PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 580-490-6823
At around 5pm this afternoon a terrible storm came through the Ardmore area while I was at Walmart. It was a torrential downpour, with high winds, medium size hail, and the EOC sounded the sirens 2 different times while I waited inside the Walmart entrance. Thankfully there was no tornado damage in Ardmore, but there was very high wind, big hail- grape fruit size, and damage to the east of Ardmore. Its now 7pm and things seem to be settling down in the Ardmore area. As I type this newsletter there is still tornados in the area 50 miles east of here, and moving east. I always hate this time of year because of the tornados and storms.
I always smile when I get an unexpected package in the mail from a Reader. Today it was a just published book from a T&T Reader in Florida. The title sure makes the book Sound interesting: EARLY OKLAHOMA JUSTICE AND THE TRAGEDY OF CHARLEY WALKER. Charles R. Walker is telling the story of his grandfather’s brother, Charley Walker. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but from a quick scan before I mailed out this newsletter, it tells about the killing of Charley Walker near the town of Coalgate, Oklahoma. The incident happened in 1908 and the Walker family members hardly mentioned this shooting, apparently because of the embarrassment to the family. This should be some good reading, and if any of you are interested in the 52 page book, for a nominal fee, a copy is available from Charles R. Walker in Florida. For more info email Charles at [email protected]
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/CharleyWalkerBook2011.jpg
Below is a group photo taken in 1981 of some Ardmore Memorial Hospital nurses. To make this interesting, and a challenge, I’ve put a number beside each nurse so we can start identifying them. To make this easier, and using the nurse photo from last week’s newsletter, I’ll identify a few of them. #3 is Judy Knox, #7 is Sandy Farney, #8 is Dave Moser, #10 is Betty ????, and #11 is Marla Weldon. Next week, after some one sends me the full name of #10- Peggy, I’ll tell a good story on her and me and August 1970.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/MemorialHospitalStaff1981.jpg
So come on people, those of you who are from around Ardmore back in those days, send in some nurse’s names, let’s get everyone of them identified!
A T&T Reader is looking to find someone who raises French bull dogs. She lost her French bull dog last Fall and is wanting to find another lovable dog. If you know anyone, please email me and and will pass the info along to her. Thanks.
Claude in Alaska had to make a circle 4 times to look and see if he was really seeing what he was seeing. At least this is what he tells me. It’s a house that is upside down. Maybe Claude will send us the details for the next newsletter?
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/UpsideDownHouseAK.jpg
All Oklahomans aren’t excited about having an oil well in their backyard. A recent well blew in unexpectedly and Leta Duke and her sister, Lela Johnson, found oil all over their neighborhood, killing 40 of their chickens, ruining the pain on their cars, ruined their garden and caused their dog’s hair to fall out. -The Daily Ardmoreite April 1951
The bodies of Dorothy Scott Waggoner and Guy Waggoner, Jr., heir to millions in Texas, and originally from this area, were recovered from the desert near Douglas, Arizona. While on their honeymoon, their vehicle blew a tire, overturned, and neither survived the accident. -The Daily Ardmoreite April 1927
Dorothy Scott WAGGONER
Guy T. Jr. WAGGONER
Buried in historic Oakwood Cemetery 3 miles south of Refugio, Texas
http://www.tchj.com/oakwood.html
http://www.waggonerranch.com/
From This and That newsletter archives April 18, 1998:
In the early morning of Thursday, July 13, 1972 a Norman, Oklahoma man, Marvin Martin Fisher, age 49, hijacked an American Airlines Boeing 727. Fisher demanded a ransom of $500,000 and a parachute. The jet had just left Oklahoma City in route to Dallas when the hijacking took place. There were 51 passengers and a crew of 6 aboard the plane. The plane returned to Oklahoma City to land, where Fisher allowed the passengers to leave. The ransom money, a parachute and pilot Charles N. Dodds and stewardess Dani Darnell would forced to remain and the plane took off again. It would circle Oklahoma City for several hours, Fisher decided not to make the jump from the plane, and it would land around 5pm in Oklahoma City, after Fisher surrendered his gun to the stewardess. Even though Fisher had demanded $500,000 in ransom, there was only around $200,000 actually loaded on the plane. Rumors would circulate that some of the $200,000 was missing. But officials would later report that all of the ransom money was accounted for. The gun that Fisher had with him, would later be found to be unloaded.
Q. Where is the highest point in Oklahoma?
A. Black Mesa in the Oklahoma panhandle at 4,973 feet.
Q. Where in Oklahoma is Boiling Springs State Park?
A. (answer in next week’s newsletter)
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area……
https://oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.htmlSome mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
“Butch I don?t know if I sent you this. Here is the Inslees fish farm in Connerville. They are about a mile north of Connerville. If you want very healthy plants or fish for you water garden this is the place to go. Great owners and very friendly.” -Doug Williams
http://winterfamily.smugmug.com/Other/Inslees-Fish-Farm/16272028_YCH6z#1222509980_gUHgQ
“Butch, there is a great drawing + program by google called SketchUp. Do you know of anyone in Carter or surrounding counties using it? I am looking for some help in getting started using it. They do have some helpful video’s, but I would like a little more hands on.”
“Butch, I really enjoy your newsletter. I grew up in Ardmore and it is interesting to hear some of the things I didn?t know or missed out on. My grandfather, Walter E. Buck, and my dad, Herbert C. Linder, were both members of the Odd Fellow Lodge. It was a lodge similar to Elks and other lodges. As I recall the IOOF stood for International Order Of Odd Fellows. They used to meet in the upstairs of a building just north of the City Drug. The City Drug was on the corner of Main and N. Washington. I think it is a vacant lot now. There was an iron stairwell between two buildings that led up to the meeting place. There used to be a big sign on the building that had IOOF painted on it.” -Herb Linder
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/HealdtonNo7.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/ioof6a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/ioof6b.jpg
“Did you know Bob Kerr had an article in a Country Living magazine a few years back about a guest house in his back yard that was an old KT Railroad car? It was so cool!!! I still have it somewhere! He was a good friend of my Dad and Step Mom – JW and Jo Ashley!!” -Carolyn Woodard
“Butch, The Guy that ask about Pennington Creek—Alonzo Pennington was playing for a dance at Relatives near Tishomingo and what is now Pennington Creek and was Captured by The Bourland Brothers and Dr Reece Bourland took Him back to Kentucky and He was the first White Man hung there. Patti Rochette wrote a book about the Bourlands in Tx and Ok during the Civil war and has the story about Alonzo in it. I know there is a copy in the Madill Historical Society and I think the Ardmore Library has one.” -DeWayne
“Hey Butch, a friend of mine has been asking the history of the gorilla statue on Highway 70 in Lone Grove…do you have any info? It’s been there as long as I can remember.” -Marlene Hill
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/LoneGroveGorilla2002.jpg
“Well lets see…the story behind the gorilla statue, back in the day when they first started making molded gorilla statues, everyone wanted one, many bought them and placed them out in front of their business hoping to attract attention and new customers with the hope that someday, someone would think their gorilla statue was so cool that they would come in and make the owner an outrages offer to buy it, and the lucky gorilla statue owner would make a nice profit on the sale. Looks like the Lone Grove gorilla statue owner must have paid to much for his, it’s still sitting there after all these years.” -Ken Mills
When on Facebook, look at your URL address (the very top box on your screen.) If u see “http:” instead of “https:” then u DO NOT have a secure session and can be ‘hacked’. To remedy this go to Account – Account Settings – Account Security – click Change. Check box (secure browsing), click Save.
“Time is fast approaching to get the summer gardens in. You and your readers might find these documents handy. More topics available thru the links at top. And if you don’t have the hummingbird feeders up yet, now is the time.” -Garth
http://osufacts.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-389
“Hello – I found your web sites by looking up “Ran Webb” and ?Citizens Compress and Packing Company? on the internet. This lead me to the “This and That” paper on line and the Oklahoma Historical Society?s website. I am writing to enquire whether you can tell me, or tell me who to contact to find out, if there are in Ardmore or Purcell Oklahoma local history museums or organization that compile or collect photographs relating to local history. If not, is there some state or regional collection of historic photographs that would be interested in some additional items?
I am a 5th generation native of Colorado, but amongst some old family photos, we found two which tie in to Ardmore and Purcell Oklahoma. One is of a group of ladies which was taken by ?Ran Webb (studio/photographer) ? Ardmore,Oklahoma?. The only other label on the photo is handwritten on the back, ?Ardmore Oklahoma?. There is no date but the dresses appear to be best fashions of perhaps the very late 1800?s or very early 1900?s.
I do not know who these nice ladies might be. We know of no family connections to Ardmore, and cannot see any striking family resemblances, but it might be that one is some relation. My father?s grandmother, whose personal photos date to about this time-frame, was a school teacher (and got her teaching certificate in Indiana or Ohio) ? one of these ladies might be a school teacher/classmate. My father?s mother was also a member of the Eastern Star, so it is possible these ladies belong to that organization. I suppose it could also be a church organization if a local (Colo) friend moved to Ardmore.
The second photo is of a vast lot of (cotton?) bales and the wooden ware-house associated with them. The front is labeled ?Citizens Compress and Warehouse Co.; Purcell Indian Territory?, (which might help with the date of the photo). There is no printed date but on the back in hand-writing is ?compliments of Lee J. Mittinger?. There is a windmill and a train in the background. Again, we know of no connections to the Purcell area, nor to anyone involved in any kind of cotton processing or production.
Can you tell me of anyone in the Ardmore or Purcell area, or in Oklahoma in general, that might have a knowledge of, or interest in old historic photos like these? If not, can you tell me who I might contact to find out more.?” -Peggy Colgate [email protected]
“Love the elk rut. It happens in late September and early October. On occasion in Estes Park, Colorado we’ve not been able to park in a restaurant parking lot because it’s full of elk. Also, it’s hilarious to watch golfers trying to tee off and keep an eye on the big bulls only yards away, but they really can tear up a golf course!” Showdown in Elk Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=794wEIbHlDc&vq=large
The 3rd eaglet hatched this week in Iowa.
http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html
“I also remember in the early 40’s, as a toddler, being outside my home on R St. in Ardmore, and hearing a loud drone, and I would look up and see a formation of very large planes going over south to north. The sound was unlike any other at that time, when you heard many planes going overhead to their targets or new locations. This was the B36 from Conair in Fort Worth where they were manufactured. This is the company which became General Dynamics then McDonald Douglas (please forgive my history errors). This was the most beautiful aircraft I had or have ever seen. It had a deep swept wing with six engines facing backward and on the tip of each wing a double jet booster needed to get it off the ground with a full load of armament. This was toward the end of WW2 and the B36 became known as the Peacekeeper into the cold war. It was the only aircraft capable of carrying the current atomic bomb. It was the flagship of the newly created Strategic Air Command which was the title of a movie staring Jimmy Stewart. I’m not sure why my infatuation with this aircraft except for my love of aviation (I never learned to fly). The plane in the photo was the last one made in the Fort Worth plant, named “The City of Fort Worth”, and it is now on display at the Davis-Monithan air museum in Tucson, Arizona.” -George Davis
Q. “Butch, I want to know if those four chocolate chip cookies in last week’s T&T are homemade from scratch or cut off the store-bought roll of chocolate chip cookie dough. They looked good, though. If you eat two, I’ll eat the other two so you won’t get hyper and fat on the sugar and butter.” -Linda
A. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/WMcookies.jpg
“I am looking for a old classmate. Max Dwight Butler. He graduated same year with Carl Vaile in 1967. He and Jeanne his wife moved away from Ardmore. If anyone know their whereabouts, please let me know.” -Carol Brown
“Butch: In the early 40’s in downtown Ardmore there were roving photographers on Main St. The sidewalk was so crowded until usually you wouldn’t even see him take your picture. Then when you got even with him he would hand you a card that you could send off (with money) to get your photo. This one is of me and my brother, Jack Tanner, taken in October 1942. I had spotted the man and was trying to tell Jack and he was scoffing at me. LOL I was wondering if anyone else remembers these. Keep up the good work on the newsletter. I really enjoy them and look forward to Thursday night!” -Nona (Tanner) Evitts
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/NonaAndJackTanner.jpg
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http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Old Rivers by Walter Brennan 1962
How old was I when I first seen old Rivers?
I can’t remember when he weren’t around
Well, that old fellow did a heap of work
Spent his whole life walking plowed ground.
He used to plow them rows straight and deep
And I’d come along near behind
A-bustin’ up clods with my own bare feet
Old Rivers was a friend of mine.
That sun’d get high and that mule would work
Till old Rivers’d say, ”Whoa!”
He’d wipe his brow, lean back on the reins
And talk about a place he was gonna go.
Chorus:
He’d say, one of these days
I’m gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton’s high
And the corn’s a-growin’
And there ain’t no fields to plow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPEkjfT11-s
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://oklahomahistory.net/crash66.html
Official AmSerican 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/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com
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