Fort Gibson News in 1920

Issues of the Fort Gibson New Era newspaper for October of 1920 report life outside of Muskogee. They often carried news items about ill or recovering children and adults. Sick little boys and returning members of congregations often received mention on the same page.

Maybe that is why the Bayer aspirin advertisement caught my eye. The big line drawing of a tablet with Bayer spelled up and down and across was as contemporary eighty-nine years ago as it is today. A tin box of a dozen tablets reportedly cost only a few cents. The price is still not much different in Wal-Mart.

The influenza continued killing people even when the climax of the disease was past. One victim was Wagoner Herbert Merle Evans. Wagoner was his first name; he lived in Duncan, Oklahoma. He was brought to Fort Gibson for burial in the National Cemetery. Mr. Evans received a serious wound while serving in a machine-gun company during the First World War. He survived that only to die in Oklahoma at the end of the Great Flu Epidemic. He was laid to rest next to his brother who did not survive military service in France.

George Washington Terry was the newly appointed head of the Fort Gibson Fire Department that fall. He called his "boys" out to become familiar with handling fire hoses. The drill did not include fire, or even rescue practices. No, these young men used their water hoses to spray city streets to keep down the dust.

Construction was an ongoing topic of local news in rural newspapers. Otto White's painting his two story home with white paint received top billing. The fact that Otto had added a "Corinthian porch" in front of the family dining room was also mentioned. Neighbors in their wagons, or astride a horse, no doubt made a point to passing by to check out its appearance.

The monthly Women Christian Temperance Union meeting generated a report that over $5,000 had been raised across the state. The money was dedicated for the support of Prohibition.

Property sales also made the "Local News" columns. This was especially so when property with a history changed hands. Such was the case when the newspaper owner purchased the "Washington Irving" lot on Garrison Hill. Long-time residents said it had been the writer's residence where he wrote his famous account of his western travels entitled "A Tour of the Prairies."

The Farmers National Bank had a prominent advertisement on the front page. The ad said "The man who borrows gets the habit." This admonition appears in the newspaper as prices were falling for agricultural commodities. The end of World War One brought on the cancellation of many government orders, causing a brief recession.

The town of Fort Gibson, like Muskogee, had the embryo of a water system. It, too, had a water tank for supplying water for personal consumption. And, like in Muskogee, the water tank filled with sediment. That fall, workmen drained the tank and shoveled out two wagon loads of mud and the bodies of a few birds. The hope was for cleaner water in the future despite the fact there was no water filtering available.

Jerry Starr, a former slave, passed away at 98 in a cabin near the Methodist Church. He was survived by a wife named Prophet who was 95 years old. The family paid for an ad the following week in a "Card of Thanks" expressing appreciation for all of the condolences they received. Their father, affectionately known as "Uncle Jerry," was well liked in the community.

Such was the news in Fort Gibson in 1920.

Heritage Day on Saturday

Heritage Day is this Saturday, October 24th. It is a re-enactment of the original 1870's celebration. It begins at 9:30 and lasts until darkness. Promoters are Downtown Muskogee and the two museums in the Depot District located at Third and Elgin Streets. Exciting activities will appeal to all ages.

US Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas will begin the many skits by telling how law enforcement gained control in Indian Territory. A "Parade of Nations," consisting of both Indian Nations and foreign nations will march down Elgin Street beginning at Fifth Street. Participation is open to all walkers.

Bacone College students and faculty will sing Native American songs. Drummers and dancers will perform as well.

Vendors will be at tables all day. They will be offering baskets, arrowheads, stone tools & knives, jewelry, wooden and metal art for purchase. The Muskogee genealogical society will have cookbooks and note cards featuring old Muskogee photographs for sale as well. Food vendor booths will offer Indian tacos, dessert fry bread, hot dogs, cookies, beverages and candy.

Storytelling by Debra Hill and by Faith Harjo will entertain all ages at the Three Rivers Museum conference room. Ms. Hill will starts at 10:30 and 3:30; Ms. Harjo starts at 1:30 and 2:30. Visitors will also enjoy the quilt display in Three Rivers Museum.

Dr. H. P. Hedgethicket, III Esquire will have his hilarious old time Medicine Show on the Hall of Fame Loading Dock. In between his hawking cures and remedies, he will make your sides split with laughter. His performances start at 11:30 and 3:00.

Children, including me, will enjoy going inside the Hall of Fame to make their very own stick horses beginning at 2:00. A stick horse parade will exhibit their handiwork a half hour later. This will inspire the imagination of all who are young at heart.

While all of this has been going on, visitors will enjoy seeing tall Plains Indian Tipis in an encampment setting at Trailhead Park. The park is located just west of the Music Hall of Fame.

The Springstreet Bluegrass Band will perform at the Music Hall of Fame loading dock beginning at 4:00. This Muskogee band began nineteen years ago because of the accidental meeting of three members at an Arkansas concert. Their songs will connect visitors with our musical past in a pleasing way. Bring your ears and a chair for an enjoyable hour.

An Old West trail herding chuck wagon will be on exhibit at the park as well. Beginning at 4:00, visitors will be able to sample a traditional cowboy supper of beans and cornbread. Be sure to stay for the campfire sing-a-long at Trailhead Park beginning at 5:30.

The activities and performances are supported by the Bank of Oklahoma and Love Bottling. By coming to the Elgin and Third Streets intersection Saturday morning, you will find a day of fun and learning. Director of the Three Rivers Museum Sue Tolbert says, "You will have old-fashioned fun on Heritage Day."

Frank Hubbard--Printer, Mayor, Banker

Frank C. Hubbard rests quietly in Greenhill Cemetery now. It is just weeks shy of seventy-nine years ago that he passed away.

He was born in New London, Indiana in 1864. Determined to establish a career for himself, he registered at Drury College in Springfield, MO in the fall of 1886. He established the "Drury Mirror" as an independent newspaper because he needed money. This newspaper that financially supported his educational effort is still being printed.

After a year in school, Frank went to the Indian Territory on an exploratory trip. He found employment during the summer of 1887 harvesting Indian grass out of the tall grass prairie. The grass was shipped to market for livestock feed.

He called upon his publishing experiences at the Drury Mirror when he found employment at the "Indian Chieftan" in Vinita, Indian Territory. He worked there as a job printer who printed notices, blank forms and miscellaneous sideline items in the newspaper office.

The following spring, he went south to Muskogee with his savings intact. His arrival in the largest community in Indian Territory coincided with Dr. Leo Bennett's desire to purchase the Indian Journal and move the press from Eufaula.

Frederick Severs owned much of the land in downtown Muskogee. He was not interested in selling a building lot on credit.

Joseph Sondheimer was more supportive of the newspaper effort. He sold the lot on the southwest corner of Main and Okmulgee for $100 in future advertising. On this site, Bennett and Hubbard established the "Muskogee Phoenix" newspaper.

The first newspaper issue appeared on February 16, 1888. Barely twenty-three years old, Frank ran the press and wrote some of the articles. Hubbard stepped up from Bennett's assistant to the position of business manager the next year.

Young Hubbard was present in March of 1888 in the upstairs room of their company building when the Indian Territory Press Association was born. This organization and one later established in Oklahoma Territory joined together to form the current Oklahoma Press Association. He was present again in the same room in 1889 when the US Federal Court held its first session in Indian Territory.

Frank Hubbard continued to expand into the Muskogee community. In 1892, he became the postmaster. He held this position for three years.

The steady income from his federal job allowed him to purchase stock in the First National Bank and Trust Company, then the only bank in Indian Territory. Before too many years passed, he became a board member. In 1908, the board elected him as bank president.

His eligibility for the position of bank president partially rested upon his performance as city mayor in 1906 and 1907. His pro-business agenda during his public service tenure insured his candidacy in the eyes of the bank's board of directors.

It also helped that Hubbard, who remained single most of his life, took time to support many civic activities in the community. His web of friendships reached far and wide across the county.

In mid-life, Frank began expanding his financial reach, too. By the time of his death, Frank Hubbard served as president of banks in bot

A Spinning, Diving Death

In 1940, America was beginning to arm itself to meet the threat of war. The natural fear was that American boys would soon lose their lives on battlefields overseas.

Overlooked was the fact that many American youths were soon going to lose their lives in training incidences. Muskogee would see such military losses up close.

Spartan School of Aeronautics opened its Muskogee Division at Hatbox Field in 1940. The school began training its first class of student pilots in September of that year.

The school used the Fairchild PT-19 plane for training purposes. This aircraft entered military service just a year before students began flying lessons in Muskogee. It had two open cockpits above the wing. The instructor sat behind the student until the pupil soloed.

The school suffered its first death of a student after fourteen months of training different classes. Less than a month before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Private Robert E. Fritsch, Jr. crashed fifteen miles west of town. The school had almost reached a total of 50,000 hours of student flight time when the accident occurred.

At the time of the crash, Fritsch had over twenty-seven hours of flying under his belt. More than half of this time had been spent in the air alone. He had soloed during his eleventh hour of flying.

All students learn to recover from airplane spins as part of their training. Flying procedures required pilots to begin their spin recovery practice from an altitude of 2,000 feet above ground level. To stop an airplane from spinning like a top, the pilot points the plane's nose downward and dives toward the ground. Shortly, the aircraft gains enough air speed over the wing for the pilot to regain control. The pilot then pulls out of the dive and returns to normal flying.

Pilot Fritsch made a fatal decision that day. He might have begun his practice spin at an altitude below 2,000 feet. Or, he got caught up in the joy of spinning. In this situation, he could have lost too much altitude from executing too many spins.

His fate was sealed in either case. He plowed into a cotton field about fifteen miles west of Muskogee. Nearby field hands picking cotton saw the airplane crash.

Two more Spartan student pilots died from the same cause. One died three days before Christmas of the next year. The pilot pulled into a climb at a low altitude. The aircraft then stalled and went into a spin, spiraling toward the ground. Once again, the pilot did not have enough altitude to recover. The crash occurred three and a half miles northwest of Muskogee.

The third death occurred in January of 1944. The student pilot stalled while performing aerobatic maneuvers at a low altitude. The plane began spinning and continued to do so until it hit the ground. The plane crashed about a half mile northwest of Taft.

Spinning caused most of the US Army Air Corps pilot training accidents during World War Two. After the war, aircraft and pilot training improved significantly. Today, spinning rarely causes the loss of a military student pilot's life.