Duchess Snowy Domain

Bayfield, Colorado - Boy Howdy! When the Lady of this house gets ready to pop corn in the popcorn popper, this Pugster and her sidekick, Sadie, are on the Lady's trail as she saunters to the movie popcorn machine upstairs. Most times I beat her up the stairs and sit up there waiting patiently for her to start the popping and let the popped kernels fly out so I can help pick them up off the floor. Yummy!

We have had our share of cold, chilly weather, but very little snow -- compared to last years snow around this time last year. We hear Oklahoma survived their snow storms and cold weather and bounced into the 70 degree temperatures. I bet that causes lots of shock to those Okie Sinuses, huh?

NW Okie hopes to remind us again the the 1956 unsolved mystery of a young married college women, Mildred Ann Reynolds. Check out the links to that story in another feature in this week's newsletter.

We hope some of this week's newsletter jogs some of those memory cells of everyone out there as they read about early 1900's baseball, old sod school house in Woods county, Oklahoma Territory, Alva POW camp of WW II. We hope we can encourage some of you to rummage through your ancestors old trunks, attics, basements to find the history and legacy items so you too can find out what life was like for your ancestors.

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This Day In History (February 21)

America - We found some interesting news items that made the news on this date in history. See below.

1848 Former President John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. (He died two days later.)

1878 The first telephone directory was issued, by the District Telephone Co. of New Haven, Conn.

1885 - The Washington Monument was dedicated.

1907 - Poet W.H. Auden was born in York, England.

1916 - The World War I Battle of Verdun began in France.

1925 - The New Yorker magazine made its debut.

1947 - Edwin H. Land publicly demonstrated his Polaroid Land camera, which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds.

1972 - President Richard M. Nixon began his historic visit to China.

1973 - Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people.

1975 - Former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.

1988 - TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart tearfully confessed to his congregation in Baton Rouge, La., that he was guilty of an unspecified sin, and said he was leaving the pulpit temporarily. (Reports linked Swaggart to a prostitute.)

1989 - President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

NW Okie's R & R - The Good Old Days

Bayfield, Colorado - This week we rummaged through our archives to bring forward some history of Jo Ben Whittenberg, Sr., and his baseball gloves and days during the early 1900's.

Whittenberg's granddaughter (Cathie) sent us a scanned image of J. Ben Whittenberg and his early baseball glove. She says, "I asked my brother to take a picture of Granddad's glove. Instead he scanned it, front and back, and scanned the only picture we have of our grandfather in his playing days. He took the three pictures and combined them into the digital image above."

It seems that Cathie's grandfather and NW Okie's grandfather (Bill McGill) went head-to-head in the hot Texas summer of 1906 with the East Texas and South Texas baseball leagues. Whittenberg was a pitcher for the Galveston Sand Crabs. On Page 23 of our Grandfather's legacy pages it states, "Sand Crabs Administer the Worst Defeat to Senators they have suffered this season.

Cathie told me awhile back that her grandfather was injured in a game against the Austin Senators, August 22, 1906. Whittenberg was hit in the head with a pitch which pretty much ended his baseball career.

As to Benj Whittenberg's baseball memories in the early 1900's, his granddaughter (Cathie) says, "In 1960 my grandfather (Benj Whittenberg) wrote a series of letters to my brother. What follows are excerpts."

August 22, 1960 -- "When I was in school I became interested in baseball. There wasn't games like football or tennis so we played baseball. In 1903 and 1904 I played all over Indian Territory which is now Oklahoma. Then in 1905 there was our East Texas League formed at Paris, Texas and we beat everybody in the league. Then the next year I played with Galveston in the (South) Texas League. Played there two years and met your Grandmother in Lampassas and we were married in 1907."

Sept. 10, 1960 -- "In 1903 and 1904 I played in the Indian Territory. One year I played at South McAlester. The next year at Muskogee. Things were really wild and woolly. There were lots of wild animals up there then and there were lots of wild Indians there too and if they were fortunate enough to get some fire water (that's what they called whiskey) they really were wild. They would drink and drink until they would go crazy and have to be put to bed or in jail 'till they sobered up. When I was playing ball up there one of the Boys was Bruce McAlester a big Chickasaw Indian. He was a good ball player and a very nice fellow. One other boy was Choc Kelly. He was a Choctaw Indian that was the fastest runner I ever saw. He would throw his head back and he could really fly. Indian Territory was part of the Louisiana purchase. Settled by the Creek Indians in 1827. Congress set aside this strip of land for the Indian Reservation. When I was playing ball one of the towns was Tulsa. Then it was so small, maybe 1500 people lived there. Now there are I guess 300,000. Best town in Oklahoma. In the ball park there was a producing oil well and oil then was worth about 50-cents a barrel, now its $5.00 per barrel."

' Nov. 3, 1960 -- "You asked how we got about in the Indian Territory when I was playing up there. You know that was a long time ago, just a few years, some 56. Well, there wasn't too much transportation at that time. We rode the train. In the train was an engine, one passenger car and a bunch of freight car and coal cars which they called a mix train. Then when we went from one town to another to play we would have a stage coach. We would take off through the country and we would see lots of animals. We would see fox, some deers and occasionally we would see some bears. Of course we would see rabbits, squirrels and rattle snakes but we would never stop and didn't get to kill any. One time when I was playing ball up there in the morning before the game I went down in a coal and led mine, rode a hoist up and down and we have a big hunk of copper lead ore your Grandmother uses it for a door stop."

Thanks for the Memories! Good Night and Good Luck! View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Unsolved Mystery On Old Avard Road (13/03/1956)

Avard, Oklahoma - [Mildred Ann (Newlin) Reynolds photo on the left. On the right is a Map of Woods County, T25-R14W WIM, with a red X marking the spot of Mildred Ann Reynolds death.]

Darlene Haltom Dyer left the following comment concerning the "Unsolved Mystery of Mildred Ann Reynolds death, March 13, 1956. In our OkieLegacy newsletter, Vol. 5, Iss. 16 Darlene says:

"My name is Darlene Dyer but my maiden name was Haltom. My father Everett Haltom ran the Haltom General Store in Hopeton. I remember my family talking about the Reynolds girl and the death. I was in the first grade at that time and was attending the Friendship Country School located on the road (I think about a mile or so from where the burned up car and body were found).

"I remember investigators coming to the school and asking us if we remember seeing anything unusual. Someone had seen a pickup go by and gave a description, I think. One of the kids said, 'My daddy has a truck like that.' She lived close by but I remember thinking that I sure would not say that. They might thing her dad did something bad.

"I heard stories -- one that they had found a shoe along the road and there was speculation that someone had tried to do something to her and she had ran trying to get away and lost her shoe in the scuffle. I also remember people talking, thinking that there may have been some trouble between her and the husband, but it may have just been gossip.

"My Aunt Gladys Lyle ran a little laundry in Hopeton at the time and if I recall correctly she had said that the Reynolds lady (Mildred) had been there that day just an hour or so before the death. At least that is what I recall as a child.

"I've always wondered what really happened out there. I remember some time later all of us in the little school took a field trip down the road to the site where it happened. Couldn't help but think about how awful it must have been that day. I hope this can be solved someday -- but it has been a long time and lots of people who might know more detail have died." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Home Comfort Range (1934) - Puff Pastry Recipes

America - This week we bring you some instructions for Puff Pastry that was made on the Wrought Iron Range and found in the 1934 Home Comfort Cookbook.

Puff Pastry -- Puff Pastry should be attempted only when materials may be kept under cold conditions, since its success depends very greatly upon an even, low temperature in handling. A little patience and practice will be required to master the art of making perfect puff pastries, but the time and patience required will be well rewarded.

Ingredients: 1 up butter, 2 cups pastry flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cold water.

Place butter in cold water and work until it is smooth and pliable; if necessary, change water frequently to keep it as cold as possible; cool the hands in cold water before beginning. When sufficiently pliable, roll or press the butter into a square sheet about a quarter inch in thickness; wrap in a cold damp cloth and set aside until needed. It is important that, throughout the process, the butter be keep at a temperature to be pliable, yet firm.

From the flour, salt and sufficient cold water form a paste and knead to an elastic dough as in plain pastry -- no shortening is used in the paste -- and set aside for a few minutes in a cold place to bring it to the temperature of the butter.

Place dough on a floured board, and roll out into a rectangular sheet slightly more than twice in width and three times in length the size of the square of butter, and slightly less than half-inch in thickness.

Place the square of butter on one corner of the sheet of dough, leaving a slight margin of dough at the two corners, or outside edges; now fold the dough lengthwise into a double thickness, enclosing the butter in one end of the strip; press the long edges together with the rolling pin, and, likewise, close the open edges at the butter end; now fold the third of the strip containing the butter back over the dough evenly, then fold the opposite end of the strip up over the butter section; this brings the dough to a square form, and of 6 layers, with the sheet of better in the center.

Turn the dough board so the pressed together edge of the dough is nearest to you, and roll out the folded dough into another sheet of the same size and thickness as the first one on which the butter was placed -- being careful to keep the edges of the folded dough even, and the butter in place.

Now, fold the sheet of dough in exactly the same manner as at first, forming six layers as before, keeping the edges even; turn as before, and roll again into a rectangular sheet. Repeat this folding, turning, rolling process at least six times, setting the dough in a cool place for about ten minute periods between each rolling out to restore the elasticity of the dough and the firmness of the butter. On last rolling out, bring to desired thickness and shape, ready for cutting out forms. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

1895 Sod School House

Woods County, Oklahoma - Dale Talkington found this 1895 old Sod School house at sfrazier77 Webshots, in Wild Wild West Vol. 3 of the Wild Wild West albums (Vol. 1 - 4). The Old Sod School house was located somewhere in Woods (M) County, Oklahoma Territory around 1895.

The photo on the left shows the teacher and students out in front of the old sod school house. Not sure exactly where in Woods county, Oklahoma Territory that it was located, though.

We are not sure of how the schools were named back in the late nineteenth century, or even if the school had a name. They could have been referred to by the name of the local community where they were located. What we do know is that the photograph was taken about 1895 and it may be listed in the National Archives as 48-RST-7B-97.

Some of the boys wear blouses with large collars and many other wear suit jackets. One older boy wears a vest. There seems to be a mixture of knee pants and long pants. Many of the boys are barefoot. We note one boy wearing suspenders. Another boy seems to be wearing suspender pants. The girls wear dresses, but only one wears a pinafore over it. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Alva POW Camp

Alva, Oklahoma - We heard from Darrell Mintz of Bow, Washington this last week concerning the Alva POW Camp. It seems his wife's Dad (John Collins) was a guard at the Alva POW camp, during World War II. Darrell was wondering if any had any information on his wife's Dad, John Collins. If anyone has any information you can leave your comments on The OkieLegacy or contact Darrell Mintz (Email: bberry46@hotmail.com). Thanks in advance for your help! View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

German Prisoners Made Life Interesting

This news article was taken from the Jan/Feb. 2002 Reminisce magazine. It is a story about a German POW camp in Texas. The lady pictured in the article at the time this photo was taken was just married to an assistant commander of the POW camp in Central Texas and she was the only lady in camp. They had a small apartment and stayed on the camp. To read more of this young army wife's unique story during WWII just Click on the photo.
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Rummaging Through Family Memories

When you rummage through family boxes searching for your genealogy, you find many interesting items, news of the times they lived through. it says a lot about where you came from and what your ancestors lived through. [the photo on the left above is a digital of Great Grandma's bible with her signature, dated on the inside cover. The image on the right is a news clipping of Great grandma's obituary.]

Back in January, 2002, as I rummaged through some old family boxes for genealogy information I found the following old family bible of my Great Grandmother, Signora Belle (Gwin) Warwick, and a newscipping of her obituary. On the backside of the November, 1934 Alva newspaper clipping was some interesting tidbits concerning the history of the Salt Fork River bridge an other news of that time.

The Obituary starts out ... Signora Bell Gwin was the daughter of Sam and Ellen Gwin. She was born near Monterey, Virginia, August 31, 1861 and departed this life at her home in Alva, Oklahoma, November 16, 1934, at the age of 73 years, 2 months, and 15 days. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

1934 Newspaper Ads -- Alva, OK

Hankin's Dairy was located east of the College as the 1934 Ad states. Also listed in the ad was something called "666 Liquid Tablets Salve & Nose Drops."

Another ad shows Smith's College Cleaners, which pure cleaning fluid and expert spotting, handling and pressing were their magic secrets to keeping clothes new looking. Their prices in 1934 were 79-cents for women's dresses, 65-cents for men's suits and 75-cents for men's O'Coats (overcoats). Smith's College Cleaners had a phone number that was easy to remember -- Phone 1.

One of our readers mentioned to this NW Okie awhile back, "The Smith Cleaners was owned and operated by Errol Smith's Father. Erroll Smith owned and operated the City Cleaners, which was located at 519 Barnes. This is the location where I started in the dry cleaning business in 1982, then relocated to 432 Okla. Blvd. I still use the same spotting techniques and solvents that Erroll used, I was taught by the best." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

The Salt Fork River of Oklahoma Territory

Oklahoma - These were the headlines in an Alva, Oklahoma newspaper, dated November 23, 1934, Salt Fork River Once Full of Fish and Canoes Glided Up and Down State Stream. T. E. Beck, Jefferson gives us an interesting history of the body of water near Alva. Old name comes from Indians, he says after study.

The news article was printed in The Alva Daily Record, Alva, Oklahoma, Friday, November 23, 1934, Vol. 32, No. 276. The article is as follows below:

Jefferson, Nov. 22 (1934) -- (Special) -- The fact is known to but few people today that the original name of Salt Fork river, in northern Oklahoma, was known as Nescatunga river, - says T. E. Beck of Jefferson, Grant County, longtime newspaper man in the Cherokee Strip and one of the Strip's enthusiastic and best known historians.

By consulting an old atlas, which shows the great American desert, the stream between the Arkansas river and the Cimarron river as the Nescatunga. It is an Indian name but just what it signifies is only conjecture. From an Indian legend, handed down to the tribes that formerly occupied this part of the country, information is gained as to many of the characteristics of the stream. It describes what took place many, many years ago. The Indians believed that the Great Spirit, Manitou, became angered and sent a big sand wind and filled the river with sand and made the water unfit for drinking. So much for the legend.

Called It Deep Gulch

Indians of later years stated that the stream was in a deep gulch, 40 or more feet deep, and that within the banks enormous trees were growing, and the channel was a flowing stream of clear deep water, on which the Indians traveled by canoes. At that time the river was a mile or more north of its present channel, and this has been proved by borings made in the sand to the north. The depth in most places is 50 feet to the rock and from this underground stream, a number of towns in Northern Oklahoma get their water supply. The Indians were right in regard to the depth of the original stream, and the water is clear, pure and inexhaustible.

The source of Salt Fork river is in Comanche County, Kansas, and is formed by several small creeks, known as the Nescatungas, fed by numerous springs coming from sands, known as sheetwater sands which underlay the entire western plains to the Rocky mountains, at a depth in some places of 200 feet, but the outcroppings occur along these creeks in Comanche County. The water to begin with in Salt Fork river is clear and pure.

Deep Holes in Places

A little way down Salt Fork is where it takes its brackish taste from the gyp water it receives from Cave creek, which heads in the gypsum hills in which there are many caves and water flowing from the caverns. One cave in particular, the stream of water is some six feet in width and six to eight inches deep and very gyppy. A few miles below on the bank of Salt Fork is the deep hole in gyp rock. It is some 20 feet across and weights have been let down over 100 feet without striking bottom.

Another particularity of Salt Fork river is that no creek of any considerable length flows into it from the southside, but from the north side there is Yellowstone, and Little Yellowstone, Greever, Driftwood, Boggy and Turkey creeks in Woods County, and other smaller tributary branches, there is Big and Little Mule creeks, Medicine River, Big Sandy creek, Little Sandy creek, Pond creek, Deer creek, and Chicaskia river. These streams all add to the flood waters of Salt Fork and empty into the Arkansas river southeast of Ponca City. The windings of the river gives it a length of over 200 miles.

Salt Plains On River

One of the most peculiar formations along the Salt Fork river is the big salt plains in the eastern part of Alfalfa county. These plains cover an area of six by nine miles, and during dry weather are covered by a coat of salt. After a rain on the plains the salt water flows into Salt Fork river, near the boundary of Grant and Alfalfa counties. The water in the river becomes so salty that all the fish that cannot make it into some side creek are killed. Along the banks of the river for miles below thousands of dead fish can be seen after the freshet from the plains. The state game law does not allow seining, therefore, much valuable food is lost and does no one any good. It is to be hoped that in the near future a dam will be constructed across the mouth of these plains forming a large lake over the plains as a refuge for water fowls.

One Island Homesteaded

A few miles above the plain is located one of the state fish hatcheries. Numerous springs are found a short distance from the river, making an ideal location for raising young fish with which to stock streams and ponds.

Near this place in the river are two islands of several acres in extent. A filing has been made lately on one of these as a homestead. In other words, Uncle Sam has bet the tract of land against $14 that the homesteader can't live on the land five years. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe