Those of you who live far away from
Oklahoma have probably been hearing on the national news about the terrible
flooding here. So many people and friends of mine have lost everything when
their homes flooded over the past 24 hours. I know of 2 lives that were lost in
this area because of the torrential rains like I have never seen in my lifetime.
We are lucky here on our little 3 acres south of Lone Grove, no flooding, but so
many around us have suffered great loss to their property. I do want to
report that as of today the rains are gone and the sun has finally appeared.
The weather forecasters are saying the worst is behind us now, and I know
everyone is so thankful for this terrible flooding to go away.
I received an email this week with an
attached 1959 newspaper clipping. The clipping was a photo of Career Day held
that year in Ardmore and in the photo were the following people:
Mike Thompson, Fox; Martha Jerrett,
Ardmore; David Carmany, Wilson; and Ellen Strong, Healdton. Counciling the 4
students is Hugh DeWoody, Carter County 4-H Agent.
The email was a request to see if any of
those in the photo were still around and how to get in touch with them. If you
recognize any one, let me know.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/CareerCounselingDay1959.jpg
In last week's newsletter I posted in
the Archive section, an email I received in 2001. I want to repost it here as
I have had a request last week to find out who made the original email to me, as
I have lost their name. If you know who wrote the email below let me know.
"Mr. Richie taught me in Tishomingo in the
7, 8th and 9th grade. He was our history teacher, and he was, in my opinion, the
most wonderful teacher that ever taught. His wife taught typing and shorthand,
and she was my instructor in the 10th and 11th grade. She instilled the two
skills that help me perform my jobs for 25 years. One question? Did Mr. Richie
tell your class the story of how he smuggled a child home from Europe? The story
is fascinating.
"Here is the group graduation picture. Mr.
Richie is the man with the tie. I am on the end next to the girl standing. I
have on a light colored dress and dark shoes. The girl to my right is the lady
that became Mrs. Ward and taught school in Ardmore for many years."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/MrRichieTishomingo1951.jpg
Below is a link to Antelope Springs at
the Chickasaw National Recreation Area (old Platt National Park) at Sulphur,
Oklahoma. It documents
how the park came back to life after several years of drought. The two
springs mentioned in the video are at the east end of the Park, far end of
Perimeter Road. It's a 1/2 mile walk from the road to the springs, but I can
hardly wait to make it back to Sulphur and see the fresh water springs!
http://kfor.com/2015/05/13/great-state-after-more-that-a-year-the-springs-return-to-life-in-sulphur/
The days are running down. As of today
only 4 workdays left before I join the ranks of the unemployed. Thursday June
25th, a week from today, will be my last day on the job at the County
Commissioners office. If you are in the area the afternoon of Wednesday June
24th stop my office for my retirement party. I'd love to see you there and wish
me luck in my new life. It's just a come and go, so stop by a few minutes.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/ButchBridgesParty2015.jpg
After nearly a month of not losing
any weight with TruVision I decided 2 weeks ago to stop taking it. During the
two weeks I gained back a couple pounds reaching 180 lbs. When I started back I
lost 2 lbs. in a 24 hour period. Plus I could tell my energy level was down too.
Now to see if I can break below that 177 pound plateau I had reached over a month
ago. If anyone wants to try it,
give me a holler. "I'll meet you at the
Walmart mailbox!" Join us and check
it all out at the link below.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/truvision.html
http://butch.truvisionhealth.com/
If you have a swimming pool in the
backyard my OKie Power Saver
will help keep the electric bill down. Also the
A/C is probably the most energy hungry appliance for the homeowner. But if you
have a swimming pool that has a pump running 24/7 during the summer months, that
too can run up an electric bill. It should save on your electric bill to install
an OKie Power Saver at the pool pump, especially if that pump motor is more than
30 feet away from the main electric service panel. I have
made a
checklist to help before ordering. I guarantee my OKie power
saver to save you money or you get a complete refund. Want to know more, send me
an email or give me a call.
http://www.OKiePowerSaver.com
Q. Where is the world's largest
concrete totem pole located?
A.
The totem pole is located near Foyil, Oklahoma just off Route 66 on the Ed
Galloway place.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9058
Q. What percentage of
Oklahoma is made up of forests?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That
newsletter archives of June 16, 2001:
This week County Commissioner Kevin
Robinson drove his 1939 GMC Panel Wagon to the courthouse. He has been working
on it for several years, and just got it painted. It even has air conditioning!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/RobinsonGMC1939.jpg
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I have been noticing that mostly cheaper,
plastic water meter covers are being used around town in the installation of
water meters. On Main Street we have several older iron meter covers, one
remarkable preserved meter cover is in front of Stolfa Hardware on East Main.
This particular meter cover was made by the Gainesville Iron Works in
Gainesville, Texas
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/GainesvilleIronWorks.jpg
This is an example of the cheaper plastic water meter covers being installed
around town.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/PlasticWaterMeterLid.jpg
----------------------------------------------------
The Carter County Assessor's Website this
week passed the 9,000 mark for available online photos of Carter County
properties (plus 9,000 thumbnails). More are being added daily. A lot of the
work in gathering those photos his being done by the Assessor's two Field
Appraisers, Jim Rozzell and Eric Dellinger.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/RozzellAndDellinger.jpg
----------------------------------------------------
"(Yr. 1923) Blue Ribbon School is
located a few miles northwest of Lone Grove. Mrs. Paul Mitchell is Principal of
the school and Miss Etta Ward is assistant teacher. Under the careful management
of these two teachers eight grades of work is taught. School census in the
district is 112 - valuation is $115,150 - approved 1910."
----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
Old Settlers Day is held once a year at Bromide, Oklahoma and
this year it is Saturday June 20th. The owners of the Bromide rock quarry open
the private property up to the public each year on Settlers Day. It's absolutely
beautiful "photos taken last year" the water is always crystal clear!
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/BromideRockQuarry.jpg
"Butch, this is the pear tree I told you about. Sits inside my
pasture near the highway. there have been many folks naming it, several said it
was a Christmas pear. The pears fall off about the middle of November. They have
the strongest pear taste you ever bit into. Then your mouth will draw like
biting into a green persimmon. Cattle will tear a fence down to get one. Deer
love them. One day an old 80 or 85 year old fellow was there getting some
lumber. A young fellow with him ask what kind of tree it was. I told him I
didn't know, but some call it a Christmas pear. The old fellow said that is
right. Then said it makes the best pickled pears you ever ate. I picked him up a
feed sack full of them. He was to bring me back a small jar of them pickled.
Well one or three things happened to my pickled pears --he forgot why he had
them , the wife refused to make them or he died. Now one of the cousins with a
green thumb and I took cuttings from it and tried to root them. I piled up the
pears. I planted the pears and not one tree has come forth. There is a young one
I discovered a couple of years back. How it got there I have no idea. I am
thankful for it. Notice in the photo how the pears cluster together like grapes.
There will be hundreds of clusters. When they fall the ground is covered solid,
that is if the cows are in another pasture." -Taylor Crowe in Alabama
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/ChristmasPears2015a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/ChristmasPears2015b.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/ChristmasPears2015c.jpg
"Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. Yes, I would like
to attend your Retirement Party, but have a doctor's appointment that
afternoon." -Patti
"Butch, Need a new lawnmower? I bought a Spring and Summer, 1224 page, 1956
Sears Catalog that had been sent to a book binder in Dallas, Tx to be made into
a large hard bound volume. Business sticker in back page identifies the
binder
as Henry Nuss Bookbinder. It doesn't say when it was bound but Nuss's phone
number is given as "PRospect 5545." The address was "419 So. Ervay St, Dallas 1,
Texas." I'd say with that phone number and address it's probably been a long
time back. The catalog is chocked full of interesting stuff such as these cool
looking mowers. Maybe they will come back in style!:" -C. Dwane Stevens
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/SearsCatalog1956.jpg
Note: zip codes as we know them today
began July 1, 1965.
The Dougherty, Oklahoma Homecoming and School Reunion will be held on
Saturday, June 27, 2015, at the Dougherty School. Visitation begins at 5:30.
Alumni membership fee and meal $15.00. Guest meal $10.00. We welcome graduates,
former students, teachers, and residents, those who have attended church in
Dougherty, and friends.
July 4th Fireworks celebration at Lake Murray.
http://chickasawcountry.com/events/view/lake-murray-fireworks-display
"Butch, in your May 29th newsletter, Tommie Jenkins talked about a swimming pool
in Healdton 30's and 40's that was filled with oil. My Granddad George W. Gandy
built the pool, I have been told. I didn't know it had been filled with oil, but
my older brother told me that he had heard that it was at one time. I used to
live right across the street from it with my Uncle Jesse and Aunt Vallie Gandy
in the early 50's, I don't remember the pool, just remember all the pump
stations and the sucker rods that me and my cousin used to ride, the good old
days. If I can find a picture of it I will send it to you. I hope this
information helps." -Larry Gandy
Hennepin, Oklahoma 1908
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/HennepinOK1908.jpg
A picture of Pretty Boy Floyd's funeral in Akins, Oklahoma. The
biggest funeral in Oklahoma's history, it's estimated that a minimum of 20,000
people showed up for the event. Photo courtesy of Tammy Stafford via Emily
Barwick.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15a/PrettyBoyFloydFuneral.jpg
"We have known each other since the
BBS days (bulletin
board system), and have followed
T&T for God knows how long. Hope your retirement will be all you wanted it to
be. Many, many people are happy with your decision to continue T&T, and me among
them. Congratulations for sticking it out 'till the end -- Great fortitude."
Jaime A Gonzalez
Ardmore 1988-2015
Harker Heights TX 2015-?
"Hi Butch.
You will Love being retired because then you will
get to do what you want and when you want, I hope you don't really believe that,
I retired 3 years ago at the young old age of 75 and I'm more busy now than when
I worked but a lot less head aches.
Happy Retirement Butch." -Bob Cole in Oregon
Hi Butch.I get a smirk each time I see
you mention your approaching retirement. It is a daunting prospect, but
not one to be feared. I suspect that, like me and many others, you'll soon find
so much to do with your time that you'll wonder how you ever found time to hold
down a full time job.
Someone mentioned the Ardmore explosion in this week's
newsletter. I've been wondering for some time now what the City is planning to
do to recognise the 100th anniversary of that tragic event. Will you be
personally involved in any activities?
Regards,
Ron in the Down Under
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos8a/Memorial092715.jpg
Lonnie Rooney trophy
http://bid.oldwestevents.com/The-Ken-Maynard-Trophy_i22362621
"Retirement may be an ending, a
closing, but it is also a new beginning." -Catherine Pulsifer
See everyone next
week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
