The Marietta Monitor did a feature story this week on the Bill Washington Ranch House in Love County. I vaguely knew about the Bill Washington Ranch near Marietta, but thanks to Ron Jacobs and his research in the Museum Musings I was enlightened to more detail of this historic place. Just click on this link to read the full story by Ron Jacobs …… CLICK/TAP HERE
As I read Facebook Posts and what it costs today to re-roof a house, it just blows me away at the high cost. I remember back in 2001 or so I had to re-roof my house at 224 E Street SW. I put a free classified ad in the Sooner Shopper (no FB back then) and a Juan Moreno called me saying he could do the job. His quote beat all the others. I paid Lowes for the roofing delivered to my house. Juan and about 3 or 4 others came and did the job. They had to tear off the old roof before beginning. I think I paid $400 for the 3-tab roofing and Juan charged me $700 if my recollection is right. Anyway, I had nothing but praise for Juan and his crew. When they finished he had them pick up every ittty bitty piece of shingle on my lawn before they left and also ran that rolling magnet thang-a-ma-jig all over the lawn to pick up any left over nails. Juan lived just off Lake Murray Drive on Masters Street SE. I don’t know if Juan is still around/alive but I’m sure he is retired by now. Every time I see a post by Mary Moreno I think of Juan Moreno and wonderful job he did re-roofing my house. Juan did not need a bond. His word was his Bond, plus a handshake, was all that was needed.
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Frontier Airlines, my first plane trip from OKC to Dallas, February 16th 1964. I had a window seat and how ironic, I’m heading to Fort Polk Lousiana for Basic Training, I look out at the wing, and I see under the thin coat of silver paint; ARMY SURPLUS. -Ralph “Poss” Ford
Hello Butch, I just finished reading BUD BALLEW: Legendary Oklahoma Lawman published in 2008 by McInnes and Ritchie-McInnes. I think you recommended it to us a while back and I bought it but did not read it till just now. It is interesting in that it is chock full of data in re Ardmore, Carter County and Oklahoma. There are so many familiar family names revealed within the book’s pages and’ of course, all the communities in Carter and the surrounding counties. The relationship Ardmoreites had/have with Wichita Falls is quite familiar, too. My Dad was born in Soper, Oklahoma but grew up in Claypool which is between Ringling and Waurika. We actually lived in Duncan when I was born in Chickasha, so all the data about Wilson, Healdton and the other smaller western Carter County villages was quite familiar. It is a good read and all of us who grew up in Carter County will be reminded of how “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. -Bruce Bennett
Deputy-Sheriff Bud Ballew’s name was rarely missing from the issues of the local Daily Ardmorette and Ardmore Statesman newspapers from 1910 to 1920. Many tempted fate and lost their lives when coming up against Bud Ballew, whose exploits were known throughout Oklahoma and the West. By 1920, he was receiving national and international attention for his reputation with a revolver.Bud Ballew: Legendary Oklahoma Lawman is a complete chronicle of the life of this incredible gunman and peace officer, who met his end in a shoot-out in Wichita Falls, Texas, on May 5, 1922. His legend lives on in this action-packed book.
Source: Publisher. Also available on Kindle format/download
HAM Talk By Butch Bridges KC5JVT – Allstar node # 58735 – Echolink # 101960
The Arbuckle 97 Net is held every Sunday night at 8pm. Hope to hear some new HAMs checking-in. There were 14 Check-Ins last Sunday which was one of the better turn-outs! Actually 15 check-ins including me. My name was left off. 🙁
Below is from my newsletter archives dated
July 24, 2008 – Issue 600
I was thumbing through County Superintendent Kate Galt Zaneis 1923 School Book, and Cool Branch School caught my attention. Cool Branch was located just north of Ratliff City back in 1923. With the temperature hovering around 100 or more the past week, it sure would be nice to take a dip in that cool water that flowed near the school house.
“Way up in the northwest corner of Carter County on a hill overlooking a beautiful little valley, stands a little white school house which takes its name from the merry little stream that winds down the valley below.” -Journal of Carter County Schools 1923
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Monroe Cameron sent in some neat pieces of Ardmore history this week. Two photographs taken in the late teens or early 1920s of his family’s refinery at the NE edge of Ardmore. Of course today we know it as Valero Refinery. Here it is in his own words:
“Dear Butch, I ran across these photos of the Cameron refinery north of Ardmore. They are from the late teens or early 20’s. In the first photo you can see the Imperial Refinery in the upper left corner. I believe the Imperial site is now a Superfund cleanup site. They went bankrupt in 1934. The Cameron refinery was bought by Wirt Franklin and became Bell Refining. It is currently owned by Valero. When it began operation, the capacity was 1,600 barrels per day. Valero now claims it’s capacity as 85,000 barrels per day.” -Monroe Cameron
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One of my great uncles, Caes (Cass) Key Murphree (1887-1927), fell to his death off one of those oil tanks in the photos above back on Septmeber 21, 1927. I mentioned his daughter, Ivadee Vojtek, in last week’s T&T.
Last week Jill and I stopped at our favorite catfish place to eat here in Lone Grove, but this time I didn’t order the usual. I ordered frog legs. I hadn’t eaten frog legs since I was a teen. Back in the 60s my cousin Jerry Carmon took me frog hunting using a flashlight and spear, and caught several on the Walters property, east edge of Ardmore.
Bill’s Catfish in Lone Grove is one of those best kept secrets in this county. If you’re in the Lone Grove area, stop by, you won’t to disappointed. A senior’s catfish meal is only $4.95 and its plenty to eat!
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Now here’s a pic of those frog legs. They are good, but come in a second to the catfish platter.
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Last week Carter County Commissioner Bill McLaughlin’s road crew had been working out on Mt Washington Road near Caddo Creek. They left a bulldozer nearby overnight, and when they returned the next morning someone had painted a water color of the bulldozer on cardboard. The artist left their signature on the water color, and also a hand written note on the back that read: “Keep up the good work”, with their initials underneath. Now the mystery. No one can read this artist signature, so maybe someone out there can look and tell us who night have painted it. Whoever they are, they sure did a beautiful water color painting.
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This is a close-up of the signature in the lower right hand corner of the painting. Does anyone know the artist?
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“I need help in finding more information about the life & history of Lt. Col. Raymond Harvey, I believe the first Indian recipient of the Medal of Honor! I’m hoping that some of his close relatives can give us some information, and hopefully can email us some photos. Some of our members want to install a brass plaque in his honor in our Museum, since he lived here in Sulphur for several years duing his school days. FYI, we have information from WIKIPEDIA, the Department of Defense, and the Arlington Cemetery.
Also, we would appreciate any photos and history any of your readers have about Sulphur. Thanks for continuing to put out such an interesting weekly volume of information! -C. Roland Earsom
“Hi Butch and Jill, From this weeks T&T, the third of Duane Stephens’ pictures is a train hauling Rip Rap in Air Dump Cars. These cars are designed to dump rip rap or other stone materials to either side of the track to protect the road bed. During the 1957 flood, we used these cars to dump rip rap on the curve just south of the Big Canyon plant, in an effort to keep the track from washing out. The work crew dumped 7 cars while we loaded 7. This was repeated for 30 straight hours. We lost the battle and the river won. We lost the track and entire road bed but we gave it a heck of a try. Also from that T & T. I remember Buck Hale very well. My Big Canyon days were a very happy time in my life and I worked with some great people. I finished my working years in the Aggregate Sales Dept. for Dolese Bros Co, in Oklahoma City. I am attempting to attach a picture of the flood that I mentioned above.” -Roy Miller, Oklahoma City
“Hi there Butch, These old postcards were in my grandfathers album and there are some pics of lovely old homes….my grandfather and his family stayed in Ardmore for awhile during the 20’s maybe some earlier and later this was the address on the postcard 1012 West Bixby Ardmore Oklahoma, do you know if that home is still there? He had pictures of people he knew in front of a very beautiful home (very ornate) with an iron fence around it with the caption “first house with an iron fence”. I wish I could get a copy of the picture but it’s glued to this rather large scrap book along with photo’s of a parade etc. I was hoping someone may have some information about my family Daniel N. Walling and his wife Lillian E. Walling their children Lawrence J. Walling, Charles C. Walling, Gladys Walling and Martha Walling. Daniel Walling’s father was J.M.(?)Walling but I don’t know what the J.M is. I do know that Dan & Lawrence were builders and Charles married Arquilla and had C.C. Walling Jr. Is it just me or does the old man on the post card look like the old man in the photo? Jeez I know that’s alot to bite off but I desperately would like to find out as much as I can about them and where they came from. Thanks for any assistance”. -D.N. Cannon (Walling)
momabearto4@yahoo.com
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“Hey Butch: Cache Creek and its many tributaries is shown on the map I sent you (by email) several years ago, of Oklahoma and Indian Territories circa 1900. I see it (and West Cache) extending from the area about 40 miles north of the military reservation at Fort Sill in the Kiowa and Comanche counties on down to where they join Deep Red Run which feeds into the Red River near the southeast corner of what is now Cotton County. It is NOT near Altus. That one was the “Elk”. The Cache probably feeds what is now known as Lake Ellsworth and one of its tributaries (I think) would also feed Lake Lawtonka. The Cache is also found on this 1928 map of Oklahoma Highways.” -Roy K.
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“Hi Butch, Lately I’ve noticed several of your viewers mentioning the O’Savior farm in western Love County. This is indeed of interest to me. Frank O’Savior, who the farm belonged to at one time, is buried in the Eastman Cemetery which is located on the farm my husband and I now own. This land has been in my family since the early 1900’s. For those who may be interested his tombstone reads:
Frank O’Savior
50 Years Old
Died – Feb. 5, 1920
This cemetery is also in Love County, in the Eastman Community which is 12 miles northwest of Marietta. Anything I see about the O’Savior family is always of interest to me since Columbus (Tumby) O’Savior, a brother of Frank, lived with my family until his death in 1953 at the age of 103 years. He came to my family in 1936, a little broken up cowboy. He was very dear to me. My Dad remembers the time he first saw him, somewhere around 1926, when he came riding up, what is now known as Eastman Road, on a little spirited Indian pony. Underneath him was a beautiful Navajo blanket. My Dad said he was a sight to behold. He had worked at one time on the well known Washington Ranch which was located southwest of Marietta. Columbus could not read or write his name. He sat and rocked me many, many hours when I was a little girl. He died 1 month after I married and left home. That was in November 1953. I just thought I would like to share this with anyone who is interested in the O’Savior family.” -Betty Keller Rackley
Tough times makes tough people.
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net