I’ve made some great progress the past week connecting people who unbeknownst to them had unclaimed property/money at the State Treasurers Office. Four years ago when I started I tried to keep track of the total amount, but I finally gave up on that idea. But I estimate nearly $100,000 the past 7 or so days. I know some people did the happy dance when I let them know, So I’m happy. Love my hobby. Below is the link to my online Google spreadsheet of Oklahomans with unclaimed property.
CLICK/TAP <—– this link to go to my online spreadsheet.
Years ago I made a webpage about Southern Oklahoma caves. When I converted my old website from HTML format to WordPress format, I forgot about my cave webpage. So I got it converted last week, and the link below will take you there.
CLICK/TAP <—-this link to go to my Arbuckle caves weblpage
Below is the old Lodge at Lake Texoma and is now the West Bay Casino and Resort by the Chickasaw Nation. The Lake Texoma Lodge, built in 1951, officially closed its doors on December 1, 2006.
Speaking of casinos, the new $44.2 Million 70,000 square foot LakeCrest Casino Hotel at Lake Murray had its grand opening Wednesday April 24, 2024. LakeCrest is located two miles east of I-35 Exit 29 on State Highway 70 and about 10 miles south of Ardmore. https://lakecrestcasino.com/
HAM Talk by KC5JVT via Echolink
Every Sunday night local HAMs hold their Net at 8:00pm. All licensed HAMs are welcome to check in.
The Boredom Breaker Net out of Claremore Oklahoma continues to grow with each day averaging 75 HAM check-ins. Seems nearly every day 2 or 3 new HAMs check-in for their first time to the Net. The Net is open to anyone who is a licensed HAM. Net opens at 12 Noon Oklahoma time everyday, 7 days a week.
From the Mailbag
It was 1961 when KXII added the Sherman studio, which was where the local news and some other programs originated. The Ardmore studio was considered the “home” base and the master control for many years, located at Lincoln Center and then moved to South Commerce in 1977. Lady Bird Johnson ownership sure didn’t bring KXII-TV into the modern age as quickly as other stations (in fact KTEN Ada was able to broadcast NBC shows in “Living Color” before KXII did) – Channel 12 News was still broadcast in black and white until around 1971 when the station finally got “live” local color. KTEN 10 News had been in color since 1967 or 1968 while Wichita Falls and Lawton stations were all in color in 1967 (OKC and DFW stations had color newscasts since the late 1950s). -Mark Potter
Hey, Butch, just a few pictures to show you what they are working on at Turner Falls. The bunk houses are already open. But they are working on the Tee Pees and covered wagons. -Bill Greenlee
And by the way the 3 crosses are standing tall on the mountian at the Cross Timbers Church Camp. -Bill Greenlee
Good old Double Coca-Cola; used to get dry ice from them to pack our gallon kegs of beer in to keep them cold. Thanks for another memory, as you know my memory is pretty good. One of my most beloved is PA Bridges buying us donuts at Small’s Bakery right after Dad’s funeral in 1949. -Poss
Hey, ”on-the-halves” > your quest for finding ”Okies” money that they didn’t know they have waiting for them is quite the ”cat’s meow”. I tried clicking on the link you provided in the T&T newsletter, but I got an alert that the site has a problem with scammers posing as the official Oklahoma.gov site. That’s all it took for this old fart not to go any further. Apple Mac is very good about providing alert warnings for its users. These days you just never know when you try navigating the ”web”. Since you seem to have success with this quest, see if any of my in-laws or out-laws have a cache of cash waiting for them > > Thomas Wayne Miller, Emmett Oscar Miller, Donald Emmett Miller or any other Miller from Ardmore. Just an FYI: did you know that law enforcement uses this site to capture ”wanted” folks (past due fines, warrants, etc) under the guise that there is money waiting for them. When these folks arrive to pick up their money > > BINGO, off to the ”slammer” they go ! Talk about a ”wet parade”………. -Steve
Oklahoma State Treasurer Website to check for unclaimed money. CLICK HERE
Below is from my newsletter dated
April 21, 2001 – Issue 209
Scrapper was a police dog in Purcell and when he died, they buried him just inside the entrance of the Hillside cemetery on Highway 39 West in Purcell. Scrapper’s marker reads:
“Badge No 61 June 1985 – June 1993 Here lies Scrapper, Purcell police dog, first narcotic detector dog in service with the police department for five years, during which time he was responsible for over two million dollars in drug and property seizures, Scrapper, a gentle eight year old golden retriever earned the respect of law enforcement agencies and criminals alike, he was a valuable asset in the war on drugs in Purcell and surrounding areas, Scrapper will always be remembered for his friendly face and wagging tale, he will be sorely missed by all those who’s hearts he touched, especially the dog handlers of the Purcell police department.”
Buried next to Scrapper are Purcell’s two fire horses from back around 1920.
The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, Monday November 8, 1943
Curious Coincidence Marks Tragic Deaths of Two Men Killed in Sunday Accidents
Air Base Sergeant Dies in Car-Truck Crash; Transient Texan Plunges to Death From Third Floor of Carter County Courthouse
Two deaths by violence, each independent of the other and yet both connected by a curious circumstance of coincidence, occurred Sunday morning and officers were kept busy with investigations most of the day.
The dead: T/Sgt. John P. Clark, 36, Ardmore army air base, killed when his car and a huge meat truck collided near the Avalon club south of town at 1:30am Sunday.
Otis Berry, 1224 North Akard, Dallas, about 40, who was killed when he either jumped or fell from the narrow corner window of the witness room on the third floor of the county courthouse. Berry was killed sometime early Sunday morning.
Connecting Link
The connecting coincidence hinged on the fact that a jacket found on the body of Berry was identified as one having been stolen early Saturday evening from Clark. Clark had reported theft of a quantity of clothing from his car.
Clark, in company with two other soldiers, T/Sgt. Leonard Gill and Sgt. Hugh G. Gwaltney, also of the air base, and Beatrice Scearce, Ardmore, was driving out of the parkway at the Avalon in Clark’s car. Clark was driving.
A large truck, owned by the Strickling truck lines, driven by Melvin Born, 516 Southwest 9th, Oklahoma City, was traveling south on U.S. highway 77. With Born was a sailor, T.W. Roberts, Norman, who was riding with the truck as a passenger.
The two vehicles crashed, demolishing the Parkard, and seriously damaging the truck which ground on for a distance and turned over.
Clark was caught in the wreckage and mangled. None of the others was seriously injured. Gill was bruised and slightly cut but was not sufficiently injured to require more then temporary first aid.
Clark had been acting as assistant to the billeting officer at the chamber of commerce for some weeks. His home address is given as 504 South Bonnie Brae, Los Angeles. His wife, Mrs. Janette Gray Clark, is postmistress at Wilton, N.D. They have two daughters, 11 and 9 years of age. His mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Clark, live in Jacksonville, Texas. He had been at the Ardmore base for some months.
The body was taken in charge by Bettes funeral home and was dispatched by the army to his parents’ home for burial.
Fall Is Fatal
The case of Berry is concealed in uncertainty. Berry, who was identified only by a social security card found in his pocket, is not known locally. John Smithers, deputy sheriff, said he saw the man late Saturday and apparently intoxicated on Main street. The officer was trapped in traffic and by the time he had extricated himself, the man had disappeared.
Clark reported theft of clothing from his car to police and said a man roughly fitting Berry’s description had been seen about the vehicle.
Sunday morning at 8am a passerby on the south side of the courthouse saw the crumpled body at the edge of the southwest corner of the building and notified police.
Officers investigated and Berry, his head crushed by impact with a concrete curbing around the shrubbery was found. He had been dead at least five hours, doctors said.
He was in his stocking fee, had a small sum of money on his person, wore Clark’s blouse and the social security card was only papers.
Through Narrow Window
A narrow window, less than a foot in width and the sash only two and a half feet tall, on the third floor of the courtroom was broken.
The window opens into a small room used as a witness chamber off the district court. In the room, officers found a pair of shoes, two hats, cigarette butts and a few capsules of some drug. A large coat rack had been turned over but a number of chairs were still erect and there was no other sign than the overturned rack of any disturbance. Fragments of the shattered glass were largely inside the building and on the floor of the room.
Tom Kyle, police chief, Gerald Tebbe, assistant county attorney, and sheriff’s officers sent a call to Oklahoma City and three state investigators were called in.
After considering all the apparent facts, the officers came to the conclusion that Berry had entered the courthouse through the first floor lobby, which is never locked, had made his way into the district courthouse and into the witness room.
For some reason, not known, they believe he then raised the narrow window sash and either leaped out or fell out. As he cleared the sill, the sash fell with sufficient force to shatter the glass. Berry plunged about 40 feet, his head striking full on the low concrete curbstone.
There are three other sizable windows in the small room, which for a number of years was used as a private office for visiting district judges. How it happened the man picked the narrow window is not known.
His body was also taken in charge by Bettes and was being held pending decision on what to do with it
“Butch: I want to make a correction to my contribution in a previous This and That concerning the location of Hoxbar. I had said Red Holt owned and operated the old stone store at Hoxbar. I was mistaken. Red Holt was a park ranger. The store was operated for years by Red Everett. I got the two Reds confused. I’m 72 years old and I guess I had another one of those “senior moments”. -Don Davidson, GRAND RANCH, Brenham, Texas.
“Thanks Butch for the “T&T News Letter”. You do a wonderful service to all. I just wanted to comment on the old Ardmore Airport one mile south of Springer,Ok. on Hwy 77– I was passing through and turned over to the location that was once a busy little Airport after WWII. — It was operated by W.R.(Bob) Goddard Flying Service. The head mechanic was a very qualified young man named Adrian Broughton. Mr.Adair and L.L.Wages were also aircraft mechanics there. A lot of the area people took their flight instructions for Pilot License at this location. We also did aerial spraying all over the state and Texas. Bob Goddard’s father was Charles Goddard who had a ranch and Game Preserve northeast of there. We also restored WWII aircraft to meet CAA standards for resale. I stopped by the airport site which is now a county maintenance facility and just by chance met a man who took flight instruction there too. I hope this hasn’t been too boring but I’m sure a lot of Ardmore pilots are still there.” -Lee
“I don’t know if you are familiar with the old Indian saying about when it thunders in February, there will be a cold spell around that time in April? Well, it thundered on the 15, 16, 17 and 18th of February and again on the 22, 23, & 24th. We may still have another cold spell around the last of April!!!! Remember old Thompson Tubby that predicted the weather here many years ago? Wonder what he would say about this? I never heard him give that old saying. Don’t put your long-handles away yet!!!!!”
“Hello Butch. I was just wandering how many of your T&T readers remember the old wagon yard that was just east of Central Park. You could drive in to Ardmore and leave the horse and wagon at the yard while you shop. In the later years, there was a lumber yard at this location.”
“Before statehood there were two schools in the territory now comprised of District 1. These schools were known as Young and Lane College and both schools were maintained after statehood until 1921 at that time the material from the two schools was used to build the existing Young school building which we have in 1923. Young school is located in the Northwest part of the county on the Ardmore-Sulphur road. Butch the location shown here as Northwest part of the county may be in error, because I think the Ardmore-Sulphur road was in the Northeast part of the county…..you may want to check this out.”
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” -Thomas Paine
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
580-490-6823
