This and That
Newsletter
A Weekly Publication
Vol 15 Issue 730 Circulation 5,000 January 20, 2011
PO Box 2
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
email address: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
580-657-8616
I was off work last Monday for MLK Day so Jill and I decided to take a short road trip to the west. Our first stop was Waurika, Oklahoma. We found a couple of antique stores on Waurika's Main Street downtown, and one had a magnificent elk's head displayed on the wall. A 12 pointer!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/ElkHeadMountWaurikaOK011711.jpg
That 12 pointer at Waurika kinda makes my 8 point deer's rack look small. lol
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EightPointer.jpg
Just north of Waurika about 10 miles is Addington, Oklahoma. Not much left of Addington but a church and the Addington Station Antiques. They have added a couple more Indian statues made from cedar using a chainsaw since our visit last summer.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKantiques011711a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKantiques011711b.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKcedarTable011711.jpg
But what really caught my eye was this poor fellow hanging from a tree next to the Addington store. I wonder what crime he committed? Horse stealing? Back before statehood a man sure didn't steal another man's horse or he might end up at the end of a rope like this fellow.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKhanging011711.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKhanging011711b.jpg
This is a view of the Addington Station store.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/AddingtonOKstation011711a.jpg
Our next stop was Comanche, Oklahoma. Didn't see much that caught our attention, except a new BBQ joint at the main intersection (Comanche only has one traffic light).
Then it was on north to Duncan, Oklahoma where we travelled down Main Street to check out a couple of antiques shops. On the south side of Duncan's Main Street is a 3 story antique shop called Antique Mall and it's filled to the top with collectables. Everything in the Antique Mall is neat as a pin. I had to take a pic of this old telegraph key. I know some ham radio operators that are very familiar with this piece of equipment. Maybe one of those hams will tell a story about their experience with the telegraph key for the next issue.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/TelegraphKeyInDuncanOK.jpg
On east but on the north side of Main Street is Butterfield's Antiques owned by Rick Minter. Its one of the most packed shops in southern Oklahoma we've seen in during our travels. Rick has everything imaginable packed in every place he can find inside the building. Butterfield's is well worth stopping by and look around if you're in Duncan. (I did a write up on Butterfield's last June with lots of pictures in T&T issue #697 and issue #698.
Before leaving Duncan's Main Street I asked about a good place to buy an old fashion burger. We were told about a place called Eastland's in the far SE corner of Duncan. When we drove up it was almost 1pm and hardly no parking available in front, so I knew it must be a popular place to eat. Here is an outside view of Eastland Grill.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EastlandGrill011711a.jpg
Upon entering the inside of the establishment, I notice something different, no tables to set at while eating. They only have stools, a row in from the the grill area, and another row of stools along the opposite wall next to the front window. The next 2 photos were taken inside Eastland Grill.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EastlandGrillinside011711a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EastlandGrillinside011711b.jpg
Here is a view of their menu prices.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EastlandMenu011711.jpg
And at last, that delicious Eastland burger. BTW, their fries are cut fresh every morning, and the 1/2 order is more than a person can eat, and they keep bringing you more if you do run out, plus refills are free. And with 5 or 6 employees right there in front of you, the service is great, every few minutes checking to see if you need anything.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/EastlandBurger011711.jpg
A couple of weeks ago Garth Hoard mentioned a long gone rendering plant on Hedges Road. Garth said it was gone when I-35 was built in the 1960s... only a foundation left. I found that foundation using bing.com's aerial maps on the Tindale property just south of Myall and Hedges Road (west side of Hedges Rd). This is the 'bird's eye view" from the www.bing.com website.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/RenderingPlant.jpg
Garth remembers his dad telling him the rendering plant was probably there in the 40s. Does anyone remember its name or owner?
The new 2011 U.S. Silver Eagles are out, but there is only one place in Ardmore (as of today) you can buy them, Rick Feiler's Coin Shop behind Citizens Bank at West Main and A Street. I don't know how many of you keep up with the gold and silver market, but both metals have shot up in price the past year or so. If you want to own one of these silver dollar beauties, give Rick a call. 580-221-4561 BTW, don't wait too long, Rick always sells out quickly.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/SilverEagle2011.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/RickFeilerCoins.jpg
With all the freezing weather we've had here recently, I'm glad I bought a thermocube last summer, sure has come in handy this winter. There are 3 models, I bought the TC-3 model, turns On at 35 and Off at 45 degrees. I've been using it under a 5 gallon bucket with a 60 watt light blub. It comes on for about 30 minutes and stays off for over an hour during these COLD nights. I am using the bucket to cover an outside PVC water facet. I found the TC-3 model for $12.99 on the www.TractorSupply.com 's website, but I have not find them stocked in our local Tractor Supply store. As far as buying them here in Ardmore, it may be an impossible mission.
Speaking of the weather, Carter county government now has 4 weather stations up and running. EOC director, Paul Tucker, installed the weather units, one at each of the county barns: Springer, Healdton, and Lone Grove, and a 4th one at the courthouse in downtown Ardmore. You can find a link to all 4 weather stations' data at the EOC website's newly installed webserver in Paul's office..... Click Here
Or you can find a link from the Main webpage of the Carter County Government website.
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/weather.html
Here's a couple pics I snapped of Paul Tucker in District 1's bucket truck at Springer, OK installing the Davis Wireless Advantage Pro2 weather station. All 4 weather stations were paid for with grant money received.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/WeatherStationInstall123010a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/WeatherStationInstall123010b.jpg
For those of you true weather buffs who want to know more, www.weatherlink.com (owned by Davis Instruments in CA) collects the data from the 4 weather stations via the internet every minute or two to their weatherlink website (updated 24/7).
Click on the SUMMARY link at the top of any of the 4 weather screens below for more detailed information. Click on the MAP link and you'll see the weather stations online in Carter county. Each blue dot on the map is clickable too.
District 1 Barn - Springer, OK District 2 Barn - Healdton, OK District 3 Barn - Lone Grove and Carter County Courthouse EOC
From This and That newsletter archives January 17, 1998:
The last few days I have received dozens of emails telling
me that phone companies are going to charge us by the minute to access the
Internet. Below is an email I received from Jackie Bates of Brightnet of
Oklahoma in which he dispels that rumor.
"The report that phone companies are asking for a per minute charge for Internet
access is false. The idea of a per minute charge isn't new and was a pricing
plan of some of the large providers like CompuServe and AOL. Both AOL and
CompuServe soon abandoned the $9.95 for 5 hours because of the competition
giving unlimited access for $18.95 . The idea that all of the phone companies
could get together and defraud the public with price fixing? No Way." -Jackie
Bates, Brightnet of Oklahoma
http://www.brightok.net/chickasaw/
Q. What is the oldest park in Oklahoma?
A.
Turner Falls
Q. In mid 1850s where
was the U.S.'s main artillery fort located?
A. (answer
in next week's newsletter)
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG....."Bill Geiss was a schoolteacher in Sulphur and lived
in the building that is now a bar/restaurant across the road from the water
slide. His grandparents were the ones that leased (I think actually owned) the
park during the time that Davis was not operating it. From 1950 to 1978. It was
during this time that the rock buildings were made. The little buildings across
the creek, not the ones along the road. According to Geiss these buildings are
only about 4-5 feet tall on the inside and were not made to live it, but just to
draw tourists. And it makes them look further away. The grandfather was an
educator and Dean of Education at Oklahoma. They only lived in the Turner falls
area in the summertime.
Bill Geiss and his family lived in the house across from where the waterslide
was built until the 1980's and owned 160 acres of bottom land along the Washita
river. Sometime in the mid 1980's Bill and his family moved to Cottonwood Gap in
Colorado, and sold the buildings and land to the owner of the wild animal park
in the Arbuckles. The land had been surveyed as 160 acres and was sold that way,
but was much less since the river had changed course and 30-40 acres were then
in the river.
I don't remember for sure, but I'm pretty sure that Bill's grandparents were
either Turner's or really closely related to the original owners. Bill always
told me that his family owned the falls twice. i.e. they were the original
owners and he said bought it back from the city of Davis and then the
grandmother resold it to Davis after her husband died.
Bill's grandfather was a invertate collector. When he moved to Colorado they had
a auction and sold a lot of this collection. One of the items that most stood
out to me was a framed set of three checks that had been written by the 101
ranch in northern Oklahoma of wild west show fame. The three checks were of
course canceled and had been written for amounts in the amount of $100,000.
Quite a sum in the very early 1900's.
I'd be willing to bet that the owners of that restaurant are having problems
with a leaking roof. Bill worked on it constantly. His best solution was tar and
old sheets.
Bill died of complications from Parkinson's disease about 10-12 years ago."
-Larry
"Butch, Can't tell you about the 30's ...wasn't here. I do know that there was an eatery in Ardmore out around the Boy's Food store area, maybe a little further, that was called Doc's Pig Stand. That would have been in the mid to late 50's or so. We also had a Chicken in the Rough eatery. Anyone remember that one? Had a neon sign of a rooster swinging a golf club. My mother, Lucille Parker, was a waitress in Ardmore most of my life and she knew all the good eating places. I believe she worked at the Chicken in the Rough for a time. She had very high standards about the food she served. If it didn't look good, she wouldn't serve it. And the cook usually heard about it!" -J. Woodward , Lone Grove
"Isn't this year the one hundredth anniversary of the carter county courthouse? if so will there be any celebration there? maybe commemoratives to purchase?"
Best I remember Butch is that old cemetery was just south of halfway between the Ramsey home and the old rendering plant near the Hedges/Myall intersection. Cemetery was back from the road in/at the tree line overlooking Hickory Creek. Appx gps coordinates would be: N34.15467 W97.16245 -Garth
"A little more follow-up on that old cemetery south of Myall and Hedges Road....
Got to going thru my old aerial photos and found I (and you) do have one that covers that spot. See # CFN-10-82 (taken in 1940), preferably at the hi rez version (600dpi).
North is up and at the left side is Hickory Creek. The grid just right and down from center is Rose Hill Cemetery. N/S in the center is US77 and the E/W just above center is Myall. The N/S road just to the E (right) of Hickory creek is Hedges/Vernon rd., which if it continued on north would eventually turn in to Rockford.
I've attached an overlay showing the relative positions of I-35 and the red triangles are possible locations of the cemetery (best as I remember because it was back in the '70s when I visited it). The hi-rez versions of the photo you've got on the disc and (I think on the website) should show the layout much better than this compressed version." -Garth
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/CFN-10-82-600dpi-overlay-inset-sm.jpg
1940 aerial of Myall Road area
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/maps/CFN-10-82.jpg
Every mile is two in winter. -George Herbert
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a
minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells:
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
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 schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com
All previous issues of This & That can be found on my Website.
Feel free to forward this free newsletter. Mailouts: over 1,600.
To be removed from my T&T mailings, just send me an email.
I do not sell, trade or give my mailing list to anyone for any reason.