PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: [email protected] Phone: 580-490-6823
Last Saturday Jill and I traveled to Sulphur, Oklahoma to the Chickasaw Cultural Center. We watched a new movie showing for the first time in the theater, Cherokee Word for Water. We loved every minute and were so glad we made the trip to see it. While there, who came in to sit down next to us but some friends I hadn’t seen in years, Don and Laurel Turley. They lived in Ardmore for years but about 15 years ago they moved just south of Ada. Don and I spent many a Friday or Saturday evenings patrolling county roads when we were Reserve Deputies for Carter County. It was hard for any of us to believe so many years had gone by since those days, but I told them, the years just fall away (a song years ago by Tex Ritter). Anyway, I hope many of you will take opportunity to watch this wonderful movie if you get the chance. It is produced by the Chickasaw and the Choctaw Nations.
On Highway 70 in Lone Grove, Oklahoma is Legacy Gifts and Boutiques business. On most days one will see this neat 1930 Ford pickup truck parked out front, and this week I stopped and snapped this picture. I love antique cars and trucks.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/1930FordPickup.jpg
“It is generally believed the word “honky-tonk,” meaning a bar with a dance floor and stage for musicians, first appeared in print in 1894 in the Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Oklahoma). A jazz orchestra played at Murphy’s, and nickelodeons provided dance music for patrons of the “choc” beer joints or honky-tonks in Krebs, located in Oklahoma’s coal mining district.”
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/D/DA007.html
Oklahoma City Historic Buildings, Oklahoma City. This self-guided walking tour is included in the City Maps and Walks iOS app. Download the City Maps and Walks app from iTunes.
http://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/oklahoma-city-historic-buildings-5898.html
This week there was a big crane on the west side of Ardmore’s First Baptist Church at 1st Avenue and C street SW. The crew was there to repair louvers at the top of the tower.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/1stBaptist062513a.jpg
Last Friday morning I traveled to the Dolese rock crusher south of Plainview school to get a load of crusher rock. Traveling back home via Crinerville Road I passed a huge pile of dirt.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/CrinerRoadDirtPile.jpg
The road signs all show Crinner Road, but that is a typo. The signs should read Criner Road.
Criner Hills: A small group of hills southwest of Ardmore is known as Criner Hills. They were named after the earliest resident of the hills, John B. Criner. John was born in Sherman, Texas in 1859 and the family moved in 1860 to Indian Territory. John made the hills his headquarters for various ranches he operated at Thackerville, Tatums, and Brock. He was one of the first settlers south of the Arbuckles and lived for 98 years, witnessing the tremendous growth of the area he pioneered. He died at his home in the Criner Hills in July 1948. -from Paul Frame’s ‘History of Ardmore’
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PaulFrameHistory1976.jpg
Early last Sunday morning there was a momma deer and 2 baby deer in our back yard. Sweet.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ThreeDeer062313b.jpg
Today at 4:00pm the thermometer on our front porch read 104 degrees. TOO HOT.
Q. How many Oklahoma women have been named “Miss America”?
A. Six Oklahomans have held the title Miss America.
Q. How many manmade lakes in Oklahoma?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of June 27, 1998:I been thinking about getting one of those cameras that doesn’t use film…… take pics, then use a cable to download them to the computer. I sure could use one taking these pics all over Oklahoma. Maybe someone knows where I can get one at a good price.
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Last April 4th we had the Chili Cookoff here in Ardmore. This is a pic of the Kid’s Day held at Central Park that day. The guy in the blue hat and outfit is my friend Al Hamilton. He DJ’d the event for the kids (DJ for KVSO Radio).
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/kidsday1998.jpg
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I guess my friend Leroy “Mac” McDaniel really got me into this “travelling” thing. He called me one Saturday in March and asked if I wanted to go riding with him and take some pics. I said sure! So we just headed out…. not knowing where we were going. Here’s a photo of probably the skinniest water tower in Oklahoma, if not the world. We found it in the small community of Burneyville, Oklahoma. Burneyville is just a few miles west of Marietta on Highway 32, then south a ways.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/BurneyvilleOKtower1998.jpg—————————————————-
From This and That newsletter archives of June 26, 1999:
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This week I received an email about the painting The Night Watch. The painting, by Rembrandt, had been damaged three times. Here is the feedback I received this week:
“There were three incidents, not two. The 1975 incident was the worst. Large pieces of canvas were lying on the museum floor after a psychic cut the painting. It took a long time, about half a year, to restore the painting. This was the first time all old varnish was removed. The 1975 damage can still be seen on the painting (not very clearly, but if you know where to look for it…) April 1990 another patient threw acid on the Night Watch. Thanks to an extremely quick and adequate reaction of the guards damage was limited to the varnish. By the way: the guy who did this cut and severely damaged a Picasso in another Amsterdam museum last month.”
http://totallyhistory.com/the-night-watch/
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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…..
“Enjoyed the comments from Elaine and from Troy Loard about Boardtree School and Rose Hill Church – have heard my Mother and my Uncle Bill Alexander talk about both lots of times! These were some of their favorite childhood memories. Both they and some of their siblings went to school at Boardtree and the family went to church at the little Rose Hill Church. Haven’t been in that area in years and seriously doubt I could find the locations mentioned.” -Judy Smithers Ferrell
“Butch: The notice in last week’s T&T that Dorothy “Dot” McClure, Red Everette’s daughter, retired from the First National Bank brought back some long ago memories. Keep in mind I’ve reached a time in life when my imagination and my memory often get confused with each other. As I remember (65 years ago) Red Everett’s Store was about three miles north and about a mile south of Paschall’s Village which was at the southeast corner of Lake Murray State Park. Only three or four farmhouses and a lot of open space with scrub oaks and meadows were in between. Bert Paschall had a championship pointer bird dog. He and I often hunted quail in that area. We often stopped at Red Everett’s for something to drink and “shoot the breeze.” As I remember the store was a stone building on the south side of the road and had a post office on Hoxbar Star Route. I don’t specifically recall ever meeting Dorothy, but she surely must’ve been around. She probably was just a kid. Anyhow, we sat around the stove on cold November afternoons showing off our “take” for the day and Bert bragging about his dog. Those were good days. I’d love to hear some of Dorothy’s stories.” -Don Davidson. Brenham, Texas
“I was a young lad of about 4 when that twister went thru town. I was staying overnight with my grandparents just north of Rose Hill. We all slept through it even though it twisted the house on the foundation such that I fell flat on my face running out the back door the next morning. The steps were about 2 feet to my left when I hit the ground. The goat barn was gone but we saw it laying in the neighbors pasture. On the way out to it, we found the nanny on the ground with a broken neck. Not a plank in the barn was even loose. A neighbor about a mile ne of us was wrapped around a tree. Killed them both.
I was looking on my map for the location of Ghost Holler. I found Anschutz Rd but could not identify Beaver Rd? Can anyone help me zero in?’
T. E. (Thal) McGinness
Conroe, TX
[email protected]
“Butch, here is an interesting article and at the bottom you can watch the film. I saw it last year at a special showing in OK City. It is nicely done. These biologists made it both interesting and informative. Apparently, like for so many critters, we have pretty well paved over the areas where they once lived, and with the help of insecticides, have killed off most of their food supply – those big red ant hills that we all knew as children were one of their big foods. (Boy! Those ants could sting bare feet that got careless!! My dad would chew up a small amount of his Prince Albert smoking tobacco and put on my stings to stop the pain. You and other folks might enjoy reading and watching the movie.” -Joh Gainey, Sulphur
http://www.reptilechannel.com/lizards/wild-lizards/where-did-all-the-horny-toads-go.aspx
“Hello Everybody: After a week of chores, chipping paint, repairing stucco, and preparing our viga-installed, Southwest Styled home ready for painting, Jo and I gladly headed our new Versa down the early-morning Interstate to Winstar’s super-cooled entertainment landmark on the Red River’s north bank. We were anxious to get away from the endless labor, heat, and into air-conditioned recreation. Winstar’s endlessly constructed wonder is a great place to relax, to gawk, and to explore.
I do make a big thing of this construction marvel located out in the middle of a once forlorn, high-lonesome, and practically undisturbed flora and fauna habitat; where hidden fence boundaries stand peculiarly evident from blackjack, scrub oak, and various other endemic growth, marking off domiciliary miles until Winstar’s unexpected spectacle interrupts the free-flowing countdown. A few years ago, absolutely nothing existed with these weed-infested pasture lands but sand-blown peanut fields, an occasional weathered farm house, dilapidated barn, and faded outhouse. Now, amidst acres of cement and macadam paving, we enter the enriched area’s cosmopolitan drawing card, a bustling and humming landmark-decorated entertainment edifice: its elegance and industry scarcely hinting of once relentless ennui. High
rise Hotels surprisingly greet the eye, looming over other construction still in progress around the hard to imagine busy landscape. The surprise is not in the huge 18-story hotel complex, but the distance one must travel from this sand patch to find similar height and square footage — perhaps a hundred miles to north or south and much further to east or west.
Being a guaranteed winner when we roll to a stop in Winstar’s roomy, four-story parking garage, we ride the speedy elevator down to a world of neon, glitter, melodious sounds and friendly directions to a bounteous and free buffet breakfast. If you like veggie-laced omelets, expert chefs will flip them to your special order — as many eggs and veggies as you want. About fifty or more other choices wait in the four serving lines and at the many bars and tables loaded with equally popular selections. Your choice! It’s an oasis; it’s a starving man’s paradise. We don’t diet at this breakfast; we just ‘pig out.’ That’s how we determine whether or not we’re a guaranteed winner. It’s free!
Additional to a catered buffet, The Highrollers music group make their usual high-spirited entry, enjoying breakfast and a little friendly camaraderie with regular breakfast-teers before taking center stage; that’s right, it’s two hours of nonstop music variety and performance. Each band member a star in their own right, the troupe has established a special rapport with fans across the country and presents a highly regarded program, twice weekly, for Senior dining and dancing pleasure.
We, within close driving range, count ourselves lucky to enjoy proximity to this enviously situated entertainment complex. Sometimes the freebies cost a wee bit at the gaming devices; however, oftentimes we leave Winstar better-heeled than when we arrived. But who’s counting? Winstar pays a bundle to feed so many — last week I estimate they prepared about 12,000 eggs! And, just guessing: they must have catered about two ocean-tankers full of coffee, milk, and assorted juices! And they gave away about $30,000+ in awards to Seniors! Wow! Jo and I collected our $10 each on both days,
Not only did I win about $40 this week (I’m a very modest gambler), but Jo had accumulated enough points on her Passport Card to buy our dinner at El Fenix, one of the many interior, on site, restaurants — about a $20 dinner value: — once again, more free stuff! This must be the good life I hear everyone talking about! As usual, Jo is pretty tight with the info, so I don’t know whether she won or not. Oh, and I won another bet on a horse at Arlington Park. I bet two but only won on the one. It paid enough to soak up the loss on my loser and still furnish a little profit. I have two horses bet, to win, at Evangeline Downs to be run tonight (i’m still $40 winner even if they lose!) So, regardless of what Jo did, I’m flying high.
Even if I had quit the day a loser, I would be there next week, ready to dine, ready to listen, and ready to play the Winstar game. I’m having a lot of fun and don’t intend to quit! Besides, you know, I’ve said it before: “God hates a quitter.” Until next week.” -Ben
1980 – A diamond buying trip to Missouri with my best friend Houston.
Houston and I worked in the oil fields around Wilson together for several years. Everyone knew Houston peddled diamonds on the side right out of his company truck. Now in all sincerity and honesty, he had quality diamond rings, bracelets, drops, or loose diamonds of every size shape and design. His prices were so low, he would guarantee that if you would have appraised a diamond he had that you wanted, and it did not appraise for twice the price he was asking, he would give it to you free. But if it appraised for twice or more what he was asking, you had to pay that price. He never lost a time!!! And now to the diamond buying trip.
I knew he was getting diamonds from some man in Missouri. He invited me to go with him on a buying trip to Rolla, Missouri. We would stop along the way at pawn shops and see if we could pick up some bargains. So we made plans. We left early on a Friday morning. First stop I think was in McAlester. Couldn’t find anything. Next stop was Muskogee. Again no luck. Next stop Tulsa. We found a pawn shop on a rather busy street. Went inside and asked the man if he had any big diamonds. He said how big and Houston told him 2 or 3 carats. The man said let me go back and check my vault.
Meanwhile, while we were standing there waiting, a little old man walked up between us and said would you be interested in buying this? And he flashed a great big diamond ring. Houston said sure, and the guy said follow me outside, I cant do business in here. Well we left and there he stood on the street, cars whizzing by. Houston said let me see it. It was 3 carats or better. Houston got out his loop and looked it over real good. How much you want? 2000.00 bucks he said. Houston said no way. It has some trash, clarity not that good, etc. I will give you 1500. The guy started whining that the ring belonged to his dad who had died and it had sentimental value, etc. Houston said I aint buying sentiment, I’m buying a ring. They finally settled on 1700.00 When we left the old man wanted to know where Houston lived cause he might want to buy it back. Houston, said yeh yeh. It was a beautiful man’s ring.
Houston tossed it to me and said it’s to small for me, you wear it. I put it on and lord how it did sparkle.
I drove down the street with my hand hanging out the window so the sun would hit it and God it would sparkle. We made a couple more pawn shops after that.
We went in to one place and asked if they had any big diamonds? And the guy asked how big? Houston said show him that one Ken, so I took it off and let the guy have it. No we don’t have anything that big.
Houston asked if he would appraise it. Sure, A few minutes he came back. Houston said what will you give me for it? The guy said well we cant give you anywhere what it is worth, but would probably give 40 to 50 percent. And how much is that? Oh probably 3000 to 3500.00. If you went to Zales, it would probably cost 6500. to 7000.00 dollars!!! I like to have s**t. Here I was driving down the street with my hand hanging out the window with a 7000.00 dollar ring hanging on my finger. I refused to wear it after that. Houston just laughed. Stopped in a few more places, but with no luck to find “big” diamonds.
Finally arrived in Rolla, Missouri to meet Harry ?? When we finally find where Harry lives, it is in a Mobile home. I wonder what we are getting in to because Houston has never met Harry in person, only to talk to him on phone.
He had been introduced over the phone by an old war buddy who had been buying diamonds from Harry for years. Harry trusted Houston and invited us into his home. Harry at this time had to be at least 80 years old. Somewhat active but you could tell he was feeling his age. His wife was there. As I remember a sweet little old lady who invited us in to sit down and offered us a drink.
She said Harry just got in from New York and she had mixed him a hi-ball to relax him. Really a nice couple . Everybody’s Grandpa and Grandma. We sat down at a folding card table and Houston asked Harry if he had anything new? Harry said I don’t know, I haven’t really looked at it that close but let me go get it. He returned with a big brown paper sack and proceeded to dump it out on the card table. I never seen so many diamonds of every description in my life.
Houston begin going through the things and would ask Harry how much for this or that etc., and they would reach an agreement on each piece. No quibbling or bartering, you took it or put it back. I just sat back in awe. When they got thru, Houston had bought around 10.000.00 worth. He paid cash! Also told Harry to send certain other rings he wanted when they arrived. When we left that night we had somewhere around 17000.00 worth of diamonds on our body. I was damned nervous. Of course Houston had a gun, but I was still nervous. I asked Houston, how much money was laying on that card table?
To be honest, Ken, I cant tell you but probably somewhere between 2 and 3 Hundred Thousand Dollars!
No doubt in my mind that most of these diamonds were slightly warm. Harry would fly to New York, make contact with someone buy them for 10 cents on the dollar and bring them back to Missouri, spread them out and this way they couldn’t be traced. I don’t know how long this had been going on, but a lot of people were getting good diamonds and at a cheap price. Houston always maintained that they came from Safety deposit boxes that Harry would go to New York and bid on them. But there were too many. I believe Houston, but I will always have that gut feeling.Well that’s the story. True to fact my wife still wears one of them today. It is a pink gold ruby ring. Ask her and she will show it to you. more funny part of this story. Houston didn’t believe in credit. He had an easy payment plan. “One easy payment and it’s all over with” -Ken in Wilson
“Anybody know when the Grady, Oklahoma reunion is this year? My cousin in Kansas wants to know.”
“Hello Butch, I was wondering if the book “Ghost Towns of Oklahoma” by John W. Morris would be of interest to the person with a request for information about Oklahoma ghost towns in your June 13 newsletter. This book has been published for many years by the University of Oklahoma Press. And is available in paperback at $21.95. Thank you for all the great stories and information you share with us.”
Lois Proctor
The Bookseller
614 W. Main
Ardmore, Ok 73401
580-223-8642
?Pray don’t talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me quite nervous.? -Oscar Wilde
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
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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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