For 150 years there has been debatable conversation if certain trees were "marker trees" created by the Indians across the country to mark their trails. Some say they did, and had a tree in their area to prove it, but others would differ and say the Indians did not intentionally make a marker tree. So I guess the debate continues.
I remember about 1976 when I'd walk by a home at 403 F Street SW in Ardmore, something I noticed was one of the limbs from the trees in the yard had turned down, and the other end of that limb bent down, touching the ground, then extending back up from the ground. The owners at that time had a concrete bench near the tree I guess they would sit on and enjoy the view under the huge tree. I wonder if this could be a marker tree? The home was built around 1900.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/DrewWallaceTree031610.jpg
When I drove by the house this week I saw that the limb was no longer extending down to the ground as in the picture above, but cut/broke off about 5 feet from the trunk of the tree.
There is a website attempting to record marker trees across the country. In the Mailbag below you will find more info and a link to this website along with photos of reportedly marker trees.
Speaking of trees, I snapped the picture below of what might be the largest tree in Ardmore. It's 15 1/2 ft in circumference. I'm sure it's over 16 ft just a little higher up from where I measured.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/SouthwestTree1.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/SouthwestTree2.jpg
Since I didn't measure it, I don't know if the above tree is larger than the one I first took a picture of in 2006 at 11th and 0 Street NW (south of Mountain View Mall in Ardmore. I was told the one below may be the oldest still living tree in Ardmore.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/BigTreeOStreetNW080212.jpg
Time sure flies by. I cannot believe I typed up this webpage back in 1996 on Carter county deputy Bud Ballew being shot and killed at Wichita Falls, Texas.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/Ballew1922.html
Here are some bricks I sandblasted the other day. I only have about 40 of these tan bricks left, but I did find a distributor in Texas this week where I can purchase more of these Ohio made bricks. They sandblast so beautifully.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/AtnipBricks3.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MikePenningtonBrick.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/DanielPenningtonBrick.jpg
Q. What is the oldest park in
Oklahoma?
A.
Turner Falls at Davis, Oklahoma
Q. Two years before Oklahoma
became a state in 1907 the Civilized Tribes met and drafted a constitution and
propose a name for the new state to the Federal government? What new state name
was proposed to President Theodore Roosevelt?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of January 1, 2000:
"Several years ago I took a photo of the
Gainesville, Texas train Depot (built in 1902). I passed it along to the
Northeast Texas Railroad Archive in Texas. I had forgot about that little
contribution until this week when I was doing a search using Metacrawler.com for
something. After looking at the photo again, I think it may be one of the best
photos I've snapped. The reason I took the photo back in June 1998 in the first
place was my great grandparents on my mother's side, Howard and Ada Carmon lived
in Gainesville, TX around 1880 after moving there from Pennsylvania. I visit the
Fairview Cemetery in Gainesville once in a while to visit their gravesite."
-Butch Bridges
http://txdepot.railfan.net/Gainesville.html
----------------------------------------------------
"The Oklahoma Emergency Medical
Technician Association now has a website. I'm proud to be its Founder and filing
the Articles of Incorporation back in 1976. Though I haven't worked on the
ambulance since December 1985, I still admire the life saving work paramedics
are doing. EMS has come a long way since that first EMT class in Oklahoma way
back in 1972." -Butch Bridges
http://oemta.org/
----------------------------------------------------
"I am writing to you in regards of your
news letter. There was an article about the Oklahoma State Seal. I do not
believe that it was stolen. In my history class, we learned that Guthrie was
just a temporary state capital until 1913. Charles Haskell wanted to move the
capital. The people decided to hold an election. Although Charles Haskell and
his crew played a dirty trick, they won the election. Fair and Square. So the
State Seal was moved to Oklahoma City in 1910."
----------------------------------------------------
A piece of history died this week.
Clayton Moore aka The Lone Ranger to many of us, died of a heart attack on
December 28,1999. His horse Silver, Tonto his companion, The William Tell
Overture, and "Hi Ho Silver Away!... all a part of a time when the good guys
won, and bad guys went to jail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Moore
----------------------------------------------------
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/index.aspx?mss=152754
Check gas prices by town or zip code anywhere in U.S.
http://www.kmov.com/traffic/gas-buddy
Non-ethanol gas (pure gas) stations in the Ardmore area (updated).
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/puregas.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"Butch: I read the story involving Otto Utt in last week's
newsletter a few minutes ago. In the late 40's and early 50's, Duncan had a
professional baseball team in the old Class D Sooner State League. The team was
owned by Otto Utt and called the Uttmen. It seems to me like Otto also had a
skating rink in Duncan. I bet the fellow in your story must be his son."
-Royse
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/OttoUttBaseball.jpg
"My cousin from Houston sent me this link and imagine my surprise to see my parents, the Ambert Page Grocery. So many memories. We had an outside basketball court at the side of the store where young and old played ball on Sunday afternoons. You could buy a coke and candy bar for 5 cents. As far as I know the house was always at Marsden. My folks moved it from a corner lot in Marsden to the Marsden/Oswalt crossroads. The usable lumber that could be was used in a shop, my husband built. Buford helped Roy burn it as it was falling down. I pumped many a gallon of gasoline from the pump in front of the store. Thanks for sharing." -Erma Lee Page Murphy
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/MarsdenStore.jpg
"It was good to see the picture of the Ambert Page Grocery at Marsden, Oklahoma in This and That. I spent many hours observing the games of dominoes in the back. The players were enthusiastic but polite and patient. I do not know if it was just one game that started decades ago or a new one each day. And I am not sure if they even kept score as the conversation seemed the most important happening. I never saw anything but overalls worn by the men, so it definitely a community store. Watching the gas pump operate was fascinating as it had to be hand cranked, and the gasoline would descend from the glass globe on top. When we would get bored from all the adult happenings, we would just go up in the yard of the house and catch horned toads. My mother was a sister of Thelma Page and we would spend many summers around that area back in the late 40's and early 50's when we visited from Houston. Being part of the Forbes-Shellenberger clan gave us plenty of places to stay. Those kinds of pleasures are denied to the present generation and it is their loss. They will never see the simple lifestyles and commitment that molded the greatest generation." -Milton Womack
Let's locate trail marker trees in Oklahoma and Texas. Send tree photo and its location to Dr. Pelon cited on the following web page.
http://www.bourlandcivilwar.com/MarkerTrees.htm
Patricia Adkins-Rochette, 580-252-20941509 Shadybrook Lane
Duncan, OK 73533, www.bourlandcivilwar.com
prochette@Juno.com
BOURLAND IN NORTH TEXAS AND INDIAN TERRITORY DURING THE CIVIL WAR: FORT COBB, FORT ARBUCKLE, AND THE WICHITA MOUNTAINS
Old Johnston County, Oklahoma newspapers online. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/johnston/newspapers.htm
Living without faith is like driving in a fog. -Proverb
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Bells of Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Carter County Courthouse Paver Project
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/pavers
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/
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