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Vol 16  Issue 794 April 12, 2012

PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Phone: 580-490-6823

The past few weeks in southern Oklahoma we’ve had some good off and on rains, the farm ponds around Ardmore are full. But sometimes mother nature lets loose, and that is exactly what she did early last Sunday morning in the Arbuckle Mountains. Garth Hoard snapped this pic of Turner Falls after the heavy rains last weekend.  Honey Creek was gushing.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TurnerFalls040812.jpg

Ex-Ardmoreite Monroe Cameron in Big Sky, Montana shared a piece of Ardmore’s history along with a story this week.  Here it is in his own words:

“Butch, A good friend, John Revelle, who I grew up with in Ardmore was up visiting and skiing earlier this year and brought this memento from Ardmore for me. My dad did his primary banking at the Exchange National Bank but I can’t remember ever seeing a new coin bag. The tag inside notes that is was manufactured by A. Rifkin & Company in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1892 by a Russian immigrant, Abraham Rifkin, and remains family owned. This bag is from the late 1950’s after the bank installed the drive-in window on the south side of the building.” -Monroe Cameron

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ExchangeBankBag1950.jpg

Do you reach down and pick up a penny you see on the sidewalk or parking lot?  I do.  But was the penny heads up or heads down? Some people are superstitious (like my mother was when she was alive) and believe it is bad luck to pick up a penny that’s head’s down. Below are some comments on this after T&T Reader Pat Upchurch posted the question on my Facebook.

Julie Cornelison Lee: “I used to pick them up only if on heads. Then I read somewhere that a wealthy man was picking up every penny he saw. When asked why he picked up pennies he said that they always reminded him “in God we trust!”. I pick them all up now and am reminded of that every time. Its like a little reassurance even on a simple penny. “

Betty Ford Dighton: “I agree with Julie, so I pick up a penny no matter because I figured that the bad luck I’d have if I passed a tails up penny would be that my pocket book would be one less penny! You’d be surprised how many pennies I find just taking my walk! Not only pennies but even quarters!”

But I think the funniest comment came from Bub McNeely: “When it got to where I had to throw a couple of quarters down there with the penny to make it worthwhile, I quit. LOL Getting too old to squat down or bend over to pick them up.”

There has been a lot of talk on the TV news channels and in the newspapers the past month on Pink Slime being mixed with meats by the Big Box grocery stores and hamburger joints and of all places, schools. They have been doing it for years, but its just in the past few months has this practice really been brought to main stream. I think its disgusting. Before the left over meat byproducts were ‘re-invented with technology’ it was used for making dog food.  We buy our meats at our local Famers Market grocery stores (Ardmore and Lone Grove). Their ground meat does not contain Pink Slime.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/GroundRound040912.jpg

Turkey season is here in Oklahoma, and turkeys are doing everything they can to to stay alive by avoiding the hunters. I spotted this one at work hiding in the back of a pickup truck this week. lol

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TurkeyInPickupBed.jpg

The Daily Ardmoreite
Feb 10 1928 – William Bray of Woodward sold a dozen Barred Rock hens with the largest tipping of the scales at 11 pounds, and one of the largest hens seen in these parts in several years. The lot averaged 7.5 pounds, and brought in 19 cents.

Feb 10, 1928 – The “Care of Bird Dogs” will be the topic of discussion when the Carter County Amateur Quail Hunters Association meets in the Lone Grove High School. Guest speaker will be Dr. Vigil Nightingale, veterinarian.

April 5, 1967 – As if making up for sin of omission, clouds released a deluge on the area Wednesday morning. Readings of 5.4 inches were recorded by 10:30am. That’s added to the 2 inches received two days earlier. Ranchers and farmers hope this will put an end to the long drought.

April 5, 1967 – In June 1964 landowners in the Newport area brought suit in district court to shut down the seven water wells operated by Ardmore. The wells were built in 1956 after voters approved a million dollar bond issue. The suit failed.

April 5, 1928 – A three day rabbit and rat drive in Marietta resulted in the killing of 2,836 rabbits and 2,227 rats. The Marietta and Bowles schools were each awarded $25 for turning in the most rabbit ears and rat tails by the the Chamber of Commerce.

Since April last year I have mentioned several times the good results I get when scanning a computer using SUPERAntispyware. The past year the program has consistently beat out Malwarebytes. This week I decided to stop using their free version and paid $9.95 for a year for the Pro Version which runs in the background giving protection for spyware, trojans, etc.
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Its also ant season, and their mounds are popping up everywhere. I’m going to try something new this year, use cornmeal to kill them. Personally I don’t believe it. I’ll let everyone know how this works.

From This and That newsletter archives of April 10, 1999:
My friends, John and Ann Randolph, of Ardmore are building a new home as we speak. They are building it southwest of Ardmore, about 5 miles south on Hedges Road. But this is no ordinary house. It’s designed to withstand a sustained wind of 165 miles per hour. And with this crazy tornadic weather that’s happening all around, it just may be a lifesaver. It’s walls are formed by pouring concrete down the middle of the “polysteel” formwork. Here’s a pic of their new home with just the walls up and waiting for the concrete to be poured into the center.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/RandolphHome.jpg
http://www.polysteel.com/
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This week a Harrah, Oklahoma landmark burned. Teens torched the Harrah Rock Island Depot Museum. So much history lost.
———————————-
This is an old photo showing the bridge across the Arkansas River at Tulsa, Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TulsaBridge.jpg
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“Butch: Heard an interesting story this week about what they called “Orphan Trains”, they were trains that used to stop in Ardmore loaded with orphans from 3rd world countries during WWI. Fascinating. I wonder if any of your subscribers remember them.”

Q. Which state has the most tornados per square mile, Oklahoma or Texas?
A.  Oklahoma

Q. In what year did Oklahoma City host the US Olympic festival?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)

Gas prices today in the Ardmore area……

https://oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html

Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..

“If you plan on attending the Jefferson Grade School Reunion and you have not sent your fee of $10 per person please do so ASAP. We will need to have a head count and prepare to purchase food. The reunion will be May 19th. A picnic at the Garden Center on Stanley St. across from Lincoln school at noon. Bring your own food for the picnic. There will be a dinner that night at the same location. Tickets are $10 each. You can send your money to Melissa West at 390 Cisco Rd., Ardmore, OK 73401. Put Melissa’s name on your check.” -Randy Day


“Here are some pictures of a bunch of fun loving people that came to Ft. Washita Rendezvous (east of Madill) for 4 days and lived like they did in the days of the fort. I was even offered some fried possum, now if he had looked at me and said Gopher Everett I might have had a bite. We did eat some pickled carrots and they were great. Scheryl?s G-G- Grandfather Charles Winter was stationed here and worked in the saddle shop. We got pictures of where it was located. He married the family into the Indian age here when he married Sofia Moncrief at the Ft.” -Doug Williams
http://winterfamily.smugmug.com/History/Ft-Washita-Reenactment/22324480_L8BfVG#!i=1783755551


“Danny Williams, AKA 3-D Danny worked for WKY, but that?s channel 4. I watched him too. Besides the wrestling matches, he was also a DJ on the radio at night.” -Jim in Whitesboro, TX


“WHEN YOU MENTIONED PENNINGTON CREEK AND ITS POPULAR SWIMMING HOLE IN TISHOMINGO, IT REMINDED ME OF STORIES MY OLDER BROTHERS TOLD OF SLIPPING OFF AND TEACHING THEMSELVES TO SWIM THERE. MOTHER COULDN’T SWIM AND WAS AFRAID OF WATER, SO THEY DIDN’T TELL HER UNTIL THEY WERE ALL GOOD SWIMMERS. IT WAS DURING THE DEPRESSION AND MY DAD HAD MADE A HIGH SCORE ON THE CIVIL SERVICE TEST AND GOT A JOB AT THE POST OFFICE, SO HE WAS TOO BUSY MAKING A LIVING FOR HIS FAMILY OF 5 TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOYS AND THEIR ANTICS.”  -R. HELMS


“Butch, the US 1940 census was released on the internet. I have been trying to use it, but it is very slow, and also confusing to navigate. Right now their servers have become totally unresponsive. Lots of enthusiasm for this release. I was able to get only the first 2 pages for Pike City (Fox), OK before it went down, and it was very interesting, as I saw some familiar names, including some teachers at Fox school where I entered first grade more than a year later.” -Orval
http://1940census.archives.gov/


“This might be of help to some of us who have had problems ‘finding’ what happened to an ancestor (such as my great-grandfather, William Harvey Burdick, who I still want to know where he died, where he’s buried, etc.). Since I’m on a borrowed computer at this time, I need to go home and look at the facts I have there, etc. As memory serves me, he died in December, 1940 or 1941 (possibly in Texas but couldn’t find death records of him there).”  -Roy Kendrick


“Jefferson Elementary school will have a reunion of all former students, teachers and friends on May 19th at the Ardmore Garden Center on Stanley S.W. There will be a picnic at the Center at noon. Each family or alumni will bring their own food for this event. That evening you may arrive at the Center at 6:p.m for a period of visitation before dinner at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Teachers are free. The event will honor the late Mrs. Billie Zach Graybill, a former teacher at the school. Her daughters will attend. Enthusiasm is high and former students are coming from several states including S. Carolina and hopefully one from Canada. Those of you who have not sent in your reservations have until April 27th to get them in to: Melissa Henson West, 390 Cisco Rd., Ardmore, OK 73401. The cost of the dinner will not cover all the expenses so any donations will be greatly appreciated. Bring any pictures or other memorabilia to share. As far as we know this is the first reunion for a grade school. Lets make it a really good one.” -Frances Dunlap



Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? –Corrie Ten Boom

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!
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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 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/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com

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