PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected], Phone: 580-490-6823
It is now Thanksgiving evening as I finish up this week’s newsletter. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving with all the food and family gathered around the table. Another year is coming to a close soon, and we should give thanks for all the good things that have come our way during the year.
October 1933
State Fish and Game Commission has exercised it’s powers and declared the site of Lake Murray 16,000 acres in all as a game sanctuary from now on. Squirrel and other hunting must cease. Prosecutions are promised for each sportsman found on the land with gun and dogs. Game Rangers will be on duty at the scene of operations from now on. Hunters are worn to obey the regulation.October 1933
S. O. Maxey & Company of Durant, road builders, were selected by the state highway commission to construct the seven miles of paving on U.S. Highway 70 west of Lone Grove at a cost of $154,827. The strip, when completed, will provide a paved road to Wilson and to the point where the road to Healdton branches off. Three months of good weather will be required to lay the 20 foot slab.October 1957
25 million $1 bills bearing the motto “In God We Trust” are put into circulation by the Treasury Department. They are the first American paper currency to bear the motto. More bills are coming.October 1962
Carter County will receive from 2 to 5 hours warning of radioactive fallout in case of a nuclear attack according to Dr. Paul Cruse, County Civil Defense director. This is assuming the county would not be in a target area. The 2 to 5 hour time notification will apply if Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth, or Wichita Falls were hit. Sirens will be sounded in Ardmore, Healdton, and Wilson. In most cases the best shelter is in the basement. Piling dirt on top of storm shelters would provide almost complete shielding.October 1933
W. F. Clowdus, a pioneer of the Keller region of Carter county was among the first to settle Keller after the town was established by Bill Keller long before Oklahoma became a state. Clowdus recalled many exciting experiences, “Especially did people of that locality make it unpleasant for the cattle rustler, and the horse thief, and made it safe for honest men to raise livestock.”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 is the tallest building in Oklahoma?
A. The 50 story Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City.
http://www.news9.com/story/14701712/touring-devon-tower-oklahomas-tallest-building
Q. What town’s first public swimming pool was created by an accidental explosion during an oil well fracturing job at a well site?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of November 23, 2005
Rapid Robert’s. Now that’s a play on words. So what is Rapid Robert’s? A T&T reader in Wynnewood told me everyone in that area knows about Rapid Robert’s. Its one of the best places in Pauls Valley to stop for gas or pick up some last minute items before heading home after a long day at work. Rapid Robert’s is just east of I-35 and the Pauls Valley exit about just 1/4 mile to the east at Indian Meridian Street. That’s the first traffic light east of I-35 and Highway 19. Rapid Roberts was built around 1986 and started out as an appliance store, but that soon closed. That is when Bob Rodgers took over the building, turning it into a convenience store named Rapid Robert’s. Bob’s daughter, Jenny Sue Rodgers, was named the OU Homecoming Queen this year.
Rapid Robert’s changed hands in 1998 and David Cathey became the new owner. David among the first subscribers to my T&T nearly 10 years ago. My how time is flying by, I can hardly believe its been that long. David contributes to the mailbag regularly and even includes photos he takes with his digital camera of Oklahoma places. I stopped in at Rapid Robert’s last Saturday and talked to David, and he said he’s going to take some pics in Paoli, Oklahoma soon. Paoli is just a 7 miles north of Pauls Valley and there is an interesting piece of old history still there, so I can’t wait until David fills us all in on the details and photos.
This is a pic I took of David Cathey standing at the checkout counter at Rapid Robert’s along with one of his clerks. The second photo is an outside view of the store.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/RapidRoberts5a.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/RapidRoberts5b.jpg
————————————————————————-
“Good Evening Butch, I just completed reading the article in last week’s T&T about the “Lake Murray Meteorite” in your latest “This and That” column. The story reminds me of the time when as a young lad of 14 I observed a meteorite roaring across the fall sky at Connerville, Oklahoma in the year of 1944. The sighting of the meteorite occurred as follows:The Huge Rumbling Meteorite- In the early evening on a late, fall day of November, 1944, several of us Connerville, Oklahoma boys were using our homemade slingshots plinking at bullbats as they dove for mosquitoes. As we shot at the bullbats, we heard a rumbling sound coming from the sky. We looked up into the sky toward the east. From our position we saw a large burning and smoking object streaking across the horizon moving rapidly in a northerly direction. It emitted a trail of fiery burning black smoke and a rumbling sound as it noisily passed across the upper atmosphere. We continued to watch and listen as it roared from us in its northerly atmospheric path. Nothing about meteorite was mentioned on radio our only means of media. As far as I know there was no mention of it in the newspapers published in Ada and Tishomingo. At that time none of us boys had no knowledge of a meteorite. However, we later learned through the local grapevine that it was a large meteorite. It probably was hundreds of miles high at that time of passage as it streaked across the horizon. But to us boys the meteorite looked much closer. It is uncommon to see a meteorite that close to earth, but it is rare to see and hear one at the same time during the day light hours. Perhaps someone else might have seen the same meteorite. If so, please notify me.” -Grant West
————————————————————————-
In the Davis, Oklahoma museum is the equipment used by Mr. Paris Price in his broom making factory located in Davis years ago. I find these pieces of equipment so interesting. I’ll tell you, for a small town of about 3,000 Davis, Oklahoma has a great history museum!
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/DavisMuseumBroom2.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/DavisMuseumBroom3.jpg
————————————————————————
Mill Creek high school building, Mill Creek, Oklahoma 1910.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/MillcreekHigh1910.jpg
————————————————————————
“Butch, look at the water fall again and see a standing nun immediately below the second red circle, who is dressed in black.” -Grant West, San Antonio, Tx
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/TurnerFalls110105b.jpg
————————————————————————
“Hi Butch, How are you doing these days? I have to tell you that you’ve done it again, I can’t tell you the number of times T&T has reminded me of me of my youth and experiences. The first movie I ever saw was Walt Disney’s “Song of the South” (Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and the Briar patch with Uncle Remus). The second was “Ghost Riders in the Sky” I vividly remember that Saturday show for a lot of reasons. I went to the Valley theatre in Water Valley Mississippi for the matinee by myself, I was about 5 (sister left me at the box office she had a boyfriend to see). My grandfather gave me a quarter to spend, I felt like a millionaire. I spent 10cents on a RC COLA and a MOON PIE before the show, it was then and STILL IS a great Southern treat. The next 10cents was for the admission to the show. I still remember Vaughn Monroe and the other cowboys riding off in the clouds at the end. I enjoyed it so much I had to put my last 5cents in the John Ruskin cigar box that was passed around the seats if you wanted to see it again and I DID. What I didn’t figure on was half the town and old Sheriff McGonigal were out looking for me since I didn’t come home when I was supposed to after the first show. I wasn’t able to sit down for quite a spell after that neither could my sister. We can laugh about it now, so thanks for the memory Butch, I’ll be in touch. Have a good Thanksgiving.” -John Trusty, Illinois
————————————————————————
“Just wondered if you knew these two churches are now one charge for one minister. The Mountain Park, Oklahoma church is rapidly losing members due to old age and death of its members. It will probably be closed sometime in the future. The Roosevelt Methodist church bell, as you know, is located at the Snyder, Oklahoma Methodist Church now. Where will the bell at the Mountain Park church go? Should the Snyder church have two bells? Due to regulations on noise pollution, neither bell is now rung. Should they be placed in the county museum at Hobart, Oklahoma where they would be protected from the elements and vandalism? What is your thinking on this? An avid bell ringer.” -Vic Schoonover
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/RooseveltBell03.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/RooseveltBellCloseup.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/SnyderBell03.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/mtpark.jpg
————————————————————————
————————————————————————Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
“Hey Butch, I’m sure I just missed this in one of your newsletters at some point, but I hear through the grape vine, (since I haven’t been down there in maybe a year), that Taliaferro Grocery in Lone Grove has been torn down and there is a new Valero station across the street. Is this true? Have you got any pictures? Also I am told that the two houses that Errol and Charlotte Taliaferro used to live in have been torn down. Let me know if you have any info on this when you can.” -Roy
Roy, Taliferro’s Grocery in Lone Grove is still in business. There is a new Valero Grocery that opened across the highway in the SW corner of Brock Road and Highway 70.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/TaliaferroGroceryValero111817.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos17b/ValeroBrockAndHwy70.jpg
———————————————–
———————————————–Today is Thanksgiving. We all need to stop and reflect back at the blessings that’s came our way this year, and give thanks to the God who is the giver of all good things.
‘We Gather Together’ originally written in 1596
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6gAE_ODosM
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges“Friends Make Life Worth Living”PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
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