Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Phone: 580-490-6823
An Ardmoreite messaged me on Facebook this week and asked for more info on the Ardmore Cardinals. I had not thought of this webpage I made several years ago with info provided by Peter Pierce of Norman, a history of professional baseball in Ardmore after WWII.
https://oklahomahistory.net/BaseballinArdmore.html
Someone sent me an email this week asking about the Belle Isle Amusement Park that was the thing to do years ago in Oklahoma City. I really didn’t have any info, but I found a website with tons of info, and tons of photos!
http://www.wbina.com/Wilemans_Belle_Isle/History.html
Doug Williams posted some really nice pictures he took of the Ardmore Convention Center at the north edge of Ardmore.
http://winterfamily.smugmug.com/Other/Ardmore-Convention-Center/25968128_HSq3D9#!i=2154132089
Back in 2003 there were 31 people from all over the country who made donations to pay for a granite memorial marker for those army personnel who lost their lives while training at the Ardmore airbase during WWII. Just this week I received a beautiful black granite plaque I ordered from Arkansas ($50 including postage). The plaque will go on the back side of the WWII memorial to recognize those who donated. The granite is the size of a sheet of paper and very readable from a distance of several feet. As I look over this list, I see several who have passed away since 2003. Those who donated and made the memorial possible will be appreciate by many. In a few day I’ll get the plaque attached to the WWII memorial at the Airpark.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/WWIIdonorsPlaque101512.jpg
We sure have a lot of birds hanging out around the courthouse grounds, eating pecans that were cracked when falling on the concrete. Does anyone know what kind of birds these are?
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CourthouseBirds100512.jpg
I guess some of you noticed the Halloween decoration that’s been set up in front of the flagpole in the above picture. The Ardmore Beautification Council has been doing this for several years in downtown Ardmore and this is a pic I snapped of the one they did at the courthouse. Nice!
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/HalloweenCourthouse101812.jpg
Mark your calendars: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 ? Trick or Treat on Main Street in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Main Street merchants open their doors from 3:00-5:00 p.m. to friendly ghosts and goblins in this annual event for children of all ages. Free treats (no tricks!) in a safe environment to the delight of children, including a ?best costume? award. No admission charge.
Speaking of the courthouse, there are 11 pecan trees scattered around the complex and I’ve been picking up a few pecans in the early mornings, hopefully before others, to mail to my 91 year old distant cousin (several times removed), Edith Ivadee Vojtek, in Connecticut at Christmas. There seems to be a good crop this year, and I did crack a few, they tasted ok.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/Pecans101712.jpg
Here are a list showing the location of the pecan trees.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/pecanlst.jpg
I quickly counted about 10 Bois d’arc trees aka horse apple trees and Osage Orange, across west from Plainview school in Ardmore. There must be several hundred horse apples laying on the ground as best I could tell. What a lot of people don’t know is Bois d’arc wood is an excellent wood to make fence post, as old timers did decades ago. There is something in the wood that termites do not like, and it’s a hardwood. There are fences built 70 and 80 years ago, and they are still standing.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/PlainviewSchoolOK.jpg
I stopped in at Ardmore Lumber on South Washington this week and bought another canister of Bengal Fire Ant Killer. That stuff works wonders, and no harsh chemicals. It’s $7.58 including tax, and you just sprinkle at very small amount on the mounds. I do have one Red Ant bed that I have not been able to kill out but for a couple weeks. Now the Fire Ants and other ants, this stuff works great. Here is a pic of the ant bed I sprinkled some on this week, and within a few hours, not a ant was to be found.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/AntBed101012.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/BengalFireAntKiller8a.jpg
Oklahoma History Revisited by Larry Guthrie, Sulphur
Question: Which Governor dedicated the Turner Turnpike?
Answer: Six years of planning and work were climaxed in May of 1953 when the Turner turnpike was officially opened, making Oklahoma the first state in this area to have a turnpike. The 88 mile, $38 million road cut 14 miles off the distance between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The road was officially dedicated at Stroud with Governor Murray and Governor Turner, for whom the turnpike was named in attendance.
From This and That newsletter archives of October 17, 1998:
The other day I went to the optometrist. My eyes just aint as good as they used to be. Course the doc did all the test. When I came back to pick up my glasses, the lady who fits the glasses to everyone, put a piece of paper down in front of me…. asked if I could read it. I said….. “perfectly”. She said, “good, that’s the way we want it”. There were several people sitting behind me, waiting their turn, when I told her, “I can read the words on the sheet perfectly without glasses”. The people behind me all cracked up laughing…hahahahaha. I don’t have trouble reading stuff up close, it’s far away things are getting fuzzy.
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After months of looking for the words to the song to Grandma’s Lye Soap, one reader came up with at least part of the wording. Myself and a couple others did extensive searches on the Net, to no avail. So we feel very fortunate to have at least part of the song available!
Chorus:
“Let us sing out, for Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Good for everything on the place.
The pots and pans, the dirty dishes,
And for your hands, and for your face!”
One verse:
“Cousin Herman, and Brother Thurman,
Had an aversion, to washing their ears.
Grandma washed them, with the lye soap,
And they haven’t heard a word in years!”
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I went to Gainesville, Texas last week. At the library I found some info on Camp Howze, which was located a couple miles west of Gainesville during WWII. Months ago a reader wrote me saying she could find very little on the Net about Camp Howze. Neither could I. But I did find one Page with the following on prisoner of war camps which were located in Oklahoma.
PAULS VALLEY — This was a mobile work camp from Camp Chaffee, AR POW camp, and was located at N. Chickasha St. north of the Community Building. The camp opened July 16, 1944, confined about 270 prisoners and closed Oct. 16, 1946. The site is now Wacker Park in Pauls Valley.
GENE AUTRY — The camp was adjacent to the town of Gene Autry, 13 miles NE of Ardmore, at the Ardmore Army Air Field.. It opened June 1, 1945 and held between 200-300 Prisoners. A branch of the Camp Howze, TX base camp, it closed Nov. 1, 1945.
MADILL — This was the administrative headquarters for several camps in the area including Powell and Tishomingo. It opened April 23, 1943 in the old First National Bank building and closed April 1, 1944. There were no prisoners confined here.
POWELL — Located a short distance south of Powell, about 8 miles SW of Madill, this camp opened April 29, 1943 as a branch of the Madill Provisional Internment Camp Headquarters. It was transfered as a branch to Camp Howze, TX. Camp capacity was 600 and it was kept full. The POWs cleared brush and trees from the bed of Lake Texhoma, which was just being completed. It closed Sept. 1, 1944.
TISHOMINGO — Located on old Hwy 99, north of the Washita River and south of Tishomingo, this camp opened April 23, 1943. Originally a branch of Madill, it later became a branch of Camp Howze, TX. With a capacity of 600, there were only about 300 confined there. It closed June 13, 1944, and is the site of the airport now. Two escapes were reported.
Madill Record, Madill OK, June 17, 1943, Aug. 29, 1943 Rudolph Arens, Jacob Braun. (They did not actually escape, but was left behind when a truck transported the work crew back to Camp. They were found walking back to camp.) Here’s the link on “Behind the Wire”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Howze,_Texas—————————————————-
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
“Hi and greetings Butch, from Arizona to Oklahoma I feel sure many of your readers are horse lovers and would enjoy and benefit from this little treasure of a book. I have had the privilege and pleasure, of living on the Oasis Ranch in Skull Valley AZ for the past eight months, owned by Bonnie Ebsen Jackson, an equine-facilitated therapist who teaches riding and coaches horse owners. I would like to recommend highly her small but informative book ?Herdmates to Heartmates: The Art of Bonding with a New Horse” It is packed with new ideas and concepts that will make you say ?oh I wish I had known some of this before I bought my horse,? and that includes myself, a former riding student of Florence Randolph in my younger days. It offers up some surprisingly fresh ideas from questions to ask before you buy your horse, to comfort, confidence, horse behavior, and hundreds of subtleties in dealing with your horse, such as getting inside your horse?s head. As one of her reader friends commented ??the dream of having a horse oftentimes does not match the reality.? I felt this book bridges that gap. I would also suggest the content might be worth it’s weight in gold in saving any inexperienced horse owner the myriad pitfalls that inevitably crop up. Bonnie’s writing style is delightful and casual – easy readying all the way through. The book incidentally is charmingly illustrated with pen and ink drawings by an Oklahoma artist Linda Richey, of Richey Designs in Edmond, Oklahoma. Yes, the Ebsen part of the name is from her famous and lovable dad, Buddy Ebsen. I checked Amazon and it is available there for $13.95?a real little gem for anyone, from teen to adult who is mad about horses.” -Fredrica (Horn) Van Sant (not affiliated in any financial gain from this book, just a lover of books)
“Butch: The Dr. Pepper bottle with Ardmore, Ok. on its base probably also has an “L-G” molded into the glass, meaning that it was made by the Liberty Glass Company of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. for a bottling plant located in Ardmore.” -Roy Kendrick
“We appreciate all the computer tips you send periodically, Butch. We learn from them. The latest is the “Do Not Track Plus.” We downloaded it about a week ago and, would you believe, about 7,000 trackers have been blocked!!! That has really cut down on junk and has speeded up our computer. Things are a little slow opening up, but if we click on the little icon they open right up. We had no idea what was going on inside this mysterious machine, but found out in a hurry with this program.” -Don and Joyce Coe
http://www.abine.com/dntdetail.php?
Caterpillars moving a 100+ year old, 518,000 pound Oak Tree in League City, Texas! Oct 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=BFTj0hM3DHM
Title: 3rd Saturday Sale
Date: Saturday October 20, 2012
Time: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: 1100 Woodall-Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX
http://www.SidewalkSale.com
“Does anyone remember a food product that came in a small juice glass that was like cr?me cheese with pimentos in it? It was pinkish as I remember. I have yearning for that stuff and cannot find it in the grocery.”
“My great-grandfather was Redden Alexander Riner of Ardmore. My grandmother, Vivian, wrote in her memoir of their family?s beloved horse, Filly Rudisill. She told of the day the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus came through Ardmore (my research finds this was Oct 14, 1899). A man in the circus band jumped off the bandwagon, ran to their horse, hugged Filly Rudisill, and urgently asked if she was Filly Rudisill. He quickly told her that he raised Filly Rudisill in the circus and ?we of the circus didn?t know what to name her so we called her Filly Rudisill!? Then he caught up with the last wagon of the passing circus. Filly Rudisill had a colt, Henry Clay, who was bought by a man from Kentucky and who, in a huge upset, won a $4,000 major race in Louisiana in 1901, according to records on the internet. My question is, do you have any information on Filly Rudisill, my grandmother?s horse? Another question, do anyone have any information on the name of my great-grandfathers store and blacksmith shop. Anything on the Riners would make me very happy!” -Lynn Watkins Snop lynn.snop@tronox.com
“Butch, have you voted yet? Go to this website to see the Oklahoma entries. Ardmore’s own Key Grocery is in the running with the wonderful new paint job they received thanks to Ardmore Beautification Council.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/KeysGrocery101812.jpg
http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/295856
“If you would like to be reminded about how good the Beatles were live please go to YOUTUBE and input Beatles Karlaplan. This is a seven song live concert they did for a radio station in Stockholm on October 24, 1963. This was recorded about the time they were breaking in the US. This showed up on You Tube about 4 months ago. The Beatles were a band that had played hundreds of sets before they ever got to record. They had honed their craft to a fine point as you can hear from this recording.” -Monroe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE1vKRrtVXI
“Davis School was established 1909. I have a comforter on our couch in the living room that shows the date and a lot of other interesting information about Davis. When you come to visit you can look it over.” -Poss
“Butch, I have a great, easy recipe for pimento cheese…will email it to you.” -Leta McCurry
Skinny Pimento Cheese Spread
Mix the following with a mixer or food processor:
1 green onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (I used ? tsp. of fresh minced, from a jar)
8 oz. fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, fat free
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimentos, drained
1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced (recipe called for whole small)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
Fold in:
2 cups reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded (can add a little extra if needed)
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Pimento cheese spread tastes great as a sandwich spread, dip, on burgers, wheat crackers & even homemade pizza.
Per the original recipe (without pecans):
Yields: 16 servings / Serving size: 2 tablespoons / Calories: 33 / Total Fat: 2 g / Saturated Fats: 1 g / Trans Fats: 0 g / Cholesterol: 4 mg / Sodium: 136 mg / Carbohydrates: 1 g / Dietary fiber: 0 g / Sugars: 1 g / Protein: 5 g
“I worked for KVSO-AM-FM-TV in the late 50’s and knew Dolly Talkington. She and Sam were customers of my folks’ grocery store, J. W. Davis, on C street. My folks Warren and Wilda were friends with Dolly and Sam. Correct me if I am wrong, Dolly played the pipe organ at First Methodist Church. She was an accomplished musician and I remember my dad talking about her playing at the silent movies. As I have mentioned before, he and I both were theatre employees in Ardmore.” -George Davis, AHS class 1960
“If you are old, go by all means, but if you are young — wait! The scenery of Alaska is much grander than anything else of the kind in the world. And it is not well to dull one’s capacity for enjoyment by seeking the finest first.” -Henry Gannett of the US Geological Survey in 1899
Alaska Day Festival – annually commemorates the Purchase Transfer of Russian claim of Alaska to the United States on October 18, 1867.
Alaska and Me – John Denver 1988
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Urno088IAo
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
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