PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected], Phone: 580-490-6823
A lot of people love to go to garage sales. Jill and I do, although I will admit we don’t go that often. But if we are driving down the street and see a garage sale sign, we either slow way down to look or just stop and browse. There are many great bargains to be found at garage sales. An Ardmoreite found such a bargain lately, a book by the name of ‘Readings in Oklahoma History’ by Dale and Rader, printed in 1930. I did a search at www.abebooks.com and found several for sale, ranging from about $40 to $125. Needless to say this garage sale book was bought at a bargain. Over the next few days I will be reading some or most of it, and let everyone know if I find something I just can’t wait to tell about.
Book Description: Row, Peterson & Co., Evanston, 1930, 1930. Hard Cover. First Edition. Gilt-stamped cloth. 865pp. A phenomenal compilation of essays & articles from a multitude of sources. Twenty sections, from the Spanish & French in the Mississippi Valley, to the Five Civilized Tribes, to the Civil War in Indian Territory, to ranching, the land openings, statehood, economic & educational development, etc. Dale was one of the famous professors of history at OU, & Rader was librarian at OU.
I’ve scanned the Table of Contents of this over 850 page book.
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One interesting topic in Chapter 4 that caught my eye was an expedition by Captain Randolph Marcy, known as the prairie traveler. He traveled the Red River in 1852 starting from the “mouth of the Cache River”. I didn’t find a Cache River on the maps, but believe the location is south of Altus, Oklahoma. It is there the Salt Fork of the Red River empties out at the Red River. But then Capt Marcy may have started his journey further to the northwest at the beginning of the Red River southwest of Amarillo, Texas near Hereford, Texas. Lots more research needed.
I thought, how did the measure miles back in 1852? They sure didn’t have the convenience of mile markers or odometers back in those days. I have scanned those 5 pages about Capt. Marcy’s expedition and linked them below for those interested.
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Ardmore Bedding Company, Albert C. Butzow, Proprietor 1923
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The Daily Ardmoreite, July 31, 1944. Dime Like Pennies Not to be Retired: Those unlovely and unloved dime-like pennies will continue to plague and embarrass you until they wear out or vanish. Production of the zinc-coated steel penny was halted the first of the year, but officials of the mint said today those already in circulation would not be retired. “They will wear out in a few years or just disappear,” one official explained. The idea behind the steel coin was the saving of copper, at the time critically scarce. The penny now being coined, which looks pretty much like the pre-war model, is being made from salvaged shell cases, plus some virgin copper.
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A T&T Reader took the picture of the bell below, one of the most unusual bells I’ve ever saw, but for the life of her, she can’t think where she took the photo. She knows it was recently, and in a nearby area town. Maybe someone will recognize it, and let us know.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/MysteryBell08a.jpg
Eric Dellinger at the Assessors office is fighting high gas prices as best he can, he purchased a little scooter. Takes me back when I was 14 years old in the 60s and my grandparents paid Cleve Steiwig (1918-1986) about the 1700 block of 3rd NE $100 for a used Sears and Roebuck Moped which I rode for 2 years. It was not anything like Eric’s 150cc scooter from VerdeMoto which goes about 60 MPH.
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Speaking of sky high gas, I can see hope on the horizon. A company in France has been perfecting a car that runs on compressed air, and the only emission is pure breathable air. What a concept. The inventor has been working on it since 1989 I believe. Also the second half of the video is another inventor in Australia working on the same type of vehicle, one that runs on compress air.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4
But then I guess we shouldn’t gripe to much here in southern Oklahoma. My cousin, Ivadee Vojtek, in Eureka, California told me last week she is paying $4.79 a gallon.
But until those compressed air cars are available here in the U.S. I guess my next project might be to build a wind powered electric generator for around $200 as described below. This generator won’t run your entire house, but it will put out about 200 watts, enough to run a computer, or laptop, or charge batteries or cell phone.
http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/
Jill and I were about 7 miles southwest of Lone Grove on Buckskin Road last weekend looking at some acreage. Traveling west on Buckskin Road we came to what everyone calls ‘Low Water Crossing‘. Actually there are 2 low water crossings, close together, on Buckskin, but the pictures below is the most prominent. The lesser one is on west of this one a short piece. I didn’t take pictures but you can tell you are in a very low spot of the county, the road is nearly completely covered with trees, vegetation, dark green everywhere, making quite a beautiful sight this time of the year.
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Visit the Oklahoma History Boards, start a topic if you want too!
http://oklahomaroots.proboards83.com/
Q. What is Oklahoma’s state tree?
A. Red Bud Tree
Q. What famous Apache leader was imprisoned at Ft Sill?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
“Hi Butch, In the latest issue of “This and That” you indicate that someone has made an inquiry about the Ingram School in western Carter County. I can provide some information that might be helpful.
According to Ellen Ingram Hammonds, her great-grandfather, John Duncan Ingram, established the Ingram Lane School that was located somewhere south of Dundee. I do not have the exact date that it was established but, based on other information that Ellen Hammonds has provided me, it would appear that the school was established somewhere between 1903 and 1908. It probably was a “subscription” school as was so common before school districts were formally established after statehood.
John Duncan Ingram and his wife, Mary; along with their sons, James Henry (Toss) and W. P.; their three daughters, Adelia (Burden), Verona, and Leila (Smalley); Leila’s husband, Clem Smalley, and his brother Joseph Smalley; all settled in what later became the O’Savior community in western Love County in 1894. They moved there from Arkansas, perhaps by way of Texas. John Duncan and Mary settled on land that was later allotted to Frank O’Savior, and it was on this land that the O’Savior School was located in 1908.
Mary died in 1903 while the family was still living where they initially settled. Also W. P. died from measles while the family was at O’Savior. Sometime after Mary’s death, Leila and Clem Smalley, along with John Duncan, moved to Carter County, somewhere south of Dundee. By 1908 John Duncan was living in New Mexico.
Attached is a picture of some of the Ingram and Smalley families taken on their farm that later became the Frank O’Savior property. Also attached is a picture of the Ingram Lane School.” -Charles Walker, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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“Hey Butch.. I see where Lee Thompson went on vacation and bought her a Rhythm Clock. They are neat. There is another one that is called Melodies in Motion made by Seiko. I saw them on vacation in Eureka Springs, AR, however you can purchase both of them locally. Musgrove Jewelry on Broadway carries them.”
“Dear Butch and Jill, I was so pleased to see the postcard photos in the last T&T. The Belleview pics brought back lots of great memories of growing up on Vinita Street in Sulphur and swimming at Belleview. The picture that really fascinated me was the hairpin curve in the Arbuckle Mountains. I’ve never before seen a picture of that scene. My mother, Helen Landrum Rose, and I drove over that treacherous road many times on our way to Ardmore to visit her sister, Joyce Landrum Wallis. On one occasion, in summer (probably 1939), we stopped along that road because there were thousands of black-eyed susans growing everywhere. We picked a huge bouquet to take to Aunt Joyce for her club meeting at her house. When we presented them, we found out that her club had planted all those wonderful yellow flowers as a beautification project. We were pretty red-faced about it all. Aunt Joyce had no children but she treated nieces to little vacations at her house in the summer. The pictures I’ve enclosed are from one of those visits. Aunt Joyce provided dress-up clothes for my cousins and me and took us to town for a treat at the drugstore and to look in the windows of the stores and generally parade up and down the main street (Broadway?). In this picture we are posed in front of the delivery truck of Uncle Milze’s cleaning plant. Ah, the good old days!” -Rose Marie Rose Pfeiffer [email protected]
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“I as born in Ardmore in 1949. My grandfather, Royce Coe, was Fire Chief and later museum keeper at Tucker Tower. I had the best greasy hamburgers at the Hamburger Inn.” -Jan
“Butch, Many months ago you had asked me for information about Buck Hale and his one-man saw mill at Gene Autry. Many people out there will remember buying lumber out there. He was in the saw mill business from 1934 to 1991. During that time also he worked 19 years at Big Canyon Oklahoma for Dolese Brothers’ rock crusher.” -Charlie Halehttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/BuckHale08.jpg
“Where the heck are all the 2008 Oklahoma State quarters?? I have been collecting two sets of the state quarters for my two grandkids since they started that program. In 2008, the final states are Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. Here in Oregon, I have been getting the New Mexico and Arizona quarters, but as of almost the middle of July, I have yet to see an Oklahoma quarter which was the first issued for 2008. I finally had to email my two Okie cousins and they eventually tracked down a few of the Oklahoma quarters in banks but have yet to get any in change. They mailed them to me. Keep up the great newsletter.” -Scott, Born in Ada, Oklahoma 1940 [email protected]
“Dear Friend Butch, I will tell you of the origin of the Woodin Nickles. In 1933 under Franklin D. Roosevelt, William H. Woodin of New York was the Secretary of the Treasury. It became quite popular to say ?Don?t take any Woodin nickels? I was a Junior in High School at the time, and really it was quite popular in school . Some wiseacre came up with the idea I guess. Instead of saying goodbye or something like that it was popular to use the expression about the woodin nickels.” -Kenneth Eck
“Butch, I found this etching on a large rock which is located in the Ardmore Regional Park. As best I can read it says: Bill Gamel Feb 1904. Does this name mean anything to anybody? It could just be a prank. There is also a name: “Fred Pyeatt” etched on a rock nearby. Thanks, I enjoy reading T&T and it occurred to me that someone may know some history about Bill Gamel.” -D.B. Edwards – Ardmore
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“Butch, attached is the third and last group of bridge photos with a Railroad theme from our area.” -Dwane Stevens
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7
“Does anyone anyone know how to go about getting old records from McAlester, Oklahoma penitentiary?”
“Greetings from Colorado, Butch, in anticipation of the Oklahoma state tree I have attached a picture of one I planted at 6800 feet altitude, in 1992ish, Durango, CO. As you can see it has done well! My dad 90 year old dad, Frank Welcher, still lives in Healdton and while I was staying with him after hip replacement surgery last spring I was able to see the trees begin to leaf out; what a pleasure. So much so I came back home to Colorado and planted seven more! Hope they do as well as the first one.
I enjoyed the post card picture of the Turner Falls hairpin curve. My first remembrance of the road is about 1950 and I can remember my folks pointing out the curve and how dangerous the road was and even the wrecks of past accidents there on the mountainside. When I moved to Colorado I did not think the Arbuckle road was quite as impressive as Wolf Creek Pass. Years before the old timers say here that they always traveled in-tandum with other vehicle so that they could pull each other over Wolf Creek. The Arbuckles are still the best memory though! Enjoying your Carter county website.” -John Welcher
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In Those Oklahoma Hills by Woody and Jack Guthrie
Many a month has come and gone
Since I’ve wandered from my home
In those Oklahoma hills
Where I was born
Many a page of my life has turned
Many lessons I have learned
And I feel like in those hills
Where I belong
Rewritten in 1945 by Jack Guthrie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sVBVOmx6Rk
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443https://oklahomahistory.net
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
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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