phone numbers are 1-800-286-7501 or (405) 238-7381.”
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“I’m wondering if you or any of your readers have a photo of the Opera House built by William M. Harris around 1901 in Mangum, Oklahoma. The Opera House was located on the second floor of the building with several businesses located on the first floor. The building was damaged beyond repair during a 100 mph wind storm in 1994 and had to be torn down. It was located on the S.W. corner of the courthouse square (on Oklahoma Street) where the American Legion Building now stands. The American Legion is searching for a photo of the building and Opera House but so far has been successful. I searched the internet but no luck there either. We would appreciate any help from you or your readers. If anyone has a photo they may email me.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, How are you doing these days? I have to tell you that you’ve done it again, I can’t tell you the number of times T&T has reminded me of me of my youth and experiences. The first movie I ever saw was Walt Disney’s “Song of the South” (Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and the Briar patch with Uncle Remus). The second was “Ghost Riders in the Sky” I vividly remember that Saturday show for a lot of reasons. I went to the Valley theatre in Water Valley Mississippi for the matinee by myself, I was about 5.(sister left me at the box office she had a boyfriend to see). My grandfather gave me a quarter to spend, I felt like a millionaire. I spent 10cents on a RC COLA and a MOON PIE before the show, it was then and STILL IS a great Southern treat. The next 10cents was for the admission to the show. I still remember Vaughn Monroe and the other cowboys riding off in the clouds at the end. I enjoyed it so much I had to put my last 5cents in the John Ruskin cigar box that was passed around the seats if you wanted to see it again and I DID. What I didn’t figure on was half the town and old Sheriff McGonigal were out looking for me since I didn’t come home when I was supposed to after the first show. I wasn’t able to sit down for quite a spell after that neither could my sister. We can laugh about it now, so thanks for the memory Butch, I’ll be in touch. Have a good Thanksgiving.” -John Trusty
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“Butch, LOVE your photos from your kayak trip in SE OK! They are perfect, so professional. Made me feel like I was there enjoying nature in the moment & all her beauty.” -Verna Fuller <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“Just wondered if you knew these two churches are now one charge for one minister. The Mountain Park, Oklahoma church is rapidly losing members due to old age and death of its members. It will probably be closed sometime in the future. The Roosevelt Methodist church bell, as you know, is located at the Snyder, Oklahoma Methodist Church now. Where will the bell at the Mountain Park church go? Should the Snyder church have two bells? Due to regulations on noise pollution, neither bell is now rung. Should they be placed in the county museum at Hobart, Oklahoma where they would be protected from the elements and vandalism? What is your thinking on this? An avid bell ringer.” -Vic Schoonover [email protected] <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“Noise pollution: Regulations which specifically mention church bells might be found unconstitutional on the grounds of infringement on freedom of religion. In my opinion, the only valid noise pollution regulations are those which are based specifically on measurement of sound volume, irrespective of the origin of the sound. Even there, a regulation which restricts point sources (such as church bells) more stringently than general sources (such as vehicular traffic on the adjacent street) might be found unconstitutional as well. But I’m not a lawyer, and don’t claim any special expertise in this area.”
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“I have started a computer discussion group (called the Ardmore Computer Discussion Circle) that meets at the Ardmore Public Library every third Tuesday at 6:00pm. My idea for the discussion circle is to have the people attending both ask for and give help to other attendees. If I can think of a topic to discuss or if one is suggested at a meeting, we will talk about that. I know there are a lot of people that have trouble with their computers and don’t know what to do about it but how do I get them to the meetings! If we can get both people with problems and people who know how to solve them to the meetings, I think the discussion circle would take off. I have had the meetings announced in the Ardmoreite, when I can remember to send an email to them in time. I also have a notice running on cable channel 21. The meetings are totally free. The Ardmore Public Library is providing a meeting room. Our next meeting will be December 20. Thanks in advance and come see us at the meeting!” -William T. Stanton [email protected] [email protected]
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“This album has Canada, Maine, and New Hampshire pictures. I could never imagine a river as wide as the St. Lawrence. It makes the Mississippi look like a creek! The lakes in Maine and New Hampshire were awesome too. This was a fabulous trip. The pictures just don’t convey all the beauty we saw with our eyes, but it does help keep the memory alive! Enjoy.” -Susie [email protected] <—– Click Here
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“Hi Butch, I know your are interested in unusual sites along Oklahoma highways. The Indian monument, as I call, it is made of old car bodys and has been there so long it has lost one of its horns. The old homestead is located near Cordell, Ok. I took these photos on a trip to Burns Flat last Saturday. Wanted to share them with you.” -Ken Updike <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“I am a descendant of the Bailey’s of Reck. My great grandparents were original settlers of Reck and ran the sorghum/molasses mill. The Cemetery shown in your picture borders the Northern and Eastern boundaries of my grandparents property. My whole family is buried at the reck cemetery and I visit there often. I live in OKC and have many fond memories of that area including getting into lots of trouble for ringing that bell, as it is used today as a community warning bell for fires and help calls. The location of the bell at the cemetery is directly across the road from its original location at the church/school which I have very vague memories of. A little history about the failure of the town was due to a flu type illness that killed many of the children of reck during the early days of the 20th century. This caused the town to fail since there were few children left to cause the town to prosper. My grandparents passed several years ago but my father, Ed Bailey, lives today in Ft. Smith Arkansas and he grew up on that location and went to school locally. I appreciate your posting of this ghost town of oklahoma and its wonderful bell.” -Mike Bailey
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“I read your T&T about the Mountainfork river east of Broken Bow and really enjoyed seeing the vivid pics. I have fished on that river in the past and caught my share of “small Mouth” bass. They are fun to catch on a fly rod. I had a friend that is now deceased that owned a cabin on the river about 2 miles south of hiway 70. He also rented canoes and later picked up the canoers at a pre-determined spot downstream. His name was Louis Jones.” -Howard Robinson
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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We all need to stop and reflect back at the blessings that’s came our way this year, and give thanks to the God who is the giver of all good things.
‘We Gather Together’ originally written in 1596
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
See everyone next week!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
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November 16, 2005 Circulation over 5,000 Vol 9 Issue 460
The past couple weeks there’s been mention about where did the meteor that hit near Ardmore many moons ago actually land. The meteor stuck southeast of Ardmore during the times of the dinosaur. It fell to earth on what was known years ago as the Coleman Plantation. This piece of land was owned by S.Y. and Venny Coleman and more recently by Ron Elmore. The exact place where the meteorite was found in 1933 was on the Coleman property. Not to many years ago the piece of property was known as “the pear orchard” or Thompson’s Bay on the northeast side of Lake Murray.
For many years after the meteorite was discovered in 1933, Junior Dodson tried to convince someone of authority to come look at it. It was not until 1952 he actually convinced a scientist to come to Lake Murray to investigate this mysterious black rock. The meteorite was eventually cut in half, and one half is on display at Tuckers Tower at Lake Murray. I have placed a red X where the meteorite was found on the map below. It was about 1/2 mile or so south of Dogwood Road (previously known as Lindsey Road) and just a little east of where the ‘pear orchard’ was located at the edge of a big open field. <—– Click Here
Here are a couple of newspaper clippings I found on the Net reference the Lake Murray Meteor. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
On the Carter county courthouse grounds are 13 pecan trees. This week, high winds have really made the pecans have fall all around the property. In 1999 Leland McDaniel, the OSU Extension Agent for Carter County, went from tree to tree for me to identified each tree by pecan variety. This is a 1999 diagram I drew of the location and type of pecan trees at the Carter County Courthouse from the information Leland provided. <—– Click Here
I took a picture of a few pecans I picked up early one morning this week before several people arrived to gather the courthouse pecans. The pecans this year are much fuller and better than those that fell around the courthouse last year. I’ll take these I collected this week and mail them to my cousin, Ivadee Murphree Vojtek, in Eureka, California. She said they can not get ‘fresh’ pecans in northern California, and those that are available in the stores are very expensive. Ivadee was born and raised in Ardmore, so she knows what a real homemade pecan pie is suppose to be like…. so she makes her one with the pecans I send her. <—– Click Here
In Ardmore back in 1915 there was what would come to be called “The Great Explosion” on east Main and the railroad track. Ira Woods, employee of the refinery, age 39, was among the 40 or so killed when the tanker on which he was at work exploded. The explosion nearly wiped out little downtown Ardmore back in 1915. Here is a one of many photos taken right after the explosion. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
T&T Reader Anne Wylie sent in Mrs Sharp’s recipe this week typed up in Word. I have converted it to a TEXT file for easy use by everyone. Some of you wrote in saying you couldn’t pull up the three files on the cinnamon rolls, so here it is in text form.
MRS WILLIE SHARP’S CINNAMON ROLLS – Ardmore, Oklahoma
Cook for Ardmore High School Cafeteria in
the 1950s, 1960s and part of the 1970s
2 pkg. Yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
? cup butter
1 cup lukewarm milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs beaten well
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
7 cups or more sifted flour
Pour lukewarm water over yeast and let stand about 10 minutes
Scald milk and let cool until lukewarm
Cream together butter, sugar and salt
Add eggs and nutmeg
Add lukewarm milk to softened yeast and blend the liquid with 3 cups flour.
Beat until smooth and then add the butter mixture and enough more flour to make a medium soft dough. Knead smooth, but keep as soft as can be handled without sticking.
Let dough rise in a cozy warm place until doubled. Roll dough thin- about ? inch rectangle. Spread with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixed together.
Roll jellyroll style.
Slice in 3/4 inch thick slices.
Place in greased muffin pans or sheet pan, let rise.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 to 15 minutes.
CINNAMON ROLL ICING
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp. Caramel flavoring
2 tsp. vanilla
Milk
Mix together all ingredients except milk in bowl.
Add enough milk to make a thick glaze,
Spread on warm rolls.
Note: If caramel flavoring is unavailable, use strong instant coffee liquid and mix with icing to suit taste.
Also here is a link to the above text file…… <—– Click Here
This is a 1932 newspaper clipping sent to me this week. During a 30 day period in the summer of that year there were 1,386 fish caught at Ardmore Lake by anglers. Boy, thats a lot of fish to clean for someone! <—– Click Here
In far southeastern Oklahoma is Broken Bow. Its just a small Oklahoma town, but its got one of Oklahoma’s best kept secrets just outside town. Its the peaceful kayak rides down the Mountain Fork River.
Here is Dwane Stevens’ email he sent last week: “Terri and I just returned from a little safari on the Mountain Fork River. We went with Terri’s brother and his wife and did a lot of kayaking. We were down there about 4 days and had a real blast. I’ve attached a few photos showing some of the cypress trees etc. in the river. We had four kayaks so it was really a lot of fun going down river and working around the rocks and trees etc. The water was crystal clear. We’ve really gotten into this kayak thing so when you are ready for your lesson just let me know. The weather was perfect and the trees were beautiful. These are real photos and not “Doctored up” (as “some” folks accuse me of doing!)” [email protected] <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
This is a website that tells a lot more about this wonderful vacation spot in Oklahoma along with website and phone number of those who rent canoes/kayaks for those unbelievable rides! <—– Click Here
In case you havent noticed, in our area of Oklahoma nearly all the payphones are gone. The telephone companies have been removing them from service. The two located at the courthouse first floor were removed recently.
I’ve added a new feature to my website. Its a guest book and I hope many of you will sign it when visiting OklahomaHistory.net You will see the link to the Guest Book at the top just to the right of the Turner Falls picture. By the way, my website is averaging 10,000 Hits a day this month! I owe a big Thanks to all of you! <—– Click Here
SOAPBOX: There has been even more pit bulldog attacks the past two or three weeks, even right here in Carter county. A person can get bit by a poodle, but these pit bulls are mauling people. I hope someone gets to work on the pit bull problem. It seems like the very young and the old are the ones at most risk from these pit bull attacks. And from what I’m seeing on the news, its a growing problem. Denver has taken the step, home rule won. <—– Click Here
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I’m going to try Ms. Willie’s cinnamon rolls soon. They bring back memories of the cinnamon rolls from my junior high days. I went to junior high in Seattle, WA in the early 50’s. I was a library aide 2nd period and the Library was on the 2nd floor, directly over the Cafeteria. The wonderful smell permeated the Library everyday. Once in awhile, our Librarian would treat us to those warm cinnamon rolls right out of the oven. And CinnaMonster at the Gainesville Outlet Mall has the best cinnamon rolls around. When we lived in Sulphur, we would drive down to Gainesville to go to the Outlet Mall to shop and a shopping trip was not complete with out stopping at CinnaMonster. We make a stop there everytime we head north.” Mary Baker, Arlington, TX
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“It was a shame about the Catfish Kitchen. My husband was raised in the Dougherty/Big Canyon/Sulphur area, and when we are up in the area, we tried to stop and eat. Hope they rebuild.”
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“In March 2002 I emailed you, hoping someone reading your column would know something about these people. I have never received an answer. I am still trying to do some research on them, however, and would appreciate any input I could get. My father, GEORGE DENT VOGEL, was born in Marietta, Love County, Indian Territory (later Marietta, Love County, Oklahoma) in 1898. His father, GEORGE ALFRED VOGEL was the telegraph operator in Marietta, Indian Territory.
The maternal grandfather of GEORGE DENT VOGEL, was HENRY CLAY DENT who was postmaster of Marietta and owned several buildings in Marietta. The maternal grandmother was named postmistress after HENRY CLAY DENT DIED. This family had moved on to other parts of the world by 1900. I have not been in Oklahoma since I was about five years old and now, at 76, I doubt I will ever go back. It is a long way from Virginia.
I appreciated the pictures that I downloaded from your site in 2002 – gave me a little insight!
GEORGE ALFRED VOGEL was a member of Shawnee Lodge #107, A.F. and A.M. of Shawnee, Oklahoma, Woodman of the World, Division #22, Order of Railroad Telegraphers. (This much I found from his obituary.) Would really appreciate any information anyone might have. This family was always very proud of being from Indian Territory and Oklahoma!” [email protected]
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Channel 12 News With Ellen Sawko Monday, November 14, 2005, Noon
Subject: Monday 11/13/05
Carol’s Sugar Free Sweet Treats
With Lower Fats & Cholesterol Cookbooks
($12 by mail)
Carol Stewart Kiesel
128 CR 197
Gainesville TX 76240
940 665 0567
Sugar Free Fresh Pear Cake
3 Cups Peeled Chopped Pears
4 Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Fructose
3/4 Cup Splenda
2 1/2 Cups Oat or Whole Wheat Flour (may mix 2 flours)
2 Packages Dry Butter Buds
1 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (optional)
Mix all ingredients together by hand
Bake in 350′ oven.
Bundt Pan bake 60 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife or toothpick inserted into center.
Adjust baking time to size of pans. May use loaf pans, muffin tins, and etc. May glaze while warm.
Glaze
1 Cup Fructose
1 Tablespoon Margarine or Dry Butter Buds
2 or more Tablespoons Water
Mix together. Microwave 90 seconds or until Fructose is dissolved. Remove.
Add 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
5 or 6 Packages Nutra Sweet for added sweetness
Spread over warm Cake. Wrap when cool. Enjoy
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“Hey Butch I see the woman on the left and she looks scared but look in the other circle and you will see a big alligator head. It is amazing what you can see in a photo.” -Doug <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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HIGHWAY 77 EVENT TO SEE BIG PAGEANT
November 27, 1930- Arrangement were made Wednesday with Col. Zack Miller of the 101 Ranch to organize and stage a pageant as a feature of the highway 77 celebration at Ardmore Sunday, December 7. The deal was closed with Colonel Miller by Roy M. Johnson of Ardmore, chairman of the state committee in charge of the celebration. Johnson was in Ponca City Wednesday for conferences not only with Miller but with L. A. Cann, L. K. Meek and others about north Oklahoma’s participation in the event. George C. gibbons, secretary of the committee, accompanied Johnson to Ponca City and to the ranch. Under the agreement Miller will furnish a stage coach, prairie schooners, an old-time phaeton and other early day vehicular features for the parade, which will be presented on the grounds near the Confederate home in Ardmore on the day of the celebration. In addition other units, depicting the evolution of transportation, including an ox team, buggy outfits and spring wagons will be seen in the parade. Miller also agreed to supply drivers and operators of the old time vehicles and they will be dressed in the costumes of the day in which they were all the rage.
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“Butch, Your posting of my inquiry about the Gordon School House, located near the Gordon Cemetery in Love Co., OK has given me great contacts! Thanks! One of those replies suggested that I again write to you and ask you to post more in hopes others might provide more info. We are searching for anyone who might have relatives buried in the Gordon Cemetery or who might know of someone buried in this cemetery. We’re gathering information for the private land owner to make a directory for the Gordon Cemetery. As before, your help is greatly appreciated!” -Shirley Bray [email protected]
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‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’….. words & music by Stan Jones. Recorded by Vaughn Monroe, 1949. Originally popularized in the movie of the same name (and sung there by Gene Autry) this version is probably most widely-remembered today. Competing versions by Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, and Burl Ives, were all recorded the same year. Of course of late, us newcomers remember Johnny Cash’s version of this song in 1979.
Ghost Riders in the Sky
An old cowboy went riding out one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed cows he saw
A-plowing through the ragged sky and up the cloudy draw
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky
For he saw the Riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry
Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with sweat
He’s riding hard to catch that herd, but he ain’t caught ’em yet
‘Cause they’ve got to ride forever on that range up in the sky
On horses snorting fire
As they ride on hear their cry
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from Hell a-riding on our range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Trying to catch the Devil’s herd, across these endless skies
Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi Yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
Ghost Riders in the sky
Ghost Riders in the sky
See everyone next week!
Butch Bridges Ardmore Oklahoma Lone Grove, Oklahoma
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November 9, 2005 Circulation over 5,000 Vol 9 Issue 459
Willie Sharp’s daughter Velma Hunter and son-in-law Joe Hunter, in Lone Grove sent me a great photo of Willie this week. When I saw Willie’s photo it sure brought back memories when she worked in the Ardmore High School cafeteria during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and making those wonderful cinnamon rolls that all us kids loved to eat. Several of you wrote saying you remember them so well too. One lady even wrote me back said she’d already been to the kitchen, fixed up a batch of cinnamon rolls following Willie’s recipe, and they tasted great. Here’s that pic of Willie Sharp (1913-2004) ….. she really is a legend in these parts to so many of us. <—– Click Here
Here is the cinnamon roll recipe again from her original notes. I need to make one comment that was passed on to me by her daughter Velma this week. The original recipe Willie used called for caramel flavoring. Years and years ago caramel flavoring was more readily available, but today is not easy to find. So most of us at Ardmore High School who ate those delicious cinnamon rolls did not realize Willie substituted the caramel flavoring, using instant coffee instead. The coffee needs to e made really strong, and then carefully mix it in to the icing until you reach the flavor that suits the taste. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
A number of you emailed me last week saying you couldnt pull the three files up of the cinnamon roll recipe. I am not sure what was wrong, but maybe the files will pull up this week. In the mean time, if anyone wants to type the recipe up in WordPad or NotePad, please do and pass it along to me. I’ll post it in next weeks T&T.
Speaking of cinnamon rolls, I had one that was great tasting at the Daylight Donut in Lone Grove early saturday morning. Now this was not just any ordinary cinnamon roll, but one made by Charo and Mike Dunlop. They are the new owners of the Lone Grove Daylight Donut shop in downtown Lone Grove. Charo works on the third floor of the courthouse here in Ardmore as a court reporter. If your out at Lone Grove, stop in and say hello to Charo and Mike, try some of their tasty goodies. Tell them Hello for me. Here are three pics I took while at their establishment…… <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
And here is a pic of the delicious, moist, light, huge, and I mean huge, cinnamon roll I had saturday, it was almost to much for me to eat… well worth the 99 cents! I highly recommend it! <—– Click Here
I had a request this week for info on a lady named Jimmy Hill and a Basil Ford from over 50 years ago. If you know of either of these two Ardmoreites, give me a hollar.
In August 1998 I started my bell page with the goal of getting at least one picture of a bell in Oklahoma from all 77 counties. It looks like I might complete that goal before year’s end. This week I received an email of a beautiful bell in Vinita, Oklahoma (Craig county). This bronze bell is at the Holy Ghost Catholic Church located at 120 West Sequoyah Avenue in Vinita. The bell was made by the Henry Stuckstede Bell Foundry of St. Louis, Missouri (1888-1931). As you can tell by looking at the picture of the church, it has a tall belfry. I bet there is another bell at the top of it too! <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
I’ll have to recount the counties listed on my bellpage to be sure, but I think the only county I lack now is Ottawa county (Miami, Oklahoma) and my goal will be completed! <—– Click Here
It’s not very often I take a night shot with my digital camera. It has two different settings that is suppose to make the night shots better. I dont remember which one is suppose to do what. lol. Anyway, I gave both settings a try this week on the new early American light posts in front of the Garden Center at Stanley and E Street SW. In 1904 the building was built as the Carnagie Library. Most of you will remember a couple months ago the old magnolia trees were removed to make way for improvements. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
One of the emails in the Mailbag below are pictures taken of the Catfish Kitchen restaurant in Dougherty, Oklahoma in the Arbuckle Mountains north of Ardmore. It was destroyed by fire a couple weeks ago. Many of you will remember Dougherty as one of the area towns the 1973 movie Dillinger was shot on location. One Dougherty scene (there were two) near the end of the movie, one of Dillinger’s gang members, Homer Van Meter, was caught without a car on Main Street (in this case Dougherty, Oklahoma) by the townspeople. A couple dozen of them opened fire with their rifles and shotguns cutting Van Meter down in a hail of bullets. The last thing Van Meter said with his dying breath as the townspeople were standing around him was, “damit, things aren’t working out for me today”. lol
Of course, what really happened in the 1934 death of Homer Van Meter was nothing like portrayed in the 1973 movie ‘Dillinger’. The closest the movie comes to the facts is Van Meter was shot to death in town (St. Paul, Minnesota). And when it comes to the death of John Herbert Dillinger on July 22, 1934 outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Dillinger never drew a gun as shown in the movie, instead in turned and ran, and the FBI agents shot him 6 times in the back. So the movie really is just that, a great movie for entertainment purposes, and as far as accurate historical content goes, it is absolutely worthless. But truthfully, isnt that the way it is with most Hollywood movies that are supposed to be basis on historical truth? <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
I’m still seeing a number of newsletters bouncing back to me each week or some of you emailing me to say you did not receive your T&T. I suggest if you think you should have received your T&T but havent, check your spam box. Remember you can always go to my website and read the latest T&T online. <—– Click Here
If you or your organization ever has need for event tickets, raffle tickets , coupons, labels, forms, or any serial numbered sheets, here is a great free program. There free version will print 10 tickets to a sheet of paper, and serially number them from 0001 to 1000. Just click on PrintersBench Express….. that’s the free version. <—– Click Here
Since I am in the hole $35 (paid out $40) the past 4 weeks, I will not continue to throw good money after bad on the scratch offs. But I will test the waters on the new online lottery Oklahoma just started Nov 9th. More on that later. <—– Click Here
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, Speaking of guitar pickers named Leroy, do you remember Leroy’s Corral in Marietta back in the sixties? I can’t remember Leroy’s last name, but he lived around Dallas and drove a milk truck during the week. He and his wife came up and opened up on Saturday night. He had a band, made up of various guys from around the area. I remember a lead guitar picker who worked as custodian at Fox school. I played piano with them every once in a while. The building was like a barn, made out sheet iron with a rough concrete floor. There was a tree stump on each side of the stage that had been painted red. There was an old parachute over the stage. It was sort of rough and dirty but was full every Saturday night. Fred Hudson, the Indian peace officer, worked there most Saturdays. He tossed out the unruly drunks and broke up fights. Nice guy. The place isn’t there any more but was located about where indicated on this map.” <—– Click Here
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“Thanks so much for the recipe for Willie Sharp’s cinnamon rolls. I plan to make them as soon as possible. Perhaps the nutmeg was her secret ingredient. I have baked for many years and have never been able to get that same taste. How kind of her daughter to share it. My mother worked in the high school cafeteria during the time that Willie was there. I was in junior high at that time and went to school early whenever my mother went to work. I spent many mornings back in the baking area with Ms. Willie as I called her. She was the highlight of those early mornings. I loved the smell of the yeast and the baking rolls. Some mornings she would “slip” me a hot roll. Those were special days as she was not always able to do that. Her hot rolls at lunch were just as wonderful. What a wonderful memory! Thanks for the info.” -Winona Miller
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“Been reading your retorts about different hamburgers you try. So, this evening I was in the mood for a ‘burger, and the only place I could think of was Ponders. I ordered their fried onion burger with just cheese, pickles, and mustard (an old fashioned to us old timers). It was absolutely delicious. Didn’t have a camera, but it will be worth your time (and money) to have one yourself. Also, I know you are a fan of good barbecue. One of my favorite places is Blue River Ribs north and east of Tishomingo on Bullard Chapel road. Great sliced brisket, and ribs. Take care, and keep up the good work.” -Jerry Landrum
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“Mr. Bridges, There is a museum in Pecos, TX that I visited a few months ago which has information on another scrape that Jim Miller had. He and another man or two went into the saloon there to kill someone, (the owner I believe). This was in 1890’s. The intended victim got the best of his assailants. It did say at the end of the posting in the saloon (now the museum), that the people of Ada, OK hung Jim Miller in 1909. When I read your article this came to mind. Good information in your articles.” -Rick Lewellen [email protected] <—– Click Here
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“Butch: Has anyone in this area produced any info about Dow Brazil? Other then the fact he was killed in a shootout with Bud Ballew? I understand he was a former U.S. Marshall and I just wondered what the story was about him or how long he was a Marshall etc. Thanks.” <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“Butch, I wanted to give you a report on the Angel Food Program in Duncan, Oklahoma this week. It was the first time for Bethel Assembly to offer the program. For the October delivery there were 1,711 regular units and 900 orders for the specials. This broke the regional and national record of 12 years of Angel Food history. It took the help of 200 volunteers but everything went well. People drove their cars through a set route at the church to pick up their food, and did not have to leave their car. There are no applications to fill out but you must place your order and make payment on certain dates and times, a few weeks before the delivery date. People were buying units for elderly family members and even strangers standing in line this week as they placed orders for the November delivery. It is a wonderful ministry and is open to all members of the community. This information was in an article of The Duncan Banner, Wed Nov. 2, 2005.”
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“In reference to your latest newsletter. I played Bingo for much longer than I needed. I thought about just mailing my money into the bingo parlor, but then I decided to just put me a trash can by the front door, then on Bingo night, just drop the money in it and go back to my comfy chair and watch TV. I’ve been Bingo free for 6 or 7 years, now. As for the lottery, I must confess that I buy a ticket once every 2 or 3 months. Love you newsletter.”
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“Just a note to let you know that the Choctaw Casino (Durant) has some great old fashioned hamburgers. Sure brought back some memories.” -Vic Brown. Denison, Tx
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“Mr. Bridges, I just love to read TandT. Ardmore is my home, and it seems as though I am there the whole time I am reading it. Thanks for all your work in keeping our memories alive!” -Jo Summers
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“Oklahoma Place Names shows Letitia, Oklahoma as seven miles east of Lawton. The post office was discontinued April 30, 1917. A search of Mapquest www.mapquest.com brings up an excellent map showing the location on present state highway 65 just south of highway 7.”
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“Butch, Bob Bryant took this picture of Turner Falls last week. It is one of the most beautiful pictures I have seen of the falls. If you look to the left of the falls, one of the rocks looks like a woman’s face.” -Guilda Davis <—– Click Here
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“Butch, As always, love your website and weekly mail. Been reunited so many times with long lost kin. I would like to find out somewhere I can get info about Lake Murray, more…. it’s building and construction. I have a photo of my Father, Avery Herman Smith from Custer County OK when, in 1936 he was somehow kind of foreman or supervisor in the CCC. In 2002 myself and my 12 year old son went back to visit the Holleys, and while at Tucker Tower, I saw a photo in a group photo if workers in ’36 or ’37. He met my Mother “Britta Faye Holley” (of Tater Hill Holleys) and they married. Anyway, I would like to find out who is in charge of Tucker Tower, and if I can get a copy or email jpg of that panoramic photo in the display case there…… “Power to the Cheeseburger”. -Kirk Holley Smith….. HEY ! ! ! to the Holleys. [email protected]
———————————————————————— After Sundown
By Lou Harper, Thackerville, Oklahoma
As the air seems to develop a chill and the mornings whisper of change, my thoughts turn to Brown’s Springs once again.
Is there any truth to the tales that circulate? That is a question to be answered by each individual who visits the spring and the “Old Indian Cemetery.”
It is a place of strange silence, a place which has the power to draw you into its web of mystery, eager to learn its truths. You will leave no wiser and perhaps a bit jittery; if you leave at all.
I live near Brown’s Springs and am familiar with the twisting dirt roads and trails which lead there as well as the more common route. Long years ago I trekked through the dense woods of that area on an autumn day. I came upon a sight I had never seen before. Two snakes appeared to be doing battle and finally one snake devoured the other! Perhaps that was an ordinary occurrence, but not to me, not when it happens near Browns’ Springs.
The area is an ideal habitat for snakes of all kinds. Those most important to watch out for are the deadly Copperheads and Rattlesnakes. It is their domain, not ours, and they reign supreme.
Far more disturbing than the natural dangers of that dark and gloomy place, are the whispered rumors of a creature which many believe to live there. The elusive Bigfoot! Despite reason and logic, this myth persists along with other, more present and worldly dangers.
Frequently described as a dead and silent place where no birds sing and no furry little creatures scurry about in the underbrush, one tends to constantly glance behind them to see if anything’s gaining!
The history of the site is truly bloody and brutal and this is part of its mystique. Tales of murder and revenge are intriguing. One can’t help wondering if all the violence is truly “in the past” or if, at any time, the violence might erupt again!
Are there evil spirits lurking in that dim silent place? When the photographs we take of the area are developed and show what was not in the scene before, do we shiver? Somehow, it is the photographs which, more than anything else have perpetuated the mystery of Brown’s Springs. Do the revealing photographs seek to tell us of events existing in other, hidden realms?
I once stood beside the bubbling spring when, suddenly bursting from the underbrush were several grim and pale faced men on horseback. Running beside them were the most ferocious looking dogs I’d ever seen, and they wore muzzles. To my polite inquiry as to what they were hunting, one stony-faced rider replied in a word; “Hogs,” then he and his brethren just seemed to disappear as quickly as they had appeared.
Not exactly a comfortable place to be, Brown Springs. Not too long ago I was told that, living in the lagoon across the road from the springs were alligators! I won’t believe that until I see it for myself, even though a trusted source gave me the information. I was also told that a very large python eluded its owner several years ago and resides somewhere in the area. I’ve seen the snake personally, before its escape. A large python is another thing I wouldn’t want to meet in the woods down there.
We love to be scared as long as we can flee to quick safety if necessary. We keep going back, certain that we’ll find something really scary that we can tell everyone about. We tell ourselves that there is nothing supernatural or evil there, but there might be; thus the mystery endures.
As October advances then recedes, the Brown’s Springs fever endures! The prospect of a walk through the fallen leaves (and tombstones) of the “Old Indian Cemetery” sparks our imagination and our spirit of adventure. But, don’t ever go there.. after sundown!
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“Butch, Last Sunday while test driving a friends ‘new’ ’55 Chevy, I noticed the large earth moving equipment lined up next to Mount Williams at Norman. We were north bound on I-35, and I knew it would not be long til that piece of history was gone. You may have seen an article on one of the OKC TV stations this week. They interviewed a Norman resident, Wallace Collins. He was taking the last pics of what was left of the mound. Someone had placed an American flag atop the mound. It apparently didn’t take long for the dirt movers to do their deed. Now it’s just like the rest of developing areas, flat, just scraped dirt. We’ll miss that heap of dirt and the history that’s gone now.”
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“Butch, I was down in Dougherty, Oklahoma (in the Arbuckle Mts) over the weekend. Was surprised to see that the Catfish kitchen had burned down. When I got there, the fire was still smoldering. A lady there told me that the fire had started on Tuesday night.” -David Cathey [email protected] <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here Note: Here is an April 2003 picture of Catfish Kitchen, Gary Lindsey, owner. <—– Click Here
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“Butch, In T&T Volume 8, Issue 395, sent November 12, 2004, you stated that that the GPS location of Tucks Ferry on Red River was: N 33* 51.48′ ; W 97*3.015′. This places Tucks Ferry on Horseshoe Bend of RR, not where your map shows it to be. I am using a Garmin GPS and Map Source for my computer. I think you were using Herb Upchurch’s GPS at the time. I checked the accuracy of my GPS against Map Source and it appears to be accurate. Will you check these coordinates and let me know if they are good?
By the way, do you know where the Lake Murray Meteorite was found? I found the GPS coordinates of : 34* 06′ N and 97*00’W on the internet. This places the impact location for the meteorite on Hoxbar Road, outside Lake Murray Park. I always though the Lake Murray Meteorite was found in the Park. Maybe my GPS is not giving me correct results.” -Charles Smith
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“In reference to the reader who asked about the Gordon School and Cemetery. I asked my dad about it (he is 93 and still sharp) and he remembers it. His father, James Levi Brawley, who was born in Indian Territory near Marsden in 1890 went to school at Gordon School. The teacher at the time was a man named Tom Overstreet and he must of taught there a long time because he also taught one or two of my father’s brothers. In fact, he gave one of them a spanking one time for misbehaving. There was a cemetery connected with the school. The very first funeral my father remembers attending as a small child was at Gordon Cemetery. My grandfather just died a couple of years ago just 4 months short of his 111th birthday. He was sharp of mind until he was close to 105. My dad grew up in and around Ardmore and remembers a lot about the old days there. He tells lots of stories. My two sisters and I were also born at Ardmore.” -Leta McCurry, Florence, Oregon
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Remember Friday November the 11th is Veterans Day. So many have given so much the past 229 years so we can live in freedom.
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
See everyone next week!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 3, 2005 – Circulation over 5,000 Vol 9 Issue 458
I told everyone in my last issue of T&T I was going to Marietta, Oklahoma (18 miles south of Ardmore) on Saturday October 29th and learn first hand about the Angel Food program the Eastside Baptist Church of Marietta was hosting there. That saturday was the second time they hosted the program, and I want to tell you, it was an experience I won’t forget. Mike Buxton is a member of the Eastside Baptist Church and I told him a few days earlier I was “planning” to come down that saturday, sure glad I went too. I met a lot of people I knew, shook a lot of hands, had some great fellowship, and had the best time even though I had not pre-paid the $25 for a food basket. I was only there as a on-looker. The church had come together as a group in an almost miracle kind of way, to provide food baskets to people. And the $25 food basket the people paid for in advance, is worth way more then the $25 investment. We are caught up in time where everything is skyrocketing, from our utilities to our medicine to our foodstuff. And this Angel Food program is almost like a Godsend to many who are struggling to make ends meet with an ever dwindling bottom line on the home front. I know Mike Buxton and I were talking outside their new Family Life Center and how when the building was being constructed, the Angel Food program was not even on anyone’s lips in Marietta, Oklahoma. But God had a plan, and it all come together saturday when those church members saw over 400 people showed up, go through the food line, and leave with a smile on their face. And the foodstuff that morning was only part the benefit. The fellowship everyone was having, well, you would just have had to be there to understand. I told Mike when we were talking outside the building, that even though I’m sure the church members (all volunteers) were exhausted from putting it all together that morning, it makes one feel good after it’s all over, knowing you did something for people. And believe you me, it was evident that day how appreciated the efforts of the Eastside Baptist Church were by all those people who came through the food line. One of the first photos I took that day, that I want to share is the opening prayer before the food line was opened to the public. In the photo Mrs Flanagan is giving one last pep talk before the Eastside Baptist Churches’s pastor prayed and gave thanks for the opportunity that was about to present itself when those doors opened in a few minutes. It was a moving experience. I wish you all could have been there. <—– Click Here
Mike Buxton of Marietta sent me an email yesterday filling in the blanks that I didnt know on their Angel Food Ministries program in Marietta. I would like to share Mike’s email, so here it is in Mike’s own words:
“I just got off the phone with Alice Flanagan. The way our angel food ministry got started was by Alice’s daughter Carolyn Gordon who is a member of First Baptist Church here in Marietta. Carolyn told her mom about going to Durant with some people from her church and picking up a few orders that some people at First Baptist in Marietta had ordered. After seeing what all food items were in the order for only $25.00 she saw what a good deal it was and told her mom she should check into it and see if Eastside Baptist Church would consider being a host site? Alice talked to her other daughter Charlotte Creecy who is also a member of Eastside Baptist Church and it was decided between them they would talk with our Pastor about the program and discuss it at our business meeting. Members of our church thought it was a great idea for a ministry for our church and our first orders were taken in September 2005. For the month of September we had 200 food orders and the month of October we had over 400 food orders. The way this has worked so far is on the Saturday morning of distribution day a team of church members leave at app.5:30 a.m in their personal vehicles pulling trailers and travel to a pre determined destination, either Madill, Durant or Tishomingo to pick up our orders. They return to the church around 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.where other church volunteers have gathered and cooked or brought a hearty breakfast for everyone to enjoy. Once the food arrives at our church it is all unloaded by hand and placed inside the building around tables that have been set up and marked for each item to be placed in the recipients box. We all enjoy a time of food and fellowship before people arrive to pick up their orders. It is hard to imagine how God has blessed us with this ministry so far we have everyone that wants to help on this day from 10 year old children to our Senior adults working to accomplish the distribution. To give you some history on the pictures you took of the inside of the building. This is our new Family Life Center. We broke ground in March of 2004 and dedicated the building the first Sunday in September 2005. This building is another blessing from God. The building shell was contracted out and the entire inside was finished by church members from our church. Alice Flanagan and her husband Carol Wayne were on the committee that oversaw the building. What a blessing they are to our church.” -Mike Buxton [email protected]
Below are some pictures I took at the Eastside Baptist Church last saturday morning. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Here is the great value of a deal, the food basket the people received for the $25. <—– Click Here
One more thing…. if you want in the November’s Angel Food program at Marietta, you must have your $25 in by Monday November 7th. So contact the Eastside Baptist Church before then at 580-276-3169. <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
Last Saturday when I as in Marietta I stopped by 705 West Main street in Marietta, Oklahoma (Love county) is owned by Dale Throckmartin. I had been told they make a great hamburger, so when I was in Marietta I stopped by and bought a medium burger. And yes sir’ee makes a great hamburger for a couple bucks on the menu. I’ll be stopping in there again soon! The 50s Place cafe Dale’s crew 50s Place Menu! The 50s Place Hamburger
At 1220 North Washington in Ardmore is Burgers and Fries. I decided to stop by and try one of their ‘regular’ hamburgers this week. I looked on the menu and didnt actually see a “regular” hamburger listed, so I order the Double Hamburger. Boy, you talk about a heavenly delight. This was really a great burger right down to the last bite! And it was almost more than I could eat… all for $2.99! Randy Boatright and his father, Wayne, started the eatery in November 1975 at 13th and North Washington and its been there ever since. After his father’s death in 1987 Randy would eventually become the sole owner. In the late 1970s the Boatrights did have a second hamburger place for a few years at Grand and K Street NW where the Chickasaw Smoke Shop is located today. If you’re ever on North Washington, stop by the Burgers and Fries for some great food, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed! <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
As promised in my last T&T, here is the recipe used by Willie Sharp when she was the cook at the Ardmore high school cafeteria. Everyone just loved those cinnamon rolls when she worked there in the 1950s 1960s, and early 1970s. My long time friend from the northeast part of Ardmore mentioned how when he worked as a student at the snack bar in the mornings before school, parents would bring the kids to school, send them inside the cafeteria with extra money to get 4 or 5 cinnamon rolls, and have their kid bring them back out to the car. And off the adults went to eat their own delicious cinnamon rolls just like the students! <—– Click Here <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
I stumbled across a website in Ardmore that has a history page included among its webpages while searching for something on google. It is not very often you will run across a ‘history page’ on a commercial website. But I’m glad Ardmore’s Maureen Realty did just that…. and its has some interesting reading on Ardmore history that you’ll find nowhere else on the Net. <—– Click Here
My luck might have turned around this week with Oklahoma’s lottery scratch-offs. I did win $5 but as you can see in the report below, I’m way in the red. I hope everyone thinks twice before taking much needed money for bills and spends on the lottery. I know I won’t be able to continue this very long at the rate I’m losing money. I feel like I’m just throwing it away. <—– Click Here
Several times the past couple years the question has been raised as to what Carter county deputy sheriff Bud Ballew’s real name may be or if Bud is his real name. No one has been able to answer that question, even on his tombstone it just says Bud. Well, this week the answer came! His great grand daughter in Mississippi sent me an email about something else, and you know me, I thought, here’s my only chance to find the answer to the question. Ok everyone, you can say you learned it first here, cause it sure ain’t on the Net, you can’t even google it. Are you ready? Bud Ballew’s real name is David Martello Ballew. Here is a photograph of deputy sheriff Bud Ballew on the left and Sheriff Buck Garrett on the right. <—– Click Here
I heard on the news this week the big dirt mound at Norman on the east side of I-35 is being removedk. Another piece of Oklahoma history gone. Here is an email I received about 3 years ago about this well known mound of dirt:
“Butch: I know “the big dirt mound at Norman, Oklahoma” very well. I watched them build it in early 1942. We lived on a farm a few miles southwest of Moore, population 499. WW II had just started. I was 14 years old. We could see “the big dirt mound” grow daily. We wondered what it was. They were busy building the Naval Air Training Station north of Norman. We knew it had something to do with the Navy Base but could not imagine what it was for. At the time there was no IH-35, just the interurban tracks from Oklahoma City to Norman. Highway 77 then was a couple of miles east of “the mound”. It was much later that we learned it was a firing range for the Navy and “the dirt mound” served as the backstop for the lead bullets. Moore was only about three miles north. I wonder how many rounds went over the mound and fell somewhere around Moore. The Navy took the 320-acre farm across the road from our farm on what is now Santa Fe. It was already fairly flat and they made it into a landing strip for the Navy pilot trainees to practice doing touch and go landings in their yellow Stearman PT-17 open cockpit biplanes. I remember there being as many as twenty or thirty of them at a time flying around and around from daylight to dark practicing touch and go landings. It wasn’t very long until one of them smacked into the ground. My dad jumped into the 1929 Windsor and went tearing across the landing strip to rescue the pilot while I ran a quarter of a mile to the nearest neighbor who had a telephone to call the Naval Station. This happened twice more before the Navy built a crash and aid station at the north end. A lot of the WW II Navy pilots trained on that landing strip. A few years later I enlisted and served in the Army Paratroopers.” -Don Davidson, Brenham, Texas.
This is a pic I took in the early 1970s of that historical dirt mound in Norman. In those days you can see there was no overpass nearby or commercial buildings up and down the interstate. I took his picture with a Kodak 35mm camera. <—– Click Here
You the Readers of T&T have done it again. In September there were a record 136,000 Hits to my OklahomaHistory.net website. But in October you really did it…. over 191,000 Hits! Thanks everyone. <—– Click Here
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“There used to be a cafe on Caddo Street back in the 1930’s called Howell Cafe. Can any of your readers tell me anything about it? It belonged to my grandfather Lamar Howell’s aunt and uncle, John and Annie Howell.” [email protected]
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“The reason that I am writing is to see if your Readers have any knowledge of the Gordon Cemetery or the Gordon School House. I’ve been told the Gordon School House was at the location of the Gordon Cemetery. As you probably know, the cemetery is in Love county.” [email protected]
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“Butch, here a short article on the Leroy & Swingtime. Tell us more on Leroy Thompson.” <—– Click Here
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“Butch, the man in the suit is my 2nd cousin Leroy Thompson. He was the son of James Thompson and Sadie Ginn Thompson. Last account I had he was living in Fort Worth, but had started losing his memory. He had a recording available for purchase online, I think the band was the three teardrops or something like that.” -Teresa Cunningham <—– Click Here
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“I found this on Leroy Thompson from the University of North Texas obit section apparently he went there also: Leroy Thompson (’51 M.B.A.), Dallas. He served as a sergeant in the Army Air Corps before attending North Texas. He worked in the dairy and insurance industries and was also an entertainer and recording artist. He was the founder of the Pioneers of Country Music.”
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Butch, anyone interested can purchase a Leroy Thompson and his Swingtime Playboys album at the following link. Note that this is a vinyl LP and will likely be a long delivery as it comes from Germany. Order is through a U.S. company, though. http://www.rootsandrhythm.com/roots/COUNTRY/country_vinyl4.htm#LEROY%20THOMPSON
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“Good morning, Butch. I want to thank you for the information and website for the Angel Food Ministries. I placed an order for this month, due today, they just called to say it would be tomorrow before the truck arrived. The call reminded me I wanted to thank you for continuing to encourage everyone to take part. The Bethel Assembly of God Church serves as host here in Duncan.” -glenda <—– Click Here
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“Annette Nickles, I found on the Internet what your Aunt Juanita may have seen on the train car that became your name. Hope this helps.” -Alfred Hughes [email protected] <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“Butch, tell Nelda True that I remember her mother, Annie Butler. Mrs. Butler and my mom worked together at Hardy’s and I may have a picture of her somewhere in some of Mother’s picture albums. There are several pictures of Mother and some of the nurses and Dr. Carlock in one of them.”
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WINFIELD, KS NEWSPAPER UNION, NOVEMBER 8, 1890
Ardmore has applied for articles of incorporation as a city, having a population of 3,000.
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“Butch: Have you checked the seeds of the persimmon to see what the winter has in store for us ? I have checked several from different locations in Carter county and I have found a ” spoon ” in all but a few which had a handle only in them, or they just didn’t fill on out. If I remember right the spoon suppose to mean a lot of wet snow with the fork indicating a mild winter with dry snow, and the knife indicating a bitter icy winter.” -Perry Pearson
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“Butch, I am greatly indebted to your reader, Mark Coe, who has confirmed that I am not losing my mind, at least not yet. For years, my old buddy, Ancel Cook (now deceased) and I talked about attending Roy Rogers and Dale Evans public wedding at the Civic Auditorium on Jan 1, 1948, paying 50 cents admission with the Sons of the Pioneers singing. Recently, their daughter, Cheryl Rogers Barnett was quoted as saying my story was not true. My thanks to Mark Coe for confirming my story. Does anyone else remember this event? Also, I think maybe Dale being on crutches was at the Premier of the movie, Home in Oklahoma, held in 1946 at the Civic Auditorium or the Tivoli Theater. Does anyone remember the Premier? Thanks. -Les Gilliam <—– Click Here
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“Butch I was told today to spray the plastic bag with Pam before you put the eggs in and that way it doesn’t stick. They said they were delicious omelets.”
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“Hi Butch, My mother bought this ice pick in the 1970s at a craft booth in a mall in Cerritos, California. One one side of the handle it says Coca Cola and on the other it says Ardmore, Indian Territory. I assume it was produced before Oklahoma Statehood. I don’t know how it got to California. My mother won’t part with it though.” -Del Daniel <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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Hi Butch, Charley and Sarah Elizabeth Sullivan lived in Mill Creek. Charley died in 1917. One family source says they are buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery but there is no record of that in online resources. I wonder if any of your readers know what funeral home in that area might have such records going back that far. I would like to have a marker made if I can confirm where they are buried. Any help would be greatly appreciated.” -Del Daniel in California
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“Dear Butch, I remember the Field’s restaurant in Pauls Valley well. Whenever we traveled to Oklahoma City during the 50’s and 60’s, we would stop so my parents could have coffee and my sister and I would have pie. Something not mentioned on the Field’s web site was the fact that Field’s claimed to be the first drive in restaurant in Oklahoma. At least that is what they claimed on their menu.” -Monroe Cameron: [email protected]
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“Butch, Willie Sharp is my wife’s mother. My wife’s name was Velma Faye Sharp. Every morning when I was in town I would go by the school and get me some of those rolls and a glass of milk and boy were they great. My wife makes those cinnamon rolls now and they taste just like her mother’s did.” -Joe Hunter
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“Butch, my mouth watered as I read that you got the recipe for those fabulous cinnamon rolls that melted in your mouth. The girls peeled them and dunked the roll in that wonderful frosting. Oh! They were good! I’m curious how you talked her into that recipe. I’ve wanted it since ’62. What a way they were to start the day! Thanks for the memories. Appreciate you.” C.K. Gainesville, Texas
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Mr. Bridges, My name is Wilma Pruitt. My husband & I ran onto your website & found something we had been searching for, for quite some time. His Grandfather owned Pruitt’s Grocery. His Great-Grandfather was M.E. “Babe” Pruitt who was a Berwyn Constable in 1930. We have a very neat article about how Babe was shot by a man of color & how the “Pruitt” Men got revenge. The article came from “The Daily Ardmoreite” Dated Monday, Oct. 13,1930 “PRUITT KILLS SLAYER OF BROTHER”. We also found that there is a road in Ardmore named after Wesley’s Great-Great-Grandfather “Byrd Pruitt”, Bryd Pruitt Road, off of Gene Autry Rd. The funny thing is, Wesley was born & raised in Wooster, AR. I have lived in MO my whole life. My father was born in Rudy, AR and raised in Wapanucka, OK, not far from Ardmore. My grandfather William Edward Shown(DeShawn, Shone) was a Sheriff in & around the same area, Atoka, Tish, Madill, etc. I have hunted for things about my family, with no luck, but there seems to be a ton on Wesley’s family. I just wanted to thank you for your skills & time you have invested in the Website, as I’m sure it was not an easy task. If you know or have any info. on either of our family’s I would love to see or read it!! By the way, our son, we named, Bay Wesley Pruitt, after his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather. We were told when I was Carrying him, that “Babe’s” name was Bay, not Babe & that it must have been misprinted back then. We have “Babe’s” Police Cross with the inscription on the back reading, (“M.E. “Babe” Pruitt, Gene Autry Constable, Oct. 12, 1930). What a awesome, and honorable heirloom to pass on to our son!! My grandmother’s name was Dovey May Shown, Maiden (Miller) was half Choctaw & Cherokee. My Grandfather was William Edward Shown. The story goes, that Before Grandpa became an officer, a neighbor became unruly with him & Grandpa stuck the man with a Pitchfork. Horrible, I know. My Dad says, Grandpa spent time in Jail, but eventually did get released. Dad also says that at some point, Grandpa changed our last name from DeShawn to Shawn, then Shown. If I knew how to research without getting on some site that wants you to pay them, I would. So, if you have any suggestions, send them my way. My husband would like to come down & do some research there, & I have an uncle in Madill, so maybe we’ll run into you! Thanks again. -Wilma & Wesley Pruitt, Cole Camp, Missouri [email protected]
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“Do any of you readers know where Letitia, Oklahoma was? Some of my ancestors were born there and some died there and are buried in the cemetary there. It is in Comanche county, and that is all I know. If any of you could give me directions, I would like to visit there. I have not found it on any present day road maps.” [email protected]
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“Butch, I found the attached article in the Ardmoreite archives on microfilm at the Chickasaw Library. It had a couple of photos that I wish would have copied clearer from the microfilm but they didn’t. Anyway, thought you and your readers might enjoy the article. Also pulled a copy of his obituary. I wonder who his cousins would be and if they would have any photos of him when he was younger. I hear he was quite dapper and a very snappy dresser back in the day. I heard he was very neat and particular about his appearance back then. Wish I wouldn’t have been so young back in the 1970s as he would have been an interesting fellow to talk to.” -Laura J. Lamb Atchley <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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“Hi Butch, I was just wondering if you know of anyone that restores or collects old radios-phonograph with a short wave radio? It is a Magnavox in a nice walnut or cherry cabinet. Thanks Butch, you are always a wealth of information!” [email protected] <—– Click Here <—– Click Here
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Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -Thomas Edison
See everyone next week!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
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