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Vol 17  Issue 832  January 3, 2013

Ardmore, Oklahoma Email:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Phone: 580-490-6823

About a month ago Bruce London wrote in inquiring about a Torture Cave near Dougherty, Oklahoma.  I did a google search and found a 1938 article from the Daily O’Collegian (Stillwater) about the cave, and a Sulphur boy named William Edward Parker losing his life in the cave. Does anyone know the exact location of Torture Cave?

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/TortureCave1938.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/turnerfallscaves.html

Since July 8, 2000 I have a free search engine on my website by PicoSearch. I seldom look at the search summary in my Admin page, but decided to look at it January 1st.  I was surprised to find the search engine results pointed to this one particular newsletter more than all others combined. It was issue 658 dated September 3, 2009. This piqued my interest as to why this issue received so many results from people searching my website. As I read over the newsletter, one word kept jumping out at me, PETA. So I went to my website and did a search for PETA, and in 16 years of newsletters, 832 issues, the September 3, 2009 is the only issue with the word PETA in it. Could this be the magic word drawing so many searches to this particular issue? This is the reprint of that email from issue 832’s Mailbag:

09/03/09:  “Back in the 50’s and 60’s, the raccoon hunters used to ‘tree’ the coon with the dogs and then someone would climb the tree and make the raccoon jump out amongst the dogs, giving him a sporting chance to get away. He had the option of whipping all the dogs and getting away – but in some cases the dogs did kill the raccoon. However, many times the raccoon would make it to water where he had the advantage. If the dogs followed him into the water, the raccoon would get on top of a dog’s head and drown the dog. It was considered poor sport to shoot the raccoon out of the tree. If the raccoon chose a tree that was too big for the hunter to climb, the raccoon won the contest that night.

These days, the coon hunt is strictly for the sport of following the dogs and listening to them bark, howl, and eventually “bay treed”. Today’s coon hunters, (sportsmen and proponents of the ethical treatment of animals), will call off the dogs as a reward for being chased by and ultimately outrunning the dogs to the tree. In addition, these
 PETA supporters will leave the raccoon a small bowl of milk and possibly an open can of sardines or some other tasty treat.” -George Peveto, Irving, TX
Maybe some of you will see something in issue #658 I am missing, that would make it the issue the most searched for from people all over the world.

https://oklahomahistory.net/newsletters/TT658.htm

The weekend before Christmas we stopped in at the BBQ Pit in Madill, Oklahoma for some brisket. The BBQ Pit offers up some really great tasting sliced beef, and it is not a bit greasy, which is what we look for in sliced beef.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/BBQPitMadill122212.jpg

A T&T Reader in Wyoming sent Jill and I a box of grapefruit from the Rio Grand Valley in Texas as a Christmas gift. You talk about delicious, perfect.  I was raised from a kid that you had to sprinkle sugar on grapefruit before eating it (must have a grapefruit knife too). Since starting my Paleo Diet, I can’t eat sugar and these grapefruits are delish without any sugar! Amazing how we are misled into believing sugar is a must on so many foods.

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/Grapefruit122512.jpg

Q. What was the first radio station in Oklahoma and also the third radio station west of the Mississippi?

A. WKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting from west of the Mississippi River.

Early years

“5XT” became the 87th licensed station in the United States on March 16, 1922. It was owned by the Oklahoma Radio Shop (Earl C. Hull & H.S. Richards). The station was assigned the WKY call letters and began broadcasting weekdays from noon to 1:00 P.M. and from 7:30 to 9:30 P.M. On Sundays, WKY was on the air from 3 to 4 P.M. and 7:30 to 9:30 P.M.

On November 1922, WKY announced a “silent night” policy, meaning the station would broadcast only four, and later three nights a week. This was so listeners could have a chance to tune in to other stations in neighboring states.

Richards and Hull struggled to keep WKY on the air. In late 1925, Richards left the radio business, but Hull continued to keep WKY on the air by selling shares of the station to radio dealers in Oklahoma City. The dealers paid Hull a small salary to keep the station broadcasting; however they decided the financial drain had become too much. In 1928, WKY was purchased by the Oklahoma Publishing Company, publishers of the Daily Oklahoman for the hefty sum of $5,000 (over $63,000 in 2010 dollars).

The formal opening of the new WKY was set for November 11, 1928, but the station went on the air several days earlier to carry the presidential election returns as Herbert Hoover won in a Republican landslide.

That December, the station became an NBC affiliate and began broadcasting the network’s programs. By the following year, WKY was attempting to operate like the powerhouse stations in the east. Aside from the programming from NBC, everything broadcast by WKY originated locally.

WKY operated from the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City from 1936 to 1951, and was contracted to broadcast live from the Venetian Room from 11:00 to Midnight every evening. The opening night performance cost $15 a couple for dinner and dancing

Q. What city in Oklahoma issued the nation’s first tornado warning and when?

A.  (answer in next week’s T&T)

My top pics from 2012:

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From This and That newsletter archives of January 2, 1999:

Last weekend I found some interesting pieces of history in the most unlikely place. About 35 miles east of Ardmore on Highway 70 is Kingston, Oklahoma. I’ve been through there a thousand times, but this time I stopped at Dennis and Tonsi’s Bar-B-Que Shack for one of my favorites, BBQ sandwich. Low and behold, on the walls of their eatery were over 25 photos of Kingston’s past. Most were taken right after statehood (1907). Tonsi told me the photos were originally owned by Kingston resident Phillip Lindsay. I talked to Mr. Lindsay later and he told me he has more old Kingston photos at his home. Also have you heard of Silver City, Oklahoma? Mr. Lindsay told me about this unusual piece of Oklahoma history.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/KingstonBBQshack.jpg
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“I know how you love finding new search engines, so try this one out” http://www.google.com
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“The pictures of the cotton gin fire had to be made in 1944 – I was home on leave shortly thereafter & the cotton bales were still smoldering. Leroy McDaniel’s dad once operated a filling station that was located where Dodson Floral is now in business”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944a.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944b.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944c.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944d.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944e.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ginfire1944f.jpg

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“I think 1999 will be exciting. With the Y2K problem hanging over most folks, it will at least be entertaining. Have a good day and a great start in the New Year!”
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Gas prices today in the Ardmore area……

http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/index.aspx?mss=152754

Check gas prices by town or zip code anywhere in U.S.

http://www.kmov.com/traffic/gas-buddy

Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..“Butch: I think WKY was the first radio station in Oklahoma. I remember when I was about six years old we lived on an acreage near NW 40th Street and North May Avenue in what is now Oklahoma City. That would have been in 1934. At the time NW 39th Street west of May Avenue was part of the old famous US Highway 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. I’m not sure of the exact location, but somewhere about a mile or two west of May Avenue on 39th Street was a small brick building set back on the north side of 39th Street between two towers no more than 50 feet high. An antenna wire was stretched from tower to tower with a wire dropping down to the building. The large letters WKY were displayed on top of the pitched roof of the building facing 39th Street. Kids in those days could roam around for several miles from home with no fear by the parents, unlike today. I went past that building several times as a kid.”  -Don Davidson, Brenham, Texas


“Butch, I found this picture of one of my great uncles (Leonard Dameron) walking down main street. This had to be in the 40’s as I remember. He was a bus driver for the Jordan Bus Company for many years. I remember Duke & Ayres 5 & dime but I don’t remember the E.T. Fos(ter) company so I’d say it was definitely taken in the 40’s as I would have been a young child at this time. Telling my age aren’t I?  I see Fonville Studio’s sign also in the picture.”  -Betty Dighton
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/LeonardDameron1940s.jpg


“Butch, we have two guys here in Gainesville who have written several action books but have written a Western titled ?The Nations?. It takes place in the Nations and Indian Territory and is about U S Marshals. Knowing your interest I thought sometime when you are here in Gainesville you might want to look them up. They are Ken Farmer and Buck Stienke. Buck has the Lone Star Shooting Supply store a couple of blocks North of the Court House which has just been restored to the original look. The bells at the First Presbyterian Church ring every day at noon. It is on the East end of California Street just before the railroad. Also, we have the Morton Museum just South of the Court House. It has a lot of the history of Cooke County collected and on exhibit. In the 50?s Morton made potato chips and sold them in about a two gallon can which I bought a lot of when I lived in Ardmore.”  -Dan
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/MortonsChipsTinCan.jpg


“I am wanting some history on Springer Missionary Baptist Church here in Springer, Oklahoma. I have some old pages that Larry?s mother wrote with some info on them but want/need to know if there is anything a lot more important than what I have. We are having a reunion Sunday on January 27 and I would love to have some additional history of the church before then. If anyone has any suggestions, or info, please let me know.”  -Bobbye Smith  jsmith@brightok.net



Pop Goes the Weasel – 1853

All around the cobbler’s house,
The monkey chased the people.
And after them in double haste,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Mattel Jack in the Box

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsCx218ztQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbbDUEMRej0

See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges

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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