Volume 5 , Issue 8

Oakie's NW Corner

It won't be long now before the winds blow across our heartland state as February ends and March begins.

Thanks to Y'all that have written in to say how much you enjoy receiving our weekly ezine/newsletter. Many of you have said many times how much you appreciate what we are doing on the internet. Some of you have even made connections and discoveries from time to time from what we have included here on our site. You have even mentioned, "What you are doing is a public service."

We at OkieLegacy.net and The Okie Legacy Ezine thank you all for your encouragements, contributions and inquiries that make this OkieLegacy Ezine what it is today and every Friday evening. We couldn't do it without you! We Thank you for all your comments!

For some of you that have missed certain issues of The Okie Legacy Ezine, you can catch up on those missed issues in our Okie Legacy Journal Archives where you can browse all five (5) Volumes.

More NW Pioneer Tidbits... We have gathered more Northwest Pioneers to share with everyone this week. We have found the first couple married in "M" county, in Oklahoma Territory - early public schools of Alva; U. S. Land office - H. E. Noble Trade Parade float taken on 31 May 1900 to celebrate Free Homes Day in Alva - More NW Pioneers and NW OK marriages of 1943 .

Early Public Schools of Alva, Oklahoma... Here are two of the public schools of Alva: West School building and the East School building (erected in 1901). The West School building was the first brick school building in District #1, in Woods county. The first meeting to elect a school board was held the first week in March, 1894, and after discussing the situation, adjourned to Saturday, March 17. At this meeting A. H. Beegle was elected director, G. W. Snyder, treasurer, and C. W. Hobbie was elected clerk. On April 9th, a three months term of school was begun in the Union church, with John C. Beaty and Miss Josie Randall as teachers. But the church was too small for both teachers, and Miss Randall taught in a building that stood where Fredrickson's Livery Barn once stood. That building was moved afterwards and used by Louis Miller as an undertaking room, and he was still using it for that purpose in 1904.

The Alva Pioneer Souvenir Edition printed in January, 1904 stated, "At the annual school meeting in July, S. L. Johnson and F. E. Hatch succeeded Messrs. Beegle and Hobbie on the board. The new board called an election to vote bonds to the amount of $2,800.00 and it was voted on Sept. 24, 1894. On Dec. 10 the contract for the above building, to contain four large rooms and be built of brick, was let to T. B. Bowman. Mr. Bowman and several assistants got the building nearly completed, when on the morning of Dec. 20th (1894), the building was destroyed by fire, the origin of which has always been a mystery. It was rebuilt, and in 1900 and two more rooms were added."

West Side of Square - 1895... This west side of square photo was taken from the Alva Pioneer Souvenir Edition dated 1904 and shows the west side of the square (6th Street, College Ave.) as it looked in 1895. The Bank of Alva, first bank in the city, was opened for business on November 13, 1893, by Eli P. Williams, from McPherson, Kansas, with his son Elmer being cashier. It was a few months afterwards it was succeeded by the Exchange Bank which was in 1904 the First National Bank, whose building once stood where the old one was. The old building was moved to the south side of the square and was owned and occupied by Dr. J. C. Herron, dentist, and Mrs. Herron, photographer.

More 1904 Pioneer Tidbits...

• The first suicide in Alva was F. T. Sykes, who took morphine December 15, 1894, in his room where the Alva State Bank building first existed.
• The first brick building in Alva was the county jail in the public square.
• B. T. Woodard started the first livery stable in Alva, Sept. 16, 1893. In 1902, it was still the Woodard's Hotel De Horse, run by A. S. Woodard, but B. T. Woodard moved to Rogers, Arkansas around 1902.
• A. L.Circle was Alva's first drayman. Circle came here Sept. 16, 1903.
• Dec. 18, 1893, the townsite board completed its final report to the US Land department. On January 4, 1894, they began issuing deeds for lots.
• Miss A. B. Young, from Anthony, Kansas, was the first to open a Millinery store in Alva, Dec. 1893.
• Dec. 18, 1893 the first organization of a "Push" club was perfected. Percy R. Smith was chairman, and W. S. Fallis, secretary. The first business of the Push club was to look after the public roads out of Alva.
• The first county jail was built in October, 1893. Two by four lumber was laid flat and nailed solidly, one on top of another 10 by 12 feet. In 1904 it was being used as the city Jail.

OkieLegacy 100k Milestone Approaching Soon... Sometime this next week our "OkieLegacy.net" visitor-counter will reach that "100,000" milestone. We have been keeping close track for the last few months and watching the number of visitors climb by 1500-1600 per week. We were thinking about when we started in this world-wide-web business around eight years ago (Fall of 1995). Back then we would be lucky to get 25 visitors per week. The years and search engines have been good to us. We've met some great friends - found lots of new cousins and learned a lot, too.

We have been trying to figure out how to celebrate that turning-point just on the horizon -- wondering when it will hit that golden, six-figure mark. Will it be on this writer's birthday, Tuesday, 25th of February? What day, hour will it occur? Who will be that lucky "100,000" Visitor? Have you got any suggestions of how to celebrate? Will you help us count down to 100k next week? Email us and let us know what the counter was when you dropped by our website! Thanks!

Before we let you head off to explore more of our NW Oklahoma pioneers, we need to make a request and inquiry concerning a WWII army hospital that was located in Chickasha, Oklahoma -Borden General Army Hospital. Does anyone out there have any information concerning the Borden General Hospital? Jimmie Biggs - Email: jbiggs3@cox.net - is looking for resource information on the subject matter.

Do NOT allow the terrorism to create panic throughout our communities. You control your own destiny!

Be Forceful, BUT... Speak Gently!

"Speak gently! It is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently; let no harsh words mar
The good we might do here!"
~~ by author - David Bates (1809-1870) - Speak Gently ~~

See you next weekend, the first of that windy month of March!

~~ Linda "oaKie" ~~

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