Mr. Harry Godfry Stong, a son of Tennessee, who was a federal office holder in that state for a number of years, is now an adopted son of Indian Territory, and has made Ardmore his home since 1894. He is the proprietor of the Wine Press Store, has a vineyard of three acres in connection, and manufactures grape cider, grape vinegar and church wine which he sells wholesale and retail. He possess a marvelous devotion to business, and for his family, for whom he has built a lovely home near his store, in the northeast part of Ardmore. He made the initial step in this county in the growth of grapes and the manufacture of ciders, etc, and has established an immense business which has increased from year to year. The close of this season witnesses by far the most prosperous year since the business was established. A line of groceries is also carried in connection, and every business transaction is on the only safe basis- cash. -from the Good Times edition of edition of The Daily Ardmoreite, 1899
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28523918/harry-godfrey-stong
Here is a photo of a building erected in 1912 on East Main street across the street from Daube’s Department Store. The building is named the Stong Building, 106 East Main (old Texhoma Office Supply, and was owned by the widow of Harry G. Stong (1861-1912), Retta Small Stong (1873-1937). Mr. Stong began here in Ardmore growing a wine vineyard north of “G” and 5th NE. In 1903 Harry Stong moved his family to their new home at 630 McLish SW, which at that time, he owned the whole block. Mr. Harry Stong died in 1912 of typhoid Fever. His wife, Retta Stong, was a sister to John Small, of Small’s Bakery at 204 H Street NE.
Photograph of Minnehaha Falls, 2 1/2 miles West of Bromide, OK. Chickasaw Council House Museum Collection and was provided by the Oklahoma Historical Society to The Gateway to Oklahoma History,
The old, now gone, OG&E electricity generating plant at Sulphur, Oklahoma. Completed in 1953.
National Rodeo Finals, Oklahoma City – 1971
Checker Cab Company, Ardmore Oklahoma
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Do you any of your subscribers remember anything about the A & W Root Beer stand in the 1950’s that was located on Lake Murray Drive where it turned back south at the corner of G. St. Southeast near Whittington Park. Where was the old Santa Fe Locomotive #1108 once located? I think there was small grocery store just across the street from it.
When I was a kid, we went and spent the day at Lake Murray on the way home dad would stop and get us an ice-cold frosty mug of root beer. It sure was a nice treat at the end of a hot summer day for us kids. -Larry Paul
Butch: Your sign-off words of wisdom for T & T #1490 brought to mind similar words of wisdom by the Rolling Stones: “…..you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you’ll find you get what you need”. Many folks remember the crossing guard (Mr. Naylor) for Franklin that you mentioned, but I can’t remember the name of the kind gun-totin’ guard for Lincoln. He was always at Commerce & Stanley to help the kiddies across Hwy 77 (Commerce) walking back and forth on Stanley. Me included. He kept us unruly squirts in line. Mainly H.A. Pruitt and myself. I would drive him nuts with a siren that H.A. had given me for my bicycle. It was very loud and realistic sounding. I would pull on a chain that made a rubber wheel on the siren rub against my front tire. That kind old crossing guard always had words of wisdom for us. Perhaps someone will remember his name and let you know. You may even remember his name, and give him a shout out herein…….
-Steve Miller (like the band)
I received the following question in an email: “Does anyone remember a Colvert salesman named ” Mac ” McCharen from the 1950’s?”
From my October 11, 2018 newsletter:
“Thank you for the Colvert story and pictures. When I was just a soda jerk at Wade Drug, here in Healdton…. we really enjoyed dispensing Colvert’s products. Mac McCharen was our delivery man and we looked forward to him coming into the store regularly to deliver the products. He was such a jolly fellow and a good friend to all of us jerks. In those days Colvert Co. would do anything for their dealers. I remember they painted a huge picture of their name and products on the side of our building at no cost. (*this was later on when I owned part of Taylor Drug) But back to the soda jerk days –we really liked to be called fountaineers or Fizzicians instead of jerks. Ha. One time Colvert took all of the fizzicians in Ardmore and the surrounding area to OU for a fountain seminar. They taught us how to make everything look more appetizing, how to make whipped cream for toppings, how to keep down waste of material. Just a better way to make everything we served more acceptable. How to improve our participation in customer relations etc. It was an all day seminar and my good friend Bill Raper who was working at that time either at Langston Drug or Cantrell McKnight….not sure which……was the only other participant from Healdton. The Colvert Brothers took us up there in a caravan of cars and we had a great meal at a restaurant on our way back to our homes. . Most of us had never been treated so royally. I would like to remind you that Bill Raper was the father of Linda Lambert, who lives in Healdton, but at that time he was single and very young. We were presented a diploma, which made us feel better about our job, and just a little more important. Not just a soda jerk, but an important cog in the business of the drug store.” -Kenneth Eck
HAM Talk By Butch Bridges KC5JVT
Allstar node # 58735 – Echolink # 101960 – HamsOverIP # 103010
Back in November 2024 I became a member of Hamshack Hotline. Now less than a year later I learn Hamshack Hotline is closing down their website and communication site. Hamshack Hotline is a service 7,000+ HAMs worldwide could make calls to one another at no cost via the Internet. It was a completely free service.
https://hamshackhotline.com/
With Hamshack Hotline closing down, I’m now a member of a similar worldwide communication service for licensed HAMs by the name HamsOverIP. It boasts 0ver 3,000 HAMs scattered all over the world. I’m the only node located in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Hopefully other local HAMs will join as time goes by!
https://hamsoverip.com
My HOIP “phone” number is 103010. I’m looking forward to see what world this opens up for me as I use the service to contact HAMs.
Any any local HAMs are welcome to check-in on Sunday nights at 8:00pm at the Arbuckle 97 Net.
Below is from my newsletter archives dated
October 9, 2008 – Issue 609
“Bois d’arc (I think that’s right) for ‘bow dock’ trees and watch out for the thorns. They are a very hard-wood tree and if you try to burn them, the fire should be in an enclosed wood-burning stove because they’ll pop and crackle (explode like fire crackers). I had a row of them used as a wind break near the farm house where we lived a few years ago. They were tough trees and quite tall. The thorns that had fallen on the ground were sharp and long enough to be hazardous to the tires on my riding lawn mower.” -Roy K
“I am writing in reference to the question by Don G, namely “What is the name of the tree that produces Horse Apples”? The Osage Orange Tree produces these apples. The tree is known by numerous names. Some of them are Bois D’Arc, (Spelled various ways & pronounced “Bodark” with a Long O),Mock Orange, Osage Apple, & Hedge Apple to name a few. The Osage Orange Tree is native to Southern Oklahoma & Texas along the Red River, and a portion of Arkansas. For anyone interested in reading an excellent history of the Osage Orange, there is one written by Jim W. Grace who lives in Texas. Search for “The Enduring Osage Orange”, or go the the following website on the computer:
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/1995/11/06.html . This writing is an interesting history of this tree.” -Douglas Morris (1929-2013), Ardmore, OK
“Butch, That Bow Dark tree is a Bois D’Arc tree. Years ago the trees were used to make the piers under houses. The older they got the harder they got. We used to call the green knobby fruit “Horse Apples”. I don’t know about here in America but in England, Bows were made from Yew trees.” -Herb Linder
“I grew up in and around Pottowatomie County. It has more gravel than any other county. I had an uncle, Bill Guinn, who sold gravel to the county and made a darn good living selling it. Even the City of Oklahoma City still today buys their gravel from Pottowatomie County.” –Herman Kirkwood (1942-2015)
“You can get pea gravel on Highway 377 north of Tishomingo about 4 or 5 miles on the right side of the road .I haven’t seen any better. -DeWayne
“Some one touched my history when they mention B.L. Owens in Ardmore. My wife and I were married in Ardmore, May 26, 1951 and B.L. Owens sold furniture, five dollars down and five dollars a month. So our first furniture came from his store. Seems like we paid for several years but finally got it paid off about the time it all wore out. We were very grateful to the Owens family for the store and their making it possible for us to have the furniture. On another item in the T&T this week (Sep 24, 2008)…there was a mention of a Bois D’Arc tree…(bow dark) and horse apples…that is the name of it and I know, since I am an Okie…born and raised there. I remember my Dad had the trees around his place in Bryan County and he used the wood for fence post since that post would last close to l00 years. They were tough and only horses and squirrels would eat the fruit or horse apples they produced. The gas price page is great Butch, thanks, we do make it back to Oklahoma occasionally and its nice to know where the best price is located. Thank you and keep up the good work on T&T…I look forward to receiving it each Thursday….I salute you.” -Preston Jameson…Texas
“The picture of the marker at Davis is in the old Howell Cemetery. I know it and the family very well. I even lived on the nearby Howell ranch for a period of time. The Howell’s are direct descendents of Peter P. Pitchlynn, Chief of the Choctaws. Dr. Thomas Pitchlynn Howell is buried there with Tom, Jr. and Tom “Peachy” as well. I went to school with Curt, engineer in Ardmore and Tom IV (Lynn Howell), an attorney in OKC. It is not very likely that Nelson Chigley, President of the Chickasaw Senate and one time acting Governor of the Chickasaw Nation is buried there on land that he never owned with people that he is not related to in any way. There is a lot of history on that cemetery and plenty of living people to tell most of it.” -Mickey Shackelford
Two photos of bell at the Arnett, Oklahoma Methodist Church.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/ArnettMEchurch8a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/ArnettMEchurch8b.jpg
Fargo, Oklahoma Methodist Church bell (their new one in the last 5 years)
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/FargoUMchurch8a.jpg
Birthday Calculator
http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp
“Well, it’s that time of year again… all my little fellows are leaving and the yard is growing quiet… will soon be taking in all the hummingbird feeders.” -Joh Gainey
HUMMINGBIRDS by Joh Gainey
Sulphur, Oklahoma
I know you’ll all be leaving soon
And I wish you well in your flight,
For your ruby throats have flashed like jewels
And made each day more bright.
You whisked about in your endless flights
Checking the nectar in flowers,
And your chittering voices never ceased
Throughout the daylight hours.
I’ve laughed at your silly antics
And provided the sugary treat
That you guzzled all through the summer
Along with the nectar you eat.
But now it is time to say goodbye
Although with a tearful ring
But I wish you well on your journey south,
And I’ll welcome you back in the spring
Everyone stay safe over the Labor Day holidays. See you next Thursday!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net