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Vol 16  Issue 795   April 19, 2012

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

I received a request all the way from New Zealand this week seeking any info or kinfolk of a Charles Sykes who lived in Ardmore 100 years ago.

“I am researching New Zealand hunters who went overseas during the period 1910-1920 on big game hunting trips. I have been following 2 NZ?s who in 1920 meet up with a Charles E. Sykes (1882 – 1964) of Ardmore, Oklahoma and hunted with the same gent on the Macmillan River in Alaska. I have photos of Mr Sykes that are in photo albums of descendents of the NZ hunters. I have also located an article by Mr Sykes that appeared in a hunting magazine of that time. Can you kindly tell me anything about Mr Sykes. Does he still have descendents in the Ardmore area? What happened to his trophy heads? Did Mr Sykes serve in WWI as in one of the photos he could still be in military puttees, headgear, etc. Many of the chaps who served in WWI used up the life of the army clothes in their every day work. They were of good quality and did last the rough and tumble. Hope we can help each other, many thanks for your time. Here is what I have found:

1921 Charles E Sykes led the ‘Sykes Alaskan expedition of the University of Oklahoma’ an article on this by (editor) D Crabb from the zoological laboratory of the University of Oklahoma.

Sykes published his account of the 1920 expedition which included the NZ’s -entitled ‘In the land of the midnight sun. This appeared as a serial form starting June 1920 in the ‘Outdoor magazine’.

Fred Adolph gun maker distributed a flier advertising his wares and features a 1903 Springfield built for Mr. C E Sykes. Mr Sykes was one of the men and money behind buying and moving the Hoffman Arms Co,. from Cleveland to Ardmore.

Another item is Sykes married into the Sutherlands and became the president of the Sutherland Petroleum co.

Mr Sykes around 1935/38 was on the State game & fish commission of Oklahoma.

There was a Sutherland Sykes, lawyer of Fort Worth, Texas not sure how he fits into the picture. ” -Bill Goldsworthy

It would be nice if we could find some descendants of Mr. Sykes.  If anyone can help, send me an email. Here’s the photo of Mr. Sykes sent to me this week.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CharlesSykesPhoto1910s.jpg

The Greater Southwest Historical Museum in Ardmore has a sale on Paul Frame’s thesis in book format, A History of Ardmore, Oklahoma, From the Earliest Beginnings to 1907.  Was $21, now just $2.50! You read right, this book is 171 pages, and only $2.50 while supply lasts.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PaulFrameHistory1976.jpg

http://gshm.org/about/gift-shop/

I received an email  this week asking about how the world’s fastest growing tree, the Empress Tree, that I planted back in 2003 is doing. Here it is at 3 months old in the summer of ’03 in the front yard in the SW part of Ardmore.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos3b/empresstree3jul.jpg

This is the same tree 3 years later, with huge leaves, and its taller than roof top.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/Empress072105.jpg

I guess with the extreme drought last summer, and the dry winter, the tree has not done well.  Its leaves are not full grown in this pic I took this week.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/EmpressTree041112.jpg

This week demolition crews have started tearing down the old Safeway – Homeland grocery store at N. Commerce and Grand Avenue. This is a pic Jim Baker took of the work.

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

This is a aerial view photo of the same building, you can see the Ken-Cliff Lanes bowling alley at the bottom of the photograph.

https://oklahomahistory.net/JoyceFranks/SafewayAtGrand.jpg

Tomorrow, Friday, the Ardmore courthouse is having a BBQ lunch to raise money for March of Dimes. 11am to 2pm. Sounds delicious!

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CourthouseBBQ2012.jpg

It’s hamburger time in the Criner Hills SW of Ardmore.  The volunteer Fire Department is hosting a hamburger feast as a fund raiser for their department.  Saturday April 28th at 6pm.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CrinerhillsBBQ2012.jpg

I love it when I finally find a product that works as promised.  I tried several cleaning products for toilets, like the big blue tablets, they were worthless. And those expensive Clorox Magic Wands, still takes elbow grease to keep a toilet clean.  About 3 weeks ago I did find something that works, and requires absolutely no elbow grease.  It’s The Works Automactic Bowl Cleaner.  Its been in our toilets for 3 weeks, and hard any disolved, so it looks like its going to last several months.  And at $1.74 for 2 tablets its very economical and our toilets have never been cleaner.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Works-Bleach-Automatic-Toilet-Bowl-Cleaner-3.5-oz/11027789

In the last issue I mentioned putting corn meal on the ant mounds.  After 3 days, I only saw 2 big red ants crawling around.  On the 5th day, today, I didn’t see one red ant. So maybe it is working.  Here is the pic I took before putting the corn meal on the mound.

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

From This and That newsletter archives of April 17, 1999:

A 1910 pic of the depot at Kremlin, Oklahoma (just north of Enid). You will see the chickens crossing the railroad in this pic!
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/KremlinOKdepot1910.jpg
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This is an old Sulphur, Oklahoma street scene
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/SulphurStreetScene.jpg
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“1924 of William Sides age 28 while moving a whiskey still from the Blue River with revenue agents. A man named Bishop Reed as helping. The man standing is Fred Hunt the County sheriff. William Sides is the one with his arm on the steering wheel. The man with the gun is a revenue agent. The pic was taken in Tishomingo, OK”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TishWhiskey.jpg
—————————————————-
“When I was a small girl and lived on the farm in Frederick, OK. We had a large dinner bell outside the house. When the thrashing crews were there, I always got to ring the bell for them to come in and eat. This was when neighbor helped neighbor, going from farm to farm until it was finished. We also rang the bell when there was an emergency for my uncle to come in from the field. All of my family is dead now, but we donated the bell to the Museum there at Frederick in my uncle’s memory where it hangs outside on a large pole. I just wanted to share the story of my bell with you.”

—————————————————-A couple of weeks ago, courthouse maintenance employee James Lindsey painted the four clock faces, and they look more beautiful then I’ve ever seen them! If you are nearby, go by in the evening hours after dark and see these magnificent illuminated clocks in the courthouse dome in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ClockHands1999.jpg
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Yesterday eight small earthquakes (2.4 on the Richter scale) shook Lindsay, Oklahoma. This is several times the past few years this has happened. Lindsay is in central Oklahoma.

Q.  In what year did Oklahoma City host the US Olympic festival?
A.   The year was 1989
http://newsok.com/main-event-1989-olympic-festival-a-turning-point-for-oklahoma-city/article/3386561

Q.  The most significant Indian battle of Oklahoma history occurred Nov. 27, 1868 when Lt. Col. George A. Custer led the 7th Cavalry against an encampment of Cheyenne led by Black Kettle along and below the bluffs of what river, for which the battle was named?
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…..“Butch, I had a granddaughter in the fourth grade and her request for Christmas was a book about the concentration camps of the Germans during World War II. I worried about some of the terrible things that happened to those people and was reluctant to honor her request. I went to the Ardmore Public Library and talked with a lady in the Children’s Section and explained what I needed. She selected four books and told me to read them and then make a decision. I don’t remember the name of it now, but it fit the bill perfectly and she was lost in that book the whole day. My son and his wife also read it and were much appreciative of the book selected. I guess there is a “right time” when children really want the real facts and not a “put off” and we need to be there for them. The family in the book I chose survived (all but the father) and they came to the New York after the War. Both children went to school and graduated from college. They shared their experiences with their classmates. I had cousins in World War !! and I knew some of the horrible things that happened. When my son, Lewis, was in Jr. High and I worked at the Extension Office the 4-M members invited children from Germany and Japan to spend four weeks with a family in one of the two Countries. We invited one from Japan and he was a delightful experience. His name was Kazuyuki Koyama and he was from Kamakura, Japan.” -Ann Randolf


“Hi Butch. Thanks for the photo of the old Arkansas River Bridge in Tulsa. It was designed by my great-uncle Victor Cochrane, civil engineer of Tulsa. I had written you before about his design of the Grand River Dam and the Cochrane Causeway at Mobile, Alabama. I believe it is now used as a pedestrian bridge. My cousin in Dallas sent me this today. Another of uncle Victor’s bridge projects over Houston Street.”  -Susan Whitten, Baton Rouge

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

http://bridgehunter.com/tx/dallas/houston/

Also Buchanan Dam in Burnet, Texas in 1938.

http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0003651

And the Grand River Dam in Pensacola, Oklahoma in 1940.

http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0003650


Here is the link to a neat website on Ft. Worth and its history in pictures and videos. Caution, by going to the link below, you can spend many hours looking.
http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/oldftw/oldftw.htm#Aviation


“CraftFest is coming to Ardmore this weekend at the Hardy Murphy Sale Barn #9 Friday 11am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. So much to see and buy! All new vendors, indoors, and not in the dirt arena. Easy in and out. It?s totally free to enter the event. Well almost, parking is $2 and benefits the Plainview Indian Wrestling team. Sentsy, Pampered Chef, Silpada Jewelry, Duct Tape Craze, Cowgirl Designs, Stone Creations, wineries, handmade crafts, clothing, food vendors, and so much more can be found this weekend, in one location. There will even be door prizes like water park tickets, Sea World San Antonio, Ft. Worth Zoo, and Bret Michaels tickets to his show in Allen on May 4th. Come out, shop, eat, and win this weekend for CraftFest 2012.”


“It is Earth Day and Kids Day in the park this weekend. Downtown Ardmore will be buzzing!”


The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma July 11, 1946
Ravia, Oklahoma has a familiar figure on its streets every day. He is Budd Harper, a full blood Indian who drives a horse and a buggy. The buggy has no top but the running gear looks good and solid although it must have been in use a long time. Harper had to leave the Aylesworth community when Lake Texoma was built and he chose Ravia for his new home. A friend who knew him a couple of scores of years ago says Harper gets around now as well as he ever did although he is somewhat aged.



“This man is the reason I was a “Dancing Fool”!! When American Band Stand came on our “Black and White TV”, I danced a hole in the rug in front of TV….. he created a monster….. and I love him for showing me how to “express myself”! Rest in peace Mr. Clark….. I’ll see you at the BIG dance!!!” -Vickie Stinnett, Ardmore, Oklahoma

Dick Clark 1929 – 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXUTi-YGirk

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 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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