Oakie's NW Corner...
Well! Brrrrr!.... According to the Calendar, it's Springtime once
again! Thursday March 20, 2003, brought in a chilly remindered that
we were one day away from Spring... among other things - Winter
is still with us for another day at least here in the heartland.
By Friday, the temps were back in the 50's and 60's with sunshine
to warm things up for the first day of Spring 2003! What will saturday
bring?
Congratulations to the 2003 Alva High Ladybugs!... The AHS
Ladybugs took home the Class 3A State Champs title in the Basketball
Championship play-offs this week in Oklahoma City. I hear that the
last time AHS Ladies won that title was back in 1924. Way to go
Ladybugs! We are Proud of You! You can read about it in the Alva-Review
Courier, March 21, 2003 Edition. According to the Sports
Spasm, March 21, 2003 written by Jim Barker for the Alva-Review
Courier -- if you are so inclined to help, make your donation
for Championship Rings for the Ladybug State Champs. You can contact
the Alva Education Foundation, c/o Helen Thiesing, 506 14th St.,
Alva, Oklahoma 73717.
Grandma's July, 1909 Vacation in Colorado...  Did
I forget to mention last week about the 1909
Vacation Photo Album that I have included on Oakie's Webshots?
These were photos that my Grandmother Constance (Warwick) McGill
put together of her trip to areas around Colorado Springs, Crystal
Park, Helen Hunt's Grave and Seven Falls in Colorado back in 1909.
From looking through the photos, things were rugged back then without
paved roads -- mules, horse and buggy were used as their mode of
travel. I love viewing the fashion of that time. They were still
wearing the long, floor-length dresses, skirts.
AND... Who was this Helen Hunt that was buried on the summit
of Mount Jackson, Colorado (a Cheyenne peak named for her, about
four miles from Colorado Springs)? SEE Mailbag Links below. [You
may Click image for a larger view.] Grandma Constance (Warwick)
McGill is the young lady in the white dress in both pictures above.
1904 Pioneer Tidbits... There has been some additions to
the Alva Pioneer Tidbits
pages. In case you want to check them out, look for the 1903
Annual Report - Woods
County Schools - In
Oklahoma - Alva
Pioneer Staff - 1st
Newspaper and Eagle
Furniture Store.
Who was Claud Baird... While digging through some more family
treasures, we found this McGill Bros' copy of Patriotic
and Other Poems - written, published back in 1917 by Claud
Baird. This writer searched through our copy of Woods County History
books, but could find nothing on Claud Baird. Does anyone out there
know of... or have any information on Baird?
This Patriotic & Other Poems was printed by Renfrew's
Record Print, Alva, Oklahoma and published, copyrighted around
1917 in Alva, Oklahoma by Claud Baird. This was supposedly his first
volume published for the public. Claud Baird dedicated it to the
one who had given him his greatest inspiration -- his mother. There
are a couple of poems that I would like to share with you, because
of what has been going on this week. I
Love My Country More and More and Answering
The Call. The latter was written in memory of our soldier
boys back in May 4, 1917. The last stanza goes like this... Answering
The Call - (SEE
pg. 7)
".....The boys are now responding throughout
the Western World,
Nor will their steps turn homeward, till monarch's thrones are
hurled
Into the depths of ocean, never to rise again, --
God give us strength to do it, that a man may be a man.
Alva, Okla., May 4, 1917."
Also... among the selection of poems you will find is a poem Baird
wrote for the Pilgrim Bard. It is entitled... To The Pilgrim
Bard - (SEE
pg. 3)
"Sweet Singer of the Western plains!
I come not to disturb thy blissful melodies
With harsh and untried meter.
Thy fame is great, thy songs have long since
Been sung by thy fellow pioneers....."
For all you Northwestern Alumni and present students
of NWOSU, here is the poem Claud Baird wrote for the Northwestern
Normal School, Alva, Oklahoma. It is entitled... Northwestern
Colors - (SEE
pg. 17)
"Thy colors are clipped from the streamers
Of time on its infinite flight,
Thy red from the splendor of morning,
Thy black from the rayless night....."
Before I send you out to enjoy this 2003 Spring weekend in the
Heartlands... may I borrow the last stanza of Claud Baird's 1917
poem entitled I Love My country More and More...
"....As thus I trod
my country o'er,
I've learned to love it more and more,
The North, the South, I love them both.
Of East and West, I am not loath
To sing in song their endless praise;
And thus I give my humble lays
To the, My noble Land."
Here's hoping you have a great weekend. Keep our thoughts, prayers
and support for our soldiers fighting across the ocean. See you
all next weekend!
~~ Linda "oaKie" ~~
NW OK Marriage 1943...
Fisher-Roby, Jr.
- Saturday, 23 May, 1943, Alva, Okla. - Fisher, Roby vows Solemnized
At Weigand Home Saturday Morning - The marriage of Miss Mary Alice
Fisher, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fisher, 818 Center, and
Max Roby, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Max Roby, Sr., Wichita, was solemnized
at 11 o'clock Saturday morning at the home of the bride's cousins,
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Weigand, 729 Third St.
Albright-Clark
- Thursday, 17 June 1943, Alva, Okla. - Gloria Albright Becomes
Bride of Lieutenant Clark Thursday Evening - Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Albright, 405 Tenth St., announce the marriage of their daughter,
Miss Gloria Albright, to Second Lieut. Edward J. Clark, of the 92nd
College Training Detachment, Alva, son of Mr. and Mrs. William J.
Clark, Brooklyn, NY, Thursday evening in the parsonage of the First
Christian church. The double-ring ceremony was solemnized by the
Rev. G. R. Vaughan at 8:30 o'clock.
Aitken-Wagner -Saturday,
July, 1943, Alva, Okla. - Miss Aitken Becomes Bride of Captain
Ernest G. Wagner In Formal Church Ceremony Saturday - Before an
altar banked with floor baskets of gladioli and white floor candelabra,
Miss Phyllis Jean Aitken, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. King Phillip
Aitken, 917 College, became the bride of Capt. Ernest G. Wagner,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest E. Wagner of Fond du Lac, Wis. The single
ring ceremony was read at 11 o'clock, Saturday morning in the First
Presbyterian church by the Rev. L. T. Knotter, church pastor.
|
27 July 1909 Vacation
[Click image for larger view.]
This picture taken during my grandmother's
Colorado vacation in the Summer of 1909. It was taken from a point
near Helen Hunt Jackson's grave, 750 ft. above roadway, showing
the road and the "Devils Slide" on opposite wall of
Canon, July27, 1909. I believe this trip of grandmother's was
while she was in Colorado Springs and before she and Grandpa were
married (March, 1910).
Claud Baird
Patriotic and Other
Poems
1917 - Alva, Oklahoma
That is "McGill Bros."
handwritten, upside-down on the cover of the little booklet. It
came to me through my Grandmother's treasure trunk of Okie Legacies.
-- LKMcGill-Wagner
2003 - Washington, DC Snow
(Click images to get larger view.)
Menu:
Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co
Thanks! You can also view The OkieLegacy online. Copyrighted © February 2008 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy. All Rights Reserved. |
Mailbag & Links Corner....
I GOT YOUR BACK... "I am
a small and precious child, my dad's been sent to fight.. The only
place I'll see his face,is in my dreams at night. He will be gone
too many days for my young mind to keep track. I may be sad, but I
am proud. My daddy's got your back. I am a caring mother. My son has
gone to war. My mind is filled with worries that I have never known
before. Everyday I try to keep my thoughts from turning black. I may
be scared, but I am proud. My son has got your back. I am a strong
and loving wife,with a husband soon to go. There are times I'm terrified
in a way most never know. I bite my lip, and force a smile as I watch
my husband pack. My heart may break, but I am proud. My husband's
got your back. I am a soldier.. Serving Proudly, standing tall. I
fight for freedom, yours and mine by answering this call. I do my
job while knowing, the thanks it sometimes lacks. Say a prayer that
I'll come home. It's me whose got your back." -- Sue
Editor's Note: Her son
is one of those that has been sent to fight in Iraq. May our thoughts,
prayers and SUPPORT go out to the soldiers and their families.
Show Your Support for the Troops... "Click
this Link To Wave A Flag for those serving our country. Then send
it to your address list. Please show your support! I just hope somehow
the troops will see how many flags are being waved for them! I (personally)
put the names of the people I know are in the military in the field
they ask for your name, etc. You can always do more than one. Thanks."
-- Karel
Northwestern Normal - Winning Basketball Ladies - Winter of 1919...
 "Yes
I do know one of the ladies in your picture Ada Pearl Morse (Nusser)
she is my grandmother, and my mother has a picture also of these women.
One of the ladies in your picture Ada Pearl Morse (Nusser). She is
my grandmother, and my mother has a picture of these women. There
is another picture that was also taken the same time but in a different
angle. Pictured in the picture you have are: Ruth Martin (bottom right
- played star forward), Francis McKinney (left bottom - played forward),
Vera Johnes (middle row left - played 1st center), Inez Coffer (middle
row right - played 2nd center), Millie Haltom (second row right -
played guard), Lilliam Groesbeck (back row right - played was sub),
Ada Morse (back row center - played star guard, lst center and team
captain). My grandmother had marked on the picture, This is the A
Class Girls who won the Normal Tournament and recieved
a Gold Cup in the Winter of 1919. My grandmother had
completed her 12 years of school and was working on her teaching certifacate
which was done at the Northwestern Normal School. I really enjoy your
site. Lots of things I didn't know about." -- Ruth Keigley -
Email: keigleyt@pldi.net
Enjoy Your OkieLegacy... "Thanks for your personal note.
I very much enjoy the Okie Legacy. I was born in Dallas, but
my parents were born and reared in Alva and Carmen. I attended the
1st grade in Carmen and the 3rd Grade in Enid. We moved from Dallas
to Tulsa in 1950 and I graduated from Tulsa Central in 1954. I love
Oklahoma, and I love Texas; I and my wife, who was born and reared
in Oklahoma, moved from Tulsa to Austin in 1963. We loved it here,
and just stayed. My best regards, and keep up the good work!"
-- Fred
Official Federal Land Patent Records Site... "You probably
all ready know but just in case. I went to (Official Federal Land
Patent Records Site) www.glorecords.blm.gov
and researched some of my relatives ownership records online giving
descriptions. Nice site, however it seems to be up and down frequently."
-- Wesley Franklin | Email: sold@wesleyfranklin.com | Webpage: wesleyfrankin.com
Editor's Note: I just
found this message listed on the frontpage of the Official Fed.
Land Patent Records Site: "Due to building maintenance, our
land patent images will be unavailable from Friday, March 21, 5:00
PM EST until Monday, March 24, 9:00 AM EST. Land patent searching
will still be available."
Keith Cemetery & Hendricks... "Is there anyway to
get records from Keith Cemetery on Samuel Hendricks (Hendrix) born
May 10, 1847 and died March 3, 1914. He is buried next to his wife
Lucretia who died March 11, 1913. I'm needing to find out his middle
name or initial. Thanks!" -- Cathy from Kansas Email: Doghouselive@wmconnect.com
The Hedricks... "I dug out the Hedrick geneaology and
looked up my Grandfather's family. It goes like this: William Cowdry
Hedrick, born 1853, married to Nancy Hazleton, had the following children:
1. Riley Hedrick; 2. William Harvey Hedrick; 3. Elizabeth Jane Hedrick;
4. James Franklin Hedrick (Frank) married to Myrtle May Paris (your
Grandfather Ernest C. Paris' sister); 5. Martha Ellen Hedrick; 6.
Mary Evelyn (Eva) Hedrick; 7. George Audrey Hedrick (my grandfather);
8. Leota Mae Hedrick; 9. Florence Lucetta Hedrick" -- Gloria
Olson - Email: golson@cox.net
Alice Shook Remembered... "Linda, I wanted to report that
my mother, Alice (Katchel) Shook (Hurt relatives) passed away on March
7, 2003, at Beaver, OK. Mom was 92 years old on February 12th (1911).
On her birthday, all four of us children (Jean Phillips, El Reno;
Faye Rodosta, Beaver; Dolly Barr, OK City; and, Sheldon Shook, Amarillo,
TX) were with her. She had been in the nursing home since early December;
but, was in the hospital when she passed. Another source of history
gone. She was an avid historian. She will be greatly missed."
-- Your Cuz, Dolly Barr - Email: daubbarr@worldnet.att.net
Dacoma, OK... "Love your website! On the following page
there is a list of Businesses From Dacoma - was
wondering who listed P.E. Swan & Company? Pearl Sweeney and her
mother Alice Sweeney had this store - Alice was my great-great-grandmother
and Pearl was my great-grandfather's sister. I have always heard the
store referred to as 'Sweeney's' and I am wondering if the name is
listed wrong here. - okielegacy.org/woods/dacomahistory.html
- Love all the Dacoma info and photos - Thanks for the time and effort!
I have only been an Okie for 15 years but both of my parents were
born in Dacoma (but lived away from here for 40 years until 1986)
and I have many, many family members who held land in the area. Some
family names: Sweeney, Hiatt, Garrison, Secrest, Dugan, Riddle. Three
family members were charter members of the old UB Church. (My great
grandfather Keith pastored there in 1915-18 and 1930-34.). I have
a website also groups.msn.com/NoNoJake.
It's just one of those free sites through MSN but I have alot of photos.
Will probably start some pages that have more than just photos for
genealogy as well.
Thanks again.' -- Patti (Myers) Kilbourne - Email: jrk1@onenet.net
1960's Political Legacy... "Thanks Linda, I appreciate
the good material and find it all very interesting." -- Ernest
Helen
Fiske Hunt Jackson... "Helen Hunt..... (a.k.a H.H.) had
gone to Colorado in search of health, and the state of the Indians
there excited her pity. As she studied their history, the conquest
of the Indians by the whites, the old crusading zeal of the Yankee
abolitionists [surged in her heart, and] awoke in [her] mind [images]
of a later indifferent New England. She thereupon determined to write
the romance that paralleled Uncle Tom's Cabin, the book that
roused the popular mind to the sorry state of the [enslaved] conquered
race and led to a change of policy in dealing with it. Ramona
thus became a part of American history. With all its faults, this
novel remained, with its high vitality, a popular classic....."
-- www.traverse.com/people/dot/jackson.html
Helen Hunt's Grave... ".....In June 1884, a severely fractured
leg left Jackson a cripple. Despite the handicap, she returned to
California to visit Hispanic friends and continue writing. While there,
she developed cancer. Nonetheless, she never lost hope for the future
until death claimed her on August 12, 1885. In fact, her last letter
was sent to President Grover Cleveland urging him to read A Century
of Dishonor. According to Theodore Fuller, she wrote: 'I am
dying happier in the belief I have that it is your hand that is destined
to strike the first steady blow toward lifting the burden of infamy
from our country and righting the wrongs of the Indian race.'
Temporarily interred in San Francisco, she later was buried near the
Summit of Mount Jackson, Colorado, a Cheyenne peak named for her,
about four miles from Colorado Springs. Finally, to avoid possible
vandalism and commercialism, her body was removed permanently to Evergreen
Cemetery in Colorado Springs....." -- www.theglassceiling.com/biographies/bio16.htm
| Also READ: Colorado
Women's Hall of Fame - Helen Hunt Jackson | Helen
Hunt Jackson | Chronology
- Helen Hunt Jackson
Penny Postcards Archives... This is a USGenWeb Archives Web
Site - Penny
Postcards from Colorado. There is a postcard of Helen Hunt's grave
on the summit of Mount Jackson of Cheyenne Peak. Check out the Penny
Postcards of Kansas - Penny
Postcards of Oklahoma - Penny
Postcards from Other States
Seven
Falls - Colorado... Brief history of Seven Falls and South
Cheyenne Canon ".....Later owners realized little profit from
the land until 1882 when James Hull purchased the property for $1300.
Mr. Hull was a naturalist who was disturbed to note the scenic beauty
of the cañon was being threatened by the felling of trees for
their lumber value. Hull had already purchased 160 acres west of Seven
Falls for $500 and later secured an additional 80 acres by preemption
in 1885. With 400 acres including the heart of the cañon Hull
became one of Colorado's earliest environmental protectors and the
first owner to fully appreciate the true value of this scenic masterpiece...."
Map & Directions |
Historical
Parks of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Jersey
County Victorian Festival -Illinois... "Just a line to
let you know how much I enjoyed your passion for history. I believe
what you are doing is great and to be admired. I noticed your comment
about the Baldwin combines in the pasture. I am interested in early
Baldwin combines and find their design ahead of their time. I am enclosing
brochures on the Jersey
County Victorian Festival which I know you will find interesting.
Using the Google search engine you will find a lot of information
on the Festival and the man who built Hazel
Dell Mansion. The Festival is always labor Day Weekend with this
years dates, August 30, 31 and September 1, 2003. It is a beautiful
area and I thought you might like to see a little history in our part
of the country." -- Fred Nolan |
Thanks! You can also view The
OkieLegacy online.
|
