Fall Is In the Air

We are certainly feeling the wet, Fall weather around these parts in southwest Colorado and hear Oklahoma is finally getting some relief from the hot, dry weather of Summer.

Since this last Thursday evening (9/7/06) our rain gauge has measured 3/4-inch of rain total when we checked it this Saturday morning (9/9/06) here south of Bayfield, Colorado. With more rain & graupel pouring down as we write this weeks newsletter.

With a little help, NW Okie has put up a portable greenhouse to see our garden of tomatoes beyond the freeze that is sure to come in a few weeks, month.

Our Sweet Sadie got left out of the Thanks last week! AND... NW Okie has been hearing all about it! That should teach her, huh? Anyway, Sadie has been helping NW Okie clean the horse barn around here this week. Sadie scrambles to catch a few nibbles of the horse appetizers (maneure) before NW Okie scoops it up and away to the wheel barrow. Me, Duchess, just sits on the front porch or in the shade of the vehicles... supervising. Sometimes I venture out with those two (NW Okie & Sadie) to sniff around the corral.
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Boise City - Cimarron County, No Mans Land

Have you ever heard the story of how Boise City, Oklahoma came about? Do you have any No Mans Land stories to share? How does this version stack up to what you have been told so far to date?

According to Timothy Egan's book, The Worst Hard Time, Boise City was founded in 1908 on fraud by promoters of the Southwest Immigration & Development Company (J. E. Stanley and A. J. Line). They pronounced it "Boy-City" from the French words "le bois" meaning trees. BUT... there was not a single tree in Boise City -- not even a city.

The developers didn't even own the land, but they sold lots at $45 per lot, anyway. Flyers were sent all over the country showing a town as "ripe as a peach two days into its blush." It was a phantom town in the far west edge of No Mans Land, Cimarron County.

The brochures sketched Boise City as a city of elegant aged trees lining the streets -- a tower of cold, clean water gushing from an artesian well in the center of town (which was only a stock tank and windmill) -- businesses on main streets -- 3 railroads building lines to Boise city with a fourth on the way -- homes a banker would be proud to call home. It was not limited to town developers. According to Timothy Egan's research, "Railroads, banks, politicians and newspaper editors all played a variation of the scheme -- selling a windlblown piece of ground that was supposed to increase in value as more people saw a fledgling town emerging from a larva of forlorn dirt."

The developers (J. E. Stanley and A. J. Kline) were arrested for fraud with a two week trial and found guilty -- sent to Leavenworth Federal Prison. Kline died in his cell.

After that, settlement was a dare to some to see if they could defy common sense and the odds of developing this far reaching town on the farthest edge of "No Mans Land" into a city. By 1920 the population of Boise City was 250 with Cimarron County boasting 3,500 population. The depression and dust bowl went up through No Mans Land from Texas to the South to Kansas, Nebraska and southeast Colorado to the North. And parts of the northeast corner of New Mexico.

Have you ever heard this story before -- especially, some of your ancestors who might have settled in Cimarron County of No Mans Land, in the panhandle of Oklahoma? We would like to hear your stories about Boise City, Oklahoma and how its settlers survived the depression; dust bowl day of the 1930's and how the town of Boise City came about.
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Horses, Tomatoes & Other Memories

It never fails! When NW Okie gets her digital camera in hand and walks out to the corral and pasture with Sweet Sadie (and sometimes this Duchess), Maggie and Nuggett are always the first in line for a close-up photo! Either that or... they think they are going to get an apple treat.

We don't give them a treat everytime, though. Sometimes we just pet on them around the head, ears and body with our hands and carrot stick. We think NW Okie has put some more horse pictures over at our Vallecito Webshots, if you want to check out how our horses and garden grow. Our horses have been putting on their Fall coats, getting ready for the cooler temperatures here in southwest Colorado.

We finally got our story of the "Old Opera House Mystery, Part III (The Trial)" sent to the Prairie Connection for publicaion in their October 2006 Edition. So... Look for the "Rest of the Story - Part III (The Trial) coming soon to a newstand, postoffice near you.

Here it is again! Another year has past with memories of the "9/11 Disaster" in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC (September 11, 2001). Let us remember those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pennsylvania air crashes of five years ago.

Can you remember where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001? Do you remember what you were doing when the special news alert came over the television that morning? Visit this September 11 Digitral Archive to read the stories, emails, images, audio and documents of that day. Contribute your thoughts and memories, also!
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German POW Story Stranger Than Fiction

"Dear, Linda -- Here is another POW story. Thought you might not have this one. Love your Ezine. Especially your recent story of your dogs!" -- Bette Wilson, Amarillo

German POW Story Stranger Than Fiction, dated Monday, August 28, 2006, Amarillo Globe News, written by Delbert Trew - ".....One war story, stranger than fiction, involved the first German prisoners captured even before the United States entered the war with Germany. A book titled "Interned" by James J. McBride tells and shows with excellent photos how and why this unusual story took place. War broke out in Europe on Sept. 1, 1939, when Adolf Hitler and Germany attacked Poland. The attack was so secretive, many German merchant ships were caught en route to various ports around the world. In instant retaliation to the attack, the Allies blockaded the Atlantic against ocean traffic to Germany. The SS Columbus from Germany, the largest luxury cruise ship in the Atlantic, was making a West Indies cruise when the war began. Berlin ordered Captain Wilhelm Dachne to off-load his passengers at the nearest port and take shelter at the neutral port at Veracruz, Mexico. After four months of escalating war, the captain was ordered to run the blockade and return to Germany to join the war effort. His orders also stated that if caught during the escape, he should scuttle the ship and set it on fire to prevent Allied use of the vessel....." [Click image for full story.]
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Two-cents Postcard - Pittsburgh, Kansas

"Hi, I feel weird just e-mailing you out of the blue like this, but I stumbled across the website with the 2-cent postcards of Pittsburg, KS. The reason I am e-mailing you is because on the page you said you wondered if those buildings were still standing. Well, I live here in Pittsburg and I can tell you that, 'Yes! All of them still stand but some have been added on to but you would still notice them from the cards.' I know that your post was almost over 2 years ago, but I just thought I would tell you in the off chance you never found out. I am a photography minor at Pitt State. Also, just as a side note. the drainage pipe factory is fenced off from afar and is tough to get a good view of, but still in some form of operation I believe." -- Zack

[Editor's Note: Here are the other 2-cent postcards that we posted in Vol. 6, Iss. 25, two years ago - high school Pittsburg kansas - First Presbytarian Church - Mount Carmel Hospital.]
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Choose Oklahoma's State Quarter Design

"Did you know that you can vote for what we want on the back of the quarter in 2008? Governor Henry has left it up to the people of Oklahoma to decide what we want on our Quarter in 2008. Click on this State Government web site and vote for 5 out of 10." -- Ken
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Patterson's & Pleasant Valley School Dist. 24 - 1908

"Just located your site this week and lo and behold looking back I found the Pleasant Valley School Dist. 24 souvenir book 1908. My niece had found this earlier and told me about it. To find the copy with my Mother's name was some treat. She was Gladys Schwanz. George and Charlotte were her brother and sister. Thanks for such a special addition to my family tree material." -- Patt Patterson - Email: cpatt@cebridge.net


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Schuyler Allman/Nadine Shroyer

"I just found your site! My parents were from Alva, OK. I read that either John or Cynthia Lisk were looking for me. Their father, Jim Lisk, and mom, Doris Meek, Lisk were best friends of my parents. I don't have John or Cynthia's e-mail. My grandparents, Schuyler E. Allman and Catherine were buried in Alva. My uncle Vernon Allman also is buried there. My father (who is deceased) is listed in Who's Who in Oklahoma, as he was the foreign editor for the A.P. in NY. If you could forward either John or Cynthia Lisk's e-mail I would appreciate it. Thank you!" -- Schuyler "Skip" Allman - email: Skipoooooo@aol.com
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The Rest of the Story

History Exam... "I am older than dirt, but obviously gifted with great mental abilities, for I missed only one [#11 - polio] and that was a debate between me, myself and I. Thanks for the memories."

The McCandless' of Marshall, Oklahoma... "I have a great aunt who married a McCandless and lived in Marshall, Oklahoma. She was born a Hubbard, became a Goodvin and finally a McCandless. I do not know if this is any relations but thought I would toss it out there. There are a number of McCandless folks who were laid to rest in the Sheridan Cemetery located in the NE corner of Kingfisher County. (Not far SE of the city of Marshall. The cemetery was part of the town of Sheridan which is now an open field. Several McCandless' are listed in the Kingfisher census pages on the Kingfisher County genealogy pages. Several McCandless' names were included in the Lovel Pioneers monument." -- Joe Hubbard - email: jhubbard40@comcast.net
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OkieLegacy Guestbook

9/6/2006 -- WWII... "I LOVE your story I think it is facinating and that I shall read it again. I am a child and happend to come across your story while looking for stuff for homework cause I'm doing WWII. Best Regards." -- Beatrice

9/3/2006 -- Slapout, Oklahoma... "My daughter and family moved to Slapout this July and she works in the convience store. They live across the streetin a trailer behind the old cafe. Her name is cathy starbuk." -- Audrey Herman - Email: jaherman@peoplepc.com
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AHS Goldbug Guestbook

"I was looking for an old Alva classmate when I found this website (Goldbug Reunion 2000). I was surprised how many people I know. I graduated from Alva High in 1981. Seems like many years ago. I would love to hear from anyone who remembers me." -- Kathy Cannon Adams - Email: cpakat@yahoo.com

"I missed the class reunion which was the 30th. Hope someone lets me know next time. I could have made it if I would have known." -- larry murrow - Email: ldmurrow@hotmail.com
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Oklahoma Gas Prices

"Overnight showers added another 8/10 of an inch to the rain gauge here at my shop in Perry and as I came past the Conoco station this morning (Saturday, 9/2/06) I noticed the price of unleaded regular had dropped again. Now it's $2.43.9 per gallon. The cool front that brought us the additional rain should last at least one more day and I'm not certain that the temperature will get up to 80 degrees today. It's a welcome relief. Not wishing to gloat (just yet) I hadn't mentioned that our gasoline prices dropped to $2.37.9 on Tuesday and were still their yesterday. Haven't checked the prices yet today. The Phillips 66, Conoco, and major independents posted prices at $2.33.9 for unleaded regular gasoline today (Friday, 9/8/06) and the 'cash only' station dropped their price to $2.29.9! What next I wonder? Perhaps 'Green Stamps' or free dishes again?" -- Roy
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Fall Is Here - Kansas

"Howdy folks! Well, it seems like fall here. After the 100+ degree days of earlier weeks we not have temperatures in the low 60s and upper 50s with some drizzle and rain. The rain is very welcome, every little bit helps. There are some soybeans near my farm that are about waist high. If they put on beans, it should be a bumper crop for that farmer. We were just up into North Dakota and Montana to a reunion of all us old B-52 bomber crews, maintenance and administrators. It was nice for a day or two then got hot up there. Their wheat harvest was in full swing. Also, there was evidence of other crops: canola and flax. Saw a new JD pull-type combine thrashing wheat from wind-rows. Drove 3400 miles and paid a wide range of prices for gasoline. G'day Mates! - Jim Bradley - Email: jbrad723@bluevalley.net
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Farry, OK Descendants

"Linda, I used to get the Okie Legacy, but haven't for quite some time. How do I manage too start getting it again? My husband, Floyd died in Sept. of 2001, but grew up in the Farry area and knew a lot of people around there, Alva, etc." -- Evelyn Reed, Coldwater, KS.
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