This and That Newsletter

www.OklahomaHistory.net

Vol 12  Issue 597     Circulation 5,000      July 3, 2008

PO Box 2

Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net

Toll Free Number in Oklahoma:  580-215-4333


A Reader told me this week about a piece of property for sale west of Davis that back before 1900 played a very important part in history.  The land I speak of is where Fort Arbuckle stood about 5 miles west of Davis and then back north.  The fort has long been gone, and the property in private hands, but back before statehood it was a place of safety for the Chickasaw Indians (and others of the five civilized tribes I would assume) when the Comanche were attacking anyone and everyone who traveled these parts. The Chickasaw Indians would make camp just outside the fort because they knew the Union soldiers would protect them from attacks. If you do a google search for "fort arbuckle" you will find plenty of reading on this place during the time Oklahoma was Indian Territory. Here is a good place to start..... (CLICK HERE)

To see the details on the 6.88 acre property for sale today, just follow the link below.

CLICK HERE  <------- to see ad for property

I would hope someone would take a historical interest in the property, and preserve it for future generations. Its a very lovely place, but in private hands as it is now, its off limits to any historical uses or preservation.

Ardmoreite Pete Burch sent in an interesting article this week he clipped from the Ft Star Telegram several years ago. The newspaper article is about a famous shootout that took place about 15 miles NW of Ardmore at Woodford.  U.S. Marshal, Bass Reeves, tracked down a killer to the Bywaters store at Woodford, and after a shootout, outlaw Jim Webb lay dying on the ground.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/BassReevesJimWebb.jpg

Schahara Hudleson in Colorado sent in some pics of the Empress Trees she planted a couple years ago in her yard.  She is amazed at how tall they have grown, just like the Empress Tree I planted in Ardmore in May 2003 on E Street SW.  They really are amazing trees, grow so fast!

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/SchaharaEmpressTrees.jpg

But talk about growing fast..... about 3 months ago Jill and I planted 4 peach trees in our front yard.  One, the Harvester peach variety, has already produced one beautiful peach. But out of 4 trees, this one is the only one with fruit so far.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/HarvesterPeach070308a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/HarvesterPeach070308b.jpg

I snapped a couple pics of Jill's sunflowers she planted a couple months ago.  They have really grown fast too, about 10 feet tall.  They are really beautiful.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/Sunflowers062508a.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/Sunflowers062508b.jpg

Visit the Oklahoma History Boards, start a topic if you want too!

http://oklahomaroots.proboards83.com/

The Healdton Herald, July 19, 1944

Healdton's home cannery is now open and is part of a nation wide program to help provide urgently needed food for the hungry millions in war-devastated Europe.  A visit to the Home Cannery located back of Wade's Drug Store and opposite the post office West, which opened Tuesday morning, July 17, revealed a large clean building with concrete floor and equipment to serve every need.  Sterilizer, exhaust, electric sealer, pre-cookers, cookers, coolers, vegetable and fruit press, electric mill, scales, Wearever aluminum, white enamel trays, cooling racks, and all kinds of utensils for the preparation of food are installed and ready for the use of those who wish to preserve food.

The Home Canning Department of the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the State department have furnished this much needed enterprise in its entirety with the exception of towels.  A few tin cans are now available at the cannery.  W.H. Ervin's Hardware will handle cans in the future.

Mrs. Eula Cummins of Ringling who is in charge, reported a total of 85 cans of vegetables canned the opening day with Mrs. J. P. Wade the first entrant, canning 20 pints of beans; then Mrs. Beatty, peas and squash; Mrs. Claxton next and Mrs. E. Tayar with corn on the cob.  Mrs. Ray slipped under the wire Monday with 8 pints of squash that looked like pictures.

Q.  Colonel Miller started what ranch?
A.  101 Ranch

Q.  What circus used to winter in Ringling?
A.  (answer in next week's T&T)

With the sky high gas prices, I found this interesting bicycle on the net, commonly known as "The Wheel" !

http://www.revopower.com/

Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....

"Hi Butch, Just read online about the tragic death of Terry Hyman.  I met him years ago when he was a Love County commissioner. We interviewed him in the aftermath of the 1981 fall floods that hit Love County so hard. Here is a clip of Terry reacting to the damage throughout the county. Deepest sympathies to Linda, Ann Marie and all the family."  -Kathy Conry   kc@kconry.com

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5372273881413908081&q=&hl=en


Butch, We appreciate your efforts in keeping us X's from ADM informed and up to
date.  Regarding the Lake Murray Inn, if memory serves me correct I think
"Puny Sparger" operated a cafe by that name there in the '40's. Regards to all from Sugar Land, Texas."  -Virgil Harris

"It was the 101 Ranch, headquarters just north of the Noble-Kay county line north of Marland (formerly Bliss), Oklahoma.  I grew up in Perry, county seat of Noble County, and part of the ranch extended into Noble County.  As I child I remember in the depression the derelict circus cars on the siding just north of Marland.  The 101 Rance had a wild west circus that toured the United Staes, Europe, and other parts of the world."   -Wes Leatherock    wesrock@aol.com
The International Music Score Library Project is once again providing
free access to public domain music scores.  This is not the actual
music, but the written scores.  A letter describing the project can be
found here (http://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Open_Letter_(Reopening)) and the
IMSLP web site is here (http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page).

If you're looking for free literature, check out The Gutenberg Project
(http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page).  They now have audio books as
well as the written word for download.  Another good source for free
public domain stuff is Archive.org (http://www.archive.org/index.php). 
Their resources include archiving snapshots of millions of web pages
every day.  "About the Wayback Machine - Browse through 85 billion web
pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago." Go to
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php to see the Wayback Machine.

Where was the Adam Jimmy House or the Adam Jimmy point?  Was ?House? the surname of Adam Jimmy House?  After all, House Creek flowed into Red River.  The following paragraph, and the accompanying two maps, describes the ?Whiskey Trail? used during the Civil War era.  The Whiskey Trail was the road between Bourland?s home at the Delaware Bend of Red River (Texas) and Fort Arbuckle.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/AdamJimmyHouseLoveCounty.jpg

? ... Col. Bourland lived south of Red River and for a long time sold corn at Fort Arbuckle.  He made a trail, ?Whiskey Trail,? from his home to the Fort.  This road came up by the ?Devil?s Neckbone? near the present Lake Murray site, then intersected the Gainesville road at the ?Adam Jimmy House? point.  These two roads ran together across the Arbuckle Mountains.  The Whiskey Trail branched off from this road near Woodford. ...?   per a 1937 WPA Interview with Henry Martin Brown (1856-1954) of Overbrook OK, Indian Pioneer History, v5-149/p12.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/WhiskeyTrail.jpg

Again, where was the ?Adam Jimmy House? point?   Another question:  Was ?Devil?s Backbone? and ?Devil?s Neckbone? the same place?   (see ?This and That,? Vol 12 Issue 593 Jun 5, 2008)  Patricia Adkins-Rochette, prochette@Juno.com  580-252-2084, www.bourlandcivilwar.com
Mother of all websites. Each tab actually works. Someone was a website master to link all these sites. This is a useful website that has it all! Check it out. Worthwhile to bookmark so you can go there whenever you want.

http://www.allmyfaves.com/
"Butch,  George C Jones' Cabin Cruiser was named Elinor Faye after his brother Tommy's wife Elinor and his wife Faye.  His wife Faye was a lovely woman who sadly died quite young."
The Wilson News submitted by Mindy Taylor
2-25-1915
"Wilson Should Have Gas"
With an abundance of gas within six miles of this town we ought to be able to find a way to get it piped in here for light and fuel.  Four good street lights in Wilson would make the old town look alive.  With cheap fuel we might have factories and a dinner pail brigade marching through our streets daily.  Then there is the saving of fuel for domestic purposes.  The average householder in Wilson would save at least twenty dollars a year on fuel bills with gas.
3-4-1915
Wilson should be making efforts to secure some of the things which by right belong to a good, live town.  We are situated so close to natural gas that you can almost spit on it; but no one seems to be making an effort to derive any benefit from it here.
2-24-1916
"Gas Lines To Wilson"
Jake L. Hamon started a crew of forty men at work Monday morning to lay a gas main from section 15 in the Healdton field south to the right of way of the Ringling road.  The line to the railroad will be a six inch main then from there one four inch main will be laid in Wilson.  Mr. Hamon has a number of large gas wells in that section and also plenty of area where other wells can be drilled.  He hopes to have his line in operation at the end of six weeks as the pipe are now at Wilson ready to be unloaded.
Wilson Museum hours: Tues. Thurs. Fri., Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

America The Beautiful......  Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original version in 1893. She wrote the 2nd version in 1904. Her final version was written in 1913.

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Wt4XlXUrc

Enjoy the Independence Day holidays and see everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

http://www.OklahomaHistory.net

Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
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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
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Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
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Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
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