Teaching My Buddy, Sadie...

Yep! As you can tell by this photo, my little black shadow goes wherever I go and does whatever I do.

It was mid-week that Oakie and I decided to break Sadie in as another "GO Dog." That was when we packed up and left SW Colorado and headed East towards NW Oklahoma. That little pug pup just seemed to be glued to me like a magnet. Wherever I sit, sleep or go, Sadie is right there -- snuggled in close to me. I didn't know I had such a "Fan Club."

I have been teaching her toys and tug-o'-war lately. I do not have to put out much force or energy. If I budge from my stance, it is because I let Sadie win sometimes. I mainly just stand there and let the pup do all the work. Once in awhile I give the toy a slight shake and loosin' the pup from the other end. She keeps coming back for more. It's the darnest thing! I think this little black shadow pint-size pup is growing on me... to some extent! View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Kron Prinz Wilhelm Ship & Wagner Ancestrial Photos...

While back in SW Colorado we had a great visit with our brother and his wife (Lou & Kay (Westindick) Wagner) last weekend. They spent a couple of days with us before they headed off to the NW corner of America to visit other family members.

We looked and reminisced over old Wagner family photos. Here's a Link to our WAGNER - ZIMMERMAN - WILLIAMS Geneaology Database.

One of those old photos was of the Kronprinz Wilhelm ship of the German Empire. How and Why that picture was in the collection of old family photos... we are not sure! Did it haul some Wagners to America? What was the fascination with this photo for one of the Wagner ancestors? That is what we are wondering. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Go-Dogs & NW Okie Travel East...

Yep! Here it is mid-July already! AND... Duchess, Sadie and this NW Okie headed East again for NW Oklahoma, early Wednesday morning, July 13, 2005. We did okay until we crossed Wolf Creek Pass and started downhill towards South Fork. There is this tunnel and a 45 minute wait while road crews were working a few miles north of the tunnel. They are in the process of blasting edges of the mountain to widen the road up the pass between South Fork and Wolf Creek. This photo shows a snapshot of waiting motorists rambling, stretching during that 45 minute wait.

Did you ever hear WWII & VJ-Day stories where they gathered in the town centers to celebrate and set their hats on fire? How about some memories of the WWII POWs at the Waynoka Ice Plant? Those are just some of the many Mailbag Corner memories we have for you this weekend.

Ranger Football Players of 1920s... We need your help here for one of our regular readers from NW Oklahoma. Rod has supplied us with a photograph of some Ranger Footballs players dating back to the 1920s. He needs help identifying them. We know who two of the players are: #20 Sam Riggs and #6 Floyd Coldiron. Do you know of someone that could help us identify these Rangers? Check out another mystery in the Mailbag Corner of an unidentified woman with two young men: Haskell REED on the left and Bertsell RIGGS in the center. Thanks for any help you can offer.

We heard from a OkieLegacy reader about having lunch with OSU's Pistol Pete Mascot this last week. It seems that this years Pistol Pete comes from Alva, in NW Oklahoma, as does his parents and grandparents. We hear that this Alvan, Eric Stroud, has only been Pete for a few months but has attended many, many functions in that time. Congratulations to Eric and the STROUD family of NW Oklahoma!

POW Camp Memories - Alva, OK & VJ-Day...

"I lived in Alva, OK as a child. My next door neighbor was a guard at the POW camp. One day, he took me out there and I saw the outside of the camp. I remember the POWs marching down the street to the train to be sent home after the war. I lived in Alva, OK, at the end of the war, VJ Day. I was a kid then. A happy crowd gathered in the town center in the evening. One very drunk fellow celebrated by setting his hat on fire in the middle of the street. Others added their hats and soon, no hat was safe. The policeman lost his cap too. People would go up to passing cars and demanded hats from passengers. It was a happy day, but not for hats. Graham Kendall - Email: grahamkendall74135@yahoo.com View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Waynoka's Ice Plant & POW Memories - WWII...

"I forwarded the information about the POW camps in Oklahoma to Jim Linder who worked with the prisoners at the ice plant. Jim was in high school at the time. His response is below." -- Sandie

Thanks for the story about the Ice Plant and the POW's. I was especially interested in the names of the escapees and attemptees. When the one man who slipped away from the Plant was captured just south of the Cimarron he protested vehemently that he was in Mexico and therefore couldn't be legally brought back. They generally had no idea how big this country was, no conception of the distances involved.

The roster of prisoners approved for work-release at the plant may well have comprised 100 but I'm certain that there were never more than 60 on-site at any given time. Also they assuredly never "operated" the ice plant. That was always the job of American citizens since ammonia (the refrigerant in use) was both poisonous and violently explosive if not handled with due care and caution. All operations involving refrigeration equipment, cranes, compressors, condensers, pumps, cooling towers, conveyors, elevators and electrical switchboards were strictly off-limits to POWs.

They were used to handle bulk ice in receiving-room, storage, sidetrack dock and the main elevated icing dock and were always under guard by the US army and under supervision by civilians (including me) as well as working in icing crews which included civilian men and boys from the community.

The folks who operated the plant were Fletcher Kysar, James A Linder, Charles Fry, four stationary engineers, six crane-operators and three conveyor operators.

The plant itself was built, owned and operated by Railways Ice Co of Chicago who had a longterm contract for icing and services with AT&SF Railways at Chicago IL, Kansas City MO, Waynoka OK, Belen NM, and Needles CA.

In the view of our army the POWs were undoubtedly 'hardliners' since the bulk of them were elite troops of Rommel's Afrika Korps.

I certainly remember Gene McGill as he once took me flying as part of his support of our WHS (Waynoka High School) Aeronautics class. That was my first flight and he let me take the stick briefly on straight and level. That's it for the memory bank today." -- Jim Linder

OSU's Pistol Pete...

"I had lunch today with Eric Stroud (stroud10@hotmail.com), Oklahoma State University's Pistol Pete. He is one SUPER guy!! When he said he graduated from Alva High School, I IMMEDIATELY thought about you. When he told me that his parents and grandparents were also from Alva I thought you might want to email him and get the whole story. I told Eric about your website and that I was going to mention this to you. Small World! Eric Stroud has only been Pete for a few months but has attended many, many functions in that time. Today he was at an OSU Golf deal in Frisco, TX. Here is a little background about the Pistol Pete story. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

MITCHELL & UHL's of Lookout & Alva...

"My Grandfather (Raymond Valance MITCHELL) was baron in Hayward OK in 1895, married Edna UHL in 1914. She was from Alva. They lived in Perry until moving to Colorado in 1931. My great-grandfather Martin Luther MITCHELL had a business in Lookout and Alva I am told. He was married to Mary Frances CLEVELAND. He died in Alva and was buried in Lookout in 1926. This is all I have been able to find. If anyone has anymore history, I would be forever grateful. Martin Luther also had a brother named Lewis MITCHELL that lived in Alva. Raymond (My grandfather, a brother Charles, and sister Vivian). Thank you." -- Patsey Gentry - Email: Patsey625@aol.com View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Class of '64 Names...

"Class of 64 Photo (left to right): J.D. Irons, Johnny Jones, Johnny Valdiaso, Larry Anderson, Vickie Crenshaw, Ron Mooreland, Angela Isanbart, Austin Quinn, Doug Kranz and Nick Farris." -- Terry Smith @ mysubterfuge@cox.net View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Class Reunion 2005...

"Hee! You all look so old! I'm sure glad that I wasn't there... NOT. I really wish that I could have been there to try and catch up on old times. I'm so glad that we all age so gracefully. Good luck to all of you, especially 'Crash'... he knows who I mean. LOL." -- Floyd Thomspon (CB) - Email: fthompson@triad.rr.com View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Looking for Info About Coy (OK) - Town & School...

"I like to read about the folks and their adventures, even though I do not recognize many names. I am from Oklahoma, what used to be Coy and Lookout. I would like to have any information from anyone about Coy - the town or school. Keep up the good work." -- Bert Malone - Email: bmalone1210@yahoo.com View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Hello, Duchess...

"I have two pugs, one is black and one is fawn colored. They are three years old, Blackie is one week older than Little Mack. I aquired them from a lady in Shawnee, when they were about six weeks old. Blackie is about twice as big as Little Mack. They are both males, and crazy about each other. Blackie also has a small white marking on his chest. Wishing you a wonderful life with Oakie and Sadie in these Dog Days of Summer." -- Homer View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Mystery - Unidentified Woman...

"I have another mystery that I hope can be solved by one of your readers. That attached photo includes two young men whose names are known: Haskell REED on the left and Bertsell RIGGS in the center. The young woman is unidentified.

Haskell was born in 1908 and was the son of Milton and Christina (PROFFITT) REED; he married Harriett BUDY and they lived south of Hopeton along what is now highway 281. Bertsell was born in 1896 and was the son of Charles and Sarah (PROFFITT) RIGGS; he married Fern SHERRELL and was killed in a highway construction accident in May 1923 (father of Dorothy and Dolores RIGGS - Dorothy became Mrs. Loren ROSEBERY; Dolores became Mrs. Dean MURROW, my mother).

I assume that this young woman is the daughter of one of the PROFFITT siblings (there were eight brothers and sisters, including Columbus Gasper, Rachel Alice, John Smith and his twin William Lafette, Mary Ellen, Sarah Catherine, Nancy M., and Christina)... though there is no indication on the photograph. I do not know the location or the date the photo was taken, but one can assume that iT might be around 1915 or so, perhaps even later. Thanks for your help. I'm always eager for your next 'installment'." -- Rod Murrow, Freedom, OK View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Ranger Football - 1920's...

"Another photo that needs help... this is a Ranger football team from the mid- to late-1920s. SAM RIGGS is pictured (#20) and he graduated from Northwestern in 1928. Also pictured is FLOYD COLDIRON (#6). If any of your readers can help name the other players, I would appreciate it very much. I have a high-resolution digital copy of this photo and would be happy to share it via email with whoever wants a copy." -- Rod Murrow, Freedom, OK View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Dacoma OK - Eighth Grade Banquet - 1961...

"This is a photo taken at the Eighth Grade Banquet in Dacoma, May 1961. They were the senior class of 1965 (except Danny Hall and Skippy Polson, who had moved from Dacoma by then); by the time they graduated from high school, Estel 'Shookie' Chelf, Terry Doty, and Ruth Wayman had joined the class. Mr. Rexroat remained was their class sponsor all the way through high school. The last graduating class from DHS was the class of 1968." -- Rod Murrow - Email: rodmurrow@gmail.com View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Out of the Blue - Eversole & OMRF...

"This article was taken from Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) Magazine, Summer 2005, Dispatches, pg. 7." -- ND Talkington - Anadarko Memories

Out of the Blue -- One day in late 2003, OMRF received an unexpected letter. The piece of mail, which came from Alva attorney informed OMRF that Vera Mae Eversole had left the foundation half her estate. But when OMRF staff went to their files, they discovered that they had no record of a Vera Mae Eversole. This gift, it turns out, would be her first and last to OMRF. But what a gift it would be.

a former schoolteacher who'd spent most of her life in Alva, Vera Mae (Pictured here in her 1936 high school graduation photo) had lived frugally. Of course, she'd always found a way to take care of her friends, her church and her beloved animals. But when it came to herself, other than a regular appointment at the hairdresser and an occasional new outfit, she chose to save rather than spend.

Unbeknownst to OMRF, Vera Mae had included OMRF in her ill for more than two decades. And upon the recent settlement of her estate, which was ably managed by her friends and trusted advisors Sutter and Hal Brizzolara, OMRF became half-owner of a 3,000-acre tract of land and several smaller properties in Alva.

Proceeds from the sale and use of the land, which has significant value both for its surface and mineral rights, will provide vital support for research programs at OMRF. And that, syas Sutter, is exactly what his friend and client desired. "Vera Mae was a very generous person," he says. "She loved this state, and I know she would be pleased to see that her gift will benefit the health of all Oklahomans."

Gwinn Family of Round Bottom, West Virginia

"My name is Elaine Yanak. This is a picture of the house at Roundbottom. I live in St. Albans, WV. My mother's maiden name was GWINN and her family is having their annual family reunion here in WV this Saturday. I'm not attending but I was looking for a Gwinn family crest and found your site.

I think that we are related from years and years ago. Robert GWINN is listed in our family tree as coming from Wales, but it does not have a year listed. It says he married Jean KINCAID and supposedly my great-great-great-great grandfather was his son Samuel who birth year is listed as 1745 and died in 1839. His wife is listed as Elizabeth Lockridge GRAHAM, but in your information this might be incorrect. Is it Simon that married her? Please let me know.

The GWINN Family has a site listed as gwinnreunion.org. Please check it out. There is a copy of a small book that one of my relations wrote and you may be able to hook up with some members of the family from the other side.

It would be great to hear from you. I'm now 50 years and my mother passed away 2 years ago this month.

This is a picture of the old home on the New River called Roundbottom. It is in what is now West Virginia. The house is gone but there is still a graveyard there. I know that this is another branch of your family, but I thought you might want to share what information you have with this side of the family. We may have some incorrect information. God Bless You." -- Elaine (Harford) Yanak, daughter of Leta Mae GWINN (daughter of Russell B. GWINN (son of George Loomis GWINN) and Delvin Dermont HARFORD) - EMAIL: dyanak@citynet.net View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Kronprinz Wilhelm Ship...

".....When finished on August 25th 1901, the new Kronprinz Wilhelm was a ship very similar to the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. As her predecessor, the Kronprinz had four funnels, characteristically grouped in two pairs. But the Kronprinz Wilhelm was a larger ship than the Kaiser, about ten feet longer and some 600 tons larger. However, she was by no means the largest ship in the world. That title was at the time held by White Star Line's 21,035-tonner Celtic.

When it came to the interiors of the Kronprinz Wilhelm, they outmatched those on board her older sister. The same man who had decorated the Kaiser, Johannes Poppe, was chosen also for the Kronprinz and he set out The Library and Writing Room on board the Kronprinz Wilhelm. to overdo himself. And so he did. When the Kaiser and the Kronprinz were later given two sisters - the Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Kronprinzessin Cecilie - Poppe decorated them too. With every new ship, there was more luxury, more ornamentation, more marble and more gilt. Norddeutscher Lloyd certainly spared no expenses to make their ships the best that Germany had to offer. To cross the Atlantic in a deluxe suite on board the Kronprinz Wilhelm in 1901 could cost as much as $2,000.

..... The massive European emigration provided the shipping companies with an almost unlimited flow of steerage passengers. The Kronprinz Wilhelm was designed to take on 1,761 passengers, of which 1,054 would travel in third class..... it could cost as little as $10 to reach the Americas with the Kronprinz Wilhelm" -- http://www.greatoceanliners.net/kpw.html -- Also Visit Ellis Island website: http://www.ellisisland.org/default.asp View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

OSU Mascot - Pistol Pete - History...

".....Around 1923, when Oklahoma A & M College was searching for a new mascot to re place their tiger (copied along with orange and black colors, from Princeton), a group of students saw Frank Eaton leading the Armistice Day Parade. He was approached to see if he would be interested in being the model for the new mascot, and he agreed. A likeness was drawn and began to be used on sweatshirts, stickers, etc. and a tradition was born.

That caricature was the basis for what is used today as the official Oklahoma State University Mascot. For thirty-five years, the crusty old cowboy was a living symbol of OSU, representing the colorful past of the area. As such, he would attend OSU athletic events, building dedications, etc., and sign autographs, pose for photographs and reminisce about the Old West with anyone who would listen. In more recent years, the University of Wyoming and New Mexico State University began using variations of OSU's artwork as logos for their schools. To this day, his likeness is a visible reminder of the Old West to literally millions of people yearly as a symbol of colleges whose mascots pay homage to the cowboy.

Each year, 10 to 15 OSU students try out for Pistol Pete. A panel of former "Petes" judge the tryouts and select the two best candidates based on an interview, a mime, and posing as mascot in different "game situations". The two who are selected split the approximately 500 appearances annually. These appearances include all athletic events, pep rallys, business openings, weddings, birthday parties, and public school events....." View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe