Duchess' NW Corner...
 There
that Oakie goes again... snapping my mugshot while we are at work
feeding horses early this morning. I'm the "Lady Pug in Black."
I do a lot of the supervising around here and keep Oakie from getting
sidetracked on the farm in NW Oklahoma.
We have been up here in Northwest Oklahoma for the week helping
feed the horses. I let Oakie carry the feed buckets while I rest
my front paws on the pickup door. That's the way us rural dogs do
things around these parts. Now... All I need is some wheat straw
sticking out of the corner of my mouth and a little of that "Redman
chew." You do know what I mean, don't you? My friend Bud dropped
a little bit of that stuff on the floor the other day ... I found
it of course and chewed it right up before Oakie had a chance to
stick her finger in my mouth to retrieve it. I have to be quick
about it, though, 'cause she hardly lets me chew anything exciting.
Do I look like a determined Lady Pug in Black? I am! I have all
sorts of cute ways that gets me just about anything... almost anything,
that is. If you are driving down the highway or rural country roads
and spot Oakie and this lady Pug, give us a wave. I would love to
wave my paw at the other farmers / ranchers in the area. That is
if Oakie lets me get up to see out of the front windshield. Sometimes
she does! Sometimes she won't!
Whew! Has it been a scorcher in your neck of the woods? We've been
hot here in the Northwest parts of Oklahoma. Oakie only lets me
ride along in the cool, early morning hours and the evening hours.
Driving out to Fairvalley this morning we spotted five (5) Huge
wild turkeys grazing freely out in the plowed wheat field. They
were the fattest wild turkeys that this Pug has ever seen. I haven't
seen too many, though, BUT... they were BIG! Oakie stopped to get
her camera, but the durn turkeys skidaddled into the high brush
nearby... never to be seen again while we were there. So... we drove
on to town.
 Oakie
did some digging in our Grandmother's treasure box of memories and
found this old photo of young pioneer children standing in front
of an old sheepshed (or something like that) andis that a school
teacher on the leftside? We are not quite sure what year it was
taken, but on the backside it reads, "Sheepshed - 6 miles south
- 1 mile west of Alva, Okla." In the middle on the backrow
is Constance Warwick and another young girl named Essie. I suspect
that both those girls are in their early teen years. Not for sure,
though. Does anyone recognize anyone else or know the date? Was
there a Sheepshed 6 miles south, 1 mile west of Alva, Oklahoma?
Click the photo for a larger view.
N.W.S.T.C. Class of 1933...  This
old 1933 photo was taken by Ellis Photo, in Alva, Oklahoma. If you
click the photo, you can get a better, larger view. Look to the
second row, left-end for a view of a person we believe might resemble
our Grandmother, Constance Estelle Warwick McGill. If you recognize
any others in the photo or know of someone who might, we would love
to hear from you. Thanks.
I can tell it is getting close
to Rodeo season here in the Northwest parts of Oklahoma. Oakie has
been getting her annual AD ready for the Freedom Open Rodeo Program
and digging through Old Family photos to memorialize in the AD.
If you are in NW Oklahoma around the middle of August, come on out
to Freedom, Oklahoma twenty-seven some miles or so west, south of
Alva.
I have to get out of here, 'cause 6:00 a.m. comes early around
here and the horses need to be fed. Don't forget to check out the
interesting messages in the Mailbag Corner. Maybe something will
jump out and jog your memory for next week's newsletter. As Oakie
would say, "See you next weekend and stay out of this heat
if at all possible. Be Cool! Keep those Okie Legacies coming this
way."
~~ Duchess ~~
Email: duchess@okielegacy.net
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Estel S. Haltom Obit.
If
you ever met Estel Haltom, you would no doubt adopted him as part
of your family as our Paris cousins had done.
Estel was a tall, friendly, big-hearted
man, born 1 December 1904 on his families homestead five miles
south of Hopeton. He died this last Sunday, 13 July 2003 at Beadles
Nursing Home.
Estel was a special friend, adopted
cousin, and his daughters were also special.
When we held our Paris Cousin Reunions
in the past, we would include Estel and Cecile Haltom as one of
our own.
My grandmother Mary Barbara Hurt
Paris used to work for him in his grocery store in Hopeton, Oklahoma.
Then there was the time my sister
Dorthy McGill ran for State Representative in NW Oklahoma back
in 1988 and 1990. Estel and Cecile were there to deliver yard
signs and campaign literature.
Estel Haltom led a long, full life
to the age of 98 years, 7 months, 13 days. He will always be in
our hearts and memories. Thanks, Estel, for your friendship, hard
work and for touching all of our lives in one way or another.
Menu:
Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co
PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO 81122
Thanks! You can also view The OkieLegacy online. Copyrighted © 2008 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Mailbag & Links Corner....
 Little
Towns Die Hard... "It’s sad to see so many small towns
withering away. My parents were raised near Lamont, OK (Oklahoma).
Back in the '40’s and '50’s, Lamont, which never had over
a few hundred residents, was as busy on Saturday night as modern shopping
mall. Farm families from miles around came in to shop, socialize,
and talk about farming. There was a movie, drug store, a half dozen
groceries, a snooker parlor, hardware store, and more. They all stayed
open very late on Saturday night. Today, there’s only a convenience
store/gas station, grain elevator, and, for now, a bank. Most of the
old buildings have deteriorated beyond salvage, with sun light showing
through holes in the ceilings. However, look what some locals have
painted on the fronts of a number of them to make Lamont a little
less gloomy." -- Charlie Cook in Louisiana Bayou Country
Vester Brown - Rest of the Story... "Linda, I enjoy your
site so very much. I responded to the inquiry about Vester
Brown, who died in France in WWI. He was killed in 1918, and his
body was returned to Waynoka a few years later. Waynoka honored his
sacrifice with an enormous funeral which included a march to the cemetery
with a band. Thanks to your site, Vester Brown's family knows 'the
rest of the story,' as Paul Harvey would say." -- Sandie
Sand Plums Search... "Love your site! I used to live in
Alva when I was in grade school. My Dad worked for Cities Service.
We live in Barnsdall, which is near Woolaroc (near Bartlesville).
Your mention of an abundance of Sand Plums caught my attention. My
Grandmother loves to make plum jelly and we cannot find a Sand Plum
anywhere this year (or last). Do you know of any place I can contact
that sells them? I would gladly pay for them and shipping to get some
this year. My Grandfather passed away this winter and she's been down.
It would be a wonderful surprise for her. Thanks for your time."
-- Dana
Guinn Family
Webpage... " I am Candy Hill, Granddaughter of
Guthrie Lee Guinn. My brother, Charles Vest, and I have a web page
we would like for you to visit. If you feel like we are of the same
family, we would love to share information. We have some pictures
of the Guinn family and about 200 Guinn listed along with their spouse,
where it could be found. Ww would love to share our web page with
anyone interested. GUINN is a primary name in Oklahoma, But we have
many more surnames."-- Candy Hill - Email: hillwill@ckt.net --
Charles Vest - Email: cvest@hit.net
Gingrich & Severn of Chester, Oklahoma... "I have
enjoyed your site very much. I was raised in the community near the
Mayfield church. Smith and LaVerne (Garvie) Gingrich are my parents.
I am very interested in family history on all sides of the family
and would like to hear from anyone that knew our families. My husband
was Sylvester Severn, son of Lillie (King) Severn of Chester, Oklahoma.
-- Wanda (Gingrich) Severn E-mail: wlsevern@yahoo.com
Warwick - Johnson Bros. England Dishes... "Linda, again
good old search engine Google
might help you with your dish identification just type in Johnson
Bros. - Warwick - England pattern and you will get 62 hits and much
looking inside those hits." -- Lois
This Should End All '3 Bears' Stories... "Baby Bear comes
downstairs and sits in his small chair at the table, he looks into
his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!!' he
squeaks. Papa Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair.
He looks into his big bowl, and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating
my Porridge?!!' he roars. Momma Bear puts her head through the serving
hatch from the kitchen and yells, 'For Cripe's sake, how many times
do I have to go through this with you idiots? It was Momma Bear who
got up first - It was Momma Bear who woke everyone in the house -
It was Momma Bear who made the coffee - It was Momma Bear who unloaded
the dishwasher from last night and put everything away - It was Momma
Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch the newspaper
- It was Momma Bear who set the damn table - It was Momma Bear who
put the friggin cat out, cleaned the litter box, and filled the cat's
water and food dish -- and now that you've decided to drag your sorry
bear-asses downstairs, and grace Momma Bear's kitchen with your grumpy
presence, listen good, cause I'm only going to say this one more time....
I HAVEN'T MADE THE DAMNED PORRIDGE YET !' " -- BLee
Former Waynoka Citizens... "I moved away, I live in Santa
Fe, New Mexico. My parents were school teachers in Waynoka, and my
oldest sister and brother both graduated from Waynoka High. My entire
family lived in India for six years prior to moving to Waynoka, where
my dad was an Agricultural Specialist for the Department of Agriculture.
Dad was the VoAg teacher at Waynoka High and Mom was the Home Ec./English
teacher. My mother died suddenly (and tragically), and as a result,
I lived most of my school age years in Alva with my sister and her
family. I went to OSU, and after graduate school I moved to Albuquerque
and then Santa Fe. I have become very sentimental about Oklahoma in
my 40's because I realize what a very unique experience growing up
in Western Oklahoma is compared to growing up in a large urban area,
where most of my friends are from. The values and ethics that I embrace
have been forged from the integrity, humor, and hard-working culture
of the farmer/rancher in Western Oklahoma. If you ever doubted the
stuff you are made of, watch the Dust Bowl Days on the American
Experience program aired on public television. The people of Western
Oklahoma are some of the kindest, toughest and funniest I have ever
known, and I like to think of myself in that league. I am fond of
Waynoka's landscape. My love for the big views, mesas, sagebrush plains,
and sand that make New Mexico so popular is rooted in the beauty of
the same landscape of Waynoka. Thanks for listening, and even more
thanks for preserving the history of the area." -- Marlana
Duchess NW Corner... "Boy, that Duchess did a good job
again on the ezine! You know, you could use some pointers from her,
she has lots of talent when it come to writing!"
Bill McGill, Pitcher - St. Louis Browns... "Enjoyed the
great section on your website dedicated to Bill McGill, former pitcher
for the St. Louis Browns. My name is Ronnie Joyner and I am the editor
for the St. Louis Browns Historical Society newsletter - Pop Flies.
It's a quarterly publication that mails to the 300 or so members
of the Society. I would love to do a small article on Bill McGill
for 'Pop Flies.' It's an impressive thing you did -- transcribing
your grandfather's clippings. A real labor of love, I'm guessing.
There is so much content there that I have not been able to read it
all yet, but I plan to. I just stumbled onto the website yesterday
while looking for something else pertaining to the Browns. I'm the
writer, editor, illustrator, designer, gopher -- you name it -- for
"Pop Flies." I'm always looking for things to put into the
newsletter. The Browns fans that receive "Pop Flies" enjoy
reading about anything relating to the Brownies. No item is too small
if it pertains to the Browns. That's why you shouldn't worry about
the fact that your grandfather only played in 2 games with St. Louis.
His story is interesting, as I can attest to after looking at all
of the transcribed clippings, and the fans will enjoy reading it.
What makes it particularly interesting to me is that he pitched so
long ago AND yet there is a living, close connection to him -- YOU.
Because the St. Louis Browns Historical Society caters to the
living Brownies, most of the articles that I write usually focus on
guys that played from the mid-1930s to 1953 -- the last year of the
Browns franchise. That's another reason why I'd like to do a little
piece on your grandfather. He comes from a great era of baseball --
an era that I don't get to write much about." -- Ronnie Joyner
Grandpa's Baseball Legacy... 'Your Grandpa's baseball experience
is showing through slowly through me. I have been a part of the AmeriCorps
softball team, AmeriScore. I have also lived some in Dorthy, Gene,
and maybe even Grandpa Lou's footsteps... I am living in DC - I have
been a bartender - line cook - special assistant for a political appointee.
I'll get you pictures from our last game next week." -- MW
A. W. Kavanaugh... 'I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
A friend of mine sent me a link to your website. A.W. Kavanaugh, mentioned
in the Alva
Record, Friday, September 21, 1923, was my great grandfather.
I understand he was married to Mollie. One of his sons, A.J. Kavanaugh,
had seven children: Alfred William III (my father), Joseph, Michael,
Daniel, Dennis, Ann, and Virginia. A.J. married Marjorie Shipley (daughter
of Nellie) and eventually moved to Oklahoma City where A.J. started
Metropolitan Paving Company and even ran (unsuccessfully) for
the governorship in the 1960's. My father died in 1963 and I was never
close to his side of the family, so seeing just that reference to
GG A.W. was rewarding! If you are aware of any other references, I
would be most appreciative. I did check the link to the Alva Cemetery
Records and found no Kavanaugh's." -- Karen Kavanaugh - Email:
kavank@dianon.com
Woodford, Oklahoma...
"We own property at Woodford, Oklahoma, and there is in fact
still some of the Old Woodford standing. We have one of the old two
room log cabins still standing. I have found old horse shoes, wagon
parts, and a few old stove parts just lying around. I have to be very
careful while mowing. Its like the horse shoes just come up out of
the ground! We do have an old picture of some of the business's in
Woodford." -- michael & janice lack - E-mail: starlitecruiser@brightok.net |
Thanks! You can also view The
OkieLegacy online.
|
