Oakie's NW Corner...
The wheat is growing and the mares are foaling (if that is the
correct term) here in NW Oklahoma. AND.... April has vanished somewhere
along with March, February and January. Have you noticed the quilt
pastures of wheat, alfalfa scattered about the countryside lately.
Things have a beautiful green to them this time of year. I hope
it is a great year for the farmers.
 As
to new little filly colts... this writer has a new sorrell Grandfilly.
Nope! I haven't gotten to touch it yet. But... I am working on it.
The new addition came on the 29 April 2003. We were out in the pasture
in the early evening hours checking the mares for newborn colts
and spotted Cindy's new little filly colt. Cindy brought her new
little colt up to about 3 or 4 feet in front of me while I was standing
out in the pasture trying to get a good photo opportunity of Cindy
and her new little filly. Notice the diamond star on the forehead
and the white nose area and....... the curled ears. No! I don't
have a name picked out yet. You have any suggestions? I now have
a pug puppy named Duchess, a yearling gelding named Li'l Doc, and
a two-year-old mare named Kassie. I am taking suggestions on names.
 I
was in Avard for lunch the other day and ate at this little cafe
that is located in the Old Avard gym. In the hallway is a painted
back-drop of sorts that was used way back when. What caught my eye
was my Uncle Alvin's name on the top, center. Alvin
Paris' Insurance AD read, "Alvin Paris - All Kinds of Insurance
- Alvin Paris & Howard Roepke - Bell Hotel Bldg. - Pho. 1 Alva."
I did not realize that Uncle Alvin and Howard Roepke were in the
Insurance business together in the Old Bell Hotel Bldg. Notice the
phone number. Now that is a short simple phone number to remember,
huh?
 Besides
taking care of my horses, I have been keeping an eye on the westside
of the Perry Irons building, on Oklahoma Blvd & 9th Street.
The Alva Mural Society has hired Artist Roger Cooke to paint another
Northwest Oklahoma scene on another business. This time it is of
the old McKeever Schoolhouse that once stood a few miles west of
Alva. Now the old wood framed, one-room schoolhouse stands at it's
new location on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Campus,
east of the President's residence. The artist, Roger Cooke, uses
his paint brush to bring to life the scene reminiscent of olden
days when one-room schools dotted the countryside. Cooke has been
working all this week on the McKeever Schoolhouse Mural on
the westside of the Perry Iron's Building on the south side of Oklahoma
Boulevard, in Alva, Oklahoma.
I am still working on the Old
Avard Unsolved Mystery of 1956. If you know of someone - run
across any information - old news articles and photos, I would love
to hear from you. Lots of people that I have talked to have said
that this fiery death was no accident. The investigative skills
of 1956 were not what they are today. Will this unsolved mystery
ever be solved? Maybe with your help and sleuthing!
Some of you NW Oklahomans that have been to the Alva Cemetery might
remember a tombstone that looks like a tree stump. Would anyone
out there happen to know more about the story behind this tombstone?
I have a reader that is looking for more information on what this
"Modern Woodsmen" was all about. Thanks for your help
on this.
One of my readers intrigued me with yet another mystery that happened
in or around Alva about 1922. Has anyone out there have any clues
concerning this mystery? They said, "No need to bother you
with it 'til you get this one solved." The suspense is intriguing
this puzzle loving writer.
Hope your May Days are terrific and colorful with the wildflowers
blooming with the April rains. See you all next weekend!
~~ Linda "oaKie" ~~
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Mailbag & Links Corner....
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Modern Woodsmen... "On the tombstone of Charles Horace
Simpson there is a Modern Woodsmen of the world Memorial (what looks
like a big tree stump). He was buried in Alva, Oklahoma in 1918.
Would you have information on what this is all about. If you can
help I would appreciate it. Thank You." -- Robert Landon E-mail:
dollyrland@peoplepc.com
Other Interesting Stuff... "You Think A Gallon Of Gas
Is Expensive? Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 - $10.32 per gallon; Lipton
Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 - $ 9.52 per gallon; Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 - $10.17
per gallon; Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 - $10 .00 per gallon; Brake Fluid
12 oz $3.15 - $33.60 per gallon; Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 - $178.13
per gallon; Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 - $123.20 per gallon; Whiteout
7 oz $1.39 - $25.42 per gallon; Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 - $84.48 per gallon;
AND this is the REAL KICKER... Evian water 9 oz for $1.49 - $21.19
per gallon. $21.19 FOR WATER! AND the buyers don't even know the source.
So! The next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run
on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or Heaven forbid, PEPTO BISMOL or NYQUIL!!!!"
Anne Reynolds - Readers Questions... "Some things raised
don't apply. Why did her father suddenly decide it was an accident?
Who knows, everyone responds differently in situations. After reading
what you have posted, it appears that the authorities got stuck, couldn't
find a suspect and this was a hot case in the area. I tend to lean
to the idea that they felt it was better to determine the cause as
accidental rather than suffer the heat that they couldn't solve it.
Things have changed over the years so these cases just become cold
but not totally gone. If this is true then the authorities, meaning
OBI or whatever they were then would have gone to him and sold their
story. The nephew? Who knows. But it doesn't sound that bad to me,
maybe he had classes later, maybe he did this from time to time. I'm
sure the authorities checked and double checked and cleared him. In
fact, because they spent so much time investigating him and the husband,
I really feel they didn't have a clue and decided to close it as accidental.
Many of the other things mentioned has either been discussed or dismissed
as not worthy. I think what is noteworthy is that this vehicle with
few exceptions would not have caught fire by accident as described.
That the person killed would not have remained in the vehicle to die
as described. That the scene would not have a pattern of some kind
of assault as described (Grass down... Shoe/Shoes w/ Blood away from
the car). This is a scene I would describe as a career criminal investigator
as homicide, nothing else. I have looked everywhere, where did you
get the information of the blouse buttons found on the scene, I never
saw that."
Anne Reynolds topic... "I knew that I was on your mailing
list but I thought that maybe I had unsubscribed by accident. I have
been reading the newsletters by accessing them on Okie Legacy. Don't
know why they have been bouncing? The Ann Reynolds story has became
quite a subject topic hasn't it? Thanks for all you do."
Anne Reynolds Crimescene Photos... "I really think the
crime scene photographs could help us better understand what happened
especially if they were taken with the crime scene undisturbed. I
found the "blouse buttons" part in that article and it only
strengthens the homicide argument. This case reminds me of one I had
'10 years ago when the Texas Rangers decided that David Joost killed
his two kids, wife and then committed suicide. Every fact was against
that but politics/power/money reigned. 20-20 did a big story on it
but it remains murder/suicide"
High End Email Lists... "I think of your letter as really
professional."
An Ingersol Fan... "I no longer receive the Legacy and
I don’t know why. Akslc.net does not filter out spam so it is
a real mystery. Please add my email address again, please. People
from a smaller town than Freedom (Ingersoll) need to know what is
going on. The research is so interesting. I am wondering how you have
the time and ENERGY to keep this going. Have you created a monster?
Thanks." -- An Ingersoll fan.
Wrought Iron Range Co.... "We recently purchased a home
in a small town. In the basement is a Wrought Iron Range Co. cook
stove, No. AB. I've tried to find information on it's value, but your
web site was the closest I could find. I would really appreciate any
information you may have on the year it may have been produced or
it's value, or possible you may know where I could find this info.
Thank you so much for your time. Please e-mail me." -- donimiller@hotmail.com.
 Alvin
Paris Insurance Ad - Avard Gym... "This is great, I may just
have to go there someday, and try to talk them out of the banner........but
what would I do with it? Anyway, Thanks a lot, I do read the Legacy,
so keep them coming."
1922 Alva Mystery... "Hope you are finding the answer
to that Alva mystery, because I got another one for you, but no need
to bother you with it 'til you get this one solved. The one I found
was 1922 in Alva."
 Waynoka
2S Hotel... "I bid on this old photo on eBay, but didn't
get the bid. I wonder if any of your readers knows anything of the
old 2S Hotel in Waynoka? I'm not sure if the date in the eBay description
is correct, but the seller supplied the following information: 'Vintage
1880s Photograph mounted to card of the period. This is around 8X10
in size. The Photographer is G. F. Green. As the stamp on the back
says: Jeweler and photographer, copying and enlarging a speciality,
Waynoka, Okla. This is a piece of Oklahoma photographic history and
is very rare! With a vintage hand on the front of the picture of times
past shows the hotel with its sign at top right of building. There
is ringer bell system on a pole at the bottom right. There is a Board
walk where there are a group of people who pose for the camera that
day. Six children, three men, two women. One little girl holds a broom
in tandem with the maid who could be her mother? There is a balcony.
There is a group of horses and wagons behind the leafless trees of
autumn or early winter. This is an albumen process photo or printing
out peper or bromide - I am just not certain but the image is certainly
rare and from the period of 1870s-1880s. I'd be interested to
know more about this old hotel." -- Rod Murrow, Freedom, OK -
Email: rod@murrow.com
Genealogy - Anne Belle Riddle... "My name is Pam and I
am looking for some family information and thought that you could
lead me in the right direction. My mother left me as a baby, but here
and there I have picked up tiny bits of information on her family.
My mother's name is Anne Belle Riddle. Her father was Alva Armand
Riddle and her Mother's first name was Fanny Mae. I have not found
a last name for my grandparents. I was told they either lived in Marlington
or Berkley. I know that this is long shot but I am praying maybe you
could help or at least put me in the right direction. It is so weird
because I feel like a puzzle with missing pieces. I have two half-brothers
and a half-sister floating around West Virginia. that I have never
met either. I think that her husband's last name was Bunting. Maybe
his first name was John. I am told that my great grandmother was Cherokee
Indian. But I am at a loss to know for sure. Her last Name would have
been Cogar. I hope that maybe you can help. Thank you for your time."
-- Pam - Email: ShyRoseBud53@aol.com
Hello, OkieBell... "I am a fellow Oklahoman, from the
Ardmore area. Got to your website from Butch Bridges This and That
weekly news letter. I really enjoy looking into my familys history,
and breaking down the walls is really great. I was going through the
ghost towns of Oklahoma and came across Woodford. Anyway my father
was born in a dugout somewhere in the foothills of Woodford, Oklahoma.
I think as a very small child they moved into Ardmore. I haven't checked
yet just where Alva is located, but will. I had GG-Grandparents that
lived in Cushing, Oklahoma in the early 1900s and both died there.
I really look forward to receiving your weekly news letter."
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