PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected], Phone: 580-490-6823
This coming weekend, September 14th, 15th and 16th is the famous tractor show at Sulphur, Oklahoma. Jill and I can hardly wait to get up there on Saturday and see it all. There is so much history to be seen at the tractor show, I can begin to tell you…. but its sure worth the drive to Sulphur, and sure worth the 2 bucks it cost to get in. You won’t be disappointed, I promise you that. There is a link in the Mailbag below to a webpage with all the details. I’m sure we will see many of you there, we did last year, so hollar at us if we don’t see you first.
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Ernest Martin sent in a picture of his Moon Flowers growing at his place on Springdale Road. Jill’s moon flowers are blooming just like Ernest’s, beautiful. And they only bloom at night. Below is the pic Ernest sent.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/MartinMoonflower7a.jpg
Jammey Howard brought by her book Gunman’s Territory this week. It is really a book to be proud of…. especially knowing its value today. I thumbed through it, and it sure looked to have some good reading. Maybe I’ll own a book like Jammey’s someday. Jammey is in great condition. And I didn’t know what the author, Leroy Baker, looked like until I saw his photo on the back of the dust cover of Jammey’s book.
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This is an old photo taken probably in the 1920s of a Nitro Truck. It was used in the exploration of oil well in Carter county back when the oil boom had just beginning. You will noticed the ‘torpedoes’ on the truck. Those were lowered down into the well and the nitro ignited for seismic readings. The company that owned this truck was American Nitroglycerin Company.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/NitroTruck.jpg
If your a researcher of Oklahoma genealogy, here is a website with a ton of info just for the asking. Links to many websites and databases pertaining to Oklahoma’ history.http://www.genealinks.com/states/ok.htm
Wapanucka. In northeastern Johnson county, 17 miles west of Atoka. Site of the Chickasaw Rock Academy, a girls school established by the Chickasaw Nation in 1852. A post office established March 5, 1883, at the academy was in operation until 1911. The name is a Delaware word referring to the Delaware Indians and meaning “eastern people”. On December 17, 1888 the post office was moved 4 miles east to its present location. –Oklahoma Place Names
In searching google for Chickasaw Rock Academy, I find there is much history and mystery accompanied with this place at Wapanucka involving hidden gold and much more…..
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/JessesHideout.rtf
I wanted to make one correction to last week’s T&T. There was another Carter county commissioner who served the public, left office and then was elected again 7 years later to serve another term. He was Cole Johnson. Cole served from 1913-1934, then another term in office from 1941-1946. There were 2 other county commissioners who held this honor of being called to service twice, with an interim period of private life between terms….. W.H. Kirkpatrick (1907-1908 and 1910-1914) and O.K. Darden (1907-1912 and 1923-1930).
Richard Johnson in Spring, Texas and grandson of Cole Johnson sent in a photo of Carter County Commissioner Cole Johnson this week. Thanks Richard.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ColeJohnson.jpg
If want to access your home computer, with another computer, like to download documents or photos or whatever, I have found a great freeware program called Hamachi. I have let it run for days on two computers, and it never hiccupped on time. I found this free program to be an excellent program to remotely access another program. And the best part is its zero configuration, no adjusting settings in firewalls or routers or network administrators needed.
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..“Dear Butch, I enjoyed the interview two weeks ago with George Bourland and Dave’s letter the past week. Dave is right. George was a funny individual. My dad and I used to eat at Tommy’s quite often at night. It seems like George was always there and he would be telling stories. I remember him talking about the all night sings they used to have a couple times a year in Overbrook. My dad loved spaghetti and Anastasio’s was located in the Broadlawn Shopping Center, close to where we lived. I think I even remember Dave from the restaurant. Most people don’t remember that Tommy ran the convenience store on 12 Street at Highway 77 in front of the English Village Motor Court. That’s where I first met him as a child. I just wanted to add a note on your grocery store list. The Keith grocery located on 12th Street was owned by Elmer Keith and his wife who lived in the house to the east of the store. Until Howell Brothers opened in Broadlawn Shopping Center, my mother bought all her meat from Mr. Keith’s butcher case. After they quit the grocery business the building sat empty for a while and then became a donut shop.” -Monroe Cameron
“Butch, I didn’t see Pratt’s Grocery, on main street in Wilson, in your list of Carter County grocery stores. I worked at Pratt’s when I was in high school in the late 50’s.” -Ken Barrett
“Does any one know of any pictures from any date of the Cornish Orphan’s Home. I am trying to restore a bad picture I have of that home. It’s important to me because my dad and his siblings were in that home from 1911-1913. Thanks.” -Ted Edwards [email protected]
“There will be a rummage sale saturday Sept. 15th at the Calvary Christian Fellowship Church on 4th N.W. here in Ardmore. Our men’s group is sponsoring it and the ladies will have a bake sale. The proceeds will help in some of our church programs.” -Jerry Landrum
“I NOTICED MIKE WEST MENTIONED THE CLINTON SCHOOL LOCATION. I DON’T KNOW IF THIS WILL HELP OR NOT BUT HERE GOES…… ON A SEARCH WARRANT FROM 1931 IT WAS LISTED AS THE OLD CLINTON SCHOOL HOUSE ON HIGHWAY 70, SIX MILES EAST OF ARDMORE FACING SOUTH. ON ANOTHER ONE IT WAS LISTED AS LOCATED IN S W 1/4 OF SEC.20, RANGE 3E AND 4S, AND OUT BUILDINGS DWELLING ONCE USED FOR SCHOOL HOUSE. THE WARRANTS WERE DATED 08/07/31 AND 11/03/31. THE SHERIFF, ELMER BYRD, WAS TRYING TO FIND A CORN WHISKEY STILL LOCATED THERE . THE COUNTY JUDGE OR JUSTICE OF PEACE THAT SIGNED THE WARRANTS WAS FORREST DUSTON. BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF STORIES MY UNCLE TOLD ME ABOUT BYGONE YEARS.”
“My Grandfather, William Henry Sullivan, lived in Wapanucka, IT until 1905. My Mother was eight years old when he died from complications following a bout with Pneumonia. My Grandmother was left a fairly young widow with a small child, so she sold the store ( on a buyers market, I’m sure) , caught a train at Boggy Depot and went back to Jack County, Texas where her extended family lived. I have gone to Wapanucka two different times looking for his grave, but have been unable to locate it. They were Presbyterians so he might have been buried in a Presbyterian Church yard if there was one there. He might have been buried without a tombstone. I would really appreciate any information that any of your readers could give me. His store was a General Store. Thank you very much.” -Dr. L.D. Stubbs in De Queen, Arkansas [email protected]
“In Texas many such sites can be found by using a book, “Why Stop“, does Oklahoma have such a book listing historic roadside markers?”
“Butch, Here’s the old Falls Creek bell that has been on the grounds for many years. Currently, it sits out in front of the new Tabernacle. I doubt this will be its permanent location as there is still much construction to do on the new Plaza and other buildings. One side says “Steel Alloy Church Bell” and the other says “The C.S. Bell Co. Hillsboro O.” I’ve not heard it ring in many years, but it can be heard all over the camp. I got to ring it several times myself as a teenager (but had to run from camp security after I did it!!).”
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“The show at Sulphur coming up this weekend will again feature the hitch of 8 beautiful blonde mules known as Touch of Ear. They’ll be there 2 full two days this year. Today at noon in Denison the club president, Rick Pender and my brother, Jim Dyer, will be interviewees on KXII Channel 12. Tomorrow Rick and Jim will at some point be on a program called Oklahoma Travel that runs from noon to 1:30. I believe the program can be seen on computer video at http://www.oklatravelnet.com – it should be available live and then archived until the following day.” -Elizabeth Dyer
The Sulphur show schedule is here – http://www.arbuckletourism.com/mcatia/show.htm
“Butch, guess what. I think maybe I found it. After driving hundreds of miles around Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. Burning I dont know how much gas. Looking in big towns and small towns. Checking well known places as well as very little known places, I finally found it just on the East side of Lake Murray. Oh it looked so good when I first laid eyes on it I knew this was going to be something special. When I first touched it with my right hand it was so warm I just couldn’t wait to get both hands on it. I really wanted to just kiss it but when I bit into that hamburger I knew right then I had found the perfect one. Maybe you and Jill have already been there but if you haven’t, you gotta try Mom and Pops real soon.”
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Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. -Henry Ford
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443https://oklahomahistory.net
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http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://oklahomahistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
https://oklahomahistory.net/airbase/
Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
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