PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
For several years I been trying to remember/find in my archives the mention of Ardmore’s main street address numbers being changed years ago. I have searched and searched to no avail. And I know I did not just dream the building addresses were changed. Well, when I was reading the below story, there it was, mentioned again. No telling how many researchers would find a place on Main Street with the address number, and if around 1900, not realize the true location was really a block away.
Daniel’s BBQ and Meals
In 1899 William Allen Daniel came from Colbert Bend, Indian Territory, to Ardmore, then in Pickens County, to serve as federal court juror for eight weeks. While here he bought a grocery store. The address is given on the old sales slip was Ardmore, Indian Territory, West Main Street, near Courthouse.
At the close of the court term, Will moved his family to Ardmore and began operating the grocery store. But not knowing anything about the grocery business, Will soon lost his shirt. He opened a barbecue stand across the street.
This was the three room building made of old planks. A sign on the front of the building said Meals 15 cents. Not only BBQ but complete meals were served in this rudely constructed shack. Breakfast was served at 4:30 am. Daughter Belle made the biscuits. Two other daughters, Molly and Lula, with Will’s wife, Lucy, worked long hours, cooked and serve the customers. Lula made the pies. Lucy wore the cash box on her belt. Will did his own butchering and cooked a half beef at a time. Water was carried across the backyard from their residence, the old Joe F. Robinson home place, located behind the Opera House on C Street Southwest, where they also kept roomers.
Unpaved Main Street was lined “bumper to bumper” with wagons loaded with bales of cotton as the farmers lined up to sell their new bales of cotton to buyers from all over the world.
Not only farmers and cotton buyers ate with the Daniels, but many townspeople as well; Roy Johnson, who became one of Ardmore’s leading oilmen; Mr. Cruce, a brother of the second governor of Oklahoma, said he ate there because of the good biscuits.
The Daniels operated the barbecue stand in the same location for several years, until the Air Dome Theater with a seating capacity of 700 was built on the site at 222 West Main Street. Daniel then moved his restaurant to the basement of the Robinson Opera House building. In 1904 to 1905 this address would have been 322 West Main, as that was before the street numbers were changed. Houses and buildings were numbered 100 to the block allowing 25ft for each number, beginning with number 100.
Will Daniel continued in the restaurant and rooming house building for 15 years, until age 70. In September 1915 at the time of explosion, the Daniel family was running the old Bruce Hotel on East Street Southeast as a rooming house.
-Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book 1982March 1959Senator Tom Tipps protested today rates are too high at Lake Murray Lodge. The average man can’t stay at the lodge, the rent’s too high. The rooms are too high, the food’s too high. I thought those lodges were for the people. Not for profit.
March 1935Blinding dust storms, described as the worst in memory, covered Oklahoma yesterday like a dense fog, and abated little overnight. So heavy was the gritty blanket of dirt that citizens lost their way as they went about town and schools were dismissed. It is said that four persons have died from the dust storm.
The past few months I have been researching lifetime website hosting to move my oklahomahistory.net website for safekeeping. If something did happen to me, I would hate to lose over 20 years of history when my present website came of for renewal. I just renewed it last month ($179) and renewal will come again March 26, 2020. If anyone has any suggestions along these lines or recommendations, let me know. Below is one lifetime hosting service I been checking out. There are others, I just need to check them out.
I’m also thinking about opening a GoFundMe account to help pay for the migration from my present hosting company to a Lifetime hosting server. Its going to cost several hundred dollars I’m sure to do the migration, etc. Anyone with suggestions on this too, let me know.
Q. Where in Oklahoma is the quirky, right from a Flintstone movie, is the Cave House located?
A. The Cave House in Tulsa is one of the quirkiest buildings in Oklahoma (if not America) and it’s full of history, hauntings and hair-raising stories. CLICK HERE
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a fountain of youth water falls with reported “healing powers” since the 1800s?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Below is a couple markers I made this week.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JaniceRoyalGraveMarker.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MoKeyDogPaver.jpg
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of April 26, 2007
South of Seminole, Oklahoma is a convenience store completely covered and protected by hog wire panels. Sure would be difficult for the average burglar to get in this place.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/SeminoleWire.jpg
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Doug and Scheryl Williams may have found what may be the largest wood pile in Oklahoma just south of Prague, Oklahoma.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PragueWoodPile7a.jpg
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This week Albert Cullum of Overbrook, Oklahoma paid me a visit. I always look forward to visits from Al because he always has some kind of history to share. Some of you will remember about 3 years ago Al shared a photo postcard of Al’s father taken on Main Street of Ardmore back in 1951 as some kind of promotional with KVSO. This week Al brought by a recent info page published by SOWC telling how they started back in 1969. It seems that Al, along with about 12 others, were instrumental in SOWC reaching the needed 1,100 subscribers for water meters as required to obtain the $1 Million Dollar FHA loan. The info letter was 2 pages, but I’m only going to print the first paragraph here, since it contained the most background history on SOWC.
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“SOWC was formed in 1969 by forward looking individuals with the idea of providing portable water to needy homes in Carter County. These individuals such as Herman Day, Albert Cullum, Dorothy Lacey, Ollie Testerman, Arvel Jones, Thomas Ayers, Melvin Sampley, Milo Watkins, Eldon Jones, Andy Arnold, George Washburn, Warren Jones, and John Hissom worked days and nights and weekends trying to get enough people together with a like mind to contribute $50.00 per meter to secure a FHA loan to build the SOWC water system. This list is a smattering of individuals that had a direct and active hand in the formation and building of the SOWC Water System. Many people worked long hours to get a reliable source of drinking water for the rural areas. There was a minimum of 1,100 contributions or meters needed to get that Farmers Home Administration loan approved. To secure enough people and receive the FHA money it was decided to expand the system into Love County. With this expansion and the subsequent contributions, SOWC was able to proceed with plans and become a reality.”
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A big Thank You to Al Cullum for sharing the above with everyone. I know there are 1,000s of people in this area dependant on the quality water system that SOWC provides, and I’m glad you played a part. Though all the rest of the directors named above have passed on, I’m glad you were still here amongst us to share this piece of SOWC history.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/CullumLester1951.jpg
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With all the rain the past week, the toad stools have really been sprouting near our house. To bad they ain’t the eating kind of mushrooms.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ToadStools042107.jpg
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“The American Bell Foundry Company operated from 1895 to 1924, so the Prague, Oklahoma Fire Department bell must have been made during that time. Like other makers of cast steel bells, they did not date their products, so it is impossible to determine just when this bell was cast. From the photo, it is clear that this bell was sold for use as a fire bell – it’s hung on a non-swinging yoke, the clapper has a double ball, and there are pulleys on the crossbars of both A-frames. In use, this would have had two ropes tied to the clapper, one running over each of the pulleys from the belfry down to wherever the bell was rung. Whoever rang the alarm would grab one rope in each hand and yank the clapper back and forth as fast as possible. This would produce a sound as loud as a swinging bell but with a much different rhythm. I’ve seen one original installation of a fire bell which had leather loop handles on the bottom ends of the bell ropes. I’ve seen another, from a different manufacturer, where the bottom ends of the ropes ran under another pair of pulleys and were fastened together, so that the alarm bell could be rung with one hand pulling the rope back and forth horizontally. The “NO 30″ is the stock number, which is also the approximate diameter of the bell. This was standard practice for all American makers of cast steel bells.” -Carl Zimmerman, Campanologist in Missouri
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/pragbell.jpg
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————————————————————————-Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Butch, your pavers are some of the best I’ve ever seen. I wish you would do more of them.
I need some help from you or your readers. My dad was born 25 Jan. 1900. He did not get to go to school until he was more than 8 years old because he was living on a Indian Reservation, which was located near Thackerville, Oklahoma. I don’t know the name of the Reservation or what tribe was there. Is there anyone one out there that can help me? If you can please respond to me at rgarnand@gvtc.com. Thanks. -Roy C Garnand
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Hi to all cousins and others,Marsha has been in contact with the current owners of the Berry and Angie Sessions spread (THE home of THE famous BLACK ROCKS) on Dundee Rd — Calvin and Anita Wade. At the Wade’s invitation, ALL of you are invited to come (including octogenarians) reminisce, play, and giggle as if in childhood around the Black Rocks — the subject of so many fond memories. The taking of many pictures is encouraged. Marsha will secure a little chunk of rock for analysis to perhaps determine origin. The best story she’s come up with so far — is that aliens from outer space deposited them there as a “happy times” playground for children, and so far, no scientific proof exists to refute that premise.
Plans are to get together at the Zaneis School Reunion around 11:00 for fun, fellowship, and lunch. After all the tales worth telling have been told — about 2:30 we’ll start congregating around a gate located about a half mile north of the original Sessions homeplace. (1 & 1/2 miles north of Hwy 70 on Dundee Rd.). Come prepared — we’re a’gonna do this come rain, shine, snow or sleet. We’ll have 4-wheel drive vehicles for shuttle to the Black Rocks if necessary.
We already know that some folks can come for one or the other of two events. Marsha should like to know by RSVP if you plan to come for “reunion” or “trek” or “both.” Please find attached the Reservation Form for the Reunion and Lunch should you need one.
Hope to see you there Saturday, April 27, 2019
Marsha and Richard Teague
405-377-3311 or marshateague@gmail.com
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Here is a postcard of the U.S. Jail in Ardmore, Ok. Circa 1910 -Robert Hensley
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ArdmoreOKUSJailcirca1910.jpg
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Comanche, Oklahoma 6th annual carnival of 1908. -Robert Hensley
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ComancheOKcarnival1908.jpg
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———————————————–“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it.” -Mikhail Gorbachev 2001
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