Follow @okielegacy Search this site   Site search engine hosted by FreeFind I really enjoy the family stories that Kenneth Updike shares.  ~SBW regarding Okie's story from Vol. 9 Iss. 31 titled UNTITLED This is a DSL Connection in NW Oklahoma  ~MEW regarding Okie's story from Vol. 10 Iss. 33 titled UNTITLED username:    password:

Happy New Year 2007

Yep! ... It is just about to the end of 2006! We've been thinking about what resolutions we will be making and the changes (if any) we will be making for the New Year, 2007. We would love to hear what resolutions you will be making for the New Year.

What about a little respect, kindness and understanding for those with different views, cultures from our own?! AND... see if there is a positive payback in-kind!

This time last year much of South & Central Oklahoma was experiencing wild fires since November, 2005 into January, 2006. AND... Oklahoma gas prices were hanging around $2.22.9 for regular unleaded. In November, 2005 Oklahoma farmers/ranchers were experiencing a drought and needing rain. Sounds like this Winter 2006 has brought more rain, moisture than last year at this time.

As for weather... this time last year was a dry winter for the southwest parts of Colorado with a High front that had been lingering over New Mexico and Colorado for the last few months of 2005 and into 2006 and our normal snowfall was way behind -- about 60+ inches or so. All those snowstorms had pushed northward and eastward. It was DRY with a lot of static electricity! Our temps drop down into the 20's during the the night and in the mid-40's during the day! That was last year at this time.

This year our snow, winter came early (in the valley and mountain areas ... even before the Winter Solstice. The snows were wetter this year than last year.

This last Thursday, in the late afternoon, the valley areas south of Bayfield, Colorado received an additional inch of wet snow. Our Thursday, December 28, 2006 weather started with blowing wind early in the morning with temperatures in the low 40's that melted some of last week's snow. The mountain folks received some new snow, but it soon melted. Here in the valley around 4:00 p.m. The snow flakes started out small, but gradually increased in size as the mountains disappeared in a fog of snow coming from the south or southeast. BUT... the main moisture moving through New Mexico made it's way up the eastern sides of Colorado from the southern border to the northern border into Kansas where the brunt of the snow blizzard hit again.
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Looking Back At 2006

Last year Mike Rosebery posted a few photos to Mike Rosebery Flickr account that were taken in or near Alva in the 1920s. The negatives were processed at Ellis Studio in the Monfort building. The name on the account is Dr. Juchli. They're pretty swell photos (so stylish!). Does anything look familiar to you?

We learned about the H. M. Bickel family and the Bickel Bus line in downtown Alva. The Bickel family made the Run of 1893 when Cherokee Strip opened -- locating on East side of square in Alva. H. M. was the US Land Commissioner, Alva before statehood. he owned the land in the center of Alva (2-block area where the courthouse and city hall are today. Bickel donated the 2-blocks in the center of Alva for the courthouse and city hall.) besides land east of square, 1-block on Barnes Avenue, northeast corner.

NWOSU college campus... Oklahoma Hall was being demolished after 30 years of service. Northwestern Oklahoma State University dorm (Oklahoma Hall, built over 30-years ago) gets demolished?

We were also remembering the passing of JACK EUGENE LENHART when Woods County, in Northwest Oklahoma lost another special, great icon last year. I particularly remember the time that Lenhart's bought sod grass from our dad (Gene McGill) and we helped the Lenhart's plug it in to their yard back in the 1960's. Besides that... Jack and Gene shared the same middle name, Eugene, until Gene changed his name to Gene M. McGill. Funeral services for Jack Lenhart, age 77, were held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 3, 2006, at the Marshall Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Sean Evans, pastor of the Alva First Christian Church officiating. Interment was in the Alva Municipal Cemetery under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva.

Let us not forget Alva's Runnymede Restoration ... the local NW Oklahoma newspaper reported the Runnymede Project was having their Open House Sunday, January 22, 2006, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in downtown Alva, Oklahoma after the old Runnymede Hotel had undergone major restoration by a group of northwestern Oklahoma citizens.

Waynoka Historical Society was also having it's open this last summer with the restoration of the pioneer log cabin at Waynoka Station has been completed! The Waynoka Historical Society invites everyone interested in seeing the beautifully and meticulously restored three room cabin to attend the Ribbon Cutting and OPEN HOUSE - Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m.

AND... What were they talking about in the coffee shops in northwest Oklahoma and Southern Kansas beginning in May and continuing until September, or so? It was the "Old Opera House Mystery of 1910" that made it's debute in the May edition of the "Prairie Connection."

Do you remember what was your favorite OkieLegacy story for 2006? What would you like to see more of for 2007?
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KWTV - Out of the Past

"Here are some more folks we worked with at channel 9. This photo was published in 1959. I began working there in the summer of 1957. A few memories about these folks:

Wayne Liles tried (unsuccessfully) to get me to return to working at KWTV several times after I'd moved on. He too was a member of the Britton Christian Church and knew my grandparents, the W. Orville Lewis's, and my aunt Margaret Basey (Margaret was very close friends of the Liles'). Wayne was a survivor from the "Bataan Death March"! He told me that when he came out of the concentration camp there, he weighed 90 pounds. He didn't talk much about what he experienced there but he and his wife had written it all down for "the kids" to know after he was gone.

I bought a stereo cabinet (from Fran) that Bob Bealmear had built. Jerry Nixon had traded me his Pontiac convertible for a professional type 16mm movie camera that I had. Dean Goad married film editor Patsy Ratcliff but that didn't last long and she later married an advertising executive. D.K. "Spec" Hart was an engineer who returned to the station many years later (I don't know his present email address) and is now retired (again) I think. Bob Guyer grew up in Edmond and knew my great-aunt Lela Chitwood (there's a Chitwood park named for the family) on the old home place there.

I'd already mentioned Barbara (Dunn) Powell and also Bob Dennis. Jack Jones did excellent work in the film lab and I think that it was he who made the second series of animated film openings for Lagniappe (I made the first ones with that camera I traded to Jerry Nixon). Lloyd Costellow was an avid coin collector. He'd worked as an engineer at KTOK back when I was in highschool performing on a "kid's" gospel program that we called "The Crusaders" (put on vinyl transcriptions on Saturdays for rebroadcast on Sunday mornings). I had 2 of those transcriptions and Lloyd copied them to audio tape for me. More memories later. -- Roy K.
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A Real Moose Story

"If I sent you this story, please forgive me. I saved it and thought it was quite a story.

An Alaska Moose Story ... and a Good Start for Christmas! -- When this little guy was little; he lost his mother too soon. So the Alaska Department of Fish and Game brought him to Wendall and Debbie. They asked them to get the little moose raised to a safe age to turn him loose again. They took care of him and bottle fed and after a while they fed him with their cows.

So last spring he was a year old and it was time to turn him back into the wild. They opened the gate and off he went. He stayed gone all summer; then this fall he was back with the cows! He really thinks he is a cow! For now all were happy to see him ... he is a pretty friendly fella! He loves honey buns and will eat them right out of your mouth! Wendall and Debbie live up in the mountains and so it came time to bring their cows down. Well ... the moose was lonely all by himself so he headed down to find another heard of cows to hang with.

The neighbors called about a week later and asked Wendall to please come and get his Moose. So Wendall headed out with a honey bun, bucket of grain and the horse trailer and brought the moose back home. The moose is free to go anytime he wants but is choosing to stay put for now. Surely, come spring he will start to feel a bit like a boy Moose and take off . . . but, for now he seems happy!" -- Homer Hawkins
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Merry Christmas From Duncan, OK

"Linda, I like the new tabloid version. My niece used this photo for her Christmas cards this year.... it was our first snow in Dec. ... the photo was taken a few miles southwest of Duncan, Ok. Looks very much like your photo.... both beautiful. The mule is Jerry's, while the horse is Sheryl's. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year! Give Duchess and Sadie a hug for me." -- glenda willmon, Duncan, Ok
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The Rest of the Story

Ken Updike's 1951 Christmas Story... "Please pass along to SBW. I sent a copy of my Christmas tale to Ms. Bevelry Harvey, Editor of the Caddo Elec. Co-op monthly paper back in November. I did not receive a reply from her. According to a friend of mine, who grew up in Biner, Mr. Bryan was the original Mgr. of the REA (Caddo Elec.) in 1951. He retired somewhere around 1973. Not sure if he is still living. Thanks for SWB''s information." -- Kenneth Updike
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Fondest Memories of Growing Up

"One of my fondest memories of growing up in Alva was the manger scene in the canyon bordering 14th street. Seems like each year a new figurine was added and it was always fun to figure out which one was new. Does anyone know who was responsible for this scene? Where is it now? Is it still in use? Also, does anyone know the source of the green (possibly wooden) wreaths that light up red and green at night that so many Alva residents have on display outside their homes? If so, where can I buy one?" -- Scott Downs @ scottdowns@scottdowns.net
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Oklahoma Weather & Gas

"We've had light rain since dusk yesterday (Friday) and so far this (mostly just a mist) has put a little more than 1/2" into my rain gauge here at the house (as of 10:30 AM Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006). Also, the local gas stations dropped the price of unleaded regular back down to $2.09.9 yesterday (just after I filled my tank).Happy New Year Y'all!" -- Roy Kendrick
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Lookout, OK School House

--Photo on left & right from NW Okielegacy Webshots. Someone left a comment under this picture at our NW OkieLegacy Webshots and mentioned that this was the Jerry Beagley Home in Lookout, Olahoma.

-- nwokielegacy - This is the old Lookout School. The person who left the comment under this picture said they went to school there... at Lookout, Oklahoma.
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