The Okie Legacy

Vol. 2, No. 47 26 February 2000, Saturday

Oakie's February Birthday Edition

"Still down in my heart there'll always raise | A Burning sigh and a sad regret, | For the passing away of the other days. | Though all these boys are scattered now | Over the earth and over the sea, | A cherished memory for each of them | Eternity only can wrench from me." -- Denver Boggs.

Back in 1904 when Woods County (a.k.a. "M" County) was celebrating its tenth birthday, one of the newspaper of that time reported, "Many chapters of interesting facts could be written concerning the wild and woolly history of the country now embraced in Woods County, Oklahoma, in the days when the cattle kings were monarchs of all they surveyed, and we sincerely hope these facts will be gathered together and woven into the history of Oklahoma before they are entirely lost track of."

There was another interesting piece of Oklahoma history in the 1904 Alva Pioneer that was reprinted January, 1904 and taken from the "Medicine Lodge Index, Oct. 4, 1903."

It seems these two citizens of Woods County were reminiscencing back in 1903 of the Oklahoma Run of '93. On this particular Saturday evening the course of a conversation between Tip McCracken of Elwood and Sam Stewart of the Alva township, recalled a run into the Strip in the fall of 1893. They each made a run of forty-five miles and covered the entire distance in two hours and thirty minutes. They started from Kiowa and each of them landed on a quarter of what was then the T-5 Ranch. The horse Mr. Stewart rode was still living back in 1903, but owned by D. C. Funk. The presence of the horse on the street at the time reminded Stewart and McCracken of the incident. It was reported back in 1904, "Mr. McCracken's horse died only a short time ago, and if there is such a thing as horse heaven he is certainly wearing a crown. Tip thought so much of the horse that he had saved the hoofs; polished them and keep them as a relic of his famous ride of '93."

I made a remark to some friends the other day that Winter was too short in Oklahoma. One day its here! A few days later... Poof! Its gone! But... I do believe Spring is in the air. The thunderstorm watches sprang up in the Heartland this week to remind us. May should be following before you know it. As for Y'all up north still experiencing the chilly weather, I envy you for the Winter weather, but also understand that it can get bitter cold to the bones at times. Let me share a little bit of spring with you to warm those frozen bones.

Speaking of May, "When May time comes, Oklahoma is an inspiring sight to behold, with her voluptuous green spring dress bedecked with the most beautiful of flowers and glittering diamonds of rain and dewdrops, resplendent with golden sunshine under an azure mantle trimmed with ermine and fascinating plumes of swaying, soft white clouds, she is a princess of the agricultural world, a kohinoor among diamonds, the masterpiece of the Creator." -- Taken from the 1 January 1904, Alva Pioneer Souvenir Edition ninety-six plus years ago, and it still rings true today in the 21st century.

BUT... Let us NOT forget the sweet, Amber-waves of grain as the wind & rain comes sweeping down the plain sweetening the air around us.

Also with the Spring comes the baseball season! Yes! I'm still laboring on my Grandpa's 1906 Baseball Legacy with the Austin Senators & the South Texas league. Here's a little teaser from a clipping dated 30 June 1906 concerning McGill (pitcher) and Lake Charles defeating the Senators with a score of 1 to 0, ".....A two-bagger, a steal and a wild pitch did the sad work and let in one lonely, solitary run. It all happened in the fifth inning. McGill had been handing the balls pretty hot to the batters and they could do nothing much with him. In the beginning of the fifth inning the first rattle out of the box, Hardy, the big, long, lanky first baseman for the Creoles, got two sacks and then later stole third. McGill settled down to business and came within one throw making an envied name for himself. He struck out two men in succession and had two strikes and three balls on the third man. McGill straightened up and put the speed of a locomotive behind the ball, which went low, struck the home plate and bounced fifteen feet above Gordon's head and Hardy at third base came home for the first and only run of the game. It was pretty hard luck for McGill, who pitched a star game throughout the nine innings. He held the visitors' hits down and those they got did not amount to much except in the fatal fifth inning. McGill is a great pitcher and has one of the best wings in the league."

Perhaps with the technology that we have today we can help preserve some of those facts that make up the history of the States and share them with the World. AND... We should continue telling our family stories to our children so they can pass it along to their children, etc. Remembering the pasts so we don't make the same mistakes in the future.

OAKIE'S THOUGHTS:

Let me begin with a question & message for a friend who has gone thru some bad times recently, "Is your friend really a friend if they only -- think, believe and take care of themself; watch out for number one; and leave you stranded holding a bag of rotten apples?!"

My friend, MaKelley, sent me this and I thought it an important message to include here...

"Lifes Rules -- Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift. When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've every had."

"It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile."

"There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real! Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do. May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. Always put yourself in others' shoes ! If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too."

"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying."

OAKIE'S LINKS & MAILBAG:

MORE of Grandpa's Baseball Legacy pages Fresh "Off the Web Press" -- Grandpa's Photo Album (over 20 something photos) || June 30, 1906, Page 24 || July, 1906, Page 25 || July 27, 1906, Page 26 || August 1st, 1906, Page 27

Info from the 1904 Souvenir Edition, Alva Pioneer, Friday, Jan. 1, 1904, Vol. 11, No. 16, by W. F. Hatfield, Alva, Woods Co., Oklahoma. W. F. Hatfield, Publisher Daily and Weekly Pioneer editor, sold the "Souvenir Edition" in 1904 for 50-Cents. It was printed to celebrate Alva's tenth anniversary since the opening of 1893. "The Early Recollections" printed that year told something of what life was like for the Old Cattlemen who were here 12 to 25 years Ago between the years 1869-1882 before Woods County was settled in 1893. Another article told of the Oklahoma farm ground, Illinois and the World.

Northwest Oklahoma Ingenuity is Alive and Well! This is where it all begins! In the small, rural area south of Freedom; north of Mooreland, Oklahoma; located in the "Cimarron Alabaster Hills" just a few miles south of the Cimarron River. They boast a population of 4 in New Pringey, Oklahoma, Woodward County. Its Wholesale || Unique || Handcrafted || Solid Alabaster || Made in the USA.

Cimarron Alabaster
Inc. RT. 1, Box 173
Mooreland, OK 73852
Call: (580) 621-3692 * (888) 487-7658
E-Mail: (Cimarron Alabaster)

"Take the RealAge test and learn more about the things you can do to live younger, longer. Or sign up for one of our free services. Our Tip-of-the-Day service provides you with a quick bit of health advice each weekday. Our HealthBytes personalized news service keeps you up-to-date on the health topics you care about. Just select the health topics that interest you most. You can trust RealAge.com to provide you with the most up-to-date info science has to offer. Our unique interactive format personalizes that info to you. After all, it's not just health, it 's your health. Membership in RealAge is free. And because we want to make membership matter, we offer you the RealAdvantages program-discounts on products and services available only to RealAge members. Visit http://www.realage.com and learn about the exclusive offers on products and services that can help you live a younger, healthier life."

"Hi, Dear, I hope you have as great a birthday as I did this week... Enjoy your day. Keep the February birthday girls motto..LIVE AND BE HAPPY Oh yah AND CELEBRATE!"

CHECK OUT THIS & CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR --- The Natural Progesterone -- Safe and Natural Hormone Replacement. "It has been found that the body stops producing estrogen and progesterone from the ovaries at menopause, but estrogen secretion continues in the body. The adrenal glands, sitting on top of the kidneys, secrete a hormone called androstenidiol. This hormone is converted into estradiol in the fat cells of the body. Estradiol is the main estrogen hormone. So, menstruation ceases, because the ovaries are no longer functioning, but estrogen is continued to be produced, by the fat cells of the body, at a level 50% to 60% of normal. Since the body fat cells are converting androstenidiol into estrogen, and the ovaries have stopped making progesterone, the hormonal problem then becomes too much estrogen. No progesterone is produced by the body to balance the effects of estrogen. This hormonal imbalance is what causes the symptoms of menopause. This is called estrogen dominance."

MW Labs & Progesterone || Wild Yams ||

Use your favorite search engine and plug in "Natural Hormone Replacement" and/or "Natural Progesterone" and see what else is out there. Checkout C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD, author of "DHEA: The Youth and Health Hormone" and "Natural Progesterone Cream: Safe & Natural Hormone Replacement".

SelfHealthSystems || ShealyHealthNet || ShealyInstitute

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

In this triumph of piety and morality over poverty Burns gives us a part of his philosophy of life. Like goldsmith, he believes that happiness depends not on wealth or rank, but on the heart. In the "Epistle to Davie" he says: "If happiness hae not her seat | And centre in the breast, | We may be wise, or rich, or great, | But never can be blest; | Nae treasures, nor pleasures, | Could make us happy lang; | The heart ay's the part ay, | that makes us right or wrang." -- Robert Burns

© 2008 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy.org   All Rights Reserved. Webmaster