PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
There has been lots of mention of the Hardy Murphy Coliseum the past week or so with the movement of the Mercy train from there to the depot. Robert Hensley sent in a old photo of Bruce Ross at the Ardmore rodeo back around 1950. The coliseum has sure changed through the years.
Bruce Ross bulldogging at the Ardmore rodeo. Circa 1950
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/BruceRossBulldoggingArdmoreRodeo.jpg
August 1957
The winning streak of the Overbrook Indians finally came to a halt Sunday afternooon at Lone Grove. The visitors had won fourteen baseball games in a row. Southpaw Jerry Johnson, halted the Indians on four hits Sunday in besting Jim Jack in a sparkling mound duel, 2-0. Pap Simpson paced Lone Grove with two hits in four trips to the plate.
July 1962
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol turned 25 years old on Sunday, July 1. The first 83 troopers completed their training on June 30, 1937, and took to the road the next day. The original troopers had no radios in their cars, and didn’t have a permanent headquarters. It was more than a year before the units were equipped with radios and then they were only one-way.
I created a Folder on my website just for the Mercy Train photos taken last Wednesday and Thursday when she was moved from the Hardy Murphy Coliseum to Ardmore’s train depot. I’ve added more photos since last week’s newsletter.
https://oklahomahistory.net/locomotive090617/
Speaking of trains, below are 2 photos I snapped in Lone Grove this week. The Santa Fe train smoker was originally kept on the Brady Ranch north of Ardmore.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/SantaFeBBQsmoker1.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/SantaFeBBQsmoker2.jpg
Some bricks I sandblasted the other day.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MarthaPatrickPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/PJdogPaver.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. Where in Oklahoma is the “1893 Hoosegow” jail?
A. Geary, Oklahoma
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/56687
Q. The statue Chief Touch The Clouds stood at the Astrodome in Houston for years. Where in Oklahoma does he reside now?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of September 15, 2005
Here is something interesting brought to my attention last month. Did you know there were jelly fish in Lake Murray? Well, there sure is, and here’s the proof! This beautiful little critter was caught on August 18, 2005 near Martins Landing on the east side of Lake Murray. There was a whole school of them floating in the water. They sure are graceful swimmers.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/LakeMurrayJellyFish2.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/LakeMurrayJellyFish3.jpg———————————————–
A couple times the past 3 years I’ve been at Lake Murray 7 miles south of Ardmore and took a number of photos. Several were taken from atop Buzzards Roost, one of the Bed and Berth, Lake Murray Chapel, the Lodge, main boat docks, Tipp’s Point, Elephant Rock, and others. Last week I put those photos in a Folder on my website for browsing through. I’m sure they will bring back some memories for many of you, especially those of you who moved away years ago. Enjoy!
https://oklahomahistory.net/lakemurray/
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Let’s not forget those oh so delicious Hamburger Inn chili coneys.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/HamburgerInnConey091505.jpg
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“Butch: I enjoyed reading Bill Spearman’s article mentioning Arthur Oakley. I was introduced into the love of flying when I was just a small boy. My Dad knew Arthur Oakley, and I got to go for a nice ride over Ardmore in a Travelair Biplane. I later took lessons when my employer, Jim Wade, put in a grass strip & hangar in East Healdton area, bought a Aeroneca Chief and hired a flight instructor to teach anyone that signed up to fly, he also did charter flights. Jim owned Wade Drug and I worked for him for a long time and I got my lessons for half price. I left his employment and took another job, then left for pharmacy school. He took on a dealership for Cessna planes and I understand he sold several. He did a lot of traveling in his own Cessna.” -Kenneth Eck
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“Hi Butch, I have a question that I hope maybe you can answer for me or if not maybe someone who reads T&T can help me with. On E-Bay there is an Old fishing lure which was made by the Capt. Hawk Lure Company in Ardmore. I asked the seller for information and he wrote back to me and said he was a resident of Ardmore from 1945-1985 and he had never known of the business. If you can help me with this I would appreciate any info that you could send my way. I have not purchased this item but I might in a couple of days if the price is right. Thanks.” -Roxanne in NY
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/HawkLure5a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/HawkLure5b.jpg
For more info on the Hawk Lure Company CLICK HERE
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“Butch, this is in response to Judy Bowman of Foster, Ok regarding heirloom gardening. I personally am not much of a gardener but I do know for sure that the oldtimers did all of their farming by the ‘signs’. For example you plant root crops in the dark of the moon and top growing veggies during the full moon. They also did all of their butchering, post hole digging, doctoring, and other misc. things by the ‘signs.’ I have forgotten most of it now. Even Mother did a lot of things by the ‘signs’. When it came time to wean my babies she told when to do it by the ‘signs’ and it worked. Neither of them ever cried for their milk. They were weaned in one day. I do remember that the kids were weaned when the sign was in their knees. To really understand oldtime farming a person would have to first learn the ‘signs’.” -Nancy Singleterry
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Santa Fe Cut, Arbuckle Mountains
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/SantaFeCut5a.jpg
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
“Butch, I noticed an article from your 2005 era by Bill Spearman. If he sees this article he may be interested in the photo of him by a Cessna 195 owned by Goddard Flying Service in Ardmore. Several months later while working for Goddard, I flew a prominent Ardmore oil lease broker and his family to Guatemala City in that aircraft for a holiday vacation.” -Virgil Harris
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/BillSpearmanPlane.jpg
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“Round and Round” by Perry Como 1957
Find a wheel and it goes round, round, round
As it skims along with a happy sound
As it goes along the ground, ground, ground
Till it leads you to the one you love
See everyone next week!Butch and Jill Bridges“Friends Make Life Worth Living”PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443https://oklahomahistory.netVicious 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