Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected] , 580-490-6823
On Friday April 22nd at 2:00pm the Greater Southwest Historical Museum in Ardmore will be host to a small group of individuals who survived the 1966 airplane crash NE of the Municipal Airport. 5 of the 15 survivors (83 perished) have been located and will be the honored guests that afternoon to commemorate the 50 year anniversary since the plane went down in the Arbuckle Mountains. The survivors expected to be in attendance are: Dennis Heins, Virginia; Terry Mayers, Nebraska; Danny McNutt, California; Rosalio Tobias, Texas and Ted Edwards of Wyoming. Also in attendance will be about 35 family members of those who died that Friday evening April 22nd in 1966. The museum is inviting the public to attend at 2:00pm. Seating for 100+ will be setup inside the building.
1954 street scene of downtown Healdton, Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/HealdtonOKdowntown1954.jpg
I mentioned 2 or 3 weeks ago about one of the three crosses near Turner Falls was leaning over and about to fall. This week I received a photo, the crosses have been repairs or replaced, and all 3 are standing tall again.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/3crossTurnerFallsApril2016.jpg
Bomar, Oklahoma is south of Marietta, not much left but a few houses. This is an old photo of the depot at Bomar.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/BomarOKdepot.jpg
This is an old photo of the post office in Paoli, Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/PaoliOKpostoffice.jpg
This turkey tom and a couple of his ladies have been strolling through our place on a daily basis for a couple weeks. When we don’t see them, we can hear Turkey Tom doing his gobble gobble in the trees, so he is always around.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/TurkeyTom040116.jpg
I was in Gainesville, Texas today and stopped by the Cooke County Courthouse just to take a look see around. It’s a beautiful courthouse. There has actually been 4 courthouses, but the present day courthouse was built in 1911.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/CookeCountyCourthouseGainesvilleTX041416a.jpg
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I talked about Nate’s Raw Unfiltered Honey a few months ago and how I could not find it in the Ardmore area. When in Gainesville, Texas today I found it at the Walmart store there.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/NateHoneyGainesviilleTX.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/NateHoneyGainesviilleTXCloseup.jpg
A few pavers I sandblasted.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/NormaGossettPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MikeMelissaJohnsonPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/BSA/BSAMichaelWelchPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/BSA/BSAJohnWelchPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/BSA/BSAJohnnyWelchWoodPaver.jpg
Well, it’s been over a week now and several bricks, but the Dust Deputy is working even better than I expected. Hardly any dust ends up in the shop vac which means a lot of time saved cleaning and/or replacing the filter inside my shop vac. Wish I had bought one 3 years ago when I started my sandblasting projects.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/DustDeputy041416.jpg
You can find current gas prices for a particular Oklahoma town by entering the name or zip code in the GasBuddy search box.
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/
In the summer months 60% or more of your electric bill can be attributed to the air conditioner running day and night to keep your house cool. Several of my friends have found out how to reduce those high electric bills by maybe 15% or more. The Okie Power Saver takes difference of the watts you are being billed for, and what you are actually using, and recycles those watts. The Okie Power Saver is a great way to reduce that electric bill and save money year round.
Q. Where in Oklahoma is the Great Salt Plains?
A. The salt plains national refuge is 8 miles north of Jet, Oklahoma in Alfalfa County.
Q. An Oklahoman has been transforming his yard with retired bowling balls since 2006. They form a fence, cover a shed, and appear in assorted sculptures. The yard is open to the public during select hours. Where in Oklahoma is the “Bowling Ball Man?”
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of April 13, 2002:
A Reader sent me a map of Oklahoma, no ordinary map, but one depicting the state as it was in 1895. The map is too big to put in my T&T links, but I did crop it down to a smaller size, only showing the Carter County area. One place I noticed right off is Wilson, Oklahoma. We have talked about the location of Wilson, Oklahoma before it was in western Carter county. Before statehood it was SE of Ardmore. When that Wilson existed, the one in western Carter County was called “New Wilson”. Later it just became just Wilson. Here is the map I cropped down.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/OklaMap1895inset1.jpg
To see the full size 1895 Oklahoma map (it’s 1.6 megs), you’ll need to go to okstate.edu website and download it. You’ll find the map plus a wealth of other digitized geographical maps and the like for downloading.
https://www.library.okstate.edu/collections/digital-collections/oklahoma-digital-maps-collection/
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“This was another good one. The one who mentioned the “Red Top Stew” and the cafe on N. Washington especially. My dad and brother would go in for lunch and get the red top stew always. Dad would stop there on Fridays before coming home and get a couple of quart fruit jars of that chili. I often put the chili on top of stew for my husband and I and he really likes it. My brother and I used to go to the Ritz on Saturday afternoon. They ran the “serials” and we had to get that weeks story of “Flash Gordon” or whatever was running then and of course the western, Hopalong Cassidy, Red Rider, Gene Autry or Roy and Dale. The admission was $.10. Daddy gave us a quarter each and we had !5 left so we could get a RC, Milky way and Charcoal gum. Those were fun times.” -Jo Evelyn Franklin Barton
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“Today I learned that a friend of mine is also a bell collector. I think she said she has about 200 of them. Someone asked about when Commerce Street was opened. I don’t remember the date it opened but they were working on it when I was married on July 31, 1947. I don’t think any of it was paved at that time. I don’t know why anyone would want a Krispy Kreme donut if they could have a Schwake donut. We used to drive up to Sulphur a lot after church on Sunday. Schwake’s was not open for business but they would be baking for the next day. They would let my husband in to buy donuts. They would melt in your mouth. Former Ardmoreite Hal Smith owns several Krispy Kreme Shops and the donuts are good but nothing like Schwake’s. They still have the bakery there but I think they just deliver, they don’t have a retail store. I was down there today but didn’t think to check. Will check next week. I am sure that you have a picture of the bell in front of the library at Sulphur, or is it in front of the fire station? The film on which I took pictures of the outhouse in Union Valley is being processed. Will bring you the pics next time I am in Ardmore or will mail them to you. Someone mentioned the theatres at Sulphur. I remember when I was 17 and the Outlaw was showing in Sulphur at the theatre on the South side of the street. I was going with my future husband at the time and my cousin was going with his best friend. We went to Sulphur one night to see The Outlaw with Jane Russell that was supposed to be so bad. I never did tell my Mother that I went. Now it would be rated PG compared to what they show at the movies and on TV. You were supposed to be 18 to get in but I always did look older than my age so had no problem getting a ticket. If anyone living in Southeast Ok sees Dogwoods blooming, please get the information in T & T. We missed them last year. Got there too late. Does anyone know about the Dogwoods in Idabel? They planted 1,000 trees one year and I wonder if they are blooming yet. The Azalea Festival starts April 6, in Muskogee. Will call Mon for the best time to go. That is all I know for this time. Take out any of the personal stuff. I envy your going all these interesting places and learning all that information. Since I can’t do that, you keep it up and relay the info. I have not been well for over a month. For a month I had vertigo. Unrelated to the next thing. Spent two days in the hospital last week. Had Pancreatitis. The doctor said that two things cause it. Your gall bladder and drinking alcohol. I don’t have a gall bladder. I had a margarita about two years ago and have had a few half glasses of wine since. See what that hard drinking will do to you!!.” -Frances Dunlap
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“Hi Butch. I have recently shipped a very badly cracked bell to Florida at the Consolidated Casting Co. Its a man by the name of John Allen who is one of a few that will take on recasting a broken bell. Most large foundries will not give individuals the time of day but he will help and was reasonable. If you know anyone who has an injured bell under 400lbs weight of iron Get in touch with me and we can direct them to him.”
http://consolidatedcastings.com/
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“We think we have found a bell for you. It is in front of the police department in Blackwell, Oklahoma (Kay County). Their address is 224 West Blackwell. They can be reached at 363-5490. Hope this is what you were wanting.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/bpdbell.jpg
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“Butch, I have a friend that forwards me your column which I look forward to receiving. I have noticed from time to time that early day prices are quoted and wonder what that would cost today. Well, I have just learned of a website that will convert U.S. dollars from any date to the equivalent in actual spending power for any other date.”
http://www.westegg.com/inflation
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“I found the lyrics for “Red River Valley” at www.lonehand.com That’s a great site for old cowboy and Civil war songs. Plus a lot more. Seems “Red River Valley” is an old Cowboy song. I haven’t found any history on it to know if it is about the Red River Valley on the OK side.
http://www.lonehand.com/
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“Butch, here is the Gene Autry, Oklahoma photo I have been trying to get open. There is Pee Wee King, Minnie Pearl, Doug Autry, and Don Davis. I remember the log cabin in town and was there the night it burned.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/GeneAutryTradingPost.jpg
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“Butch, we enjoy all of the T&Ts. I especially enjoyed your description and history of old Boundary (now Monroe) street in Ardmore. It brought back a lot of happy memories. I think most of us living in the Ardmore area in the ’30s and 40’s well remember the circus grounds located at the intersection of Washington and Boundary. We can remember getting up real early going down to the rail road station and watching the Ringling Brothers circus unload and then proceeding north along Caddo Street thence over to North Washington and finally north to the grounds. If we lived close by, when we woke up in the morning, looked out the window, it looked like a scene from the Arabian Nights with all of the tents and exotic animals. i also remember the Clyde Beatty and Cole Brothers circuses and how we could get in free by watering the elephants. We also remember the many carnivals and especially Friday afternoon…kids day…all rides were a nickel. It was then converted into a Class D Base Ball Park, the home of the famous Ardmore Cardinals, managed by Dutch Prather and the announcer was Puny Sparger who always ended by saying “You can’t beat Ardmore.” I believe tickets cost .50 cents. It was an inexpensive way of staying cool in the ’50s. Probably the demise of baseball was caused by the invention of air conditioning and television. Now its a school and those happy days are gone forever. Finally I would agree that the town leaders should think seriously before they change the name of a street. A lot of history was lost when Boundary was changed to Monroe and more especially when Caddo street, the most colorful historical street in Ardmore, was changed to….I believe….A street. I can remember some of my cousins living in the country coming to Ardmore on Saturday in a Wagon,. parking in the Wagon Yard off Caddo, our parents spending most of the day shopping, buying groceries and feed while we wert to the Ritz and saw a western “shoot em up” for ten cents. We still call it Caddo. Have a good week.”
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..Butch, “THE” AHS class of ’56 is* having their 60th Reunion in Ardmore this Friday and Saturday 15/16 April 2016. You will be able to pick out most of the famed and renowned members – especially the girls – walking around town and driving past old homes (and Lincoln School) because they will have a smile on their faces happy to back on the sunny side of the Arbuckle’s – one more time! -Gary Heartsill
Tough as nails,
Hard as bricks,
Senior Class of ’56!
“The letter from Mr McCrory caught my eye. I also had a Kiwanis Jr Police belt at Washington “Grade School” way back “when,” although 4-5 years later than he did. One day I directed traffic as students were arriving for class, a car failed to stop at my signal, so I reported him. Later the same day, the driver apologized to me in the office of the Principal. Such power!!” -Donald Bridges
Here are 3 scans of old post cards from Ardmore, Oklahoma. The Ardmore Ice Company, the Whittington Park Swimming Pool, and Main Street Ardmore on July 4, 1907. -Robert Hensley
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/ArdmoreIceCo1908LocatedJustOffBroadwayAndEstreetNW.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/ArdmoreMainStreet4thOfJuly1907.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos16a/WhittingtonParkSwimmingPoolArdmore.jpg
Q. “Hello Butch. I am trying to bring an older laptop back from the dead. It has Windows XP on it. I seem to remember that you replaced XP with another operating system and you told us about it. I save all your newsletters but I can’t remember which one had the software replacement in it.” -Bruce
A. “You are talking about Linux Mint. But remember, you can’t run any Windows programs on it. It comes with its own similar programs, and with Firefox internet browser. It is a great operating system. It can even put burned to a DVD (don’t think it goes on a CD) and made into a Boot Disk. Then you don’t have to put on the hard dive, until later. How don’t remember how right now, but I’ve done it, you can put the Linux Mint on a Thumb drive and boot from that.Your old laptop will be slow, so you have to have patience.”
?The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.?
―William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
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