In September 1906, one of the worst train accidents ever in the history of this country, took place just south of a small town named Dover, Oklahoma. Heavy rains had washed away the bridge that night as the Rock Island train from Texas north bound for Kansas came through. All but one car plunged into the Cimarron River. Reports were sketchy, but of the 225 passengers on board, over 100 would lose their lives that night. One early report said that only one man, Floyd Zeist, survived the disaster. One thing is for certain, it would be one of the most deadly train accidents in this country's history.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/dover
Chickasaw Nation to Host Artesian Arts Festival May 24 in Sulphur, Oklahoma
http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/artesian-arts-festival-set-may-24-sulphur-oklahoma/
I have been busy sandblasting bricks the past few evenings, some for Memorial Day. These are just four of the bricks if finished this week. I can't show the others since they are gifts at a future date. lol
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/WalkerBrick.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/WarrenBrick.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/PageBrick2.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/BivingsBrick.jpg
Q. What year in Oklahoma was the wettest (most rain)?
A. The greatest annual precipitation recorded at an official reporting
station was 84.47 inches at Kiamichi Tower in the southeast in 1957.
Q. What is the smallest town in Oklahoma?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of May 20, 2000:
I learned something last week about a
place in the western part of Carter county I didn't know. There is a neat little
place five miles north and then 4 miles west of Healdton, Oklahoma were people
can enjoy a nature trail. A friend in Texas and an x-Healdtonite sent me email
about it. Then Frank Eck in Healdton mailed me the May 11th issue of the Healdton
Herald Newspaper in which there was an article about this little secret known
only to those in that part of the county. It seems that the property owners,
Dell and Sondra Jennings, opened up the nature trail in memory of the late Oscar
Ruth. The trail has been named the Walking Tree Trail and is open to the public.
They ask you to bring a old pair of cowboy boots to hang on the "Cowboy Fence".
I haven't wore a pair in 25 years, but I'll look around for a pair when I go out
there. Maybe we should set up a meeting date and all go? Dell or Sondra can be
reached at 580-673-2552. Yep, set around a fire some evening, roast some winnies
and marshmallows, and tell some big stories..... might be fun!
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The Oklahoma Association of County
Commissioners has a new website. http://www.okacco.com
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"The girls are Erma Lee James, and her
sister, Susie. (My piano books they gave me has her name Mary Louise, but we all
called her Susie, she is the shorter sister, both in the back row. They lived
across the street from the Church Manse... The boy on the front left end you
didn't know, Al says was Charlie Milner."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/ButchBridgesGroup.jpg
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"You are correct in that the Ardmore
Hotel had the revolving front door."
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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.....
"Dear Mr. Bridges, with the "s", I knew Mr. Maurice Bridge when I played with The Ardmore Indians in the fifties and this photo was done in September 8, 1951 at the Fonville Studio in Ardmore. Mr. Bridge is the in the upper right at the end. I didn't know him very well but the part I did he was a very nice person and with our Team always trying to help. He gave nice presents to ballplayers , and in one occasion he gave me a nice ring for been in 1951 a MPP (most popular player) That ring I gave it to my older son and he gave it to his son and he is very proud to have it. That is the only part of his life that I knew and he was part of the nicest town in Oklahoma. That is the way I remember him and I thank him and the Ardmore people for been so nice with me. Maybe this picture is a little small, let me know and I try again. Say Hello to Jill and for you I want to thank very much for your weekly editorial and to send me to the fifties and to remember one of the best part of my life." -Ernie Wallerstein in New Jersey
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=klein-001ern
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreIndians1951.jpg
1-Orel Dryden, 2-Jack Rose, 3-Lloyd Stout, 4-Darrell Pierce, 5-Glen Groomes, 6-Ernesto Klein, 7-Craig Whistone, 8-Glenn Snyder, 9-Bennie Warren, 10-Harold Warren, 11-Jack Fuller, 12-Osmaro Blanco, 13- Joe Nodar, 14-Hector Bonet, 15-Armin Somonte, 16-Manuel Cadalso, 17-Jose A. Temes, 20-Arthur Willingham and 21-Puny Sparger. I don't remember the names of the 2 batboys the one at left I think was the son of our bus driver.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/ArdmoreIndians1951NAMED.jpg
"Butch, Maurice Bridge did marry late in life. I believe her name was Murphy." -Frances
"Your mention of Bridge?s Jewelry brought back the memory of when I bought my flute there in 1953 when I joined the Ardmore High School band. Mother took out a loan at the store to pay for it, but when Dad found out how high the interest was, he promptly paid it off with money borrowed from the bank which had a much lower rate!" -R. Helms
"Hi Butch, Thanks for posting the pic of my brother Jimmy Brooks in last week's newsletter. Irma Bailey took care of me from about 3 years old until I started school. I am dating myself, but I taught Irma how to dial the phone when the new rotary dial phones came out! I learned a lot of things from Irma, and I wish I had been older to absorb more because she knew so much! My brother and Jug were best friends. Charlie Bailey worked at Small's bakery at the time, and he would bring me home a ball of dough to play with. I remember leaving one outside on the porch at my house and it rose and stuck to the screen door! Irma and Charlie were such kind people. I wish they were still around. Thanks for bringing back memories of a wonderful life in NE Ardmore." -Cindy Brooks Koets
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/ButchBridgesGroup.jpg
"I (and other little kids) had a jingle that we used to sing. It went..."shave and a haircut, six bits. Who was your barber? Tom Mix". Don't ask questions, because that is all I recall!" -Donald Bridges
"This establishment is located in Valiant, OK. For some odd reason, this is how I feel after our Dinner tonight. But if memory serves, our Dinner tonight was much better than what we enjoyed there. (still good BBQ, though)." -Bob Gates
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/BigBellyBBQValiantOK.jpg
"Hi, Butch, My late husband, Charles Nance, was a brilliant pharmacist. He graduated #1 from the 1963 OU school of pharmacy. I am a nurse and Charles taught me more than I ever learned in Nursing School! Charles was also a helper to common folk like us. I want to share a cheap solution for nausea which Charles taught me and many others: Cola Syrup. The younger pharmacists I've talked with have never even heard of it. When I asked for it, the smart young pharmacist @ Walgreen's asked me to bring in my last bottle so she could check it out. She ordered Cola Syrup and now they all recommend it as a CHEAP remedy for simple nausea. People who use it don't have buy expensive drugs which have some unpleasant side effects. You simply pour a very small amount over ice chips and sip VERY SLOWLY....
Yes, it is truly cola syrup and contains real sugar, so all diabetics should talk with their pharmacist before purchase/use. It is available @ the pharmacy counter and needs no prescription. I hope this old-time, cheap remedy helps lots of people with simple nausea.... and their pocketbooks!" -Susan Nance
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
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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