Every now and then someone will ask if I was kin to Maurice Bridge who owned Bridge's Jewelry on Main street. What they failed to notice was that Bridge's Jewelry has an apostrophe "s". Maurice Bridge was an Ardmore businessman in Ardmore in the 1920s and 1930s and later. He was also the driving force behind the Ardmore Indians baseball team. When doing some research in 2003, I found Bridge's Pawn Shop started out next door to Daubes at 119 East Main back in 1918. The proprietor was a man named Henry P. Bridge. Where the confusion with the name Bridge comes in is his shop was listed as Bridge's Pawn. The pawn broker later added Jewelry, thus Bridge's Jewelry. The Bridge family lived at 419 D NW in Ardmore and a Maurice L. Bridge would later be owner of the shop. I see in the Ardmore Directory that in 1940 the location of the jewelry store was 115 East Main.
Below is an email I received in 2003 reference to Mr. Bridge:
"Bridge's Jewelry was just east of Daubes and this was back probably in 1949 or 1950, His name was Maurice Bridge. I think he was single, he was Jewish so I was surprised at all the holidays we had, He celebrated all the Jewish Holidays and the others also (good for business). He sold a lot of musical instruments in addition to jewelry, was very high-tempered. I was head bookkeeper and had an office upstairs in a balcony overlooking the store. One minute he would be screaming at the employees and the next minute a customer walked in the door and he was Prince Charming clasping both hands together and with a smile on his face would greet the customer as if they were royalty. Needless to say my tenure there was less than a year. I only stayed because the pay was good and I had children to feed. I parked my car at the back of the store and he told me to park it in front because Caddo Street was so close to where I parked and was dangerous. I can't remember much more about it. It was my first job and I needed the experience. I had just finished Brougham's (forgot the spelling) Business college, upstairs in the west end of town and Mrs. Overturf, the owner or administrator of the school, got me the job." -Ruby Beaver
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/BridgeJewelryAd1951.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/mtzion/BRIDGE_Maurice.JPG
Things sure have changed since 1951 as far as the number of grocers in Ardmore. The list below is around 65 grocery stores, nearly all just Ma and Pa corner groceries.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreGrocers1951.jpg
Also in Ardmore that same year were quite a few cafes, restaurants and eateries.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreRestaurants1951.jpg
I see a Lee Carlton operated two eating establishments in 1951.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/CarltonDriveIn.jpg
I see in 1951 Ardmore had several playgrounds that are no longer here today. One was located on Dixon Street. I vaguely recall seeing the words Dixon Street somewhere, but I do not remember where it was located in the city. Maybe someone does recall where Dixon Street was in Ardmore.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreParksPlaygrounds1951.jpg
I see my grandfather, Stanley Carmon's, lumber company among this list of lumber yards back in 1951. He built his first lumber shed behind his house on 3rd NE about 1932. It took him several years as the country was in the Depression years. He worked on it until his money ran out, then he'd save a few months, buy more materials, and continue building that shed to store the lumber.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreLumberYards1951.jpg
This is an old photo of the Rexroat grocery located in western Carter county.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/RexroatOKgrocery.jpg
This week someone was asking about Ghost Hill north of Ardmore. I know many of you have been out there as a kid to try and get a glimpse of whatever is supposed to be out there. The Ghost Hill location is north on Refinery Road to Pat Bennett Road (now Deer Creek Rd). A few years ago the county cut the road down so it was not so steep for cars going east on Deer Creek Road, then all of a sudden, coming over the rise and there was a stop sign on Refinery Road.
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/ttphotos3b/ghosthill.jpg
I've been busy sandblasting bricks the past few evenings. This is just one brick that turned out nice. I can't show the others since they are gifts at a future date. lol
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/WalkerBrick.jpg
Q. Where is the longest, straightest stretch of highway in Oklahoma?
A. "Dear Butch: I can unequivocally state the longest perfectly straight
road in Oklahoma and the US (no deviations at all) is Oklahoma's US Highway 412
located in the Oklahoma Panhandle from Hardesty to just east of Slapout,
Oklahoma. It measures out at 65.6 miles of razor-edge straight highway."
-Larry Paul
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/StraightHighwaySlapoutOK.jpg
Q. What year in Oklahoma was the wettest (most rain)?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of May 13, 2000:
"Bells, chimes, etc. can be heard at the
UofA campus in Fayetteville, AR. My husband built the Cafe Santa Fe in Hot
Springs, AR. Due to that, we were there within the last 2 years and took a
wonderful boat tour."
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In the 1950s the courthouse here in
Ardmore employed a janitor by the name of James Harris "Harry" Gaines. A reader
sent me his photo this week to share with everyone.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/JamesGaines.jpg
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"Hey Butch, I lived in Hot Springs from
June 1983 to June 1985. That picture of the Water company...on the left there
was a place called Buckley's. I think it was some kind of auction for estate
sales. All those light poles you see downtown were installed then as well, they
did a major makeover to the downtown area during that time. One more tidbit.
Revolving doors are very common in the Netherlands (probably all over Europe) I
think the reason they are still in use there and not here in the states is the
'lawsuit' factor. There are a lot of what we consider safety hazards, because
people cannot sue for things like that over there. The revolving door into my
office building there was huge. About 7 people could fit into each 'section'.
One more thing the 'Second Baptist Church' on the main road in Hot Springs
(across from the racetrack) played their bells everyday while we lived there.
You could hear them all across town."
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A friend from my past and the northeast
part of Ardmore where I grew up, gave me a photo this week to scan. It was taken
about 1960 I think. The people in the pic on the bottom row, left to right are:
(unknown), Irma Bailey, her son "Jug" Bailey, Tommy Lakey and Jimmy Brooks. On
the back row from left to right are a Dishman, Marion Hansen Sadler, (unknown),
(unknown), my mother Louise Carmon Bridges, and then little ole me on the very
far end on the right.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/ButchBridgesGroup.jpg
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"Butch, I go through Idabel, OK about 3 times a year and I think they paint new murals about every year. They are really some pretty drawings and the artist does a great job."
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"The person who said the revolving door was at the Ardmore Hotel was definitely correct. I remember as a child going there just to go through those doors. It was hardly a trip to town if we didn't walk up there and go through those doors, maybe several times. Weren't there some at the office building that was next to the old Exchange National Bank too? Seems like I remember them there too. Boy you could get a good "Cherry Phosphate" at the fountain there. Those were the simple days when a kid could go to town and be safe."
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"Dear Sir. How odd. Not too long ago I found a picture of my father in Homecoming at Vanoss High School. Teasing him about it, he replied he was king two years in a row "thank you very much"! I asked about the young lady and he said her name and that she died in a plane crash, and had been a stewardess. Then he said she was a really nice person. Something stuck with me and while browsing the AZ boards (I grew up in AZ) on GenForum I saw reference to a crash. I called my mother and asked the woman's name and she said "Wanda Stonecipher". Then I found her name on your website."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/americanflyers/wanda3.jpg
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I was sadden last week when I heard about the death of Ardmoreite L.T. "Red" Kitchens. When I asked in my T&T February 26th for donations to the American Flyers Memorial, L.T. Kitchens was the fourth person to respond with a donation. I'd like to share with everyone the email Mr. Kitchens sent me that Saturday:
"Please put us on your list for $25.00 contribution. I was foreman for American Flyers Airline meeting the airplane on a through flight from California. I heard the airplane as it was making an approach. The ceiling was low and I heard an explosion. I called the tower to find out if they still had contact with the airplane, which they didn't. I called and notified my boss and told him that I thought the airplane had gone down. He came out and we went by car to the sight. We were the first car there. At which time we looked for the aircraft form 1 and also the flight data recorder. Death and destruction was everywhere. The airplane had hit in a herd of cattle and people and cattle were scattered and burning. It's not a sight you would EVER forget. Also, I personally knew the flight crew as well. It was unbelievable. My name is L.T. Kitchens, 1950 Hawkins St. Ardmore, OK. 73401"
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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.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/puregas.html
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
?WALLACE / CARROLL FAMILY REUNION?. The annual Wallace/Carroll Family Reunion will be Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the ?Senior Citizens Center? in Ringling, Oklahoma. All family members are encouraged to attend the POT LUCK LUNCH served at 12:00 Noon.
"This is the "icon" on the grounds of the Cimarron County
Museum in Boise City, OK. Boise City was the epicenter of the "Dustbowl", the
only city in the U.S.A. that was bombed during WWII (with practice bombs) home
of "No Man's Land" jerky factory, many paleontological dig sites, and the only
County in Oklahoma that boasts of NO traffic lights in the entire County."
-Bob Gates
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/BoiseCityOKartwork.jpg
"This is "yard art" in Gage, Okla. The entire piece is made from tire/truck rims. I appreciate the imagination of artists." -Bob Gates
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/GageOKart.jpg
"I'm a lifelong professional musician and now live in Nashville. I read the blog about the river road just north if the Red River in Oklahoma. I used to play a couple of those clubs. One was called " the Old Same Place". Johnny's B29 was not on the big river strip but was just off the interstate on the other side. . There was a club in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico also named Johnny's B29. Once me and a few of my buddies got to drinking at the Oklahoma Johnny's and talked about the Mexican version....next thing you know we piled into an old VW beetle and drove all night to the other Johnny's." -Wally Wilson
Why Was Sulphur's Location Moved Twice?
Many Sulphur residents don?t know that the City of Sulphur has had three locations. Sulphur #1 was once on the land that makes up the Platt Historic District of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The town was moved and then had to be moved again. Are you curious as to why? You can find out at the next program presented at the Arbuckle Historical Society Museum. Researchers connected with the National Park Service and the University of Nebraska are using old maps and GPS systems to find the foundations of the buildings that made up Sulphur #1 and Sulphur #2. One foundation that has been discovered was the home of C. J. Webster who was one of the men who built the original Artesian Hotel. The rock work comprising his home?s foundation is said to be some of the best workmanship ever to be seen.
Researchers Jeremy Brunette and Chris Nycz will present a power point presentation on Monday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the museum located at 402 W. Muskogee. The program is open to the public and everyone is welcome."Signage that caught Georgia's and my eye (not to mention imagination). Our thoughts were..."well..if we needed a doctor, this would be the clinic we would visit. It is located in Broken Bow, Okla. (unsure if it is still there)." -Bob Gates
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/GoodHonestMedicine.jpg
Anyone remember what year the Beatles visited the Ardmore area and any other details of the visit?
"While Tom Mix's connection with Oklahoma is brief and not particularly important, the story is interesting. Does anyone remember Western star Tom Mix? He died in 1940, but was in a lot of B Westerns featured on kid's show on TV back in the 50s.
It was featured in a monthly
Straight Talk, a news magazine of the Former Texas Rangers Association, Est.
1897." -Jim Hubbell, N5COP
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/TomMix.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTCn3jyZ4wM
Join us in downtown Sulphur for the inaugural Artesian Arts Festival! The Artesian Plaza will be transformed into a colorful exhibition of arts and culture, showcasing artwork by accomplished Southeastern Native American artists. This premier event will also offer fabulous local foods, a lively music scene, kid-friendly activities, a Senior Citizen Arts & Crafts Booth and more! Saturday May 24th.
http://chickasawcountry.com/events/view/artesian-arts-festival
"Shall I ask the brave soldier who
fights by my side in the course of mankind if our creeds agree?" -Thomas Moore
(1779-1852)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moore
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
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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