This and That Newsletter
www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vol 22  Issue 1,110     Circulation 5,000      May 3, 2018
Ardmore, Oklahoma
My permanent email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
580-490-6823

Much of Oklahoma had some rough weather yesterday and last evening. Thankful we in southern Oklahoma faired ok without much lose of property and no lives lost. Its that time of year folks. If you don't have one, you need to get a weather radio for in the house, especially at night, so you will be awaken to any incoming danger. It can be a life saver.

March 1934
Farmers and landowners along the Bayou west of Lone Grove are to meet in the District Courtroom on Saturday for the purpose of completing plans to obtain government funds to drain the creek from its head to its mouth. County Commissioners and judges will be present.

March 1934
O. K. Darden, "When I landed in this section of the territory I sold cotton gins and sold them as long as there was a demand for the machines. They began to burn to regularly so I, as well as others, quit the field.

March 1983
Love County investors have broken ground for a horse racing complex at the Falconhead Resort but forward motion on the project has stopped until the state racing commission gives approval for the track. A companion vote in Carter County on pari-mutuel betting has turned down by voters 6,822 to 5,783. A group led by Jerry Putman had offered to build a track on 320 acres south of State Highway 142 and west of I-35.

March 1958
Carter County Commissioner Paul Heartsill was convicted of conspiring to defraud the state and sentenced to a year in prison. He is free on bond pending the outcome of an appeal to the State Criminal Court of Appeals. In the meantime a Carter County District Court jury recently cleared Heartsill of charges of maladministration, neglect and corruption in office. And he will be arraigned in Oklahoma City next week on charges of income tax evasion.

Below is one of several pieces of Flagstone I sandblasted this week.

http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MarthaHayesFlagstone.jpg

If you've ever had a water leak behind your fridge or washing machine, you know how costly that can be.  A couple years ago I about a Water Leak Alarm from Lowes and put it behind our washing machine. Peace of mind. This week I bought another one for behind the refrigerator. Cheap insurance for $13.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/WaterLeakAlarm.jpg

Last evening the Oklahoma Senate past the constitutional carry law for Oklahoma residents. It now goes to the governor for signing. I'd say its a certainy she will sign it into law in a few days. There are now over 15 states with Constitutional Carry Laws meaning no permit is needed to carry a concealed weapon.

http://kfor.com/2018/05/02/oklahoma-senate-passes-permit-less-carry-bill/

Q.  Where is the the largest ice cream festival in Oklahoma held?
A.   Braum's Family Farm at Tuttle, Oklahoma. This year its held on June 16th.
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/oklahoma/tuttle-ice-cream-festival-ok/

Q.  Where in Oklahoma is Waffle Rock and its supposedly alien origin?
A.  Answer in next week's newsletter

Below is from This and That newsletter archives of May 11, 2006

We who live in southern Oklahoma and north Texas and watch the news on TV sees mention of "Wilson and Jones" hospital in Sherman, Texas from time to time. I think a lot of people called it "Wilson and Jones" not realizing its true name is Wilson N. Jones Hospital. And there is some little unknown history about Wilson N. Jones Hospital and the man whose name it bears. Wilson N. Jones was a Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation before statehood and lived near Hugo, Oklahoma much of his life on his 17,000 acres.
http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=JO023

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Larry Smith of Ardmore mentioned to me last week about the "best hamburger in the world" is claimed at Ft Worth, Texas at a place called Kincaid's Supermarket. Seem like years ago this market started making hamburgers for their employees using meat from the stores own meat market. When other's tasted the hamburgers, they said Kincaid's should start selling their hamburgers, which they did. The market only had a few seats and tables, and with the customer's growth, Kincaid's just started using the wait high shelves on the grocery's isles. So people would order their hamburger, and when it was ready they'd just go to the nearby isle and stand up while eating their hamburger. I know the next time I'm in Ft Worth I'll have to try the Kincaid hamburger. Here is a mention I found on the Net:

KINCAID'S, Ft. Worth, TX Location: 4901 Camp Bowie, Ft. Worth, Tel: 817-732-2881. The famous Ft. Worth hamburger joint housed in an old supermarket. Here's what other's say about Kincaid's, "I take all out of town visitors to Kincaid's for a taste of Texas." "The BEST hamburgers in Ft Worth...and I eat a lot of hamburgers." "I think this restaurant is the best dadgum hamburger place there is in the whole world. I have been going there since I was a baby because they have extraordinary service, people, and atmosphere." "The service is on the ball especially call ins." "If you love hamburgers like I do, you'll not be disappointed."
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"Hello Butch, I don't know if it was a "slip of the tongue" so to speak but the bridge north of Mannsville is on Norton Bend of the Washita river; correctly identified on the map. Greasy Bend bridge is 2 mi North of Mannsville and about 21/2 miles west (on Greasy Bend Road). I grew up in Greasy Bend and wandered all the backroads in my early years. It was refreshing to see the photo of the old bridge, I don't get down that way much anymore. When I was a kid I remember going over the Norton bridge on the way to Tishomingo, if a car was coming from the south and you were coming upon the bridge from the north the grade was so steep that you couldn't see them until they reached the "down ramp" and whoever was coming up the north side would have to back down to let the north bound vehicle get off the bridge. My how our fast paced lives differ from those slower laid back days; but then I don't have to hoe peanuts and cotton anymore either!" -Roy Barnes, Purcell OK
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"The mention of Peanut Rounders brought back memories of working at the "new" swimming pool on the eastside of Ardmore in 1955. I worked that summer in the concession stand and the neighborhood kids' favorite treat to buy were RC Colas and Peanut Rounders. Another treat for the older girls were the male life guards imported from the OU swim team. Most of them were South African Dutchmen who were tall, blond, and bronze. After closing time we staff members got to watch them practice their special strokes in the pool. Lyn Meyering, the back stroke specialist, is now a doctor in Oklahoma City." -R.F. Helms
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"Hi Butch, I thought I'd better clear my reputation with all my new friends in Oklahoma. Seems like I remember it this way: you were busy eating catfish (look at the picture), so I didn't think the old HAMBURGER HOUND would miss that wonderful, tasty cheeseburger I didn't offer to share with him. LOL! Butch, I'll say it again, I can't say enough about the wonderful people I met 4/22/06 in Ardmore, mighty hospitable and friendly." -John Trusty in Illinois jtst369@comcast.net
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"Butch, here is a photo of Rexroat School and students taken Dec 10, 1925. It was given to my Dad, Carl W. Stevens, quite a few years back. He has since past away and I don't remember for sure but I think he said it was given to him by Miss Jones (Nell) and someone put in an arrow on the picture pointing to her. Her married name is written on the board that the photo is mounted on but it's faded and I can't make it out. Maybe some of your reader might know. The photo is one of those very wide angle shots common in those days, and the print measures 25 inches wide. I had to scan it in two parts and stitch the two halves together with software. There are lots of creases and cracks in the print but you can make out most of the kids anyway." -C. Dwane Stevens
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/RexroatSchool1925b.jpg

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County & Western singer Bob Beckham was born in Strafford, Oklahoma. He wrote a song, 'Just As Much As Ever' that went to #32 in 1959.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beckham

Just as much as ever
I need you and want you to be here
Just as much as ever
I love you, and always will, my dear

Even though we two are parted
My feelings for you never drop
For loving you is something I started
And don't know how to stop

Just as much as ever
I'm hoping that you'll be mine again
Darlin', 'cause I'll never be satisfied till then
For I am still the same old me
With the same old love for you
Just as much as ever, my heart beats for you

(Just as much as ever)
(I'm hoping that you'll be mine again)
Darling, 'cause I'll never be satisfied till then
For I am still the same old me
With the same old love for you
Just as much as ever, my heart beats for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m_pQSWA9XI

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135582998/robert-joseph-beckham
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Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....

Springlake is closed now, but this Amusement Park was opened (1922 or 1924) long before Frontier City. It closed in 1981. We saw some entertainers there before they were huge stars - Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, and others. I loved the Arcade there and the Big Dipper roller coaster. Thanks so much for your newsletter. -C. Wise
http://www.retrometrookc.org/springlake-amusement-park-collection
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Butch, Interesting photo of Floyd Randolph and staff. I'm pretty certain that the deputy on the left end of the back row was Dick Rabun. He was a finger print expert such as it was back in the day. He was a good friend of my dad, Virgil Harris and family.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/RandolphandDeputies.jpg
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Butch, seeing the smudge pot in T and T reminds me of a time at Dornick Hills when the hills were iced over. The D H Country Club allowed people to bring their sleds and take advantage of their long hills. This was in early 50's.My buddies and I would find the smudge pots and transfer them to the sledding area. At the bottom of that long hill, there was a narrow bridge about 30" wide. If you made a good sled run, you would have enough speed to make it across that bridge but, you had to be accurate. Usually we would find 2 of these smudge pots, one on each side of the bridge (it was dark). This night we could only find 1 pot so you had to remember which side it was on to avoid going into the creek bed, 6 to 8 feet deep chasm. One of my buddies, we'll call him "Toad" forgot which side as he was speeding down the long hill....you guessed it, he picked the wrong side and missed the bridge. We rushed to see if he was dead and there he laid, on his back, spread eagle, looking dead but, then he moaned and very slowly stood....we were all relieved and made the long walk back up the hill to make some more runs. What fun it was to be young and dumb back then. -Dale Young
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Here is a postcard of the Von Keller hospital in Ardmore, Ok. Circa 1940, which was on the NE corner of 12th NW and Commerce where CVS Pharmacy is now located. -Robert Hensley
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/VonKellerHospitalArdmoreOK1940.jpg
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Here is "how to search" and "list of missing mineral owners" for Carter County. The streak that you see under the "X" column is a link to Find-A-Grave pages and they are too long to show in full size characters (but do indicate that a possible record was found). Some of these links work from the PDF formatted document.

My copy is in excel and word and then printed from each to pdf. If you need them in a different format, you will need to lead me through the conversion process. -Larry Stephens
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/HowToSearchForMineralOwners050218.pdf

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/List_of_Missing_Mineral+Owners050218.pdf
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There is a safe spot within every tornado. My job is to find it. -David Copperfield

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

"Friends Make Life Worth Living"
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm's Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us


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