If you’re looking for a certain article I wrote in a past issue of “This & That” you might find it faster by doing a “search” with your browser. With Netscape just click your mouse at the top at EDIT and then FIND and type in the word or words you’re looking for. If you use Internet Explorer, just click on EDIT and then FIND ON THIS PAGE to do a search.
Below is October 7, 2000 to December 30, 2000.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 2, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 189
This week I took a pic of another nice bell in Oklahoma….. at the OmniPlex in Oklahoma City. The OmniPlex is at 50th and north Martin Luther King Blvd (formally known as Eastern). The bell is from the U.S.S. Oklahoma City and is a massive bell….. very thick…. probably the thickest brass bell I’ve seen so far in my bell journeys.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/omnibel.jpgI also saw a small bell in the front yard of a residence where you turn off Highway 7 on to 7a to go do Bromide, Oklahoma. I was unable to get a picture this trip, but will get one…. another time.
A couple of issues ago I spoke about Bromide, Oklahoma and the touted healing waters that supposedly were drawing large number of visitors there back in the 20s. Bromide is about 15 miles NE of Tishomingo, Oklahoma and I was over there visiting the other day. I found some interesting things of long ago, and also visited Camp Simpson just two miles to the west of Bromide down a dirt road.
Here is a pic of what the local residents call “Bromide Hill”. The word Bromide is written into the side of that hill with white rocks (above the pavilion in the photo).
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/bromide2.jpg
As you start into town at the first curve, there in the front yard of a residence a are couple of odd pieces of history. One is some kind of railroad crane. To the left of it is even an odder piece of equipment. It is a little car used by railroad workmen to travel the rails. I’m sure some of you railroad buffs out there can shed more light on this strange contraption.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/bromide3.jpgAt that same curve where these two pieces of railroad equipment sit is the dirt road that thousands of Boy Scouts have travelled down on their way to Camp Simpson. Camp Simpson is just a couple of miles west and then back into those rugged mountains. The Camp consist of about 2,000 acres of rugged land in pristine condition. There is a small, beautiful 200 acre lake nestled in the 2,000 acres camp, fed by several springs. As I travelled around the Camp I noticed a number of springs running through it…. across the roads. Animals abound. Nature everywhere.
This building meets you at the entrance to Camp Simpson. It’s the administration building known as the J. Hoyle Carlock Jr Lodge. The Carlock family are Ardmoreites.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson5.jpgHere is the inside view of the J. Hoyle Carlock Jr Lodge building. When I was in the building a man was practicing his flute, while his wife worked on crafts on the auditorium floor.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson6.jpgThis is a pic of the Mess Hall up on the hill. A person needs a jeep or pickup to make it up there though. A car low to the ground might get hung up on high center!
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson3.jpgThis is the inside of the Mess Hall at Camp Simpson.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson2.jpgHere is a pic of Witch’s Hole. Local legend has it that it was an abandon mine of some kind many many years ago, and the shaft down to the mine is where Witch’s Hole is located. People say Witch’s Hole is over 200 feet deep. And it is full of big bass too, mostly leftovers from the nearby U.S. Fish Hatchery over at Reagan, Oklahoma. They throw into the creek any extra fish they have, and it sure makes the creek that runs through Camp Simpson a fisherman’s heaven for those Boy Scouts.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson7.jpgThe Park Ranger for Camp Simpson is my friend Bob Terrell. Here he is in front of the Lodge.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/terrell.jpgAnd last but not least is the bell located in front of the Mess Hall!!!!!
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/simpson4.jpgA T&T Reader told me this week I had a mistake in my T&T last Saturday. One of the emails I received, spelled Glenpool as two words. He was from the Glenpool area (south of Tulsa) and wanted to let everyone know Glenpool, Oklahoma is one word. I should have caught that misspelling, since I’ve been through Glenpool a number of times, but somehow I let it slip through as two words. Oh well, maybe I need a proof reader BEFORE my T&T goes out. haha
The Carter County Sheriffs Office here recently installed new file storage equipment in the Records Department. Record archiving is very important, especially law enforcement records. Standing in the photo is Shirley Christian, Records Clerk for the sheriffs office. She has been with the Sheriffs Office 17 years and I remember very well the day she came to work. Shirley is probably close to having a photographic memory. I recall many times when the deputies were working on a case, had a suspect in mind, but could not remember the suspect’s name. The deputy or sheriff would go ask Shirley and usually within minutes she had the suspect’s file out and on the desk. About 1988 we had some big rains here in Ardmore. At that time the Sheriffs Office was located in the old jail next door to the courthouse in the building known as the Annex Building. The older records were stored in the basement of that building, and as fate would have it, a sump pump failed during one of those downpours and many old records from the 1940s to 1988 were destroyed in the basement flooding. The new filing system replaces 23 file cabinets and increases the storage space in the Records Office by 143%. And most importantly, the new system well organized, protect and preserve records for generations to come.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/newfile3.jpgFor a step back in time, the Classic Car showroom in Oklahoma City is worth taking a look at. Its located just south of I-240 and I-35 at 8701 South I-35. The owner does not allow tours of the show room on weekends, but if you in the area during the week, he chould you some wonderful old cars and automobile stuff from the 20s, 30s and 40s. The old car in the photo, it had a price tag on it of $11,500. Immaculate condition. The owner also has lots and lots of old signs and other items to see. Classic Car’s phone number is 405-631-3933.
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/classic2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/classic3.jpgI went to the Oklahoma City Computer Flea Market last Saturday. It’s held the last saturday of each month and boy was it packed. It’s held at Reno and Eastern at the Best Western Inn. Here’s three pics I took. I found new 480 watt subwoofer multimedia 3 speaker systems for $19…. so I had to buy one. I’m calling it my early Christmas present. haha
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/okcflea2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/okcflea3.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/okcflea4.jpgJust 10 miles south of Norman, Oklahoma is the little town of Goldsby. There’s not a lot there, a City Hall, a volunteer fire department, the First Baptist Church, several tree nurserys, and lots of signs that read “Hay for Sale” at the horse ranches that are everywhere. But one little known secret they have is called Libby’s Restaurant. It’s just a mile or so off I-35 and the food is great! But if it’s noontime, you may have to wait in line!
http://members.nbci.com/_Xoom/OklahomaPast/photos/libbys.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch, You wrote about finally getting your Check Card to work by using the PIN number. I don’t know if your bank is like mine, but you may be able to use that card like a credit card to make purchases also. BUT, and this advice comes from the bank representative that I opened my account with, this is actually a debit card, not a credit card. When you make a purchase with your Check Card, and the clerk asks if it’s debit or credit, tell her credit. BECAUSE if you use it as a debit card, and use your pin number with it, you will be charged a set fee (maybe $1.50) for using the card that way. When you use it as a CREDIT card, only the amount that you “charge” is taken from your checking account. This too, is really handy and takes less time when you’re in the store making a purchase. But, you better remember to post your receipts for these purchases to your checking account or you’ll be getting yourself in trouble!”
————————————————————-
“Hi Butch, We just started receiving your This & That and really enjoy it. I have an input about the Ardmore Hotel that one of your subscribers seems to be pursuing. I think the Drugstore he’s thinking about is the old V.A.Grissom Drugstore on the corner and located beneath the southeast corner of the Hotel. I think for a while he was associated with Emmit Key, before Key moved to East Main. I remember Mr. Grissom very well. My Dad rented property from him at Stobtown back in the early 30’s and he often came out to visit with us. In case Stobtown is unfamiliar, it’s located approximately 5 miles north of Lone Grove on the Meridian Road. It was named Stobtown because of the huge iron pipe in the middle of the intersection there. It had a huge wagon-wheel affair on top and mailboxes were attached to the top of the wheel. There was a small community there, grocery store/gas station, church, and several homes. Thus; Stobtown! I lived there for the first 18 years of my life and returned shortly for about four years later on. We return to Ardmore to visit family several times a year, and remember a lot about the growth of Ardmore. Incidentally, the stob disappeared from the intersection on Meridian Road at the behest of the Postmaster. After wards all mailboxes were placed at the side of the road. Also, you mentioned about Travis Harris being the father of the brainchild coin operated car wash. Correct! We knew him well and that is so true. Thanks so much for all the news from home. Keep it up.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Love your newsletter! The drug store located in the Ardmore Hotel was Grissom’s. Father of Bill and Bob Grissom. I worked there for a short time in 1946 soon after my graduation from high school. Steel Drug was located on the corner of Main and N. Washington. My mother was a waitress for a short time at the Hotel Ardmore Coffee Shop. The drug store was on the corner and the coffee shop was to the north of the drug store. You could enter the drug store and the coffee shop from the hotel lobby or from the outside. There was a news stand in the lobby of the hotel. My friend worked there.”“I have a vast store of memories of Love’s Valley, Marietta and Ardmore. We moved to Ardmore when I was a freshman in high school and lived there until 1986. I just sold my home a few years ago when I knew that I could never go back there to live. Need to be near my children. At the age of 15 I worked for S.H. Kress and Co.The envelope in which I received my first pay is in the Greater S.W. Museum. I made the total sum of $2.15 per day. More later.”
“Tuck’s Ferry was in Love’s Valley. I rode on it as a child. I lived in Love’s Valley until I was five years old. We still have a reunion every year of residents and former residents. Some of the Tuck family did live in Medicine Park. My aunt lives in Lawton and we went out there to see them. Of course, all of the older members are gone now.There was also another ferry on red river by Love’s Valley.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“The drugstore that was in the old Hotel Ardmore was Grissom and Key Drugstore in the early 30’s. In the late 40’s and early 50’s, it was Henley Drugstore. The son, Scott Henley graduated from Ardmore High School in the class of 57 or 58.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Ardmore Hotel: corner of C & Main Streets. Many years ago the Drug Store went by the name of “Grissom Keys Drug Store” and sometime later it became “Henley Drug Store” and was owned by Everett Henley. “Steele Drug” was located in the old Masonic Hall Building that is located at the corner of Washington & Main Street and originally owned by Frank Steele. Steele Drug moved from that building and located on 2nd Ave. N.W. by the Arthritis Clinic.. Today, Steele Drug is in a new location on Grand Blvd., where it just recently moved.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, sure enjoyed your This N That this week. If your readers would like to hear some great free Christmas music, I hope they will go take a listen! They can bookmark the site and listen for free all they want. We are really proud of our music and hope others can enjoy it also! FREE! Christmas Music: piano instrumentals! Free” [email protected]
http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/116/christmas_music5.html
————————————————————-
“Please change your address book, because I sure enjoy your e-mail every sat. No I am not from Ardmore, However I helped build the Arbuckle Dam at Sulphur, many years ago. Some time soon (3 or 4 months) I would like to come to Ardmore and take a tour through the court house, mainly to see the Court House clock. Some years back there was an article in one of the magazines I receive about it, I sure want to see it before they take it down. It is one of a few that is still in operation. Keep up the good work, and keep sending the mail, you sure have some interesting pictures. Thanks.” Virgil Housley (Retired Trooper) [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch: Our family holds a “double cousin” family reunion at Thanksgiving time up at Falls Creek Baptist Assembly Grounds. This year I noticed a beautiful, big bell setting on a stand under the shed at the side of the old open chapel. I have no idea if it is old or if it has a story. Just thought you might be interested.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, I wonder if anyone else remembers the cotton patch on S. Washington? I think it was on the block where the old Winn-Dixie is located. I walked past it going to school every day. My cousin who was stationed at the Great Lakes told me that many of his fellow sailors had never seen cotton growing. I picked bolls at various stages and sent them to him. The cotton patch was on the West side of the street and the compress was on the East side. You are probably not old enough to remember when most of it burned. They later tore down the part that was left. My husband later used the office on the West side of the street for his used car business. He had the old roll top oak desk that had been there for years. At the time the compress burned it also burned the peanut plant, the large tin building as you start under the underpass. When all those peanuts burned and were wet they stunk for weeks or longer.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Do you have any information on, what people around Sasakawa,Ok., called ‘The Old Red Gin Fire’? It happened in 1912 or 1913. My husband had relatives killed in this fire, and we cannot find information on it. It was in Seminole County.”
[email protected]
————————————————————
“I was checking out the court clerk’s docket listing on the website this morning regarding a child support case I was working on. I noticed that there is a DA page on the county’s website as well. It lists the bogus check division, but doesn’t mention child support at all. We now have a great child support website maintained at the state level that folks can access payment information by and even use to contact the various field offices.”
www.okdhs.org/childsupport/
————————————————————
============================================We haven’t had a drawing in a long time. So let’s have a drawing every Friday until December 22nd for some unique Toothpick Holders and Rulers I had made up. Each item has a picture of the courthouse and the words, “Christmas 2000, Carter County Court House, Ardmore, Oklahoma” imprinted on them. The toothpick holders and 6 inch rulers are made of wood. I haven’t had time to scan them so everyone can see what they look like, but I will for the next issue of T&T. If you want to put your name in the hopper, just send me email and tell me if you want the toothpick holder or the ruler, if your name is picked. I’ll announce the winners in each T&T up until Christmas!
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” -Edmund Burke
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, November 25, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 188
Last week I told about my new Check Card not working? Well come to find out I didn’t read the instruction sheet that came with it. I had to go to a ATM machine and make a withdrawal to active the Check Card. But I didn’t receive my PIN number in the mail for another four days. When I did, I activated it, and have used it twice now, instead of writing a check. Really nice! Glad I got it!
The sheriff of Maricopa County Arizona has always been a trailblazer. He is one of those sheriffs you either love him, or hate him. But the Sheriff has went and done the unheard of….. placed video cams in his jail and streaming out live pictures on the Internet. It lets the world view the prisoners as they are booked in, or in holding cells, etc. He has four webcams focused on four different areas of the jail. Webcams…… fast becoming a part of everyone’s future, everywhere.
http://www.crime.com/info/jailcam.htmlTalking about law enforcement, I was stopped last week on the highway east of town in front of the Vo-Tech center (Southern Oklahoma Technology Center). Of course the Ardmore Police officer who stopped me, knew me, and asked what I was doing. I said I was probably going to fast. Yes, I was driving a wee bit over the speed limit in that school zone, and I should be stopped. When I remember back at all the children I picked up in the ambulance after being hit by speeders in school zones, I think there should be zero tolerance. I can shut my eyes after 20 years and still see those broken little bodies. I vividly remember one beautiful little 7 year old girl being struck by a speeding car 5 miles east of Ardmore at Dripping Springs. She was leaving the school bus, and the driver of the car (he was a life insurance salesman) didn’t even slow down. Estimated speed: 70MPH. She was knocked a long ways and landed on the grassy area along the highway. When I picked her up, she was like a little rag doll, it seemed like every bone in her body was broken. So I for one, am glad those officers are out there stopping speeders in school zones. And the officer may have only gave me a verbal warning, it was still a wakeup call…. DO NOT SPEED IN SCHOOL ZONES.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch! I have been sharing the newsletters with my mother and the persimmon one caught her attention just like I knew it would. She sends you this message….”When I was a child back in the 1930s, I remember my dad going hunting in the fall and bringing home the first of many ducks. The older folks were looking forward to the big pan of duck and dressing….I did too, but I always waited for the duck’s breast to be picked clean and then daddy would ‘read’ it for me and tell us all what kind of winter we could look forward to. I was so impressed, but as hard as I tried, I never learned to forecast weather by looking at the breast of a duck! Daddy always thought that I could, but I could always learn more by lying out in the back yard in the summertime, watching the red ants race back and forth underneath my camper cot. If they hurried… a bad winter. If they were leisurely…a mild inter. (By the way, Butch…this summer they hurried!!!)”….Betty Warner, Davis, OK. Thanks again for the newsletter…. we really enjoy it!” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, the guy doing research on the Ardmore Hotel. Is that the hotel on the corner of C and Main across the street from the bank? If so, I believe Steele Drug (I may be wrong about the name of the drugstore) used to be on the bottom floor. You entered the hotel from the Main Street side. The Glider Room was down in the basement. When we got old enough, that was THE place to go. They had a bar and a small dance floor and you could usually see anyone you wanted to see (and some who didn’t want to be seen!!). I can remember exactly what the lobby looked like but unfortunately, I’m unable to do it justice by trying to write about it. Anyway, that’s just one little anecdote about the hotel!!!” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“I am totally impressed with your new web site concerning the Ardmore Air Base. The information you present here is very revealing to me because I was away from Ardmore when much of the History of the Base was progressing. I left Ardmore to 1940 and to school in Chicago for two years. Later I enlisted in the Air Corps on Sept.13, 1942 and served until mid Feb. 1946. I never really returned to Ardmore, as a citizen, until 1950. I did manage to take a couple of 8 mm movies of the C-130 on the day it was flown into the Ardmore Airbase – it was a very impressive occasion. Thanks for your excellent presentation – you should be commended for the in-depth research you so graciously chose to share with so many others. I should tell you that I have added your site to my “favorites”.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Just received my very first issue of your publication and am so pleased with it. I was born and raised in Sulphur. My husband is also from Sulphur. So we are quite interested in news from that area. We have a copy of the August 1971 National Geographic which has a wonderful article about Oklahoma. Perhaps some of your readers would like to look for it in their local library. Looking forward to your next issue. And thinks, so much.” Alleda Stanford Hale and LeRoy Hale in Linden, CA [email protected]
————————————————————-
“My office is directly across from Bill Hightower’s Main Street office and is AAA Bail Bonds. 226-4357. I was employed by the City of Ardmore police dept from July of 1957 until July of 1977 and worked the downtown area the first 10 years, I remember quite a bit about the Ardmore hotel and as a serviceman from the Air Base in 1954 remember the old “Glider Room” bar and dance hall in the basement of the hotel. My wife’s Grandmother was a room maid etc. for many years prior to this. In fact we have in our home one of the full length dressing mirrors which were part of every room, quite ornate and weighs about 50 pounds. I will be glad to visit with you anytime you wish.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“I enjoyed talking with you yesterday. I know you are very busy, but I would like to know if it would be possible for you to have the E-mail address of the person that wrote regarding his father B. Pete Jackson. This was in your mail bag of March 13, 1999, Vol. 3, issue 99. I remember his grandfather. If that can be done, I sure will appreciate it.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“In 1920 to at least 1930 the Gypsy Oil Company had an oil company camp which I believe was located north and a little east of Healdton, OK. The camp consisted of several residences, and office building, a warehouse and a bunk house. A lone Star Gas Company camp was located on the road from the Gypsy Camp out to the highway which I believe was blacktop. I am interested in finding the location of the Gypsy Camp on a map which I obtained from the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce. This map divides the county into sections by EW County Roads and NS County Roads. I would greatly appreciate it if you could refer me to someone who might help me establish this location. I will be glad to reimburse them for their time and trouble. Please advise. Your consideration in this matter is appreciated.” R. E. Sterling, Sterling Investments, 454 S. Woodward Blvd., Pasadena, CA. 91107 [email protected]
————————————————————
“This is a great corn dog recipe. It’s especially good with the sausage type wieners. Having the wieners warm and dry keeps the dough on them during cooking.Corn Dogs
1 r c. self-rising flour
1 r c. corn meal
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 c. milk
12 wienersCombine dry ingredients. Beat egg and milk then stir into dry ingredients. Have wieners warm and dry. Dip wieners in mixture and fry in deep, hot fat until golden brown.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Have you ever heard of Tuck’s Ferry? Supposedly this was a ferry across Red River before the bridge was built between Texas and Oklahoma. I have pictures of the house the family lived in on the North Side of the River in Love County that operated the Ferry. I think the story goes that the man lived in the house until his family or someone had to make him move because the house was so bad. Part of it is underground and is built something like some of the underground houses of today. Anyway, I will see if I can get the story and give it to you also.” [email protected]
————————————————————
============================================How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they are forever banned
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the windHow many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea
How many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just don’t see
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the windHow many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind-Bob Dylan 1963
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, November 18, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 187
In checking this week, it looks like my xoom.com website with its photos is back up and running…….. lets hope it stays that way for a while anyway. Since xoom.com has been so iffy I have been working on a site at angelfire.com but its not up and running yet.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/I received a letter this week from a reader in Grandfield, Oklahoma. Though she lives in Grandfield, she was originally from the almost ghost town of Bromide, Oklahoma. Bromide is about 20 miles northeast of of Tishomingo, Oklahoma on Highway 7D. I remember when a child my mother and I and Charlie and Irma Bailey going to Bromide to see somebody. This would have been around 1960. The only thing that sticks in my mind, was going to the outdoor toilet at the residence we visited. It was located out back away from the house, kind of a scary adventure for a city boy.
The reader who wrote me this week about Bromide included a copy of an article in the February 2, 1975 issue of Orbit Magazine. The story was about Bromide, Oklahoma, the ghost town. Around statehood (1907) Bromide was a hustling bustling town with a bank, four hotels, a cotton gin, cotton yard, rooming houses, numerous restaurants, a lime stone rock quarry, and last but not least, the reported healing bromide waters that was plentiful there. Tulsa industrialist Robert Galbreath is given credit for turning Bromide into an overnight sensation. Galbreath was the owner and developer of the first big oil strike in Oklahoma, the Glennpool Oil south of Tulsa. But the recognized Father of Bromide is the Chickasaw Indian judge, W.H. Jackson. From the efforts of Galbreath and Jackson, it wasn’t long until excursion trains were pulling up to the station at Bromide loaded with visitors from Texas and other parts of Oklahoma, ready to soak in the cure-all healing bromide waters.
But as suddenly as it started, the dream ended in the middle 1920s. The trains no longer stopped at the Bromide depot, mainly because of the advent of Henry Ford’s Model “T” had opened up a new adventure to vacationers. The final death knell came to Bromide in the 1930s in the wake of the Great Depression when the quarry and crusher ceased operations. Bromide, Oklahoma would never return to her glory days as she was just a quarter of a century earlier.
The other day I received a letter from my bank telling me how nice it would be to own one of their Check Cards. No more writing checks, no more being interrogated for ID, no more having to give your birthdate, no more feeling like the people in line behind you thinks your a hot check writer, it all sounded great, so I ordered one. A week later I had my handy dandy Check Card and ready to hit the stores. I was in Walmart getting a few items, went to the checkout counter and prepared for a wonderful cashless experience. The cashier swiped my Check Card through the scanner. BEEP. She swiped it again. BEEP. She didn’t know what was wrong. She asked, “you want me to call a supervisor”? Sure. The supervisor swiped it. BEEP. No one knew what was wrong, so guess what I ended up paying for my merchandise with? Good old hard cold cash in the form of green back dollars. hahahahaha. Now I ask you, what good is any Check Card if it doesn’t work in the Walmart scanner? Any lady can tell you, it’s not worth anything.
This week I was flipping through the channels on TV and there was the 1981 movie “The Long Summer of George Adams” starring James Garner and Joann Hackett. The movie centers around the water tower in the town of Cushing, Oklahoma about 1950 and the fact that it no longer had water in it. The city council of Cushing voted to have water piped in from a nearby town. James Garner plays a railroad man who loses his job. One funny part of the movie is where a guy climbs up the water tower and looks out, and says, “I can see all the way to McAlester, Oklahoma.” Now that is some feat, since that would be about 100 miles! hahaha
http://eonline.com/Facts/Movies/0,60,67209,00.htmlMy friend and fellow Ardmoreite, Gary Simmons, has his Ardmore Air Base website up and running. He’s been hard at work on it for several weeks, and boy, does it look great. It is full of information on the former U.S. Army Air Base located at Gene Autry, Oklahoma. He’s got plenty of photos and history about the base including every air crash since it was opened in 1943. Gary is receiving input from all over the country from people who have had some connection to the air base, either stationed there, worked there, trained there, kinfolk there, etc. You can check it all out at the URL below, and pass it along to anyone who might be interested in this one of a kind website!
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmonsSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“This picture was taken in the 1940’s and shows my little sister-in-law sitting at the base of the bronze colored Indian statue which was a trademark for the Palesine(sp?) Oil Co of Ardmore. (Wirt Franklin was the owner I believe). The site is at the look out of Turner Falls from the Filling Station located in the Arbuckle Mts. The bronze colored Indians were seen in many places in our area but it seems they have all disappeared.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/indianp.jpg
————————————————————-
“Butch, I really appreciate all the work you do on T&T…I love the “flashbacks” of when it “used to be”. Tell the girl doing her family research that the genealogy library at the Greater SW Historical Museum might be a possibility. They are a great bunch of people and so very helpful. I try to go in there at least once a month when I’m in Ardmore to visit my mom. I forget where the Ardmore Hotel was…There was a “filling station” on the corner across from the Methodist Church at E and Main (NE corner) and also one at D and Main (NE corner). We used to “drag Main” and the one at E and Main was our turnaround point..Ah, youth!!” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“A while back you ask for the recipe for corn dogs. Well I have one that I got here about 40 years ago. I don’t know if it is the one they used for sure or not. But the name of it is Super Dogs.” [email protected]
1 cup milk
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
flour – enough to make thick.
Then dip dog in it and fry in deep fryer.
————————————————————-
“Butch, I have in safe keeping a document that I came across several years ago, taped to a bottom of a drawer of an old desk I purchased. It appears to be one of the original copies of the court ordered bankruptcy of Tucker Automobile. My curiosity is getting the better of me and I was wondering if one of the T&T readers might have knowledge of this Tucker Automobile that didn’t quite make it. Kindly forward replies to Gerry Stanford.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, In reqards to the picture of Dow, Bob and the rest. I agree with Bill Montcrief, the man in the lower right hand corner looks like a young Buck Garrett.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Hi Butch. I was born in Alma OK. Raised in, near, and around Loco, Healdton,. Ardmore OK I Had never heard of Brown’s Springs until I started receiving your newsletter. A Spring with my name deserves my attention, but need directions to get to it. If you could help, I will check it out on one of my trips home.” Jim Brown, Odessa, Texas [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, It would be interesting to know what happened to Clara Smith Harmon. Where did she move to.etc. Did she do more movies after Fate?” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch: Go to the following site: http://us.imdb.com/Find and type “Fate” into the title field. You’ll see the movie was released in August 1921, and did in fact star Clara Smith Hamon. Now, finding a copy of it is quite a different story.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“When you scan lots of pictures or load pictures from a digital camera into your computer, you’ll end up with a bunch of odd file names. To get all these files to follow a pattern that you can interpret easily, you need a file-renaming program. Suppose you’d like to name all those picture files Vacation_2000_xxx, where xxx is a sequential number. You can do this easily with File Renamer, a free utility from JMF. All you have to do is set up your parameters and click Rename Files. Click here to download File Renamer.”
http://www.moldplast.com/software/software.htm
————————————————————
“Dear Mr. Bridges: My name is Keats French and I am on the Design Committee for Ardmore Main Street. I have been asked to research the history of the Ardmore Hotel, 301 W. Main St., for the walking tour plaques that are planned to be installed on Ardmore Landmarks. Would you happen to have any information on this subject. Any help would be deeply appreciated.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“I am of Cherokee Indian Heritage, but cannot find any proof of my family in the Oklahoma territories….. can anyone help? I know my grandmother’s information: Hazel Bell Harrington born 28, Feb. 1916 in Arkansas and died 8, October 1950 of TB in Talihina Oklahoma. Her mother a full blooded Cherokee was Maudie Dickey born 1882. I need documentation to be able to prove my indian heritage, but unfortunately all I have at this point is word of mouth. I have the linage of the others in the family, but nothing on my Grandmother or Great Grandmother.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“What I really wanted to share with you is a link that one of my NY readers sent me concerning a story of one of the survivors of the OKC bombing. Thought you and some of your readers might be interested in reading Richard Williams’ story as a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing. Here is the link she sent me…. “HI, I was just reading this page about an OKC bombing survivor. I finished reading the paragraph and thought I would share this story with you.”
http://www.thrivenet.com/stories/stories00/stry0011.html
————————————————————
============================================Thanksgiving will be here in a few days. We should all pause a few minutes Thursday and be thankful we live in the land of plenty….. where supermarket shelves are stocked with every kind of food imaginable. If you have some extra thanksgiving dinner, share it with someone less fortunate. We never know the lift in spirit such a simple action can give to someone who feels like know one cares.
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, November 11, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 186
Technology has not be on my side this week. I have been having problems with my old computer and was wondering if I was even going to get my T&T out this week. It seemed to be in the hard drive or the hard drive controller. Anyway, its working, for how long, I don’t know. If anyone has an extra computer they don’t need let me know. I’m in the market to buy one.
Also people have not been able to pull up my photos on xoom.com for some reason. I may have to switch to another freebie webspace to store photos and such. Remember I do put every photo on my http://history.users.netdrive.com webspace. They are grouped by week.
I received a rather interesting email this week from Mark Lynn Anderson, Ph.D.Visiting Assistant Professor of Film Department of English and Comparative Literature, Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Rochester, New York. He has been doing an intensive study on a former Ardmoreite, Clara Smith Harmon. Some of you will recall Clara Smith Harmon was involved in the mysterious death of Ardmore millionaire oilman Jake Harmon back in 1920. Mr Anderson said a movie was made in 1921 about the supposedly murder of Jake Hamon, and Clara Smith Hamon starred in that movie named “Fate”. He is looking for a copy of that 1921 movie Fate. Anyone have any ideas on where such a movie might be found? I for one, sure would like to see that movie. Here is the complete story on Jake Hamon and Clara Smith Hamon…..
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/hamon.html
and here are photos of Clara and Jake Hamon……
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/photos/hamoncs.jpg
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/photos/hamonj.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Well Butch.. I just called that 800 #… LOL. Nice to hear a duck quack at 11:30 on a Friday night.” 🙂 [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, The only man in that picture that even comes close to being close to what Billy the Kid looked like is the lower right. And considering that if the picture was of Billy then it would have in all likelihood have been taken prior to Billy’s arrival in NM. Billy would have been in his teens. I don’t remember for sure, but I believe Billy the Kid was not much taller than 5 ft. Billy was in NM with his mother by the time he was 14. And if you notice in those pictures the tintype (standing) has been reversed. Billy was RIGHT handed.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
‘Butch, As a New Mexican, I have always had an interest in Billy the Kid. In comparing the photo shown on your website to ones shown in the book “Billy the Kid” by Robert M. Utley, I would say the person in the bottom right is Billy The Kid. There are only a half a dozen known pictures of “The Kid”. If this is indeed an authentic picture, I would suggest Bill put it in a very safe place!! I am sure the dollar value is tremendous but the historical value is more. There are 2 museums in Lincoln, New Mexico which would benefit greatly from this picture. What a great picture. Thank Bill for sharing it with us.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“I think the cemetery for Wilson is the old Hewitt cemetery. I also have some documents in storage somewhere if I can find them when New Wilson was formed and a big promotion was put in place for the new endeavor. I delivered to Honest John Hubble in the 60’s. He had pictures of himself on the wall when he was a body builder. He had an awesome build when he was younger. He told me that the worst thing you could do was to build your body and then let it go. He was not in too bad a shape even then.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Ron Herendeen has asked to add some of my photos to his Web Page for Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer. Just thought you might want to check it out. He has some great photos of his own and others as well. I appreciated his comments! Just click on this address: http://www.theheartlandflyer.com Then click on “Added Pics of the Heartland Flyer Passing through Big Canyon.” The very last three are mine.” Dwane [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, youngsters your age and younger may have never seen a Crosley automobile. While stationed at Ardmore Air Force Base before I became a permanent Ardmoreite, I owned this 1948 Crosley for a few months in l955. Four people fit snugly within its small interior. They existed for a short few years. Sure wish I had it now.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/OklahomaPast/photos/crosley.jpg
————————————————————-
“Hi Butch, Take a look at my story about Brown’s Springs. I used some of your pictures …I hope that was OK? I never think until LATER….If you wish, I will delete them and apologize to you, my friend. Sure wish that we’d taken that tour again this Halloween. Also, the song playing on the site is one I wrote…”It’s No Wonder.” [email protected]
http://mytwinoaks.homestead.com/mytwinoaks2index.html
————————————————————
“I seriously doubt any of the men in the photo was Billy the Kid. Henry McCarty, aka William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid was killed by Pat Garrett in New Mexico on July 14, 1881. If your Internet friends are interested in gunfighters, direct them to http://www.mattbraun.com and have them click on Latest Novels.”
————————————————————
“This picture was taken in the 1940’s and shows my little sister-in-law sitting at the base of the bronze colored Indian statue which was a trademark for the Palesine(sp?) Oil Co of Ardmore. (Wirt Franklin was the owner I believe). The site is at the look out of Turner Falls from the Filling Station located in the Arbuckle Mts. The bronze colored Indians were seen in many places in our area but it seems they have all disappeared.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/OklahomaPast/photos/paulbell.jpg
————————————————————
“Dear Pat, Thank you for your kind words but I am sorry to say that I have been unsuccessful in the search through my files to find a picture of the Big Gulf station. I believe the station may have been within the complex of the “Adams” building (I don’t know what Adams) The station always seemed to be a virtual hub of activity and I traded there many times. Although it was almost directly across the street from the Ardmore Hotel and was just a little west of the old bus station I find it difficult to understand why I have not seen a photograph of it. Somehow in the back of my mind I seems to remember that Wirt Franklin had one of his giant bronze Indian statutes mounted on the parkway in that building a long time ago. I will have to do some research to be sure but it seems that his Palesine(sp) Oil Co.used the Indian as a trade logo. Perhaps his office was located in that building – I don’t know. Somewhere in my pictures I have a picture of one of those bronze Indian statues, and if I can find it, I will scan it and send it to you. In the mean time let me prevail on Butch to make a request from his readers to see if they have a picture. I’ll let you know.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“My name is Donna (Shore) Null, I am doing some family History research on my father’s family, and in my grandmothers obit. it stated that she was connected with the Indian School Services in Ardmore, I don’t have a date, but she lived in Coalgate from 1912 until 1930 when she moved to be with her daughter in Wewoka, she passed away in 1932. her name was Jane Mccann Shore , she immigrated to the U.S. from England in 1894. Would you be able to help me , or direct me on where I might find some past history on this service? It would be wonderful to maybe find some old photographs of her. Thanks in advance for your help.” [email protected]
————————————————————
============================================“Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,
Sent down to us from some where up above,
They come to you and me in our darkest hours,
To show us how to live,
To teach us how to give,
To guide us with a light of love.”
Performed by Alabama
Written By Becky Hobbs (born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma)
http://www.countrystars.com/index.html?/artists/bhobbs.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, November 4, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 185
The other day I got a photo in the mail from Kenneth Eck of Healdton, Oklahoma. He and his wife had been on a vacation of the NE part of the US and had a pic of a bell to send me! It is a pic of a bell made by Paul Revere of Boston. But the bell located at Newington Town Church in Newington, Vermont. Paul Revere sent them the bell after the first one the town had was cracked and sent to Revere for repair. Paul Revere and Sons cast the first bell made in Boston in 1792. This would be the first of about 100 bells his family would make. Here is a photo of the bell in Newington, Vermont.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/paulbell.jpgI received another photo from a Reader who had been to Cross Point Camp. The camp is run by the United Methodist and is located 6 1/2 miles south of Kingston, Oklahoma. So what makes this camp special to me? It has the most beautiful bell located there on the property!
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/campbel2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/campbel3.jpg
Here is the Camp’s website…..
http://www.okumc.org/camps/crosspoint.htmlWhile we’re on bells, a Reader brought it to my attention, that back in 1998 I told about the bell in front of the First Baptist Church in Marietta, Oklahoma. I told everyone at that time, I’d get a pic of that big beautiful bell. Well, I guess my memory was in remission, because I forgot. But I promise to get a pic of it soon!
Yesterday I received a package from Del City. It was a rare photo of the Braziel brothers along with five other hombres in the photo. The photo belonged to Bill Moncrief’s grandmother who recently died at age 104. His grandmother used to tell Bill how Bob and Dow Braziel would come over to her house when a child dressed in the same uniforms. Dow Braziel died looking down the gun barrel of Carter County Deputy Bud Ballew in 1919 at the California Cafe here in Ardmore. The Dow brothers were partners in the cafe, which was located on the corner where Stofa Brothers Hardware is presently located. The reason for Bill Moncrief sending me the photo, is he was told that Billy the Kid is one of the other five men in the photo. Bill was wondering if anyone recognizes Billy the Kid in the photo? Okay all you lawmen history buffs out there…. is one of the men Billy the Kid? In the photo Robert H. “Bob” Braziel is the man at top left. His brother Dow is the second top left. Both are in dark suits. Bill Moncrief believes the man at the lower bottom right, is John “Buck” Garrett.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/dowbros.jpgHere is the complete 1919 newsclipping of the Braziel-Ballew shootout.
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/braziel.htmlSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“hi butch , my grandpa elmer criswell was born madill, okla 1900. anyone out there got pictures of madill okla 1900.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch, I am sorry to say that the person that wrote this account of the original car wash is mistaken. I won’t go into the details of this, but please visit with Jack Thompson who is one of the original inventors & patent holder of a “car wash” and yes, it was located on North Washington St.and the old HW 70 route, now known as Monroe street. Not on P & 3rd Ave. N.E.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“I was born in 1921 at Hugo, Okla.- We moved to Ardmore about 1926. I personally knew Joe Dubiel and he and I both were still in rompers when the old Gun Factory was located exactly where Lumbermans Mill is now. In fact, I believe the Gun Factory building was old & likely vacant even then. It is true that Joe was an excellent gunsmith and he may have had a gun shop but the “old gun factory” I think you are seeking predated Joe, a bunch.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Wilson: Okla. Place Names by George Shirk states the following….In SE Carter County. 7 miles SW of Ardmore. A post office from April 4, 1888, to Aug. 15, 1907. No longer in existence. Named for J.H. Wilson. local merchant. …for many years we knew this area to be Wilson Township and since the town of (New) Wilson came into being, in western Carter County it created much confusion. Incidentally Wilson Creek is located only a few miles north & east of Legate (Love County 1905-1921) but Wilson Creek & Legate each have their well kept and separate cemeteries. They were distinct different communities. Mr. Shirk also prints that Wilson, formally (New Wilson) is 17 mi. west of Ardmore. Post office name changed to Wilson on Jan 28, 1920 & name for Charles Wilson, secretary to John Ringling. circus owner. This town is still there…… I think their Cemetery goes by the name of Rexroat which is a close by community.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Reference: 1st car wash. I think that if you will ask Jack Thompson, you will find that the first coin operated car wash was actually the brainchild of Travis Harris and Jack Thompson and was built on the north side of the intersection of west Main and Broadway, across from Kerr & Reavis Drug store (at that time Gravitt Drug Store). The second car wash was what is now Coopers Corner.Reference: Some time ago, you had someone ask about the “Little Big Stand” restaurant on Main Street. It was owned by Charles Priddy and was know as the “Little Big Place”. It was located on the same site that the Neustadt Plaza is currently on. Henry Keith operated a service station on the corner next to it.
Reference: You have had several notes recently that mentioned “Super Dogs”. I don’t know just how many people realize that Joe Ben Ponder sold his franchise for the “Super Dogs” to Stan Baldwin and that they continue to make them at his “Burger Ranch” at 708 East Lake Murray Drive. They are just as tasty as they have always been. Take this from someone that has eaten them since the 50’s.
Reference: The drive in on Lake Murray Drive a block south of Colvert’s was owned by Honest John Hubble. Thanks for you newsletter. It is always a lot of fun to read each Saturday.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Hi Butch, Just received a response to your T & T on the school bell. A cousin from California also received you latest edition this morning and tells me that the school bell was sold by the school board years ago. Interesting’ news!!! That makes two stories that I’ve heard now. Maybe we can still find out what happened to it after all. I will do some more checking and see if I can find out just where it is.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
Butch, the little ice cream place on the east corner on Lake Murray Dr. (that everyone has been writing about) was owned by “Honest John Hubble” and was called Dairy Delight (or Delite). They did, indeed, have a parrot hanging in a cage out front. In addition, their son (might have been John Jr…can’t remember), was a cheerleader at OU. This was before it was the “in thing” for a guy to get involved in cheerleading. I thought it was so neat. His parents had pictures of him in his uniform in the window of the ice cream place and I always carefully scanned them, wishing I could be a cheerleader. (I was in later years at Plainview). I remember that this place had the best milkshakes and malts I’d ever tasted. One that was unusual was a peanut butter flavor…my favorite was butter pecan. I lived in So. Texas for a few years (early to mid 60’s), and when I came back I remember that you could buy a taco at the Dairy Delight. It was one of the few (maybe the only) place in town that offered them. I’d become so used to eating them in TX, that I frequented the DD and more than ate my share. I am writing a journal of memoirs for my descendants and plan on including some of this info. A different topic, but does anyone remember the scrumptious “punch” you could get at Colvert’s Dairy? You could get it in lime (green) and a red (maybe cherry or strawberry). Anyway, whenever we had any kind of get together such as a shower or birthday party, that gave us a good excuse to get some of it… our favorite was the lime. It came in one gallon cartons and we would mix it with 7-up and sometimes add some fruit cocktail for color. UMMMM! I can almost taste it. Don’t supposed it’s even made anymore. By the way, are you planning another trip to Brown Springs anytime soon? A lady I work with wants to go, but don’t know if I’m brave enough. I still remember the other time I went with you, never before experienced anything like the feeling I had when I walked through it. Very eerie!! Take care, Butch, and God bless.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“I thought you might be interested in these counter checks showing three different situations. In one of your prior issues it mentioned no routing info on checks. I believe the numbers shown in the upper right hand corner on checks had something to do with routing. Some bank employee could probably enlighten on this idea, that is if you get an employee old enough to remember. Thanks Butch for your efforts in keeping us informed through T & T.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/3checks.jpg
———————————————————— “Hi Butch; Finally, I find information on the flight I was to go on, but changed my mind. I was in Fort Ord, Cal., and having just finished Advanced Infantry Training [AIT], we were held over in barracks, waiting for orders for several weeks. I and some others seriously thought of going to Airborne School, and learn to jump. We knew it would break up many friendships as we would be scattered all over, so we changed our minds.While listening to the radio, I heard a report that a plane carrying troops to the East had crashed, and I yelled over to my buddies what I heard. They all replied that a lot of planes were flying out of Monterey. I had a sick feeling, and ran down to the clerks to check it out. Sure enough, the report had just come in that it was most of our company that was on that plane.There were hardened drill instructors in tears, for they had taken a bunch of raw recruits and molded them into one of the best groups they had ever seen. We knew we were all going to Vietnam, and they had done their best to train us to stay alive, but to lose people like that was too much for anyone. Any more info on the crash would sure be appreciated, for this has never been very far back in my mind since it happened. Sorry to ramble on so long. Nice to see a memorial going up, and that so many remember.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, I am trying to locate information about the Odd Fellows Home for Widows and Orphans in Tishomingo, Indian Territory, (early 1890’s). I have been unable to find any records of this home. Thank you so much.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch: The first car wash in Ardmore and Oklahoma was located on No. Washington and Monroe invented and installed by Travis Harris and I believe Jack Thompson. Travis is deceased but Jack is still blowing and going in Ardmore, his son has a cell phone business in the mall. The Harrison car wash came many, many years after in fact I believe it was installed in the early 70s the Harris, Thompson wash was the early 60s. Travis Harris’ son Eddie Jack was a member of the Ardmore police dept and one evening while driving with his partner Pete Fair, Eddie aimed his pistol out the window to shoot out the tires of a fleeing motorist and believe it or not shot a hole in his spot light, it was a long while before we let Eddie Jack live this down. The second car wash in Ardmore was located just north and across the street from Dodson’s Floral. My 20 years on the Ardmore police dept between 1957 and 1977 allows me to remember many of our early events.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, if there is any money left in the account for American Flyers Memorial, could part of it be used for stepping stones from the street to the Memorial itself and maybe to the left and right of the Memorial, we went out there last Saturday and we all got red mud all over our shoes. I know it had been raining but it is still hard to walk in the grass, down the slope and then back up, if it was fixed as steps down and then back up it would be alot easier ….just a suggestion, maybe we can look into it.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, my grandfather, Ira Butler, owned a custom gun made by Joe Dubiel. It was a heavy barrel .22 Hornet single shot based on a falling block action. It was a beautiful rifle, and was tack-driving accurate. It was HEAVY, too. My uncle owns the gun now. The gun was given to my grandfather by Wirt Franklin in, I think, the early 1940s. I also seem to remember a magazine article in either Guns and Ammo or Shooting Times from the 1970s that featured a new custom rifle from Joe Dubiel. I think they said his shop was in either Sherman or Denison. And the rifle was a real beauty, too. Perhaps we could find out some history behind Joe and his gunmaking. Also, I’ve been meaning to write to you about the picture that Ernest Martin dated to the 1950s. That picture had to have been taken sometime after the fall of 1964, most likely in late 1965 or 1966. You can clearly see that the Lincoln Center is nearly finished, and I think it opened in 1966. Also, you can read an advertisement for Mountain Dew on the side of the old Pepsi plant. Pepsi bought the rights to Mountain Dew in August, 1964. And, although I can’t be absolutely certain, I think there are a couple of 1963 or 1964 model cars (probably either Pontiac or Buick) parked by the tracks in the lower left of the picture.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Norton Bridge. I came up down and ’round those parts as you may recall, but never knew the name of that bridge. My friends and I always called it, “that bridge between Mannsville and Chalk Hills”. Last time I was in town, an old buddy of mine and I sat there at midnight with our feet dangling over the edge of that bridge rehashing old times. I remember being in Drivers Ed and having this fear of bridges, and my instructor at the time made me drive out there and told me that we were sitting there until I crossed the bridge, no one was going to drive for me. Eventually, I got up the nerve to cross it and since that day I have never had a problem driving over anything! Well, I just want to say hello and ask how things are at the courthouse. My grandfather would be proud that the old clock is working again.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch; very nice what you have done in memory of the crew and pax aboard the Electra. I was also an employee of AFA that night. Memory is weak after all that time but was lead man in maint. with Abe Johnson, Red Kitchens, Deamus Anderson, and others at that time. Just retired after 35 years flying. 24 with Flying Tigers and 11 with FedEx who bought out Tigers in 1989. Some years I ago stopped by the airport to go down memory lane with my wife who is from Tulsa, (I’m also a former Spartan Grad) and got run off by some airport cop who tailed me every minute I was in there and all the way to the gate. He knew nothing about the airline or schools history. My wife guessed he was not even born in 1966.The damn chiggers were glad to see me again though. We live in Seattle area and I had forgotten about them. Will send donation along soon. Perhaps will visit Ardmore soon. My wife was a nurse at the hospital and my oldest daughter was born there. Take care.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“I am sending you a reply I received from my son concerning the Ardmore West Picture. The building he is referring to is the old Whittington Hotel. Enoch Watterson conducted the sale of the contents and my son was down there several times while they were getting ready for the sale.” [email protected]
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/whitnote.jpg
————————————————————
“I was receiving This and That using my yahoo email, but I couldn’t get the pictures on yahoo. I can get your pictures good with my new email address.” http://www.email.com
————————————————————
“Hey Butch, have you figured out yet that the phone company Clear Choice Communications (dial 1010-636) is *not* a hoax? It is not for in-state calls, like you apparently thought. It is for out-of-state direct dialed phone calls, and yes it is true that they charge only 5 cents per minute with a 15 cent (i.e. 3 minute) minimum. I just got my phone bill for last month. I live in Arizona, and I spoke to my son in Seattle for 25 minutes… 1010-636 charged me $1.25 for the call. Then I called him again and it cost $0.85 for a 17 minute call; again, a nickle a minute. No other costs, no hidden charges. I thought it was pretty cool.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Some time ago, you mentioned the cabin built by Foster Stoner at Ardmore Lake Club. I snapped a picture of it just for you! I also got the stand of bamboo that is in Stoner’s yard, and the bell that is in the yard of the neighbor there at Ardmore Club Lake. Looks like I hit the jackpot, eh? Lots of changes at the lake. If you’ve not been there in a while, I’ll be glad to give you the full 15 minute tour! (haha)”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/stonerh.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/stonerbb.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/aclbell.jpg
————————————————————
“As you know, I am going into my fifth year of being host on my talk show, “Oklahoma Moments” on Wilson, Oklahoma’s very own WNC-TV station, especially, since I had you on it when we were promoting the Gene Autry memorial site for the American Flyers Memorial. Well, for your information I had the Honorable Ernest Martin, our outstanding State Senator for 18 years, out and taped a program with him which will air the second Sunday, Nov. 12 at 8a.m. and Thursday, Nov. 16 at 3:30p.m. I received a note from him where he was sharing some information for one of your readers who requested information about the Wilson Township southeast of Ardmore and some cemeteries. My husband was on the Wilson Cemetery Association Board of Directors for years prior to his stroke in December 1985. I will share some information about the cemeteries in this area and about Wilson, the hometown of our famous “Walker, Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris!” Wilson has two cemeteries, one on the west side, about two and a half miles west, named Bomar Point. On the east side, two miles east, and where the township of Hewitt was located, is called Hewitt Cemetery. Hewitt vanished when John Ringling, and oilman Jake Hamons decided to run the railroad through to Ringling. I was informed this week by a lady that her grandfather was stationmaster at a station located just to the west of where downtown of Wilson is now located. All of the excitement of the train caused Hewitt to migrate into the new Wilson, which was named for Mr. Ringling’s secretary/bookkeeper, Mr. Charles Wilson. Another cemetery which most of the people who lived in the Rexroat area, east one mile and north up Dillard Road approximately three miles, were buried in the very old Keller Cemetery, which I think you get to by turning north up the road out by what we always called the Bayou Road.” -Corrina F. Wilson [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, I really enjoy reading your newsletter and thought your readers might be able to help me out with a little project. I’m a writer working a series of stories on legends and myths and folklore of Oklahoma. I’d love to hear any stories about out state, especially from our older citizens.” Cathy Gardner, Southern Oklahoma Writers’ Guild [email protected]
————————————————————
“Hi Butch, Thank you so much for the “news from home”. In reading one of the articles folks were talking about a place with a parrot out front, if i’m not mistaken that was “honest John’s Dairy Delight, owned and operated by the late John Hubble. He was a friend of my father and a very nice man. I worked there for him when I was in the seventh grade and used the money I earned to buy cars from my father and resell them on his used car lot that was located down the street from Honest John’s in the old office of the cotton gin manager. That”s a whole other story in itself!!! My father’s name is Hurmon Anthony, one of God’s finest examples of spiritual being!!! Thanks again.” jeffrey anthony [email protected]
————————————————————
“Hey guys and gals, I don’t normally send out this kind of stuff but you really should try this. And you’d better do it now before this email causes them to change their number.”
1. dial 1-800-888-3999 (it’s free)
2. listen to the options
3. when you hear #7 hit 7
————————————————————
============================================This week I received a beautiful card from Mr. and Mrs. William Newport of San Diego. They had traveled all the way from California to see the memorial built in memorial to their son, Larry, who died in that terrible ’66 plane crash in the Arbuckle Mountains. Here is what Mrs. Newport wrote: “We visited Ardmore on October 8. We were very pleased with the memorial at the air park. Noticed that a sprinkler system is being installed. Maybe this check will help to finish your plans. Thanks for all of your work for our son.” Emails like the Newports makes the efforts of all those who made the memorial possible, worth it.
Speaking of the American Flyers Memorial, Tuck Wilkinson called me this week and said the 12v lighting system came in for placement at the site. And if the rain stops long enough, we’ll soon have three more concrete picnic tables poured and ready to set up at the memorial park.
“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
-Franklin D. RooseveltSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 28, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 184
I received a surprise email this week from Mac and Jimmie McDaniel in Mannsville, Oklahoma. I stopped by their house last Saturday and we talked about the old bell that used to be on the Mannsville school grounds years ago. Rumor has it, about 25 or so years ago, some mischievous students at the school removed the bell from its base, and took it to the old Norton bridge NE of Mannsville and threw it into the water. We may never know what really happened to that bell, but its gone. This is a couple of pics I took in June of 1996 of the old Norton bridge NE of Mannsville, Oklahoma where the bell might be laying at the bottom of the river.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tbridge1.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tbridge2.jpgHere is the email I got from the McDaniels………
“Hi Butch, We really enjoyed your visit this past Sat… Funny how things work out. I just had a visit from a cousin and she brought me some old pictures and one of them (the one I am sending to you) is a picture of the Mannsville School with the “BELL”. It isn’t a very large picture but just before you get to the building and to the right, by the three large trees is the bell. This picture was taken in the 40’s. I don’t know if you can enlarge the photo to see the bell more clear or not.”
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/mhsbell.jpgI would venture to say the bell is deep in the rivers silt and mud, waiting for someone to rediscover it. Maybe we should put together some kind of search party someday?
Talk about bells, I was told this week there is a great big bell at Camp Simpson (12 miles north of Tishomingo, OK). I’ll try to get a pic of it. http://www.ardnet.com/pack33/SimpsonInfo.htm
A reader wrote in a couple weeks ago about a factory years ago in Ardmore that manufactured guns. I can tell you the owner was Joe Dubiel (July 18, 1920 to October 16, 1996). His daughter just lives a couple blocks from me. I’ll see if she has any photos of her dad’s factory.
Last Thursday when Ardmore area had the downpour and lightning, I was attending the annual Ducks Unlimited banquet at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum. There was over 300 in attendance, and the kids, well they had a lot of fun and each received some kind of prize! Here are a couple of pics I took of the banquet area.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/du2000a.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/du2000b.jpgTwenty five miles east of Ardmore is Madill, Oklahoma. On the north edge of Madill lives Mable Wallace. She has a neat little store at her house…. where she sells turquoise.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wallace2.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wallace3.jpg
She also has a wooden Indian in her front yard.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/wallace4.jpgA few more miles north of Madill, before you reach the highway that goes to Tishomingo, there is a neat little business that sells all kinds of crafts, figurines, whatnots, and a large assortment of old bottles. The owner, Sue Sparks, also has a wood stove in the store. When I was there last Saturday morning, it was kind of cool, she had the stove burning, and the heat really felt good. The store’s name is Owl Hollow.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/owlholl.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/sparks2.jpgA link about McGee, Indian Territory, an Oklahoma ghost town.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/okcity/mcgee.htmlWorkers have been busy this week on the west side of the courthouse erecting the framework for the pavilion.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/pav25.jpgI don’t think I’ve ever shown a pic of my office…… so here.
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/bridoff.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I remember all those great places! I had a blast with the talking parrot as a kid at the drive in on So. Washington. It was where a little bbq place is now. They also had a gum machine out front that if you got a certain color gum you got a free ice cream. My Grandpa spent I don’t know how much money one afternoon until I got the gum for the free ice cream! I’m sure he could have bought several ice creams for the price of the gum…LOL! My Grandfather is Denver Lewis, and he ran the Avalon Supper Club from before I was born until it burned the second time in the late 60’s. I remember when the Superdog came out with the Icees too! We thought it was so neat to have a drink that didn’t spill easily….(sure, but we were just kids!). Weren’t the Super Dogs fabulous?! I wish Ponders would come back with those! How bout it Ponders?” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Just wanted to share something with you that many people know about, yet there are so many that do not know about it. As you know, the Latter Day Saints has a magnificent place on the internet to research your family. Alot of the info is not correct, but again, alot of it is, but it is a good starting point. They have put their latest addition of their program on the internet for a free download. I really do like the print out better than I do the Family Tree Maker. I have both programs on my computer. I like to put all the info in the FTM then transfer it to the Personal Ancestral File (PAF). Don’t ask why I keep them both, but I got started on the FTM and it is just easier for me to do it this way. Too, more people use the FTM and it is easier to transfer files this way. I went into the site to make sure it was still there, and so glad I did before writing you, for they have changed their site and it took me a couple of minutes to find what I wanted to send you. Go to
http://www.familysearch.com then click on order/download, then to
software downloads. There will be the new PAF 4.0.4.for anyone who
wants it.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Read the letter about the car wash at ‘Coopers Corner’, and it is still there. It is now owned by Lloyd and Linda Vaughn of Boat Dock Pro Shop. They are making plans to remodel and fix it up. However, if memory serves me correctly, the first coin operated car wash in Okla. was at 3rd and P N.E. adjacent to Harrison’s grocery. It was owned by Frank Harrison (who owned the grocery store) and C.D. Matney, a farmer from Milburn. That carwash is gone now, but Harrison Grocery is still going and is owned now by Randall Harrison, son of Frank. And they still have a butcher shop in operation. Nostalgic walk down memory lane, huh?” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“I see at least four (4) faces in the Brown’s Springs Photo. Did you see more than one too?” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Thanks a bunch for the Tyler-Simpson picture. I was a customer of theirs for many years at my drug store, and hated to see them quit. I think they were a great company, and we liked their representatives.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Dear Butch, I believe the first coin operated car wash was an invention of Jack Thompson and Travis Harris (now deceased). It was on the corner of Monroe & N. Washington. I’m not sure if the car wash is still there or if it is the original one first installed. There was a drive-in restaurant on South Washington that is now a barbeque place. I don’t remember the parrot at the drive-in but I remember it being at the liquor store that went in after the drive in closed. A furniture salesman named Boots Hudson persuaded the owner of the liquor store to sell him the bird after a few years. The bird’s name was Bingo. Does anyone remember anything about this? I worked with Boots at B.L. Owens Furniture Store in the 70’s and 80’s. He was always talking about that bird.” [email protected]
————————————————————-
“Butch I noticed the comments about the persimmons. I remember when I was about 7 years old I found a persimmon seed with a knife, fork and spoon in it. I have found two items in lots of them.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Hi Butch, Hey I saw where that reader had a pic of the local lawmen of old–Bud, Buck, Dow, and his brother Bob. I hope he gets you that pic real soon and you post it on the net for us. Thanks for doing what you do.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, In reference to the “spoons in the persimmon tree,” my mother showed us children how there is a knife, fork or spoon in the persimmon seed. You carefully open up the seed and you will see a knife, fork or spoon-shaped growth inside. Until you check it yourself, it is hard to believe! We had fun with this! I didn’t care much for the persimmon fruit, but I liked checking out the center seed! I don’t remember her telling us that you could forecast the weather with it though.” The mentioning of Colvert’s Dairy also brings back memories to me. I lived in Durant for a few years and there was a Colvert’s Dairy there too. I still have some large cottage cheese containers with the Colvert’s info on the lids. And also I have a large, flat, aluminum ice cream spoon with the Colvert’s name on it. I think about the area everytime I use it – I’ve been gone about 35 years! Thanks for keeping us informed about things in our area.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“I remember quite well the little drive-in with the parrot out front. Can’t recall the real name of it, but we called it “The Parrot Place”. They had these little meat pocket pies that were a real treat. I also remember Cooper’s Corner gas station and car wash. I went to school with the Cooper’s son, Ty, and made it a point to give them my business up until they closed. Once again, thanks to you, Butch, and all your readers for bringing up some great memories.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Lee, I agree with you. Butch, would you mind asking your readers if they would like to have their addresses shared with your other readers? If they don’t want their “real” addresses they can get one from hotmail, excite, etc. I use [email protected] because I can pick up my email anywhere I can get on the internet.”
————————————————————
“Butch …..We look forward to Saturday mornings to read your latest T&Tand always enjoy them. Since I was raised in Ardmore and apparently somewhat older than some of those who write you I may be able to answer some of their questions. First, there was a question about the community of Glenn. It was located in the SW corner of sec 3 T3s R1e. That is three miles west of the intersection of US hwy 77 on Springer Road.Next, there was a question of the killing of a lawman by Wiley Lynn. I believe the lawman’s name was Crockett Long. The story goes that he was shot four times by Lynn but managed to shoot Lynn who died 12 hours later. The widow and children of Lynn became highly respected citizens of Ardmore and some of them are buried in Ardmore. Next someone wrote about the gun factory north of Ardmore. There was such a factory and I believe Lumberman’s Mill occupied the property. The gun factory was called Hoffman Arms and made some of the best rifles ever. The man who ran the factory was named Dubiel. The factory was closed about he beginning of the great depression. I believe some of the Dubiel family still lives in Ardmore. I had two older brothers who worked there Keep up the good work and keep those interesting letters coming.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, Re: The hamburger joint on the east side of lake Murray Drive about a block east of Colverts Dairy was probably Honest John Hubble’s. I was driving a route truck for CB Hunt, who was the local Morton Foods distributor when the place opened. That would have been in late 1958 or early 1959. I also called on a place on south of there just shy of the underpass on the west side of Lake Murray Drive, called Means drive-in. I eventually married a girl that car hopped there named Kaye Pritchett, in the same time frame.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“The Lake is “Texoma” not “Texhoma.” One of the first things that was drummed into my head as a reporter. Texhoma, with an “h,” is a town in the Panhandle on the state line between Oklahoma and Texas. The high school is in one state, lower grades in the other. The legislatures of the two states made provisions to allow for this.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Your newsletter!! Thank you so much for sending it to me. It is so very interesting, and brought back some memories for me about the TG&Y and Woolworth’s stores that I hadn’t thought about in years. I was very little, but my family and I made the trip “to town” about once a month. I remember the HotDogs that we used to get at Woolworths, that were on toasted homemade “chunks” of bread. You just can’t get them like that anymore!!” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Next weekend (Oct 27 28 29) the Ardmore High Class of 1955 is having a reunion starting at the museum on Friday night….We always have a good time…. and of course, the food is ALWAYS good .however, I never met food I didn’t like!!!!!” [email protected]
————————————————————
“I noticed that you listed the change of Berry Burrell to Burwell. That is correct. I also am a distant relative to him. (great great uncle) (Not that it’s something to brag about). However I am researching family history for a family project my son is having to do with school. I have the same picture you have only it’s a postcard. Most of my family that would be able to help me out with my family heritage is deceased. I have tried to contact people that were interested in this story in hoped they might be distant relatives with some information for me. I was wondering if you have had anyone contact you and could either give me their email address or give them mine. I would really appreciate it if you could let me know either way. THANKS SO MUCH. SABRINA KAY (BURWELL)” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, recently you sent some information about Ardmore High School 1966 graduation but nothing came out as far as a web page. Can you try it again print my name and address to see if anyone has any information on Ardmore or Dickson High for class 1965, 1966, 1967?” Mike Pennington [email protected]
————————————————————
“Karen checked out my Fort Washita Home Page and sent the attached photo thinking it might be an Oklahoma Fort. It doesn’t look like any Fort that I know of. Maybe you could post it on your site asking for someone to ID it. It is supposed to be something in Oklahoma. I don’t think it is the castle at Turner Falls.” [email protected] http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/unknown.jpg
————————————————————
“I’ve been collecting info and interviews on the shootout at the Corner Drug Store between Wiley Lynn (who shot Bill Tillman) and Crockett Long. My long-time friend Jack Irby Blalock was the last surviving witness to the ordeal. He was a nine or 10 year old kid at the time. Not long before he died he decided it was time to talk about it. You’d be surprised how hard it was to gather information. The Lynns and the Longs still don’t talk or even stay in the same building if they meet. As a kid, I used to go to the Corner Drug to borrow meds for my dad who worked at the old Sterling Pharmacy which was cattycorned across the alley. I remember being shown the bullet holes which weren’t plastered over. I think they’re still visible.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch: I’m still enjoying all issues of T&T. Thanks for keeping it up. I was just wondering if you or some of your readers could tell me something, or anything, about the old town of Wilson – not the one out west of Ardmore. I understand it must have been close to the old Legate community, as quite a few of the folks buried in the Legate cemetery died at Wilson.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“For those of you who might be looking for fitting Christmas presents for young folks (or ANYBODY else, for that matter), our family friend Desiree Morrison Webber’s new book “The Buffalo Train Ride” is a detailed and well-told account of the reintroduction of American Bison into the newly developed Wichita Game Preserve, near Lawton/Ft. Sill, Oklahoma (then still “Oklahoma Territory”) in 1907.” [email protected]
The Buffalo Train Ride By Desiree Morrison Webber
Published by Eakin Press, Austin Texas http://www.eakinpress.com
————————————————————
============================================Last week it seems like everyone who receives my T&T who have a hotmail account, their T&T bounced back to me. Strange.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 21, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 183
Three years ago I told about the persimmon and how old timers used to use it as a weather forecaster. A reader wrote in this week reminding me of that article, so I thought it was an appropriate time to have a re-run. She did tell me her persimmon seeds in Davis, Oklahoma has spoons in it.
From my October 15, 1997 issue:
“Well as the winter approaches, people start wondering how bad a winter is coming. The old way of forecasting it was to cut open a persimmon seed and see if a ‘knife’, ‘fork’ or ‘spoon’ was inside. The knife meant it was to a cold, wet winter. The fork meant that the winter was to be a wet, mild winter. The spoon meant that the winter would be dry and mild.”
Every wonder how fast your modem really is? How much bandwith you really have? So you have a 56k modem? What speed is it really downloading? You can log on the the link below and check out your modem speed, whether its a 14,400 or a DSL or a T1 line or whatever…… http://www.emazing.com
A reader called this week to tell me she and a friend went to Browns Springs, south of Thackerville, and visited that old cemetery. They were shocked to see flowers in front of the stone, where the “image” appeared in the photo taken last Fall. This stone has no name or words on it, so whoever put the flowers there, were for that child who’s image is in the photo. At least that is what I would speculate. It must be someone who read my T&T or saw my website with the photo on it. Strange things goes on in that cemetery, I believe.
http://members.nbci.com/oklahomapast/photos/bschild1.jpg
http://members.nbci.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/brownspr.htmlThe past few weeks I been entering my peronsonal family info into a new program I bought called Family Tree Maker. If you’re not into genealogy and perserving your family history, I can tell you, its fun! I even used the program to publish my own genealogy Home Page. Its neat how the link to my “Internetree” uses an aplet to display family members.
http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/b/r/i/Stanley-W-Bridges/Several readers told me they couldn’t pull up the Tyler and Simpson photo last week for some reason, so here it is again…….
http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/photos/t&sco.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Did someone say “SUPER DOG”!?!?!!!! *drooling* Does anyone have the recipe for Super Dog batter? I’m not talking just any old corn dog here. I’m talking THE ONE AND ONLY SUPER DOG!”
————————————————————-
“Good morning Butch… Just a line or two regarding your news from Ardmore…. yes, my wife and I both enjoy it immensely… however I continue to wonder why all of that mail you get never has any signatures or return E-mail capability? If we’re gonna network in the Ardmore family of bystanders I think that this would go a long way in promoting a camaraderie that would be welcomed by all….WHATAYATHINK? I know some folks are paranoid regarding the publishing of their names and addresses but I AM NOT so YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MY NAME AS WELL AS MY E-MAIL ADDRESS… I found Ardmore in the Spring of 1965 when I landing at American Flyers Airlines and before years end had married one of their flight attendants. Thirty-six years later we’re still one family and life is indeed good. Those six years that I spent in Ardmore were delightful…watching that parade one year with Mr. BOSCO riding his fine looking gelding was always a treat. Outings at Lake Murray and Turner Falls also became a regular event especially as we added to our families numbers. The Summers were indeed hot but the Dairy Queen and Sonic Drive In were bastions of relief.” Lee H. Hilton III mailto:[email protected]
————————————————————-
“I now now far more about Ardmore than Bowdoinham, Maine…and I’ve lived here for 15 years. Guess I needed something to occupy my mind while being out on strike these past 7 weeks, and looking at an 8th…but there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel…and our shipyard did not build the aegis cruiser USS COLE but that is what we build. Keep up the good work.”————————————————————-
“Japan attack Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, not 1942, and I still clearly remember assembling in the auditorium of the high school in Perry, Oklahoma to hear President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s address the next day. He made the statement about that being “a date which will live in infamy” and asked “that the Congress declare a state of war.”Hooking a radio output into the auditorium sound system was no small feat in those days and had never been tried before. I don’t know how many people were involved in making it work but it did, and very well. Everyone at the time was very familiar with the sound of FDR’s voice, from his fireside chats and other times he had been heard on the radio, and his delivery was very distinctive and dignified, yet everyone felt he was speaking directly to them. (No television then, of course; no tape recorders, either.)
Germany and Italy, allies of Japan, immediately declared war on the United States, and that’s why it was World War II, not just a war with Japan.”
————————————————————-
“Hi Butch, Your pic of the Ardmore Oil & MIlling Co may be the one I have info about. In 1893, when cotton was king and Ardmore was the inland center of the cotton industry with 13 firms representing 13 foreign countries, the Ardmore Cotton Oil Mill and the Choctaw Cotton Oil Mill were established. They took cotton seeds that formerly were discarded and made seed cake for livestock and oil for industrial purposes.”
————————————————————
“When i was a kid, i remember going to a drive in hamburger place about a block south of Colverts Dairy on the East side of Lake Murray Drive. Seems they had a big parrot in a cage right out front, do you or anyone remember that? What about The car wash on north washington, just north of the traffic light intersecting old Highway 70, to the right. I remember it as “Coopers Corner”. Years ago, i was told this was the first coin operated car wash in the state, Don’t know if it is true.”
————————————————————
“I wasn’t able to view the pic of Tyler & Simpson employees. My dad worked there for 17 years. He got hurt in 1947 and didnt go back to work until 1950. He would love to see his old co-workers. can you send it again so I can copy it for him?”
————————————————————
“In your Saturday issue of This n That, there was a picture of the old Tyler and Simpson building with quite a few people in the picture but only the top showed up. I wonder if you could run that picture again. One of my cousins, Eddie Ellis, was in the picture and I haven’t seen him since I was a little girl. He was quite a lot older than I and I was so dissapointed that his picture didn’t come up.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/t&sco.jpg
————————————————————
“I’m hoping your readers can help me. My name is Robin. I was born in Ardmore and grew up in Healdton in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. My family has been in the Healdton area for many generations. Now, I live far away and am always very homesick, but even when I can make it back to Healdton/Ardmore, the places I remember and long to visit are gone. I’d love to be able to show these places to my husband and children, too. I’ve decided to make a photo album of my “memory lane” . I’m looking for pictures of businesses (inside and out) and other landmarks in Healdton during this time period, and would also love similar photos of places like TG&Y, Woolworth’s, Anthony’s and JC Penney’s and other businesses in downtown Ardmore, especially Daube’s (anyone have a photo of the puppet window display at Christmas?). Any help your readers can give will be greatly appreciated! [email protected]
————————————————————
“I see you’re still doing a great job on T&T. Enjoying it more every time. Saw that someone wrote you about the airstrip at Enville. When I was young, used to spend part of summers with my aunt and uncle Buddy and Jeanine Bryant. They were dairy farmers who lived about 2 miles north of the enville store. A bunch of us kids made a baseball field at the airstrip, but once in a while, would have to clear off so a plane could land, taxi to Lemons store to get fuel and off again. This was in the early, to mid 50’s. Also, re: the movie Dillinger, Richard Dreyfuss was in it also as Baby Face Nelson. I was a member of the Ardmore Police Dept. back then, and while they were filming at the Chickasaw Lake Club, I was assigned as Ben Johnson’s personal bodyguard. He was a class act, and a good man.”
Jerry Landrum [email protected]
————————————————————
“I live NW of Springer. There was once a town my Dad has told me about by the name of Glenn. Do you have any pics or information on the township. Thanks and keep up all the good, hard, long hours and efforts of the newsletter. I look forward to getting my cup of coffee and going to the computer every Saturday morning to read it.”
————————————————————
“When i was a kid, i remember going to a drive in hamburger place about a block south of Colverts Dairy on the East side of Lake Murray Drive. Seems they had a big parrot in a cage right out front, do you or anyone remember that? What about The car wash on north washington, just north of the traffic light intersecting old Highway 70, to the right. I remember it as “Coopers Corner”. Years ago, i was told this was the first coin operated car wash in the state, Don’t know if it is true.”
————————————————————
“My cousin was showing me a site that was telling stories on outlaws (men and women) and lawmen killed in line of duty. Jerry and I have a great uncle that was killed in Madill, July 21, 1932. The time of his death, he was with the OSBI out of Oklahoma City. Jerry was reading the story of our uncle to me. He was killed by Wiley Lynn,an peace officer. On this web site he was reading told about all of the outlaws and the lawmen.”
————————————————————
“I went to Cross Point Camp on Lake Texhoma today and guess what was sitting just outside the cafeteria door????? A BIG beautiful bell and I took a picture! I have e-mailed the camp to see if they can tell me who to ask about the history. It is a really pretty bell.”
————————————————————
“Butch, Thanks for the reply. The photo is of the law enforcement officers in the Indian Territory when they were young. Probably about 1896. The picture was in Emma’s collection. I have identified my two relatives, Bob and Dow Braziel, but the other faces are so young that I would like to see if you might be able to put names with faces since you live in the area and have access to other photos. If you do not want to do this, it is alright. I believe Buck Garrett, Bud Ballew and Les Segler are in the photo and I will send you a copy of it if I can get your address. The problem I am having is that I have been told by my grandmother that a picture has existed of Bob and Dow Braziel that was taken with ‘Billy the Kid’. It is more of a fun project for me to find out than a necessity, and some Ardmoreites might like to see the picture.”
————————————————————
============================================My uncle, Doyle Bridges, has been in town this weekend attending their 60th Ardmore High School Reunion. He said they had a BBQ dinner at the Noble Pavilion Friday evening and there were 63 in attendance. Saturday evening they are topping off the gala affair with a dinner at the Country Club at Dornick Hills. Doyle lives in Oklahoma City and this is the 11th reunion he’s attended in a row, since graduation in 1940. Since Doyle knows I love to eat, he said he’d invite me out to eat with them, but didn’t have the authority to do that. Hey, get hold of the Class President and tell him this is an emergency! haha. I’m sure high school and 1940 seems like only yesterday to my uncle. The years just fall away.
A new song out by Kenny Rogers has a message in it to everyone who has a special love one, the little things makes life worth living….
“Buy me a rose, call me from work
open a door for me, what would it hurt.
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
these are the little things I need the most in my life.”
-Kenny Rogers
http://www.mamarocks.com/buy_me_a_rose.htmSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 14, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 182
Twenty five miles north of here is Davis, Oklahoma. In about 1850 after migrating to Indian Territory, the Nelson Chigley family settled in that area, eventually acquiring nearly 2,000 acres of land. The land would be called Chigley Flat. When the Santa Fe came through in 1887-1888, railway officials made arrangements with Mr. Chigley to survey part of the land into lots, so began the town of Davis. These lots were chained off by government surveyors and sold for $5.00 for a 50 foot lot. Mr. Chigley, a civic minded man, donated four corner lots to be the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian denominations, and no doubt, the land on which the Davis city park is located.
Mr. Chigley built a two story house in the east part of Davis in 1891. He hired teachers and boarded Indian children in order that they might have an education. That house still stands today, and is known as the Chigley Mansion. It’s present owners are B.J. and Connie Wigley. They have turned the Chigley Mansion into a Bed and Breakfast. B.J Wigley stopped by to see me this week and invited me up to eat at their Seafood Restaurant which they just opened at the mansion. Besides the seafood platter, they also serve the more traditional foods, hamburgers, chicken fried steak, burrito plate, ham and beans, baked taters and fixins and plenty more good food to cure the hungries. If you’re ever in the Davis area, stop by and see B.J. and Connie, tell them I sent you. And remember you can spend the night in that 109 year old mansion for $65 per couple which includes a country breakfast! The restaurant part of the mansion is open 5pm – 9pm Thursday and Friday, 11:30am to 9pm on Saturday, and 11am to 3:30pm on Sunday. Chigley Mansion is located just two blocks off Main street. For reservations call: 580-369-2076 Ummmmmmmmmmmm. I can almost taste that shrimp now!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/chigley.jpg
http://www.brightok.net/davis/lodging.htmlSometimes I wonder where the word “service” in the business world has gone to, as seemed to be the case here a few days ago. I also wonder about some other words that were held in high esteem by our ancestors, like helping, caring, and honesty, My cousins were down from Oklahoma City taking care of some last minute business details of my 89 year old aunt and uncle. They had just recently moved to Oklahoma City and left some details undone. One thing to be taken care of was to find out where they had their home insured. We knew it was with State Farm, but did not with which agent. My cousin called all seven State Farm offices in Ardmore for help. They all said the same thing, “we can’t help you”. So he gave up and went back to the Oklahoma City. The next morning he picked up the Oklahoma City phone book, looked in the yellow pages for a State Farm office, called, explained the situation of these two 89 year old and nearly senile relatives of mine, and within a couple minutes, they had my aunt and uncle’s account on their screen. The Oklahoma City agency told my cousin the homeowners policy was with a State Farm agent in Durant, Oklahoma. Reminds me of 25 years ago of an old man in the nursing home who I was trying to persuade to go to the hospital, that poor old man looked up at me from that wheel chair and said, “I smell a mouse”.
For a long time now I have been using netdrive.com to store my jpg pics for people to pull up and see. But there is another feature that some people should take advantage of, besides just the storing of jpg files, like I do. If you have some very important files, such as a Word document – many pages long, or a genealogy file, or Turbo Tax file, or some other such file, you can store them on netdrive.com for safe keeping. If you have a hard drive crash, after you get it back up and running, you can go to your private netdrive.com “Files Folder” and download them back to your hard drive. Peace of mind and FREE! http://www.netdrive.com
Here’s an interesting pic, the business card of the Ardmore Oil and Milling Company, W.F Lindsay, General Manager. I don’t know the date.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ardoil.jpgThis is a good photo of downtown Ardmore in 1920. One can see the Hamilton Shoe Store on the right and also the flag flying above the old Mason building.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ard1920a.jpgThis week the maintenance crew put a new coat of Spar Varnish on the dome of the courthouse. Those of you who have been getting my T&T for a year or more, will remember it is Spar Varnish that we found would keep the copper dome from forming that green tarnish. After its first coat a year ago, it still had no green tarnish forming. This week’s coat of varnish will insure the tarnish does not come back for a long time.
Speaking of that beautiful dome, this week the new “area phone books” came out that are printed by Transwestern. On the cover was our courthouse and the dome, just like it looked in 1910 when the courthouse was new. That phonebook is distributed to not only this county, but to all the surrounding counties. People are going to see our dome with it’s new cupola and that phone book cover will be a reminder how beautiful a piece of history can be, when it’s restored back like it was in 1910.
Those of us who come and go from the Carter county courthouse day after day, sometimes overlook things that might be unique and of a historical meaning somewhere in the building. I have been guilty of that myself. The other day I was looking around and saw something that was a remnant of the 1950s. This was a time people lived under the cloud of a nuclear attack. Remember the safety films in school… “duck and cover”? Anyway this symbol of a time not too far back, is still on the wall of the first floor.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/radsign.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Hi Butch: In the last issue of This & That you mentioned something about “some kind of ‘airport’ used to be located south of Lake Murray in the 50s”, and you asked: “Does anyone remember this airport?” You may be thinking about the landing strip at Two Lakes Skyway Courts which was owned and operated by my in-laws, Bert and Mabel Paschall, from 1948 until 1970. The landing strip was located at the southeast corner of the Lake Murray State Park property about two miles east and a little south from the dam. It was across the road from the store and courts. After the second crash about 1954 or 1955 which killed two men Bert discontinued operation of the landing strip. He plowed it up and planted peanuts and later changed the name to Paschall Village. I have somewhere a photo I took of the first crash in front of the store which did not kill the pilot, but it sure shook him up. Bert and I fished and hunted all up and down Hickory Creek and we hunted ducks and quail all over Love County during the ’50s and 60’s. I don’t recall ever seeing an airport or landing strip anywhere near the south end of the Hickory Creek bridge on highway 77 Scenic. The Marietta city dump and a few oil wells were located in that immediate area. It was all very rough around there and not suitable for an airport or landing strip without moving a lot of dirt to level it out. It was only when you went up on the escarpment a few miles south of the bridge that the topography was flat enough to lend itself to any kind of airport or landing strip. If one was up there somewhere I never saw it. My wife and I really enjoy reading This & That. It often brings back a lot of fond memories. Thanks. – Pat & Don Davidson, GRAND RANCH, Brenham, Texas.”
————————————————————-
“Butch, about the reported air park that once existed south of the Hickory Creek bridge in the 50’s. I wasn’t born until 1946, But lived at Lake Murray for 17 yrs. and went to school with a nice family that lived just up the hill, north of the bridge, spent lots of time in that area and never once heard a story of any air park around there. Don’t mean their wasn’t one but it seems that, that would have been a good conversation piece. Between that old bridge and their house (north of the bridge 1/2 mi. east side of the road was an old cemetery that always stirred my imagination. Always wanted to walk in there and see what I could find out but thought I would be treading on sacred ground. I really enjoy your T&T, Thanks Butch. And thanks for all your efforts on the memorial. People like you are rare, And a breath of fresh air in this day and time.”
————————————————————-
“Butch: The airport south of Lake Murray Dam was located immediately west of the Enville store across the road. The Enville store is now closed but was run for many years by Von Dee Lemons and his wife. Keep up the good work.”
————————————————————-
“Does anyone else remember any of the business’s on Caddo. There was Mrs. Mayall 5&10 store where my Granddad Frank Rountree would buy his yearly Westclock pocket watch for a dollar and you could still get a barlow knife for a dollar. I remember a feed store on the corner that also cracked pecans in the fall. There were several bars along the street. The last one I remember was owned by Sam McLain. My great uncle Othor (Runt) Rountree ran a couple of the old bars on Caddo, in fact he died in an apartment above one of them. Also was the street ever officially named Caddo?”
————————————————————
“Hi Butch, I was disappointed in “http://www.pcpitstop.com/”. They do not support Netscape Browsers. Only I.E. Browsers. Oh, well, I guess I did not want a tune up after all. All I can say is “Damn Bill Gates and full speed ahead”.
————————————————————
“Ernest was the pharmacist and “soda jerk” at his dad’s pharmacy. I worked for Glancy Ford and Hunter Ins Agency between the Pepsi plant and Jones Furniture. I’m crushed…. he doesn’t remember the gorgeous blond who came over to the drugstore at least twice a day!!!!!”
————————————————————
“Hi Butch, I also grew up in Ardmore, and reading your glimpse into the past, really brought back my childhood there. I have a picture of the old Tyler & Simpson Co. That was taken the year we were born. It also has the names and pictures of the people working there. My grandfather E.W Clifton and aunt Kathryn Clifton both worked there. This was taken in1949. Left to right – Leland Jones, Eddie Ellis, Red Hawkins, C.G Stout, Ted Hensley, Wilton Nelson, J.T Nutting, Marion King, Bill Goddard, Carl McCann, Billy Hayes, Kathryn Clifton, Dale Trotter, R.H McConnell, Clariuce Bridgemore, E.W Clifton, Truck driver for Mrs Tuckers, Hicks Stamps, Dick Bagwell. I didn’t go to school in Ardmore, I went to Dickson. Remember the Daube’s window at Christmas, the Sky View drive-in and the super dog?”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/t&sco.jpg
————————————————————
“Here is a site you can enter the barcode numbers (either 8 or 12 numbers) and the site will find the name of the company and any web sites it might have. All Free. Throw away the CAT.”
http://www.debarcode.com
————————————————————
“Yes, I remember Mrs. Hart’s canaries ( Hart’s Grocery at SW corner of 3rd and P street NE) and my brother and I bought my mother one for her birthday, she had him for many years before he died! I can still hear him sing!”
————————————————————
“I just had to write and THANK YOU for your MP3 support. The Listens have gone from 46 a day on Oct 1st to 800 + yesterday. I know that I have stretched some of you beyond your comfort zone in internet service…but you have come through for me…and I so appreciate it. If you aren’t listening daily yet, consider it…because the sooner we get Rusty up in the charts, the sooner we don’t need to hit it so hard…but make no mistake, we have only just begun to climb the MP3 charts.”
http://www.mp3.com/rustyhudelson
(takes a couple minutes to load….. so be patient)
————————————————————
“Butch, I download a file today (using DSL) and it was unreal in the difference between 56k and DSL. The file was 213,700,717 (213 Meg) and I got it in 26 minutes. It was downloading at 145 kb/sec. This works out about a Meg every 8 seconds.”
————————————————————
“Hi Butch, I found a couple pictures of Oklahoma from the Fort Sill area. One is the Guard House on the Military grounds back in 1941-2. He said he would probably spend a lot of time there. Well, he did. He ended up being a Military Police (MP) and spend hours on guard there.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ftsillgh.jpg
“The next one is the Officers Club where my dad said that the only time he will ever get to go into it is if he was cleaning it up. The picture was also taken in 1941-2. He never did say weather he ever got to go inside.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/offclub.jpg
“I also have my Rations book. It was issued to my mother for me after the war with Japan started in the fall of 1942. I scanned the inside to show what the food stamps looked like. There are about 6 different colors and different pictures on each page. I do not know how many pages were in the book but I have parts of 6 pages left and all different.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rationb1.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/rationb2.jpg
————————————————————
============================================I only had about 5 positive responses to my mention about placing a bell at the American Flyers Memorial Park last week, so I will just put that idea on a back burner for now. Who knows what bell might materialize in the future. 🙂
A year ago I was able to find three rare originals in VHS format, the 1973 movie Dillinger. I have been unable to find it in VHS format since. But this week the movie finally became available on DVD. Some of you will remember parts of the 1973 movie Dillinger starring Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, and Cloris Leachman was produced in this area, specifically parts of it filmed inside the Carter county courthouse!
http://www.bigstar.com/search/index.cfm?fa=qt&titleid=1005865&fmt=DVD&ba nid=57237
Or do a search for “Dillinger” at http://www.bigstar.com/“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant, is close to us in spirit – this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.”
-Johann von GoetheSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
ICQ Number 7140238~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 7, 2000 Vol 4 Issue 181
Last week my computer made another mistake. It said Edgar Allen Poe wrote movie “The Birds” when in fact the movie was written by Alfred Hitchcock. Edgar Allen Poe wrote “The Raven”. One thing I do know, people are reading my T&T. I got plenty of email. hahaha
I received an interesting phone call this week from the state of Washington. The person on the other end was asking for info about the C.S. Bell Company in Hillsboro, Ohio. Seems they have a bell in the cupola of a school there in their little town made by the C.S. Bell Company, sometime before 1927. This bell is large… 28 inches across at the rim, weighing several hundred pounds. It is a complete working bell. I asked if they might sell it, and he said possibly, but he’d have to ask the others. I was thinking this bell might be something to place at the American Flyers Memorial Park at the Airpark. I know it would probably be one of the largest bells in this county, if we brought it here.
Would we want a bell like this placed on the grounds of the Memorial Park? Give me some feedback here. I know it will cost several hundred dollars just for the bell, not including installation on some kind of metal frame. I will personally pledge $25 toward the purchase of the bell, if the consensus is, yes, let’s get it. Anyone want to join me? Send me some email and let me know your thoughts on this, and if you want to make a pledge. I’ll give a report next Saturday. mailto:[email protected]
I was talking to a friend this week about Oklahoma Airbases. We talked about ones that used to be here in the 40s & 50s and are no more. A friend showed me a couple years ago where some kind of “airport” used to be located south of Lake Murray in the 50s. It was on the west side of the highway, a few miles south of the Lake Murray Dam going toward Highway 32 and Marietta. It would have been just south of Hickory Creek Bridge. Does anyone remember this airport? I would like to get more info and maybe a photo if possible. Maybe the Love county Library has some info on this no longer existent airport.
Oh and by the way, my friend is making a website just for info on Oklahoma air bases. I’ll let everyone know when its up and running!
I found a great website that will check out your PC and see if there are any problems lurking in the background. The tests are FREE and there are a whole battery of them. From hard drive check, to memory check, to even a virus check. So check it out…. http://www.pcpitstop.com
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned about a program in Ardmore called Heartland Share. They have been giving food baskets to anyone who participates in their program. About $16 plus two hours of volunteer work for the community is about all that is required per share. The share for the month of September consisted of the following: 8 potatoes, 4 oranges, 2 grapefruits, 2 red peppers, 4 apples, 1 head of lettuce, 1 head of cauliflour, 1 Jello gelatin snacks, 1 breaded chicken nuggets, 1 lb bacon, 1 family pack of chicken, 1 sliced cooked ham, and 1 meatloaf. Thats a lot of food. Here’s a photo of the “share food basket” for September 2000.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/foodgift.jpg
Learn more about the Heartland Share Program at the following URL:
http://www.heartlandshare.comHere is a pic of Ardmore taken in 1906.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ardmor06.jpgThis is the old Geary Flour Mills in Geary, Oklahoma.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/gearyok.jpgA 1913 pic of the Turner and Lewis Hospital at Lawton, Oklahoma.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tlhosp13.jpgPhoto of Turner Falls in the Arbuckle Mountains in 1908.
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/tfalls08.jpgSOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“This view reveals all that remains of the Railroad Building that Mr. Carmon built. Viewpoint is across Main St. south from the Ardmore Train Depot and looking south toward the Bluebonnet Mill. All that remains of the original building is these steps and portions of the concrete floor & basement.br> http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/remainbg.jpg
————————————————————-
“I took this picture from Hinkle St. looking north to the backside of a building that I think is worth inquiring about. The front of the present building faces north to Main St. and would be in the 100 block of east Main (behind the old Texhoma Office Supply company at 106 E Main). I don’t have a clue as to what the fancy concrete work was ever a part of, but I sure would like to know. But I do think that on further into the back area of the existing building that you will see a concrete structure, such as a small windowless concrete room. This much I know…..at one time in that block there was a movie theatre by the name of “Liberty Theatre” and in order to see the screen where the movie was being shown you would enter the theatre and find a seat that would enable you to look back to the screen. In the days of the silent movies the film was a nitrate material and very subject to spontaneous fire. Many people were injured and died from theatre fires that started in the projection room. Even though they had a barrier that was suppose to drop down and keep the fire from entering where the audience was, it was not really successful enough. I believe the little concrete room was truly an appendage to the theatre building and contained the projection room – therefore any fire that may occur would be outside of the theatre itself. I was only a child back then but maybe someone will know about this for sure. The attachment should show you the fancy concrete work that I think predated the theatre I speak of.”
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/100eastm.jpg
————————————————————
“Butch.. Stop me if I’m wrong, but the old movie “The Birds” was an Alfred Hitchcock movie that starred Tippi Hedren. (He later ruined her career because she refused to participate in extracurricular activities with him, or so I heard) It was based on a story about a farm in England.The name of the story escapes me, but I have read it. The Edgar Allen Poe poem was “The Raven”. If memory serves me!”
————————————————————
“Dear Butch, Thank you for your faithful weekly updates of life now and then in Ardmore. You’ve probably been deluged with dozens of comments on your understandable slip-up regarding “The Birds.” As I’m sure you’ve been reminded more times than you care to tally, that movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, while Edgar Allan Poe was the author of another classic horror piece involving a different species of our fine-feathered friends, “The Raven.”
————————————————————
“The first time I was every assigned an account number at a bank was in the late 1950s. Before that banks always expected to look at the signature to see whose check it was and charge it to their account accordingly. In those days banks were expected to look at the signature and, if necessary, compare it with the signature card. Today if the machine can read the imprinted numbers the check may never be looked at by a human being. Even when we got account numbers in the 1950s, the numbers were just printed in a normal font above the signature line on your checks. Human beings still looked at them, machines did not read the number.”
————————————————————
“Mr.. Bridges, I have in my procession, an original copy of the Civil Aeronautics Board’s Aircraft Accident Report for the crash of L-188C, N183H. It was released on April 4, 1967, about 40 pages in length with two fold out maps. I would be glad to send it so you can copy if it is something you can use for your website. I am from the area, Woodford community, and have an interest in the accident.”
————————————————————
“Mr. Bridges. Do you know if the C.S. bell company has a web site. I would be very happy if you e-mail me it. Thanks.” [email protected]
————————————————————
“Butch, Saw your web site for This N That. You seem to have quite a variety of info. Was wondering if you could advise where I might look to find out the names of different Sheriffs for Oklahoma. My gggrandfather, John Franklin Overstreet, Born May 16, 1866, was suppose to have been a sheriff but I don’t know for what town. I know that he lived near what use to be Cheek, Oklahoma & also lived in Oswalt & close to Lone Grove. His mothers name is suppose to be “Oswalt” & died in Louisiana giving birth to him. How can I find out the history on this town?” [email protected]
————————————————————
“This is an excellent picture but reveals very little view of the north side of Main street toward Caddo street. I am pretty positive that the picture was made in the 1950’s, for this reason. I graduated from Pharmacy College at OU in Jan 1950 and went to work at my Dad’s Drug Store at that time. The building your Grandfather built was still being used and as a matter of fact Eric Middleton had his office in that building.- I don’t know what his job was, but among other things he was an amateur photographer. He took my photograph in that building in the early 1950’s (so dated). Dutch Rogers owned and operated the Pepsi Cola plant in the building where the Pepsi sign is visible on its east side. (years earlier this building housed the Fox theatre and it was there that one of B.L. Owens son’s was killed by getting tangled up in the theatre exhaust fan). Mitch Jones had his Furniture store on the NE corner of Caddo & Main. (It was in this building where B.L. Owens pretty well started his Furniture business, years before). Across the street (south) was Tom Echols storage building and he had freezer lockers in the basement, along with a butcher shop. If you look west of the Echols building you will see that the Whittington Hotel is no longer there because Mrs Jewel Whittington had contracted to have the old condemned building torn down. Much of the debris was used to fill in the basement of the old building. Not visible in this photograph, but there were other businesses located on the north side of the street between the Pepsi Cola Plant and Jones furniture store. The photograph had to be taken sometime between 1950 and 1957 because in Aug. 1957 I left my Dad’s store and opened the Broadlawn Pharmacy at the Broadlawn Shopping Center in Aug. 1957, although I never severed contact with the Martin Drug up until my Dad died in 1968. Actually I think the person had the right clue as to the date by identifying the model of the cars. I recall the railroad building being torn down but I don’t know just when that happened.” –Ernest Martin
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/OklahomaPast/photos/ardwest.jpg
————————————————————
============================================“Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity; associate in Christian community; obey the laws; trust in Providence. -St. Augustine
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.htmlSee everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
ICQ Number 7140238
eFax: 781-207-7862
Be sure to scroll down
Oklahoma History
Online since April 6, 1996
This website expires
Feb 8, 2032
Oklahoma History Website Continuance Fund
James A. Clark
Author-Story Teller
A Home Grown Home Page
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us,
What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal”