Doug Williams sent in an interesting history information sheet on the Henderson Ferry at Gene Autry, Oklahoma. Plus other historical facts.
Map showing location where the Henderson Ferry was located northeast of Gene Autry, Oklahoma. GPS 34.30319, -96.99812
Below is a hand drawn map by Ardmoreite Ben Scott Sr (1887-1967) who drew the map in 1947 from his recollections of downtown Ardmore around 1892. Keep in mind he has Main Street running from top of the map to the the bottom. The map shows a lot of forgotten Ardmore businesses before statehood.
The old Harvey-Douglas Funeral Home across from the courthouse is now history.
I was at Ardmore’s Swadley’s BBQ last week. I saw this and thought, Only in Oklahoma. When I was a teen we called it a Cheater Knob.
Below is a photo of the old Stamper Grocery and gas Station at Rush Springs, OK
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
After raining all day yesterday, we woke up to one of our earliest snows at the house today, Sunday Oct 12, 2025. -Monroe Cameron, Big Sky, Montana
HAM Radio Talk By Butch Bridges KC5JVT
Allstar node # 58735 – Echolink # 101960 – HamsOverIP # 103010
Below is a link (30 minute video) take by someone at the Hamarama held in Ardmore last Saturday, Oct 11, 2025. All reports was a great turnout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BINH5P3OIYM
The Tech Corner
Support and updates for Windows 10 is not a think of the past. Microsoft will not long provide security updates, etc., for Windows 10 users. But you can add another year of support FREE for a personal computer by going to microsoft.com and installing the ESU (extended security updates). I’ve done the installation on my 2 PCs and one laptop, so I’m good for another year. But I have already made them dual boot and installed Ubuntu (Linux) which I will be switching over to as time goes by. I really like Ubuntu and it’s pack with apps and features just like Windows. https://ubuntu.com/
Below is from my newsletter archives
9/19/1998 issue: On Tuesday night December 21, 1915, Ardmore City Commissioners voted to allow H.E. Foster of the Ardmore Ice, Light and Power Company to install electric street lights along the south side of Main Street between Washington and Mill Street. Mr Foster agreed to install the street lights as an experiment to see if Main Street needed such lighting. Mr. Foster said he would pay for the lights and electricity for 60 days. Mayor Mullen had been proposing changing to electric lights for some time.
9/12/1998 issue: One reader wrote in and mentioned the old Ardmore Zoo that was just south of the Hardy Murphy Coliseum here in Ardmore. I remember going there as child, and personally, I’m glad it’s gone. The animals looked so sad. Here’s pic of the monkey cage.
I found this great pic of U.S. Marshal Dow Braziel the other day. He was not a U.S. Marshal at the time of his death when he was killed by the police chief here, Les Sigler and Carter County Deputy Bud Ballew January 31, 1919. It all happen around 4am in the California Cafe at Mill and Main Streets here in Ardmore. There is a plaque in the sidewalk as a memorial to that event in front of what is now Stolfa Brothers Hardware store. Deputy Bud Ballew was killed by the police chief of Wichita Falls, Texas in 1922, after he and his son went down there to see the rodeo. And police chief Sigler was shot and killed in Ft Worth, Texas not many months after Dow Braziel was killed, by Dow’s brother Bob Braziel.
“I really enjoy reading your T&T every week. I really remember the Cooper Farms fire for you see I was an Ardmore fire fighter and it was my first major fire, it was sad to me because right to the west where McDonalds is now is where I met and married my wonderful bride of 28 years. Do you remember the large two story house that set there where McDonalds is now. And also it is where we had held Gene Autry Schools JR & SR Banquets in 1967 & 1968” -Doug Williams
“I was interested in a letter that someone wrote you and asked about the downtown stores of ages past. I can remember going to the Woolworth Store and sitting in the booth with friends and watch the people go by. A wonderful ice cream treat called Tulip Sundae was served there. We would sit in the booth for hours being entertained by the unsuspecting folks walking by. I will never forget the Kresses store. I would go in there on Saturday to the candy counter, (after first going to the back and looking at the alligators in the fish tanks) and buy 10 cents worth of chocolate covered peanuts. The sales person would carefully weigh out the candy, and put it in a small white sack. But for 10 cents, there was enough candy to just about make you sick!”
9/05/1998: Getting back to hot….. in 1927 there was one Ice Cream Plant here in Ardmore. It’s the old Colvert Dairy building downtown at South Washington and Stanley SW. One thing interesting about this photo, is they whitewashed the little trees around the building, AND the telephone pole!
I had an interesting visitor from Oklahoma City this week. His name is Herman Kirkwood and a historian extraordinaire. He is a member of OklahombreS which works to save the colorful Oklahoma history of the past. He had lots of pics of grave makers of famous desperados, bandits, lawmen and U.S. Marshals. He had a couple pics that caught my attention…. one of the cemetery in Purcell, Oklahoma where two dogs and a horse are buried. I never heard of that in a public cemetery. The other was a pic of a grave marker near Konawa, Oklahoma. The lady, Katherine Cross, died in 1901 and inscribed on her tombstone was “She was murdered by human wolves”.
https://www.koco.com/article/unique-headstone-at-konawa-cemetery-taken-again/8062711
Talking about radio, I went by and seen my friend and DJ, Al Hamilton at KVSO radio here in Ardmore. We talked about a lot of stuff, Al’s turning into a computer guru. Al gave me several tickets to give away. If you live in south central Oklahoma or north Texas, I’ll invite you to take a chance. South of Ardmore is Lake Country Speedway.
“Worn slap out” is a phrase associated with Southern and Midwestern American English, including in Oklahoma, that means “completely exhausted”. The “slap” is an intensifier, meaning “very” or “completely”.
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net