The Davis Progressive
Davis, Oklahoma
April 25, 1895
Hidden Treasure At Cobb Springs
Davis like all other towns has her excitements, and of late, many a sleepless night has been spent by a few hidden treasure enthusiast in their vain efforts to dig up an earthen jar containing $48,000 which was supposed to have been buried a few years ago in the vicinity of Cobb Springs. A large number of holes are evidence that the treasure hunters have worked unceasingly from dewy eve to early morning for the treasure that in their minds was probably beneath their very feet. But alas their hopes were blighted and their fond ambitions were doomed to a bitter disappointment. The report came to town one morning that some of the parties who were passing the place had noticed a jar laying on the ground which from all appearances had been recently dug up and was suppposed by them to have contained the hidden treasure. Quite an excitement ensued and several visited the scene. The enthusiasts are now carrying little pieces of the jar in their breeches pocket, eying each other with a suspicion bordering on jealousy, while they undoubtedly look at their little relic and think “what might have been.” Cobb Springs is quiet now, and all that is left to remind one of the activity and stir that once provaded the place, is hundreds of worthless holes in the ground, which we sincerely hope will prove to all future generations, “all that glitters is not gold.”
Q. Name the son of Daniel Boone who traveled through Oklahoma?
A. Captain Nathaniel Boone, son of Daniel Boone, under orders of Gen. Zachary Taylor, Army Department Comdr., in summer of 1843 lead exploratory expedition of western prairies. Party departed from Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma May 14, and reached as far north as central Kansas. Party crossed Cimarron River July 1st, and made camp just south of River on Trader Creek on Sunday July 2nd, 1843.
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a whimsical tower with a spiral staircase, inspired by the Space Age and the Möbius strip.
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
A Glimpse Into The Past
The Daily Ardmoreite
October 8, 1922
Salvation Army Home Celebration Begins
The Salvation Army is grateful to the citizens of Ardmore for the interest that it has been shown in the erection of a building of which the organization is proud, according to Commissioner William Peart, who arrived here at noon with a party of divisional officers from Oklahoma City.
When Captain Maggie Nobbs came to Ardmore early in 1919 she was “not taken to heart” and for several months it was only her determined spirit that kept things going. She saw a great field and it was not long until she had the right kind of support. Since that time she has forged slowly ahead.
Start Was Small
Dedication of the $40,000 citadel at the corner of 1st avenue and A Street Southwest, tonight at 7:30 marks the peak of her work. This is the 3rd home to be built in the state, and in comparison with wealth of the cities, it ranks first.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22508740/maggie-nobbs
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
Q. “What was in Ardmore’s Builder Bob building before he moved in it?
A. BJ Hughes Oilfield Services. They did acidizing, fracking, and other well treatments such as cementing the casing after the wellbore was drilled, that required downhole pressurized fluids
https://www.bakerhughes.com/
From my Vol 3, Issue 117 July 17, 1999 newsletter:
What I go through just to bring a piece of the past to everyone. Last Sunday I stepped on a cow patty trying to get a pic of Cobb Springs in Davis, Oklahoma. I obtained a copy of a pamphlet about Davis, Oklahoma, and in it was mention of Cobb Springs. Cobb Springs, along with Turner Falls, was the two primary things that drew people to Davis, OK around 1900. Nearly everyone in this area has heard of Turner Falls, but Cobb Springs??? That was a new one for me too. So we stopped at the Davis Museum (depot) and this most gracious lady there volunteered to take us to Cobb Springs.
Cobb Springs lies at the dead end of Swanda Drive in SW Davis, just south of Green Hill Cemetery. Had it not been for this Davis historian, Opal Heartsill Brown (1908-1999), we never would have found the Springs. It was behind some private property. What Ms. Brown told us was Cobb Springs was really a set of springs….. maybe five, where each one created a little lagoon of its own behind this property. I was able to walk down to one of the lagoons, after jumping over an electric fence used to keep the cattle in, and stepping right smack dab in the middle of a stinking cow patty. Oh brother. But it was worth it…… here is the pic.
July 1999- The Honorable Judge Lee Card’s courtroom here in Ardmore received some remodeling this week. Years ago the banisters and railings were painted with a dark brown paint. Now the natural wood grain shows through. Very nice. In the photo is James Lindsey (1957-2020), Chief of Maintenance at the courthouse.
In 1930 there was an all out war being waged in Ardmore, Oklahoma on slot machines. Parents were mad that their children were using lunch money on the slot machines in local eating establishments. Ouster proceedings had been brought earlier against former sheriff Ewing London of Carter County, mainly because he would not enforce prohibition laws and do something about the slot machines operating within the county. Here is the complete story:
The Daily Ardmoreite
Monday, January 27, 1930
Ardmore, Oklahoma
War Renewed on Slot Machines
Eight Ardmore Places Raided by Con Keirsey
Operators Arrested on Warrants Sworn Out by
John L. Hodge, County Attorney
HODGE PROMISES PROMPT ACTION
Charges Filed in Court of Fount Duston,
Justice of the Peace
Renewal of the war on the operators of slot machines was started
Monday morning big league style when Con Keirsey, constable for
Ardmore township, armed with warrants issued by the county
attorney, raided eight places in Ardmore, seized the machines
and arrested the operators.
Keirsey explained that insistent demands from citizens of
Ardmore that something be done to eliminate the practice of
operating the devices have been pouring in for some time. He
mapped out a careful campaign, he explained, working up a case
of each machine in detail. The operators of the machines have
been formally charged with operation of a slot machine in
violation of the law.
Charges have been filed in the court of Fount Duston, Justice
of the Peace, for preliminary hearing. Six of the eight
machines were brought to the county attorney’s office by
Keirsey before noon Monday. Others will be picked up, the
officer stated.
Warrants Issued
Operators of the machines who were served with warrants
and told to post bond at once were Jake Williams, J.B. Ponder,
J.W. Berry, F.H. Clark, Emmett Goode, Bill Kirby, Jack Gray,
and Mrs. Press Roberts. The defendants are operators of small
cafes and newsstands.
Keirsey said the defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest,
in an effort to settle the long argument over the devices for
once and for all. Several attempts in the past, each
terminating abruptly through issuance of court orders or for
other causes.
The law, according to John L. Hodge, county attorney, is
specific as to operation of the machines, and it will be the
intention of his office to handle the cases with thoroughness
to sift this troublesome matter to its bottom.
Keirsey explained that many minors were playing the machines
and the parents were worried over the practice.
Wasted Lunch Money
“One mother,” said Keirsey, “reported that she gave her son
lunch money and that the boy oftentimes wasted the money on the
slot machines and that parents were worried over the practice.”
“I have also evidence that the tokens taken from the machines
were used for trade and thus have value and being value come
under the provisions of the state law.
Slot machines have long been a bone of much attention in
Carter county. They featured in one of the attempted ouster
actions against former sheriff Ewing C. London in a major way.
Two or three grand juries have been specifically instructed
to delve into the matter. Several peace officers have tried
to handle the situation and in each case some obstacle has
forestalled a definite final solution of the problem.
This is the first wholesale filing of charges in connection
with the practice.
Talking about the prohibition wars around 1930…. the assessor’s office at the courthouse here, in a room with windows next to the street, is a piece of the past. Back in those days, when drive by shootings with Thompson submachine guns were common in the big cities, I guess being afraid it might happen here in Ardmore, they installed a heavy duty roll down metal curtain. This “metal curtain” rolls up into a large round holder where it is kept out of the way. I guess if a shooting was suspected, they’d quickly pull down the metal overhead, completely covering the window to the street.
Be that someone that makes everyone feel like a somebody.
See everyone next Thursday!
Butch and Jill Bridges
236 Timber Road
Ardmore, Oklahoma
580-490-6823
butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
https://oklahomahistory.net