Below is downtown Ardmore 1953-1954
In the photo below….
In the immediate foreground on the left, parked in front of the Pontiac sign, is a 1950 or 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe.
Driving toward the camera in the center lane is a 1951 or 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook.
The absence of sharper, finned mid-to-late ’50s car designs suggests a timeframe right around 1951–1954
In 1920 the Ardmore Ku Klux Klan was located upstairs just west of Hotel Marquette which you see on the left hand side of the picture below. The hotel was at 222 1/2 West Main (upstairs). Three doors west of the hotel you can see the Masons sign. The Ku Klux Klan held its meetings upstairs (next door west of Dr Clay Optometrist office). Sad that racism, prejudice, and discriminations are still here today. 🙁
Back in the 60s the City of Ardmore had a dog pound in the SE. We went to the building below to get stray, lost and run away dogs. It was located on Park SE just south of 1st Street SE next to a creek. The pound man would catch about 50 dogs a month and place them in this building. A person had about 2 weeks to come get their dog or it was terminated using carbon monoxide. The pound man had a small gasoline engine, start up and run a hose into the building to asphyxiate the unclaimed animals. 🙁
I wanted to share this photo showing how winding the Red River is between Oklahoma and Texas. And the boundary changes a little every time it floods.
My website is getting some days 300 visitors. Its humbling to say the least. Thanks to all my friends who’ve made it possible the last 29 years.
From This Weeks Mailbag
Q. Butch, my father Floyd (Gene) Porter was employed at B.L. Owens furniture for 35+ years many of those towards the end as store Manager after Vic and Bennie. My wife and I married June 2nd 1972 also bought a Curtis Mathew console tv a few weeks after our marriage. As you can imagine we did get at a discounted price! After 20 years and 1 trip to Bob Bumpass for a small tube replacement we gave to a cousin(Ashley clan) of my wife. Not sure how long he used before departing for Washington State . How does one comment on items, pics and such on your newsletter? -Sam Porter
A. I do not allow comments on my website’s newsletters, way too much hassle with all the spammers and fruitcakes to clean up everyday.
Butch, I remember the change over to 911 addresses. As I worked with farmers and ranchers in southern Oklahoma. I ran into a lot of good ole boys who did not like the system and would continue using there RR box number. It made it hard to find some and to deliver mail. Of course many did not want to get mail from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
Q. I don’t know if this is an accurate statement or not, but when we moved to Ardmore in 1955, we were told that it had more millionaires per square mile than anywhere else in the world. We were told it was due to petroleum industry. Butch, you probably know whether this was true or not?
A. Here’s what AI said: “Yes, during the oil boom of the 1910s, Ardmore, Oklahoma, was locally legendary for boasting one of the highest concentrations of millionaires per capita in the United States.
The sudden and massive influx of wealth was primarily driven by the discovery and development of the nearby Healdton oil field. Because Ardmore served as the nearest railhead before a spur was constructed into the oil fields, it became the logistical hub for the industry.
This centralization brought in an enormous amount of wealth, workers, and oil barons into the city .While major metropolitan hubs like New York City have always held the highest raw numbers of millionaires in the U.S., the concentrated wealth in Ardmore during its peak energy boom cemented its unique place in history as a town with a staggering proportion of wealthy residents.”
Tech Corner
On April 18th I told about a website that puts every device in your house behind a VPN. The VPN protects your privacy from the outside world while attached to the internet. I have 3 computers, 2 cellphones and 2 Smart TVs, all behind the VPN 24/7. After 60 days I am very satisfied with the VPN and the protection and peace of mind it gives me. When I tried to reach the Carter County Assessors website the other day, it said: “access denied”. The Carter county website (and others around the world) is set to deny people who are behind a VPN. No problem. I went to my VPN settings and “white listed” the county’s website. Surfshark has many nice features. I took out their $2.79 a month plan for 27 months plus another 3 months Free. If your concerned about your online protection and privacy, I highly recommend Surfshark. The link below will take you to their website where you can check out all the great features.
https://surfshark.club/friend/4vhaWbNT
Surfshark is used by over 40 Million people all over the world. Below is a screenshot of my connection. The VPN IP address changes all the time.
https://surfshark.club/friend/4vhaWbNT
Whoever controls oil controls much more than oil. -John McCain
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net