PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected], Phone: 580-490-6823
The Daily Ardmoreite, September 12, 1948
Two Women Dead Result Ambulance-Truck Wreck
A 91 year old woman was killed, her 48 year old daughter-in-law fatally injured, and three other persons hospitalized in a head-on crash of an ambulance and a farm truck six miles north of Ardmore on Highway 77 at 7pm Friday.
Dead are: Mrs. Malinda Mae Garrett, 91, Gainesville, Texas, who has recently been in an old folks home in Tulsa, but who was enroute to her son’s home in Gainesville at the time of the accident. She died before reaching the Ardmore sanitarium and hospital.
Mrs. Geraldine Garrett, 46, wife of C. A. Garrett, a Gainesville carpenter and do-it-yourself laundry operator. Mrs. Garrett, gravely injured about the head, died at 12:45pm Saturday at the hospital. She had been given several transfusions during the night and only slight hope had been held that she might survive. She was riding in the ambulance with her aged mother-in-law and the impact hurled her the length of the vehicle into the windshield.
Less seriously hurt but confined to the Ardmore hospital and sanitarium for treatment are Bill Clifford Parks, 20, Prague, driver of the ambulance, Robert Eugene Vandiver, 25, Prague, assistant ambulance driver, John “Buck” Hale, 35, driver of the other truck involved in the crash and Mrs. Doris Hale, 31 of Gene Autry.
Hale and their 3 year old son, Larry, also in the truck with Mrs. Hale, escaped without injury.
Garrett, following the ambulance in his own car, was only a short distance behind and witnessed the crash which killed his mother and inflicted fatal injuries to his wife.
Marcus Carter and Theo Cobb, state highway patrol officers, who investigated the accident reported the following details:
Parks, whose father owns the ambulance, said that he was driving about 60 miles an hour. The ambulance, going south, was at the point about a mile and a half north of Caddo creek bridge on U.S. Highway 77.
The truck, owned by Pat Whitfield, for whom Hale works, was going north.
The ambulance had just passed a gasoline convoy truck. As it cleared the big truck, it came face to face with Hale’s vehicle.
Both drivers swerved sharply toward the shoulder, the result being a headon crash. The truck and ambulance were demolished.
The Harvey ambulances were dispatched to the scene and the injured admitted to the Ardmore hospital and sanitarium. The body of Mrs. Garrett was taken charge by Harvey funeral home. It was said the body would probably be removed to Prague for services.
Carter said that Garrett told him his mother had been a guest at the old persons home in Tulsa and he was dissatisfied with the care she seemed to be getting. He had decided to return her to Gainesville, and had gone to Tulsa and arranged for her ambulance journey to the Texas city.
Dairy Boy at Lexington, Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/DairyBoyLexingtonOK.jpg
Oklahoma City snow storm of 1968
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/OklahomaCitySnowApril1968.jpg
Muskogee, Oklahoma depot 1910
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/MuskogeeOKdepot1910.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/
Q. What was the first fort to be established in Oklahoma?
A. Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in Muskogee County. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 until 1888.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Gibson
Q. The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma is located in far northeastern Oklahoma. Who built the first brick home in the Cherokee Nation?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of March 15, 2005
The Arbuckle Historical Society of Murray County recently hosted a “SENIOR CITIZENS’ FORUM” of eleven persons who discussed “Murray County As I Remember It”. Each participant gave a brief personal history and then the moderator asked several general questions to get them started reminiscing about ‘the good ole days’! Ages of the participants ranged from about 75 to 96!!! Approximately 800 years of living in Murray County was represented by this group. Among the questions asked were: (1) What do you remember about the medicinal waters in Platt National Park and did you take mud baths while there? (2) During your early youth, what types of jobs did you do to earn money so you could buy licorice or hard candy? (3) Tell us some of the humorous or mischievous events in which you were involved. (4) What do you remember about the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in Sulphur? Etc.
The 90 minute program was both videoed and tape recorded so these stories can be utilized by researchers, students writing papers for history classes, etc. The audience was so enthusiastic about the presentation that the Historical Society is planning a second event, this time utilizing the next younger generation, persons between 55 to 75 years of age. Let’s all do our part to SAVE OUR HISTORY! Our Motto here at the Museum is: “YESTERDAY’S NECESSITIES ARE TOMORROW’S TREASURES ONLY IF COLLECTED TODAY!” -C. Roland Earsom
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“Butch: For the person who sent in the picture of the Hudson-Huston Lumber Company sign when you entered Gene Autry. The sign was in front of the lumber company which was located about 150 yards north of the downtown area on the west side of the street. I remember the lumber company going out of business, because we got their outdoor toilet. It was a good one, built out of first grade lumber. It was painted yellow, like the color of their building, and had a concrete base and a door that would lock from the inside. It was a one-holer. I am not sure if we paid for it, or just moved it when they went out of business, but either way, we used it for years.” -Richard Haney
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/GeneAutryPhone32.jpg
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“Butch– Recently, a friend of mine, Pete G. Pierce, III , gave me an Ardmore Rosebud Baseball cap for my grandson. I was interested in the history of the team. Having long time ties to Ardmore, that’s another story, Pete sent me an in depth history of the team. He used to watch them play at Cardinal Park. Since there has been lots of baseball talk from time to time in the T&T, I ask if I could share it with you. He was most agreeable. I think the readers (particularly the baseball buffs) will enjoy reading it. So, here you go!!”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/BaseballinArdmore.pdf
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The Daily Ardmoreite August 7, 1905
SHOOTING ON MAIN STREET
At 9:30 o’clock this morning three pistol shots from a .38 caliber gun rang out on Main street and Dr. J.P. FANN fell seriously, if not mortally wounded, to the sidewalk.
Dr. Fann was walking east on Main street and as he reached FELKER’S store, TOM McGHEE stepped out from the stairway leading up on the east side of the building and without a word of warning fired two shots in rapid succession into the body of Dr. Fann, only a few feet away. Fann fell to the sidewalk and another shot was fired into the prostrate body. Several gentlemen standing near say that not a word was spoken between the two men. When McGhee had fired the last shot he turned looking westward and raised the weapon into the air. He was immediately and without resistance taken into custody by police officer GEO. DeMOSS who with Chief of Police GARRETT turned him over to Deputy Marshal McKEE. Dr. Fann was at once removed to the Ardmore sanitarium where physicians promptly rendered every service that could be performed. When Mrs. Fann learned of the tragedy she became almost prostrate with grief.
Tom McGhee who committed the act has a wife and eight children in this town. He has been a heavy drinker for years. He has been absent from Ardmore for a number of months, returning here four days ago. It is said that he threatened to “have it out” with Dr. Fann since his return. For some time he has held a grudge against Fann. About a year ago he stepped up behind him and without warning struck Fann on the head with a rock. The wound however was not serious. Dr. Fann thought his anger to be a mere craze of a drunken man that would soon cease to inflame his mind.
J.W. WATTS who was standing in front of J.B. SPRAGINS & CO.’S store was struck by a flying bullet. The missile made a very painful flesh wound on his right leg below the knee. He was also removed to the sanitarium.
One hour after the shooting Dr. Fann was resting under opiates. Dr. J.C. McNEES stated that the most serious of the three wounds passed into the left side of the neck, cutting the jugular vein and lodging. The bullet has not been located yet. Another bullet passed through the right shoulder, and still another passed through the muscular tissue of the left side. Dr. PHILIP STEVENS was standing near the scene of the crime and hurried the wounded man. The blood was quickly stopped that was flowing from the wound in the neck and if Dr. Fann’s life is saved it will be due to the presence of Dr. Stevens whose immediate service kept him from bleeding to death. As McGhee walked up the street with the officers he said his only regret was that he had wounded a bystander. At 2:30 this afternoon, Dr. Fann’s condition was reported as being improved.
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August 10, 1905
Pauls Valley, I.T.,–The Santa Fe & Gulf railroad began this week the construction of an elegant new depot at this place. The structure is a combination stone and frame and will be one of the handsomest stations on the line. Land has also been secured by the Santa Fe for the location of a Harvey eating house. Three lines of the Santa Fe enter this place and two new railroads have parties in the field between here and Ada and Shreveport for lines to the coal fields with western terminals.
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..“Butch, Thank you so much for putting me in touch with Mr. Walker. He knew many of my relatives. It is exciting to find this connection suddenly dropped in my lap like this.” -Dave Coulter
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/OrrOKhistoryBook.jpg
Butch, the tower at KVSO TV in the Arbuckle Mountains was destroyed on April 2 1957 by a tornado. -Steve
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17a/KVSOtower1957.jpg
By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day. -Robert Frost
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443https://oklahomahistory.net
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm’s Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
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 Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us