Duchess Dozing Domain

Bayfield, Colorado - Here it is late night, 5th of July 2010, and NW Okie is wondering where June has vanished. Did you all have a safe celebration for the 4th of July, Independence Day? See any great fireworks in your neck of the woods?

Us Pugsters, Sadie and myself (Duchess), had to stay home last night because NW Okie thinks the loud fireworks would disturb our sweet natures.

NW Okie did get a few digital stills and movies of the fireworks at Vallecito lake, in the area of the Durango Marina, located North of Bayfield, Colorado. The panorama photo on the right shows the lake, Durango Marina (center) and Irving mountain on the left. We have uploaded the Vallecito fireworks movies to our OkieLegacy YouTube.com in the "4th of July Fireworks Playlist."

4th of July 2010 Fireworks At Vallecito Reservoir CO

Part II and 4th of July 2010 - Part III, Vallecito Lake, North of Bayfield, LaPlata county, Colorado.

On another note! Some of our readers have asked, "Do you still have a mailbag section? I can't find it."

The answer is actually, No to the mailbag section. The old mailbag section has been replaced with the "comments" under each feature. Hope this answers the question about the mailbag section.

Good Night and Good Luck! View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (1 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

NW Okie's Ramblings

Bayfield, Colorado - Have you ever wanted to do something that you have never done before? That is what this NW Okie is experimenting with lately. The photo on the left is a recent progress report of my first try at sculpturing this NW Okie's Eagle Totem in a piece of ponderosa pine.

For the past 4, or has it been 5 days, I have begun a new project. Sculpturing our "OkieLegacy Soaring Eagle" logo into a log taken from the 150 year old, 100 foot ponderosa pine that was recently taken down in Vallecito, North of Bayfield, Colorado.

You can follow our progress concerning "NW Okie's Eagle Totem Sculpturing" on our NW Okie Facebook page, in our photo album, "NW Okie's Eagle Totem Sculpturing." As I said earlier, we are into day 4 or 5 and still gouching out the background so the American eagle can soar out of our piece of an old ponderosa pine log.

This is really a learning process for this sixty-plus lady. I love being, working outside in the cool of the rocky mountains. Sometimes I get so engrossed with what I am doing that I loose all track of time. That is why this OkieLegacy newsletter is arriving at a late night hour and may be a bit short this week. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Immigrants Make Up America

America - With the talk of Independence Day, and this being the day after the 4th of July 2010, We ask you, "Aren't we all immigrants or Descendants of Immigrants?"

America is a land of immigrants and Native Americans. What would America be today if immigrants from all ver the world had not set foot on the eastern shores of the 13th Colonies, pushing the Native Americans westward onto reservations. Killing and slaughtering their buffalo beyond extinction?

What part did my migrating ancestors play in the westward movement of the Native Americans? I did some searching back through my family genealogy to figure out where each of my ancestral immigrants came.

We start with our paternal ancestors. The Warwick ancestors were English. The Gwyn/Gwin/Guinn were from Wales. The Hull/Hohl ancestors came from Rhineland Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Germany. The McGill's were Scottish from Scotland, migrating to Ireland and finally making their way to the America's.

Our maternal ancestors were the Conover (VanKouwenhoven), Dutch and settling in New Amsterdam (also known as New York, Flatlands). The Paris/Parris were English. The Hurt/Hurtosci were from Czechoslovakia (Bohemia), known also as Austria-Hungary. That brings us to our Great Grandmother, Anna Wallman (1863-1902), who married our Great Grandfather, Joseph P. Hurt, who migrated from Czechoslovakia around 1876. I do not know much about her because she died at the young age of 39 when she was struck by lightning in 1902.

I always thought that our Wallman ancestors were also from Czechoslovakia, but I found a 1880 U.S. Census that shows an Anna Wallman (born 1863, Russia) the daughter of Jacob Wallman (born 1833, Russia) and Maria (born in Russia). Could this be another Anna Wallman or could it be my Great Grandmother Anna Wallman Hurt?

The 1900 US Federal Census shows Joseph P, and Anna Wallman Hurt (born in Bohemia) and their family living in Bishop, Woods, Oklahoma Territory.

Great Grandmother Anna Wallman arrived in the USA around 1876 or 1877 through Bremen, Germany. At the young age of 16, Anna married Joseph P. Hurt, in Nebraska, about 1879. As I said earlier, Anna Wallman Hurt died in 1902, in Bishop, Woods, Oklahoma Territory, at age 39 when she was struck by lightning. She is buried in the Hurt family cemetery, on the Martin property, North of Chester and West of the Orion Cemetery.

That brings us to my husbands ancestors, which includes Wagner's from Germany.

Have you ever looked back to see where your ancestors originated? Let us know your ancestral makeup. Thanks! View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

ParisTimes Genealogy Feedback

Kim wrote and says, "My name is Kim and I'm writing to pay compliments to your web page: a href="http://paristimes.com/genealogy/genealgy.html">ParisTimes Genealogy. It has really useful information on genealogy. Inam a student teacher so I am definitely going to incorporate some of this into an upcoming lesson plan.

Since your page was a big help, I thought Iwould pass along a similar page you might want to use as a resource: Big List of Genealogy Links It has a nice compilation of information on genealogy and family trees you might find useful. Thanks again for the help." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

WWII - Rare Color Film Aircraft Carrier

Homer sent us a link of a WWII Rare Color Film of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

Homer also sent us a link to OETA Special Series Honor Flight part I that aired on 05/19/2010.

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Cherokee Strip Antique Mall - Perry OK

Perry, Oklahoma - Roy of Perry says, "My main business is called the Cherokee Strip Antique Mall and was started (as a mall) in 1993 which was the 100th anniversary of the Cherokee Strip Land Run (September 16th, 1893).

"I have other small businesses within it and my son has recently joined me in their operation. My Stereo Center was begun in 1972 when I bought out one of the founders of Communications Equipment Sales and Stereo Center. It had begun in another location (here in Perry, Oklahoma) the previous year, 1971.

"Eventually (after about 10 years) I acquired the rest of the business, having purchased it from the other two partners, and in the meantime I had added the T-Shirt Connection as a sideline for my (then) wife.

"After moving into a larger building and creating the antique mall (with a business partner who owned the building), I added Picture This to print computerized digital photos on the T-Shirts and onto coffee cups and mugs (and just about anything else you could think of).

"I still have all of the equipment and have added some more but have not used it in more than 5 years. My son is planning on helping to resurrect that portion of the business in addition to working with me in the Stereo Center. I still repair some electronic components and still have ALL these businesses listed in the Perry phone directory and in the mall.

"We have 5 buildings that are located on 10 city lots (in what was formerly a lumber yard) across from the local Chevrolet, Buick. Pontiac, GMC dealer which sits on the property that was the original "Hell's Half Acre". It was called that in 1893.

"One week after the land run, there were located (on that property) 110 saloons plus numerous tent hotels, bawdy houses, gambling establishments, etc. Anything to grab a dollar or two from the folks waiting in line to register their claims, and the land office was in a corner of that same property (until they moved it to the government acre just south of the post office on the courthouse square, about a year later).

"Our business is also located next door, east of the Exchange Bank of Perry, which is just a block east of the courthouse square. We are a block west of the BNSF (formerly Santa Fe Railroad) depot where over 110 trains per day travel through town on the 5 tracks there (3 were for the Santa Fe and 2 were for the Frisco line).

"The Frisco tracks come in from the east (Pawnee towards Springfield and St. Louis) and goes west through Enid towards New Mexico. The Santa Fe tracks are between the crossroads at Newton, Kansas and the cross-roads at Ft. Worth, Texas and the dispatchers at Ft. Worth control our trains (through radio repeaters) from there." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Is the Sky Falling In Oklahoma?

Oklahoma - Is the sky falling buckets of rain in Oklahoma? We hear that Northwest Oklahoma might be getting drenched.

Roy in Perry, Oklahoma reports, "Three days of rain and it's still coming down. We are under another flash-flood alert. My rain gauge here in Perry, Oklahoma has so far recorded only 1-1/2 inches, but other parts of the state have faired worse.

"I had intended to mow some grass but cannot until it dries some, and it seems to be leaping up in new growth. I now plan to spend some time repairing a musical instrument or two and perhaps even trying to get in some time practicing with at last one of them."

Roy also says, "A temporary reprieve! The sun is shining for the moment! I checked my rain gauge at my business establishment and found that the amount was a little less at 1-3/10 inches there. The price of gas was lowered for this holiday weekend to $2.59.9 for unleaded regular at the Conoco-Phillips stations." View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (1 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

This Day In History

1776 - The Declaration of Independence is first printed by John Dunlop in Philadelphia.

1892 - Andrew Beard is issued a patent for the rotary engine.

1943 - The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history, begins.

1944 - The Japanese garrison on Numfoor, New Guinea, tries to counterattack but is soon beaten back by U.S. forces. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

1933 - The Old 6 Some Golfers

Alva, Oklahoma - William J. McGill can be spotted in the photo on the left, dated 7 May 1933, entitled "The Old 6 some" Golfers.

I will try to decipher some of the names here.

Listed from Left to Right: Hart, T. Schaefer, Mc (as in William J. McGill), J. Schaefer, Davis, Parker.

Do any of these names ring a bell with Northwest Oklahomans out there? View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Riverside School, M County, O.T.

Riverside School, Oklahoma Territ - I have identified the teacher of this 1905 Riverside school photo, but does anyone find any resemblance to their families in the the youngsters seen in this Riverside School, 1905, Woods County (M), Oklahoma, William J. McGill, teacher? View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe