Duchess of Weaselskin

Bayfield, Colorado - Will the real Duchess of Weaselskin please stand . . . on the side of the mountain and look back this way! I think this Duchess of Weaselskin might be able to share the name title with this Southwest Colorado wildlife Duchess of the San Juan mountains that was spotted a few evenings on our backyard slope.

Meanwhile, NW Okie left this Duchess Pug and my sidekick, Sadie, up in the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado. Bah Humbug to that! Now who will let me crawl up on the couch and let me snuggle next to them? You get used to a certain humans cozy lap and then they are not there for a week. Bah humbug!

As I meant to say earlier, NW Okie was "on the road" all day sunday, traveling the highways of 160 through Colorado and Kansas, heading towards northwest Oklahoma on personal family business. If you are out and about this coming Saturday, October 1st, you might catch a glimpse of NW Okie at NWOSU's Annual Homecoming parade in downtown Alva, Oklahoma.

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This Day In History (September 26)

America - On This day: September 26 . . .

On Sept. 26, 1960, the first televised debate between presidential candidates took place in Chicago as Republican Richard M. Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy squared off. Go to Article

On Sept. 26, 1897, Paul VI, Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978, was born. Following his death on Aug. 6, 1978, his obituary appeared in The Times. Go to obituary.

• 1789 - Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first secretary of state and John Jay the first chief justice.
• 1888 - Poet T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Mo.
• 1898 - Composer George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York.
• 1914 - The Federal Trade Commission was established.
• 1950 - United Nations troops recaptured the South Korean capital of Seoul from the North Koreans.
• 1957 - The musical "West Side Story" opened on Broadway.
• 1969 - The album "Abbey Road" by the Beatles was released.
• 2006 - Former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the fallen energy company's bankruptcy.

NW Okie's Corner

Alva, Oklahoma - [Photo on the left is a view of LaVeta Pass with Fall colors beginning to show signs of the golden color change in the Colorado mountains, along Colorado highway 160, West of Walsenberg.] -- First of all I would like to thank Duchess for holding down the fort in Southwest Colorado while we have been on the road this weekend for a days drive back to northwest Oklahoma. I could not do it without and want both her and Sadie to know that I really do miss their snuggling on my lap when I work on my laptop punching out another feature of the OkieLegacy Ezine. Thanks, Duchess!

One special treat about coming back to the northwest corner of Oklahoma, I get to lay my eyes and hands on my pet horses, Nugget, Maggie and her filly. Maggie's two year old is looking more like Maggie each day. Except Maggie only has a star on her forehead and Maggie's filly has a strip all the way down the forehead to the nose. See the other photos of my horses on our Picasa web album - My Horses.

Being on the road this weekend may make this newsletter a bit short and compact this evening Hope you do not mind too much. We have other personal business on our minds this week that we need to take care of while we are here.

We do expect to take in our College Alma Maters homecoming parade while we are in northwest Oklahoma. If you see me around the downtown square, give me a "shout out!"

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1910 Killing of James F. Childers

Faulkner, Oklahoma - Kathy Zehr (Emaik: dzehr@sbcglobal.net) is searching for more information and stories of her ancestors, particularly her grandfather, James F. Childers, who was killed near Faulkner, Oklahoma, around April 1910. Does anyone out there have any information on this 1910 killing near Faulkner?

Kathy's comment on our OkieLegacy Ezine Feature #6200 -- "Dear NW Okie, I have read with great interest the letters you have found about persons in your past living in Northwest Oklahoma. I hope you get a lot of response. Wish I could help, but I also am seeking information about my ancestors who lived there.

"I am hoping that some of your older readers remember the killing of James F. Childers in front of the store in Faulkner in April 1910. He was my grandfather and I have a little information, but would like more. Even just stories or tales handed down in families. James wife was Florence and he had three children Annie, Hazel and Whit (Bud), who were in their teens.

"They had settled a homestead nearby as did the the killer and his famiily who were neighbors. I'd be glad to pay for any information and especially pictures of any of these pioneer grandparents. My father was Bud. He married Sylvia Maudie Stapleton in 1915, who also lived with her family Irwin and Elizabeth and her brothers, Alvin and Lester and sister Lollie Thornberry (Roy) in the community. Thanks to any and all who can contribute." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

The 101 Show Troupe

Oklahoma - Concerning an OkieLegacy Ezine feature about the 101 Ranch Show Troupe, in Vol. 8, Iss. 41, 2006-10-14, along with the above photo image one of our readers, Diane, comments, "Most likely my grandfather Caesar Lone Elk was in this photo along with my grandmother Mattie Shield and their son, Jim Lone Elk. I have an awesome photo of the three of them on my Facebook account. Would love to see this photo close up! Thanks!"

The Feature story along with the image read as follows, "This 1926 picture of the post-War I 101 Ranch Wild West and Great Far East included Cossacks, trick ropers, Sioux Indians, Bandsmen, bronc riders and cowgirls. That's Mexican Joe Borrero beside the drum, and next to him is Hank Darnell, another famous trick roper. -- clipping written by Mike Sokoll" View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Old Lacy School Bell

Lacy, Oklahoma - Have you ever driven by some place, building, or historic marker on your way to somewhere else and say to yourself, "I should have stopped and taken a photo of that!"

It has been awhile since I have driven through Kingfisher, Oklahoma, but a few years back I did stop and take a picture of the monument and bell that graces the west side of the county courthouse where an old bell that once hung at the old Lacy school has found a new home in 1976. It was mounted atop the monument's brick wall on the west side of the Kingfisher courthouse.

The inscription on the historic marker reads as follows, "Kingfisher county 1776 Bicentennial 1976 Memorial monument dedicated to all generations. A past to remember - A future to hold - and god to glorify. Memoralizing: those who gave their lives for our freedom. The farmer - he feeds the world. The Bell - proclaiming freedom throughout the land. (LEVITICUS XXV:10)" View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

As the Legend Goes

Colorado - Have you ever heard of the Dalton Gang? Have you heard of the Dalton Ranch North of Durango, Colorado? Have you heard about the legend concerning the Dalton Ranch may have been a vacation spot of the Dalton gang? I do not know if this is fact or fiction, but it makes for an interesting story. So . . . take it as fact or fiction and with a grain of salt, as some might say.

As the legend goes . . . The legend of the Dalton Ranch in SW Colorado (now a resort and golf course), 6 miles north of Durango was thought to be once owned by relatives of the Dalton gang. The Dalton gang would choose that spot to vacation near the Colorado Rockies like everyone does after a grueling few weeks of work.

You all know the Dalton gang's work took them to places such as Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma where they robbed banks and trains and would head off towards the mountains to visit relatives and lay low. There was this one time that they were up north of Durango near Telluride and ran out of money. To get money to head back east towards Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri to continue their normal work of robbing banks, the gang decided to rob the bank in Telluride to get spending money back to Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.

I'm not sure how the story ended or if it is fact or fiction or whatever, but if someone out there can tell us more about this legend, we would love to hear from you. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Great Uncle Charley McGill

Capron, Oklahoma - Gr-Uncle Charley and Gr-Aunt Sis still rest underneath the shade of the two overgrown cedar trees in a NW Oklahoma Cemetery located in Woods County. The grave marker where Charles Robert McGill is buried with his wife, Elizabeth Nelson-Kidd McGill, are in the Capron Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 33, Plot 3 & 2, Woods County, Oklahoma.

According to Gr-Uncle Charley's Obit, Charles R. McGill was born in McPherson, Kansas, Sept. 5, 1884. Gr-Uncle Charley came to Alva, Woods County, O.T. with his parents in 1895. He attended the Goshen School District, Northwestern State Normal School. In 1905 Charley was the teacher at the Bethel School. He also taught school at Manila rural school and Gate, Oklahoma.

In 1909, Charley gave up teaching to become owner/operator of the McGill Drug Company & Garage in Capron, Oklahoma before entering the service in 1917 (WWI). According the the 1911 edition of The Capron Hustler, 9 June 1911, Charles married Elizabeth Nelson-Kidd (dau. of Captain John Nelson and Eliza Jane Boggess) at the home of the Presbyterian pastor (Rev. Kirkpatrick) in Woodward, Oklahoma.

Elizabeth Nelson (a.k.a. Aunt Sis) was born Feb. 19, 1871. She died Nov. 8, 1952. Elizabeth had a son by a previous marriage to her first husband, Daniel Kidd.

Gr-Uncle Charley and Gr-Aunt Sis still rest their ancestral bones beneath the shade of the old cedar trees. Their grave marker is located under two, overgrown cedar trees, east of the Kidd family markers. The cemetery photo above was taken looking east towards the blacktop road that runs in front of Capron cemetery, in NW Oklahoma. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Alva's Westside School (Oklahoma)

Alva, Oklahoma - Some have asked over the years where the West Side School was located, in Alva, Oklahoma. The photo on the left shows some Alva 3rd graders of 1910, with Mrs. Constance Estella (Warwick) McGill as the teacher at the Westside school.

The photo on the right shows the City School Faculty of 1907-08. This clipping of the Alva Westside Third Graders of 1910 (on the left) and the City School Faculty, 1907-08 (on the right) were taken on the steps of the Westside School.

Some of you will remember the location of the Westside school as where Washington Elementary School is now, on the west side of Seventh street, between Barnes and Center, across from the City Library . . . Is where the Westside two-story School once stood before it was condemned and torn down. The Washington Elementary went up in it's place. View/Write Comments (count 2)   |   Receive updates (1 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe