Winter in the Rockies

It is the 4th day of Christmas and all through the land people were scurrying about -- slippin' and slidin'. Some were recovering from the blinding whiteouts of last weekend in Kansas and Oklahoma, while others, especially snow skiers, were enjoying the fresh powdery holiday snow falling in the Colorado Rocky mountains.

Others were just enjoying the scenery of Jolly Old Man Winter in the Rockies and making homemade noodles, cherry pies, pecan pies and all those comfort foods of the Christmas holiday with family.

Brrrrrrr.... it was chilly afterwards! Seems like when you get older your bones need more warmth, huh? Anyway... enjoy these wintery scenes NW Okie took up around Lake Vallecito today!

Here is a memory jogger to wake you up and keep you awake 'til New Years Eve!

Remember McClains shoe store that was on the Northside of Alva's downtown square, in the 500 block? I believe my two older sisters went to school with Patti McClain in the early '60's. The reason for the mention of McClain's Shoe Store was because I had an email inquiry from a long lost cousin of Patti's who was trying to locate her. I forwarded a copy of the email request to someone who might know who to contact concerning Patti McClain.

Through the help Of Lana Leist Burkhart and the Class of '61, we have found that contact information for Patti and have passed it along to her cousin. Thank's to Lana, Carol and Alva High Class of '61.

Gas Prices the Last of 2007
One of our OkieLegacy reader tells us that Oregon is the only state in the nation where consumers are NOT permitted to pump their own gas! That there must be an attendant to do it. Is that true?

In Oklahoma and many other states they still have some full-service stations, but most are 'self-serve' and they are used to doing things for themselves.

By the way, Oregon's gas prices range from $3.099 to $3.299 with the cheapest seen in "The Valley" at $2.959. SW Colorado's gas prices around Bayfield have been hanging around $3.159 for the last few days, but dropped 16-cents today to a $2.999 for regular unleaded.

Oklahoma's gas prices, according to Roy in Perry, Oklahoma, has been posted this week at $2.879. That is about a dollar higher than the first week of January 2007, which was $1.899.

Here is wishing you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year in 2008 with your freedom & rights intact!
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Looking Back - OkieLegacy Issues of 2007

We began January 2007 by switching from a PC to a Mac computer. AND... we are glad we did. If I ever buy another computer it will NOT be a PC! It will be a Mac!

AND... everyone knows that with the new Mac Operating System Leopard with built in Bootcamp, you can partition your Mac hard drive and install Microsoft Windows on one side of the hard drive and run Mac OS Leopard on the other with the intel core duo chip. I hear tell that Windows runs faster & better on a Mac computer. This ain't a paid advertisement! Just a former PC -- NOW a Mac Lover's observations!

The first week of January, 2007, Clayton, NM was getting drifting, flurries of snow that created one lane of traffic that continued up towards Walsenberg and northward towards Denver, Colorado.

Snow and ice reached as far as Pauls Valley, Oklahoma the second week of January 2007 and things were getting underway to celebrate Oklahoma's Centennial for their 1907 statehood, November 16, 2007, across Oklahoma.

Gasoline prices in Oklahoma during January were at $1.899 per gallon of regular unleaded gas.

We learned that there is a gentleman in Wales, United Kingdom, doing research on Oklahoma soldiers that might have fought in WWI for the British & Canadian forces. Mr. J. S. Clark was searching for information on J. H. Mondy, Pvt. and others who were in the Canadian army. With the help of our OkieLegacy readers, we found some relatives of Mondy's that are living in the Perry, Oklahoma area.

We learned that NWOSU's Lincoln Bust sculptor and creator was created in 1914 by Frank Ingels and he donated it during the Spring commencement of 1915 graduating class when his brother Roland Ingels graduated.

In Vol. 9, Iss. 5 of The OkieLegacy we learned a bit more about Woods county, Oklahoma Terriotry newspaper legacies with the information we retrieved from the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There was also a list of Oklahoma WWI Soldiers that served and died in the British & Canadian forces 1914-1918.

In Vol. 9, Iss. 6 of The OkieLegacy we learned that the Old Miller Hotel in Waynoka, Oklahoma was owned by Wm. E. Miller and his wife, Cordelia, who came to Waynoka in the Run of '93. The Millers built the hotel on the north end of their property near the Santa Fe rail yards, expecting the town to build near there. However, the town was built nearer the train station, south of the rail yards about a half mile.

That was just the first few weeks of January, 2007. You can visit our Journal Archives & Volume 9 Archives for a more detailed look back at The Okielegacy Issues of 2007.

For those of you just now getting onboard with The OkieLegacy, a BIG Welcome is extended your way.

We have enjoyed hearing from many of you -- sharing your stories -- learning your legacies throughout the last nine years. We hope to see you next year, 2008, and share more family legacies, genealogy and stories with you. In 2008 we will be changing our weekend publishing of our FREE weekly OkieLegacy Ezine from Saturday to Sunday.
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Robert N. Gray's Books - An Oklahoma Odyssey

Yesterday I received a Christmas gift of two Oklahoma history books from my friend in Harper, Kansas who publishes the Prairie Connection newspaper through the Balmer Fund Organization, in Harper, Kansas.

Rosalea Hostetler sent me the following books written by Robert N. Gray in 1995 & 1996:

Stella Academy & Alva Roller Mill

"Kay, Beth Clark (Mrs. Wesley Clark) is curator of the museum in Alva. She is in the Alva phone book. Beth is a local Byron gal and will help you out." -- Grace Wessels - OkieLegacy Comment, Vol 9, Iss. 51
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Genealogical Ebooks & Resources

"If you visit genealogy4free.net you will find a lot of free ebooks, etc. It is a site I created for all ancestor hunters. Ask me about free ebooks dealing with genealogy such as: KENTUCKY PIONEER COURT RECORDS, HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY ILLINOIS, VITAL RECORDS OF TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS to name a few. Its a private site and you have to be invited to get these free ebooks." -- Mary Moeller - Email: totallymine2004@yahoo.com
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Christmas Card

"Greetings, from a cold and snowy Northwest Oklahoma! I wish I'd taken the photo that this link will take you to. It seems a perfect Christmas card and a nifty way to send a holiday greeting! Santa, Somewhere Inside." -- Rod Murrow
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1st Day of Winter 2007

"We talked to some people in Northwest Oklahoma and Kansas to find out that Saturday's weather brought whiteout conditions around Woods & Woodward county areas with Hwy 412 being shutdown due to a 20 car pileup around the Mooreland, Oklahoma area.

Sounda like Kansas and Alva both got around 6-inches of that blowing snow last Saturday. It's sunny here in Soutwest Colorado, but chilly temps." -- NW Okie - OkieLegacy Comment
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St. Nicholas Hotel - Alva, OK

"I would love to hear those stories, too. As I am the new owner. Thank-you! All I've been told is that it was THE place to stay in the area and that it was also later called the Fisher Hotel-owned by the Fisher family. Take care-Happy New Year!" -- Darlene Williams - Email: tiggerf150@yahoo.com - OkieLegacy Comment
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McClains of Alva, OK

"I'm searching for a long-lost cousin for my family genealogy, and I've lost track of her. Her maiden name was Patti McClain, and her parents owned a shoe store in Alva, OK. Her mother was a first cousin of my father, and her father's name was Everett McClain, and she would have graduated from Alva High School sometime around 1959 or 1960, I believe. She went to Okla. State University, where she was in Chi Omega soroiety. If you have any idea of whom I could contact, such as someone who helps on class reunions, for example, I would be most appreciative." -- Neal North, Ponca City, OK - Email: nnorth@cableone.net
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Bird Watcher In Paradise

"Anadarko native Dale Talkington flew to Hawaii as a retired Air Force reservist on a military aircraft mainly to study his new hobby of bird watching. He was told of a place to visit in downtown Honolulu that supposedly had rare forms of owls. When he arrived with a copy of The Anadarko Daily News he found birds of a different kind. Here are Gina, Christy, Jenn, Alana, Breann and Sandy, also known as Hooter Birds." -- N. Talkington
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Cherokee Seasons From Oklahoma

"Lessons on Life... There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the Winter, the second in the Spring, the third in Summer, and the youngest son in the Fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said "no" it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you can not judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of your Spring, the beauty of your Summer, the fulfillment of your Fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come. Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God. Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keep You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But God keeps You Going!" -- Jan C.
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Snow in Perry, OK

"Good evening Linda, Last night (Dec. 27, 2007) the mist here in Perry began to change to tiny snow flakes and they continued to fall until we had about an inch or so, and then it quit again. The sun came out this morning and everything began to melt. Most of the white stuff is gone now. Also the price of regular gas has been steady this week at $2.87.9 and I keep wondering if it will change for this weekend? I sincerely hope that EVERYONE has a Happy New Year." -- Roy K.
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Cracked Pots & Happy New Year

"HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! ... An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

B ut the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it per ceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day, and year! and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path." -- Steve N.
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Pioneer Frank N. Gray - Enid, OK

[Information from the Foreward, pg. v, Observation From The Station South of Town - A Quindecennial Chronology, by Robert N. Gray.]

Frank N. Gray was almost 60 years old when he opened the little "Fillin' Station" along highway 81, between Enid & Waukomis, in Northwest Oklahoma. He had no intention of operating the business himself, but the twists of fate left him straddled with the enterprise. Laid back almost to a fault, he assumed the responsibility and for the next fifteen years toiled by the side of the road being a friend to everyone.

Frank felt like many others that Enid was the best town in the best county in the best state in the best nation in the world. We are talking, of course, about Enid, Oklahoma, in Garfield County. Frank "Fillin' Station" was halfway between Enid and Waukomis on highway 81.

Frank Gray took life easy, he was a keen observer of the world scene and maintained a broad interest in events from local to world wide. With his radio and daily newspaper, he kept up with his wide interests, encompassing family, politics, economics, and sporting events, local, state, and national. He visited with all who stopped by his station, and treated them graciously even when they only needed water for their thirsty radiators.

Frank Gray could talk with his customers at any level on nearly an subject, usually agreeing with them when he found how they felt about things.

Frank's grandson, Robert N. Gray, mentioned in the book that his grandfather worked by the side of the road, changing tires, filling boiling radiators with free water, putting small amounts of gasoline in cars and occasionally selling a quart of oil. Frank also had available bread, candy and tobacco products, as well as the pop cooler stocked with Coca Cola and Nehi sodas.

Remember the Nehi grape sodas and the small 6 oz bottles of Coca Cola?

Old friends and disappointed politicians stopped by continuously to visit with Frank, discussing world affairs, politics and sporting events. Frank was known as "Daddy" Gray, he was a grand old man without an enemy in the world.

Does anyone out there have any memories of Frank Gray and his "fillin' station" on the crest of the hill along hwy 81 between Enid and Waukomis, Oklahoma? We would love to share them with everyone here at The OkieLegacy.

The "fillin' station" closed shortly after the declaration of WWII. Frank's wife, Myrtie Bingham, passed away in 1952 and Frank died in September 1966, six months into his 99th year.

Frank was 25 years of age during the time of the 1893 Cherokee Strip land run. He was eager to make the Run, but he was influenced by his peers who were uninterested and his family was still doubtful of the wisdom of racing into uncivilized land most recently occupied by wild Indians. The soil of his home in Iowa was much more productive than the Oklahoma lands. His family was deeply involved in the local community of Iowa and Frank had a new girl friend, the grand daughter of a prominent Baptist clergyman.

By the turn of the century, Frank Gray and Myrtie Bingham were married and expecting their third child. Frank managed to save enough money to buy a team of horses, several cows, and several pieces of used farm equipment. The winters in Iowa seemed to become more fierce as the years went by, the local economy was not good. Frank's brother, John, had announced that he wanted to take over the family farm. Myrtie's parents were going to retire and were looking for a warmer climate. Frank's older sister, Alice, was a widow and had expressed an interest in moving to Oklahoma. That is when Frank decided Oklahoma was the place for all of them.

In the spring of 1900, Frank's father-in-law, Theron Bingham, and Frank boarded a train in Des Moines, Iowa and headed to Enid, Oklahoma. A real estate agent met them at the station and drove them out on the south road about four miles to what they thought was the most beautiful farm they had ever seen. The price back then was $2,250 for a quarter section of land.

With an August possession date, they hurried back to Iowa and began planning the move. Household goods, along with cattle, horses and machinery, were to be loaded in a box car. Frank was to ride in that car along with the animals. The rest of the family, including Mr. and Mrs. Bingham, Alice Beech and Myrtie and their children were to begin the trip the next day on a passenger train.

The three room house was determined to be inadequate. As years went by, rooms were added and another story built. By 1910, they had what might have been considered a mansion in earlier times. In 1912, They purchased a large barn which had been used in Enid as a livery stable. They moved it to the farm and placed near the top of the hill. Like the house, the barn could be seen on the horizon for many miles in nearly all directions.

Frank and Myrtie Gray had nine children and they attended the Valley View grade school and Enid High school. The children were:

Merry Christmas

Linda, thanks for the Okielegacy! I really enjoy it. Lots of work to do it weekly. That was a good looking card you sent. did you make it yourself? Merry Christmas!" -- James Bradley

[Editor's Note: The Christmas cards I sent out this year were done on my Mac using a photo I took of our root cellar during the Winter snow season here in Southwest Colorado.]
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