The Daily Ardmoreite July 16, 1957
How now, atomic cow? The State Health Department has been asked to investigate reports from Bryan and Johnston county there’s some supercharged hay being consumed on the Swald Raggett ranch north of Kenefic.
It all started when Lewis B. Leach took his scintillator to the ranch to test some rock formations. Nothing happened. Then he happened by a barn loaded with hay and the instrument jumped all over the place.
Same thing happened at another farm nearby.
Dr. Seals L. Whitley, Bryan county health officer, ask the health department to investigate although he doubted the disturbance resulted from atomic bomb fallout.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about but we’re sending a man down to investigate,” he added
The Daily Ardmoreite
April 2, 1916
Cushing, Oklahoma
Police chief wounded in gun battle
Cushing Chief of Police shot in head, may die
Robber also shot both, in hospital, gang captured
Chief of Police Jim King is in a hospital here tonight fatally wounded and a man who is said to have done the shooting occupies another ward in the hospital with a shotgun wound in his chest. It is thought he will recover.
With a bullet wound in his head, and another in his right hand, it is not thought that Chief King can recover. The shooting occurred late this afternoon when Chief King attempted to arrest four men near the Katy Depot. He was advised by the men, one of whom carried a suitcase, that he had “better move on.” When he attempted to search one of the them, all four drew guns. A free for all gun dual followed. The chief of police was the only one wounded. He was first shot in the right hand. Taking his gun in his left hand he continued to battle the four robbers. After emptying his revolver, he fell with a bullet through his head. The bullet entered his cheek and came out at the base of the skull. The robbers fled.
A posse of more than 100 citizens set out in pursuit of four men. Three miles north of town, officers Peyton and Gilbert overtook the bandits. Another gun battle ensued. After more than 50 shots had been fired, Bill McQuall, the leader of the gang, fell with a bullet wound in his breast. When they saw their leader drop, the other three bandits surrendered to the officers, who escaped without injury.
McQuall was taken to the same hospital where Chief King had been taken. The other three men were locked in the county jail. They refused to give their names. They also declined to talk to the shooting scrap, saying only that McQuall fired the shot that struck Chief King.
The grip which was recovered, was filled with valuables of various kinds, which officers say were stolen.
April 6, 1916
The Cushing Citizen
Wounded officer and bandit improving
Officer James King who was recently wounded in the face, is, according to all reports, rapidly improving and will soon be able to be taken to his home. He has been sitting up some of the last two days.
The bandit who was wounded while resisting arrest in connection with the shooting of officer King is still alive, though in critical condition and very weak. He is said to be suffering considerably.
August 16, 1925 The modern way to listen to the engine is to stand at the back of the car and while the motor is idling, hold the sole of the shoe across the end of the exhaust pipe in such a way as nearly to block the escaping gases. There should be even firing. A regular miss will be an indication of spark plug trouble as a general rule. But if the exhaust is “mixin’ ’em up,” as repair men say, the trouble is more complicated. This often is an indication that the spark is too far advanced.
Jack Thompson and Travis Harris opened the world’s first “coin operated” car wash on Thanksgiving Day in 1962 at 803 West Main in Ardmore.
On January 21, 1984 a 14 year old from Lone Grove, Oklahoma traveled with her dad, John Simpler, to Nashville, TN to record her first album. That young lady was Lori Simpler. Below is a link to a 18 second clip I made from her song “Someday”.
https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.190.156/knn.c7e.myftpupload.com/ttphotos11a/someday.mp3
“Someday”
By Lori Simpler
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
Songwriters: Danny Puckett, Lone Grove
and Greg Jean, Ardmore
Recorded January 21, 1984
“It hurts me to see you unhappy,
Someone like you shouldn’t be,
If I could change the hands of time you’d be with me,
And I’d give you the love you’ve needed so long.
Yes baby you know that I love you so,
But there’s too many hearts in the way,
But baby, who knows, some where some way,
Maybe you and I, maybe someday.
It’s hard being lonely, no one caring,
When we have love we should be sharing,
You remember when he forgot,
You gave me strength when he would not,
So tell me if I’m wrong for loving you.
Yes baby you know that I love you so,
But there’s too many hearts in the way,
But baby who knows, some where some way,
Maybe you and I, maybe someday.
Maybe you and I, maybe someday.”
Funny how one’s mind can flash back to something years ago. Back in the 1970s we had a Cliff Mitchell who worked at the Ambulance office. An insurance man stopped by the office to collect a monthly premium from employees Joe Pack and Bill Lewis. As he was leaving he saw Cliff sitting on the couch watching TV. He asked Cliff if he needed any life insurance. Cliff replied, “My wife’s RN certificate is my insurance.” LOL I have always wondered what happened to Cliff Mitchell. He was a LPN and his wife an RN. Last I heard, years ago, they moved to New Mexico. Maybe someone knows about Cliff. -butch bridges
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a whimsical tower with a spiral staircase, inspired by the Space Age and the Möbius strip.
A. It is called the Playtower and located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/save-the-bruce-goff-playtower
Q. What town in SW Oklahoma is named after a creek?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
“Hi Butch. You ask if anyone remembered Ardmore’s Boundary Street. Yes, I do. I remember when the carnival use to set up on the North side of Boundary and North Washington, and also I remember on a few occasions there would be one of the old Traveling Medicine Shows come to town and that is where they would set up. My mother would always buy a bottle of the snake oil. Another wasted dollar. LOL. That would have to be 1939 to 1942 are so. Another little tid bit about those same years on up to about 1949 or so. Highway 77 coming thru Ardmore you had to turn east on Broadway up to K. Street, then north on K. Street to 12th Ave. Then west on 12th back to the highway. That strip from Broadway to 12th. Ave was dirt road. Our house was at 1201 8th Ave N.W When they built the highway on thru we had our house moved to 1329 10th N.W. The old house was still there 3 or 4 years ago and still may be. This info just about tells my age Ha. Love reading the T&T. Keep up the good work.” -Joni Williams Phelps
Q. Butch, were was the Noble Building?
A. 100 West Broadway. The Samadan Building (Noble Energy) until transferred to Carter County Government.
Below is from my Vol 3, Issue 122 August 21, 1999 newsletter:
On August 10, 1983 on an oil lease south and west of Ringling, Oklahoma Kevin Magee was injured working on a rig. My friend Joe Pack was working on the ambulance that day. The Quintin Little Oil Company here in Ardmore had a helicopter at that time and sent it to the scene. It was decided to transport Magee in the helicopter instead of the ambulance. Joe gave me the following picture of him at the helicopter. It was Joe’s first and only ride in any aircraft. He told me he really didn’t care to take another ride in a copter. Joe’s the one in the center holding the Ambu resusitator.
https://oklahomahistory.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/packhelo.jpg
North of Ardmore 15 miles is Turner Falls. This is a pic of the “horseshoe curve” in front of the Falls entrance (Highway 77). I sure hated running Code 3 (red light and siren) through those curves. I-35 was not finished through the Arbuckle Mountains until the Fall of 1970.
https://oklahomahistory.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ucurve.jpg
“Butch, I’ve meant to ask this before now, but time wouldn’t permit me to sit down long enough this past week to sit down and send this e-mail. Someone mentioned the “doodle bug” thing in the last week or two. There are several of us from southern Oklahoma that also did the “doodle bug” thing when we were kids, but we can’t remember all the words. I don’t believe the words to this were written on your “This & That”. Do you know all the words to it? I just always kinda figured it was a southern Oklahoma “thing”. Maybe not… You put a lot of work into “This & That” – has a lot of great stuff in it. I always enjoy going through it and see what interesting info you have for all of us. Good job!!!”
“Hi There! I love your “This N’ That” of course and thought I would send you some trivia I got in a mailing. You, being a big bell buff, might already know this but here you go… Why is the famous London clock called Big Ben? This popular misconception is a great trick question to stump any bothersome know-it-all. Few people realize that the name belongs not to the clock, but to the bell in the clock tower that’s been ringing out the time of day since 1859. Its familiar sound began to gain international fame and familiarity when it was first broadcast on the radio in 1923. The bell is big, all right: seven and a half feet tall, nine feet in diameter, thirteen and a half tons. But that’s not how it got its name. Its installation was supervised by the Commissioner of Public Works, Sir Benjamin Hall. Sir Benjamin’s height and waistline were both substantial, earning him the nickname of “Big Ben.” The press and members of Parliament affectionately gave that name to the new bell, and it stuck. (Source: THE WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA)”
“After reading the stories about Brown Springs, brings back old memories. One Halloween my friend and I went riding around with some guys from Thackerville, OK. They decided they would take us to Brown Springs to scare us. We were trying to act brave, so I started up the hill to the old grave yard to show them where it was, (I had been there in the day time) over half way up we hear chanting and see smoke from a camp fire, I thought I was being set up for the ultimate scare, so I was being brave and trying to play along, till we came to a knife stabbed in a tree, with fresh blood on it. We all saw it at the same time, I blamed it on the boys, but after seeing the look on their faces, I knew it was time to get out of there!! All four of us were so terrified we could not even scream, we got in the truck, and no one said a word till we were back on highway 77 headed to town. I was told later that devil worshiper “wanna be’s” went up there and sacrificed small animals as a part of a seance type ordeal. I didn’t care what it was it terrified me. That was back in 1990. I have been up to the cemetery again since then in the daytime “only” and found some pretty neat history as far as the tombstones. My husband and I have drove on that road a hundred times going to the river to fish, and camp just southeast of the Springs, and have never had anything crazy happen, but that doesn’t mean the hair doesn’t stand up on my arms everytime we are there!!”
“How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” -George Washington Carver
See everyone next Thursday!
Butch and Jill Bridges
236 Timber Road
Ardmore, Oklahoma
580-490-6823
butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
https://oklahomahistory.net