Muskogee History and Genealogy

Albert Harvey, Early-day Printer

2009-07-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Albert L. Harvey was born in Pennsylvania about 1853. He was a minister's son who got printer's ink under his fingernails. He learned the printer's trade at the Erie Dispatch, a newspaper in his home state.

By the summer of 1880, Albert was working in Muskogee, Indian Territory, in the local newspaper office. M. P. Roberts was the editor then, but only a part owner. Roberts accepted the creation of a joint stock company in order to re-establish his publishing business after it was damaged by fire.

Roberts' started publishing the Indian Journal in Muskogee on May 13, 1876. This was only months after Native Americans ran the previous newspaper publisher out of town. A costly fire in 1876 caused him to move to Eufaula and create a joint stock company.

After back and forth movements between Muskogee and Eufaula, the Indian Journal was again being published in Muskogee during 1880. That summer, M. P. Roberts returned to the northern climate of his youth. He was already suffering from the illness that would take his life a year and a half later.

Albert Harvey was filling in for Roberts as an associate editor during Roberts' absence. Actually, Harvey was the only employee. He composed, set type, manually cranked the press to print and distributed new issues. On July 5th, 129 years ago, Harvey wrote an employment ad and mailed it to his former boss at the Erie Dispatch. He was, perhaps, seeking his own replacement.

In his ad in letter format, Harvey described the multicultural complexion of Muskogee and it lawless ways. He says, "The community here is almost wholly lawless, but there is better order here now than a short time ago. There are three policemen in Muskogee--all Indians. A man is never arrested. If he steals, or commits any crime to amount to anything, he is run down and shot dead. They used to kill about two men a week here, but since the Police have been appointed by the Government, there is not usually more than one a month."

Albert Harvey said he kept two shotguns in one corner of the editorial room for company. There are another two in his bedroom located in the back of the building.

Harvey also wrote that he always wore a gun belt with two revolvers and thirty-four cartridges. He said that every man has to walk around armed "because there is no other way here of settling a difficulty."

One wonders if Harvey's letter was completely truthful. The news of the day says that Capt. Samuel Sixkiller, of the Indian Police mentioned above, had recently wounded, not killed, a horse thief. The following Saturday, a drunken brawl caused the breaking of two windows at the Post Office. Harvey's accounts were typically a mixture of fact and fiction.

A photograph, taken six weeks later, shows ten men on the railroad loading dock in Muskogee. This loading dock stood about one hundred yards east of the newspaper office. Not one of the men was wearing a weapon.

Albert Harvey was just another of many wandering gypsy printers crisscrossing America. In this regard, he was very similar to "Muskogee Red" who was mentioned in an earlier article. Harvey shortly migrated onward into the myth of the "shoot-them-up" Wild West and is never heard of again.

A Letter from the Past

2009-06-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Thirty-four years ago, for a rural Arkansas boy, genealogical research depended upon the regular delivery of the US mail. I welcomed each day when the postman paused at my front door. Even after going off to college, I eagerly awaited the moment to open the mailbox.

Sometimes I got lucky. That new letter, often from a stranger, provided a clue about an ancestor or about a collateral relative. Each new letter was read and digested. Then I stapled the pages to a sheet of paper to be kept in a Dura Tang binder.

That was when I began researching any ancestor with the same surname. My thinking was that surely I would be able to research enough to figure out how my ancestor was related to all of the others. With this in mind, I began corresponding to anyone who might know about their family history.

This is how I found a letter in my mailbox written by Bertha Presson of Haworth, Oklahoma. I no longer recall how I got her address. I think that maybe some of her kin around Tahlequah urged me to contact her.

The letter was written on paper from a pad that folded up in thirds to nicely fit into the standard small postal envelope. My mother wrote weekly to her mother in Georgia on paper the same size.

In a clear penmanship that was long removed from her days in school, Bertha shared what little she recalled hearing about her ancestors. She wrote that her grandfather died when she was fourteen years old. She recalled that he was born in Holley Springs, Mississippi in 1840.

Amazingly, Bertha also recalled who her great-grandfather was. She recorded that her grandfather was part Chickasaw Indian on his mother's side.

Bertha wrote me twice in May 1975. She said she did not know much about her ancestors. She wished, she said, to know how much Indian she was. Her wish went unfilled because it would be decades before I learned anything about Native American genealogy. Despite the passage of time, however, I never really forgot about this kind woman who tried to help me find my ancestors.

Last week, I was running down leads for another article when I bumped into a school secretary who admitted to having the same last name when she was growing up. I was surprised by the news. I immediately asked if she had relatives in Tahlequah.

Her affirmation spontaneously prompted me to ask if she knew of a Bertha Presson. "Why," she replied, "that's my grandmother!"

I guess this makes the world smaller than I ever imagined. I am scanning the letters for my new "relative." I think she will appreciate receiving copies. Unfortunately, I will be using the new postal delivery called "email." For my new cousin, however, it will be like receiving a letter from the past.

Webbers Falls Museum

2009-05-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Webbers Falls Museum is a well run community museum. People living in the southern part of Muskogee County are very familiar and supportive of this institution.

The museum began in the early 1980's under the leadership of Troy Poteete. At the time, he was president of the Cherokee Dixieland Historical Society. Among the early society members were George and Linda Miller.

George became the group's leader when Troy stepped aside as society president. Somewhere about the same time, the society decided to change its name to that of the Webbers Falls Historical Society. During the early years, the society published a photocopied newsletter under both society names. Later, the society published articles of genealogical and historical interest in the "Five Star News."

Linda Mayes Miller is currently the sole staff member for the museum. She is an eager and gracious host to visitors no matter whether they are young children or grown adults. Her interest in history has helped her become a human repository of town lore and legends. For twenty years, she has worked with her husband in promoting the preservation of local history.

Webbers Falls came into existence as a trading post on the Arkansas River. A short riff in the river's bed, visible during low water, provided the post with part of its name. The "Webber" came from a Western Cherokee named Walter Webber. His settlement on the townsite in 1828 coincided with the earliest arrival of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

Webber was a trader who imported manufactured goods from "the states." These goods came up the Arkansas River in keelboats. He traded these goods for animal pelts that the keelboats hauled back down the river to large markets in Fort Smith, Little Rock and New Orleans.

The Webbers Falls Museum owns one of the few surviving kettles used in boiling salt water in the production of that valuable preservative found on every dining table. It was used on Dirty Creek before the Civil War. The salt works there employed a large number of slaves who stoked fires for boiling salt water, rake the drying vats and sack up the finished commodity for sale and shipment.

Museum supporters get to post family photographs and documents on posters. This creative project helps local families to intimately identify with the museum. At the same time, the museum preserves their stories documenting contributions to the Webbers Falls community.

The museum is open from Wednesday to Friday from ten o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in the afternoon. They will also be open for Webbers Falls Day on Saturday, June 13th. Admission is free, but donations are always welcomed. When you drop by, ask for information about the second oldest Baptist Church built in the state.

Webbers Falls Calaboose

2009-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

The town's jail is now vacant. Pictured at left, it stands on the banks of the Arkansas River in Webbers Falls. Since before 1896, it has been the town's "calaboose."

On Webbers Falls Day, Saturday, June 13th, you can enter the cellblock and be "thrown back in time" to the days when outlaws looked through the flatiron bars of a cell's doorway. Each of the two cells is barely bigger than a king-size bed.

The Webbers Falls Calaboose is simple and plain to look at. Murderers and drunks alike reached through the cell doors to lift the dipper out of the pail. Water in a bucket hung from a hook outside each door. There was no such thing as running water. A chunk of ice never floated in the tepid water. It was all a prisoner got between meals.

A bucket in the cell's corner served as a toilet. The City of Webbers Falls installed commodes in the 1960's in a brief flirtation with restoring the town jail to use. Town elders wasted their efforts. Taking prisoners to the county seat was simpler by that late date. Improved roads and vehicles made the town's jail obsolete.

The circuit box in the front room's corner likely date from the era of the commodes. Early day outlaws went to jail by lantern light after sundown. When the town marshal returned to his own bed blocks away, the lantern and its light lit the way. Prisoners had to wait for the sun's rise the next morning before they could see very far. Even then, the absence of windows in the cells kept each of the two cells dark. The building's single door faces west.

Webbers Falls Day activities include a mixture of the old and modern events. The morning begins with an early pancake breakfast. If you miss the breakfast, drinks and refreshments will be available throughout the day. The Webbers Falls Chamber of Commerce is providing the mid-day meal of barbeque and chips. Nowhere else in the state can a person find a similar serving for a dollar!

If you wish, you can have your picture taken in one of Oklahoma's real jail. You may count your lucky stars when you realize you will never spend a night in the town's calaboose. Your souvenir photograph will nonetheless prove you "did time" in Webbers Falls.

You will also enjoy the tractor pull in the park. Competition between groaning mechanical beasts will continue until the judge announces a winner in the afternoon. Family members and visitors are both invited to root for their favorite competitor.

Visitors will enjoy the arts and crafts exhibits at the park. Between eleven o'clock and three in the afternoon, the Ritter Brothers Band with Wayne Ward will serenade the crowd with free country and western music.

The Sinking of the Mary D

2009-05-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Muskogee was bustling with economic developments left and right in 1905. For the past thirty years, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad carried the greatest part of both inbound and outbound freight for building the town. The dependability of rail traffic, notwithstanding the occasional train wreck, drove steamboat traffic from the Arkansas River.

After the US Army established a post at Fort Gibson, boat traffic began intermittently traveling up the Arkansas River as far as Muskogee. The river's water height was best between December and June. Inadequate water depth on the river regularly blocked boat traffic during the rest of the year.

Experience showed that the Arkansas River was a fickle transportation corridor even with high water. Mark Twain and every man making a living on America's rivers knew the dangers. Raging floodwaters, shifting sand bars, floating trees and buried tree stumps (called snags) all presented challenges to a daring boat captain.

In 1905, businessmen were growing tired of the higher railroad freight rates. Recalling the heyday of steamboat travel, they turned to a Fort Smith steamboat in hopes of re-establishing permanent steamboat traffic on the Arkansas.

Capt. Benjamin Blakely was operating a smaller, shallow draft steamboat out of the Fort Smith port that year. The "Mary D", Capt. Blakely's boat, proved that a little steamer could again maintain regular traffic on the Arkansas River during most of the year. Local Muskogee investors formed the Muskogee-Oklahoma Packet Company and purchased the Mary D.

In 1906, a petition pleaded that the US Corps of Engineers maintain a channel two feet deep for boat traffic. The Corps still listed the Arkansas River as navigable from earlier decades of use. Because of decreased river traffic, the Corps ceased working to keep the river clear of snags during the past decade.

The Mary D steamboat operated successfully several years ferrying bulk commodities like lumber and cotton to Fort Smith. Then the steamboat crew mutinied. The federal government, which has jurisdiction over waterway shipping, convened an admiralty court in Muskogee to settle complaints between the crew and the boat's owners.

Another time, Mary D crewmembers became angry over the appearance of another steamboat at the Hyde Park docks. Picking up weapons, crew fired upon the new boat in their little harbor. The intruding boat returned rifle fire in defense. Fortunately, no one on either side was hurt.

The Mary D then became the property of a gravel company. The little steamboat remained in this occupation until its abrupt demise. The end of the Mary D came after a fall storm. By most measures, the storm was not a major one. Like countless other storms, this one raised the river's water height and cut away at the river's banks in places.

The latter caused the end of the Mary D. Near the mouth of the Grand River, raging waters cascading downstream undercut an embankment. Standing above the undercut was a majestic tree that toppled into the Arkansas River.

In the process of falling, the tree struck the little steamboat and rolled it over. The Mary D sank upside down in the river throwing its captain and crew into the water. Fortunately, all aboard swam to shore.

A couple of days latter, James Swift retrieved the boat's steam whistle, steam gauge and signal bell. He found the Mary D's smokestack to be sticking in the bottom of the Grand River's mouth.

The loss of the Mary D was quickly forgotten. The new, grander City of Muskogee steamboat already plied the Arkansas River.

Last Saturday's Railroad Day

2009-05-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Dr. John Fike of College Station, Texas gave the Railroad Day presentation at the Three Rivers Museum last Saturday. He entitled his presentation "Rare Photo's and Neat Stuff About Muskogee's Railroads." A room-full audience participated in the lively give-and-take dialog during his nearly two-hour "show and tell."

Muskogee is Dr. Fike's hometown. Moreover, it was here that his love of railroads began. He vividly recalled awaiting his turn at getting a haircut on the west side of town. Often a chore to be endured, he sometimes was rewarded by the passing of a locomotive on the tracks nearby.

Dr. Fike's calm demeanor brightened considerably when talking about being too afraid one day. If a young boy was really "into" railroads, he sometimes got to ride in the cab of a steam engine. One day, fortune smiled upon young Fike. He was given that rare opportunity of riding with the engineer in the locomotive cab. In rap attention, the precocious youngster noted every move and action in driving a train down the tracks. When asked if he wanted to take the throttle, young John declined. He was too afraid. Today, there is no doubt Dr. Fike would take the throttle if offered.

Muskogee was a "dinner" stop for railroads. Trains stopped in Muskogee to allow passengers a chance to stretch their legs. At the same time, the layover was long enough for passengers to grab a bite to eat at one of Muskogee's downtown diners. Meals were over when whistles announced the train's imminent departure.

Early day Muskogee was fortunate to acquire ice plants. Railroad companies often relied upon their ice for use in their freezer cars. While diners ate, railroad workers loaded new ice into the cars carrying perishables.

One of Dr. Fike's photos was of the Frisco Railroad bridge across the Arkansas River. It was an early photo, he said, because one could easily see the railings on both sides of the bridge. The Muskogee City Bridge Company built the bridge. Between train runs, people and wagons crossed after paying a fare, thus necessitating the railings. The bridge stood until the development of the Arkansas River Navigation System forced its destruction.

Dr. Fike brought up the side topic of light rail transportation in Muskogee when he mentioned the viaduct during his talk. He recalled that traffic on the viaduct only included trolley cars and pedestrians in the old days. Well, not always. He said daring young car drivers thrilled their dates by driving across between streetcar runs.

John Myers, sitting in the audience, spoke up about the City of Muskogee acquiring Muskogee Electric Traction trolley car number 300. Inspectors unfortunately found it to be badly rusted. Car number 304, while burnt out, showed very little rusting when later found in Fort Gibson. Parts from no. 300 are in the last stages of being installed on the no. 304 chassis.

Muskogee will soon have a rebuilt trolley car that last carried passengers in 1939. The cars originally cost $4,200 a piece.

John Myers has started preparing for next year's Railroad Day at the Three Rivers Museum. Trolleys will be the subject of next year's program. Dr. Fike said he is coming just to hear Myers' presentation. Why don't you mark your calendar so you may attend as well?

The 1790 and 2010 Censuses

2009-05-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

The United States constitution requires taking a census every ten years. Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, instructed the US Marshals to begin on August 2, 1790.

The reason this requirement appears in the constitution is to ensure equal representation in Congress. The founding fathers envisioned the expansion of American population. They made recounting residents a part of the political process for ensuring equal representation.

This first census counted white men and boys, women and slaves. Males were divided into age groups of sixteen and under and those over sixteen. Native Americans were not counted. The total population equaled two and a half million. That is less than today's population of Oklahoma.

Poor roads and limited means of transportation made it difficult for some marshals to canvass their assigned territories. Jefferson’s instructions gave marshals and their assistants nine months to complete the enumeration. When some enumerators reached the May 1, 1791 cutoff date without seeing an end to their task, they were given another thirteen months.

Assistant marshals, operating under the US Marshals, counted residents in all of the founding thirteen states. Today, the 1790 census for only seven of the original thirteen states survives. The census results for Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia are missing. British troops probably destroyed them when many government buildings in Washington, DC burned during the War of 1812.

Over the next fifty years, the census became slightly more complex. By 1840, for example, the recording of ages was in five-year and ten-year spans. However, the enumerator still only recorded the names of the head of the household and any surviving Revolutionary War soldier living in the house.

It was not until the census of 1850 that enumerators listed every person in a household by name. That was also the first year the marshals began recording deaths occurring during the previous twelve months.

Only a small fraction of the 1890 census survives. Efforts at extinguishing a fire in the Commerce Department resulted in water flooding the storage area. The President ordered the molding pages destroyed in 1921. This was the first census where each household was recorded on a separate piece of paper.

The twenty-two month effort in taking the first census established many methods of enumeration that have continued for the past two hundred and twenty nine years. Privacy is probably the most prominent among them. For seventy-two years, census records may only be used for statistical purposes. This means the most recent census opened to public is the census taken in 1930. It entered the public domain in 2002. The 1940 census opens in 2012.

Privacy ensures the prevention of misuse of information. Consequently, Americans are more will to participate. Therefore, census results are more accurate. Americans have come to trust the US government in this regard.

The US Census Bureau will conduct the twenty-third census next April 1st. Unlike previous years when some citizens received long forms, residents opening their mail in 2010 will only find the short form.

Filling out the census form will take only a few minutes. The information requested will include your name, gender, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship and housing tenure. Now, that will be a piece of cake.

A Muskogee Hobo in 1936

2009-04-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the surviving images of the Great Depression is of the hobo riding in a railroad boxcar. In folklore, a boxcar offered a ride to a new beginning. Or, so many believed.

John Fawcett left the home of his well-to-do parents in West Virginia in February 1936 because he was tired of the discipline at a military school he attended. He hopped a freight train. That night he was turned over to the police and spent four days in jail before returning home.

After school was over for the school year, he decided to try his luck riding the rails again. This second time, it an effort to reach the Texas Centennial Exposition that opened in Dallas on June 6th. He traveled through Illinois, Arkansas and Missouri in a succession of railroad boxcars. It was in one of then that he first rode through Muskogee. This was in a Katy freight car with other hoboes one Saturday evening in late June on his way to Dallas' Fair Park.

He climbed over the fence to gain entrance into the new park built for the celebration. John found the gaiety a great contrast to his recent experiences in riding in boxcars or sleeping in hobo jungles. He also realized that his dream of getting a job as a Texas cowboy was unrealistic.

No matter where his travels had taken him, he found countless men and women idled without hope of employment. During the three weeks of being on his own, he had learned what it was like in the world outside of his wealthy home.

He first caught a boxcar heading north. In Greenville, Texas, he hopped aboard another Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad freight train. On this second leg of his homeward journey he spent about seven hours standing up. John feared that sleep would result in his falling under the wheels of the train. Just after daylight, after having traveled a little over two hundred miles, he was spotted by a United States Mail Agent who forced him off the train at gunpoint.

John found himself in Muskogee again. He was greatly in need of food and sleep that morning. Having not even a penny to his name, he spotted a pawnshop. The only item of value he had was the welders' goggles he wore to keep coal cinders from blinding him as he rode atop boxcars.

He hocked his goggles for only twenty cents. That money purchased him a full breakfast in a downtown cafe. He felt stuffed after a meal of ham and eggs, hash brown potatoes, toast and coffee.

A brief look around town convinced him there was no employment to be found in Muskogee. He soon wandered back to the five railroad tracks that ran through town. Shortly, he found an empty boxcar. He climbed up into the wooden home on wheels and dozed off for much needed sleep.

John Fawcett departed Muskogee that afternoon on another fast freight train going north. While he enjoyed looking at the countryside in his travels, he did not miss leaving Muskogee.

After reaching Kansas City the next morning, John spent several more days riding in empty boxcars before he was close enough to hike the remaining few miles to his parents' home.

This story of a wandering individualist is one of a number recounted in Errol Uys' book entitled Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression at the Muskogee Public Library.

The 42-Cent Robbery

2009-04-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

W. J. Orrell was on his way home late Sunday night. In the 400 block of east Broadway Avenue, a robber stepped out of the shrubbery with the command to "Raise your hands." The haul was one quarter, one dime, one nickel and two pennies.

Charlie Miller of Westville had been to Missouri. Almost out of money, he rode atop boxcars to Wagoner where a conductor kicked him off the train. After getting into Muskogee, he bought a meal at Jim's Cafe.

Miller was only nineteen years old on the last Sunday in June of 1914. After eating a bite, he roamed about town afoot going out to the city park and later to a theater when he could not find his brother at the park.

A half hour before midnight, a young man stepped out of the bushes near the high school and asked for a match. When Orrell stopped, a demand for his money followed. Orrell called the police as soon as he got home.

The police patrol that went out immediately arrested Charlie Miller. In the police department, Burg Hughes and Clark W. Compton began extracting a confession by hitting Miller every time he claimed to be innocent. Finally giving in, he confessed to the forty-two cent crime.

At the trial two weeks later, Earl Smith reportedly identified Charlie Miller as the robber who robbed him a week before Orrell forked over his change at gunpoint. Miller's only witness was Jim Hallett who owned the café. All of the other witnesses except Orrell and Smith were Muskogee police officers.

The judge's instructions to the jury were clear. Robbery was the wrongful taking of personal property against someone's will. Armed robbery, as Charlie Miller was tried for, used the means of force, or fear of immediate injury, during the crime. Oklahoma law called this robbery in the first degree.

The jury panel immediately agreed that Miller was guilty. The only question left was the sentencing. Richard D. Long, a manager at the Muskogee Electric Traction Company was one of the jurors. He wanted a ninety-year sentence. His views were the extreme at more than two years per penny.

The minimum sentence for armed robbery was ten years. The jury finally recommended twenty-five years. At sentencing, however, the judge gave the ten-year minimum.

Almost immediately, Charlie Miller filed for a retrial. Mel Bailey, his court-appointed attorney, argued that the police brutality were acts from the dark ages. Bailey further argued that Earl Smith's testimony had nothing to do with the charges against Miller for robbing Orrell.

Charlie Miller went to the state penitentiary at McAlester to serve his sentence. In April 1917, the state appeals court finally ruled in Miller's favor saying that a retrial based on the testimony would likely end in a mistrial. After thirty-two months in confinement, Charlie Miller was again a free man.

It is hard to tell today whether Charlie Miller committed the crime of stealing the pocket change. Even if he did commit the crime, thirty-two months was a high price to pay for a forty-two cent robbery.

Virgil Hine, Pilot

2009-04-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Long-time resident, Dr. Ted Hine, inspired this article. It is the story of his favorite uncle.

Virgil S. Hine majored in sports at Muskogee's Central High School. In 1911, he started playing second base position for the school baseball team. He played baseball the next two years as well.

The 1913 season began with no funds, no field and borrowed suits. The good news was the team had a new ball and bat. That season the team won seven games, lost three and tied the Oklahoma City game. The team had one home game with Checotah. All of the other games were out of town, with the last four being games on consecutive days. He also lettered in football all three years and basketball in 1912.

Virgil enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 1916 as an Arts and Science major. After declaration of war by the United States on April 6, 1917, Virgil dropped out of college and enlisted in the US Army.

His first destination was the University of Texas where he attended ground flight training. Virgil next attended a six-week course of flight lessons at Chanute Field outside of Chicago. The field opened the Fourth of July as the first military flight training field in the United States. He passed his aviation examinations with five other Oklahomans.

He was commissioned a lieutenant in the US Army's Signal Corps. His first assignment was the Army's aviation section that would one day become the Army Air Corps. In these early days, there were few planes, mostly civilian instructors and much danger in flying, even without combat hazards.

Lt. Hine sailed to Europe and served in France during World War One. At the end of the war, the United States demobilized its military forces. Virgil opted, instead, to remain in the flying service of the US Army. The following years were difficult as all branches of military service were underfunded and understaffed. Lt. Hine persevered because of his belief in the future of air power.

Lt. Hine served in San Diego under Major Hap Arnold in 1923. In April, a fellow officer proposed the possibility of refueling a plane in flight. The idea, however, faced many technical difficulties.

The first attempt to prove it was possible to refuel another airplane occurred on June 27, at an altitude of 500 feet above Rockwell Field. Lt. Hine piloted the tanker biplane. It was a converted WWI bomber first introduced in October, 1918, but never it saw combat because hostilities ended too soon.

Lt. Hine's aircraft had a hole cut into the bottom for the feeding of a 48-foot long steel wire-encased rubber hose. At ninety miles per hour, it took two minutes to funnel fifty gallons of aviation fuel to another modified bomber. The trial run proved the theory.

On August 27th and 28th, the US Army conducted an endurance test using two tanker planes, one again piloted by Lt. Hine. With fourteen refueling efforts that transferred both fuel and oil, another bomber remained aloft for 37 hours and fifteen minutes. In setting this world endurance record, the test plane flew 3293.26 miles and broke thirteen more world records. All branches of American military use in-flight refueling techniques pioneered by Lt. Hine.

Virgil S. Hine retired from the US Army in 1935 with the rank of Major. He moved back to the Muskogee area as a widower with two sons to raise. Four years later, at age 44, Major Hine died of a heart attack while in his home near Okay. He is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery.

*** *** This blog begins a new schedule. Blogs will appear every other Thursday. *** *** ***

The Cherokee, Muskogee's Silent Film

2009-03-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Excitement came to the Muskogee area early in 1917. Muskogee's first locally produced motion picture was showing on the big screen. It starred local amateurs in a silent movie.

The Cherokee came out a year and a half after the airing of the Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaw discussed last week. The latter had a local lawman portraying himself. Passing may have been partially filmed in town, but this is not certain. The Cherokee certainly drew upon the creative energy created by the first film.

The movie plot has Dawes Commission winding down its operation of enrolling Native Americans. Statehood was fast approaching when questions arose regarding a Cherokee's eligibility for enrollment surfaced. Love and villainy were common plot twists in movies of this period as much as today.

All are present in this black and white film. Even with much of the story being fictionalized, the plot demonstrates the stereotypical rumors of questionable practices by the Dawes Commision having entered folklore.

The star of the movie was the role of Talequah Ross. Mamie Farnsworth portrayed the young maiden. She was the beautiful daughter of Creek Nation Chief Pleasant Porter who played "Miss Indian Territory" in the ceremonial marriaage with "Mr. Oklahoma Territory" in the 1907 statehood celebration.

Alvan Cordell Hadley played Talequah Ross' lover. He was an artist and managed the Acme Engraving Company at the time. His kissing scene caused some comment after the first public showing. People were surprised by how realistic his kisses were.

Augusta Jane Maxey, the wife of James Harvey Maxey, played "Leota Ross." Leota was the lover of "Senator Brooks." This probably is where the filming in Spaulding Park appears. The park was the setting for a Washington, DC garden park.

Earl Woodruff played "Nat West," the nephew of "Senator Brooks." Earl realistically fights Clifford Bennett, but is apparently killed. Nat West survives after being buried under a pile of brush. Upon resurfacing, he leads Leota into believing she shot him while rabbit hunting. In reality, Earl was a docket clerk at the US Indian Agency at the time.

Only two involved with The Cherokee had any prior movie experience. J. A. Davis, who wrote the script, and Alvan Hadley had appeared in another movie, probably in California. Hadley was the son of a real estate agent who shortly returned to California.

The Cherokee ran for the first time on Saturday, January 20, 1917 in the Hinton Theatre. Seats on the floor cost a quarter. Balcony seats only cost a dime. This homemade film ran for about an hour as a five-reeler.

This silent film drew crowds for a long time, but attendance eventually lagged. Two years later, a fire in Muskogee destroyed the only copy. Davis' script survived somehow. In early 1920, Tulsans entered into discussions for refilming the movie. Despite a booming economy, interest waned again. Today, no copy survives according to the Library of Congress and the University of California, Los Angeles' film archives.

Scenes from the movie included views of Muskogee streets, Fort Gibson Post, the Grand River and Spaulding Park. These are all lost now.

Bud Ledbetter, Lawman Actor

2009-03-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

James Franklin Ledbetter, known as "Bud", entered Oklahoma folklore long ago as one of the state's leading law enforcement officers. What is less well known is that he appeared in a silent motion picture.

His was born in the part of the Ozark Mountains called Madison County, Arkansas. He came to Indian Territory before his twentieth birthday. This was during Muskogee's earliest days. The town mostly consisted of a saloon, a depot and a hotel. Bud hired on as a messenger for the Wells, Fargo and Company. He remained a messenger for two years before giving in to homesickness.

Bud Ledbetter returned to Indian Territory in July, 1894. He went back to work for Wells, Fargo. This time he served as a guard on their MKT train between Oswego, Kansas and Checotah. In mid-November, the infamous Cook Gang forced the train into a side-switch eight miles north of Muskogee.

After the gang's dynamite blasted open the end of the express car, Ledbetter and the outlaws began sniping at each other. Eventually, the bandits departed without ever overcoming the express agents that blocked access to the train's strongbox. Ledbetter's rise to fame began with his determination not to surrender to the Cook Gang.

Bud Ledbetter's heroism is not the purpose of this story. It is, instead, one of his involvement in the making of a motion picture.

When the film first aired in June, 1915, it was the early days of silent films. Tom Mix was beginning his career in Westerns. Al Jennings, a former Indian Territory outlaw, had just appeared in "Beating Back" the year before.

Taking up the challenge to depict a more truthful story were four Oklahoma lawmen who starred in the making of the "Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaw." The four lawmen were Bill Tilghman, Ed Nix, Chris Madsen and Bud Ledbetter.

Tilghman served as the director and each of the lawmen played themselves. Numerous plots were strung together to make the movie. The plots were based on their recollections. Collectively, these plots told of the end of banditry in Oklahoma.

Creative license did get in the way of historical accuracy. One subplot shows the "Rose of the Cimarron" saving her outlaw "lover" from being killed. This incident is part of the depiction a shootout at Ingalls in 1893.

In reality, Rose Dunn was a ten or twelve year old girl who lived in Ingalls. Later research proves she was out of town during the shootout. Because her story appeared in the "Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaw," the "Rose of the Cimarron" went on to become the subject of a song and two additional movies.

Tilghman, Nix and Madsen toured around the country with Roy Daugherty, aka "Arkansas Tom Jones," promoting the six-reel movie. Daugherty had the distinction of being the last surviving member of the Bill Doolin Gang, also covered in one of the subplots.

Bud Ledbetter's role in the movie probably centers on his stand against the Cook Gang or his capture Al Jennings. Either episode were a worthy part in the story of the taming of Oklahoma.

About half of the "Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaw" movie survives in the Library of Congress, but not the portion depicting Bud Ledbetter's actions. More lasting is the reputation of Muskogee's most famous lawman.

Dr. Fite's Early Years

2009-03-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Francis Barton Fite has a much larger story than the one presented here. This effort is just a highlight of some of his many accomplishments.

He began studying medicine by following his farther around. His father was Henderson W. Fite of Cartersville, Georgia. Dr. Henderson Fite learned a lot about surgery while serving in the Confederate army. The wounds of war often resulted in surgical operations. In many cases, the amputation of limbs were the only recourse.

After the war, Dr. Henderson Fite resumed his private practice in the pastoral environment of rural Bartow County, Georgia. Certainly, medicine was the constant topic of conversation in his home. This exposure led young Francis to follow in his father's footsteps.

F. B. Fite came to Tahlequah, Indian Territory, in May, 1883, to continue his medical education. His tutor was his older brother. F. B. had a voracious apatite for learning more about his profession. At a time when many doctors studied solely under the tutorage of a country physician, F. B. returned to Georgia to enter the Southern Medical College in Atlanta.

He returned to Indian Territory in 1886 to rejoin his brother's practice in Tahlequah. Within two years, he left again. This time his destination was New York City where he spent about a year learning the latest surgical techniques.

Upon returning to Indian Territory, F. B. hung out his shingle and advertised his services as a general practitioner of the medical arts. He took Dr. J. L. Blakemore into his practice in 1893. Their office was above the Rulison Drug Store on Main Street.

During their partnership, they divided their responsibilities and hours. Fite saw patients two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. Blakemore saw patients the rest of the day, when Fite was not working, working as late as seven o'clock at night. From their partnership onward, Dr. Fite seems to have specialized in the more difficult cases.

He continued the promotion of education by being active in a number of medical associations. Regionally, he was either president or officer in the Indian Territory Medical Association situated in Tahlequah and in the North Texas Medical Association located in Paris, Texas. He also held memberships in the American Medical Association and the International Association of Railroad Surgeons.

What is often forgotten in histories are the detailed stories of people that have been helped. In 1890, Dr. Fite saw Lee Hanan because of an eye problem. Hanan had not had the use of his right eye for eighteen years. After an office visit with Dr. Fite, Hanan had his eyesight restored.

Three years later, Dr. Fite undertook a more complicated operation. With the assistance of Dr. Blakemore, he operated on James Dyer's leg.

Dyer had been shot in the knee fifteen years earlier. The bullet lodged in the knee is such a way that it could not be removed. While his leg was somewhat flexible, walking or standing was quite painful.

Drs. Fite and Blakemore removed the knee completely. The upper and lower portions were then "riveted together," making the leg shorter and stiff, but finally pain free.

Dr. Francis Barton Fite lived a long life, helping his fellow man, woman and child. Many of his relatives continue to live in the area.

Muskogee's First Two Black Newspapers

2009-03-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

Our Brother In Black was the first African American newspaper published in Muskogee. The newspaper title came from a book of the same name written by Bishop Atticus Greene Haygood.

Bishop Haygood's book appeared in 1881, but the phrase "our brother in black" is over 200 years old. Generally, it voiced the desire for improving the circumstances for African Americans. Haygood's efforts of promoting education left a lasting impression.

Muskogee's newspaper began in 1890. The Reverend T. H. Tyson was the editor and publisher. Tyson was a young North Carolinian of the Presbyterian faith.

Our Brother In Black ceased publication about 1891. With no surviving copies, it is impossible to measure the paper's message or influence. However, its appearance on Muskogee streets points to a rising interest among local African Americans for better education and a louder voice in the community.

There must have been something in the water in 1893. The Muskogee Phoenix changed hands and five other newspapers began publication in Indian Territory. Part of the growing interest in newspaper publishing arose from the growing population and the general improvement in economic outlook.

The Muskogee Phoenix, in announcing the forthcoming start of another Muskogee newspaper, observed that there was "an unusually prosperous and intelligent lot" among the African Americans. The success of the new enterprise would depend on whether or not it served as a "friend and advisor," the Phoenix cautioned. The first issue of the Muskogee Sun appeared on the streets on July 28, 1893.

A group of men established the Sun Publishing Company to acquire the press and issue the newspaper. A schoolteacher named A. S. Thomas served as the first editor. Unfortunately, nothing further is known about him. A. G. W. Sango became the editor shortly thereafter. His knack for the American language eventually led Sango into the legal profession.

There were others involved in the newspaper's publication. Reverend C. R. Tucker worked as the production manager. J. M. Smith handled the bookkeeping chores as the business treasurer. Finally, Robert Johnson served as the company secretary.

Though the first issue appeared on Friday, the newspaper generally came off the press on Saturdays. The four-page issue measured fifteen inches by twenty-two inches in size. Each page had six columns and a yearly subscription cost a dollar.

There are no existing copies of the Muskogee Sun today. This is a shame since the roughly two years of its publication were critical in the financial development of the African American community in Muskogee.

The Sun ceased publication about 1895. Further research might shed more insight on the newspaper's influence and demise. What is known is that this newspaper set the tone and level of performance the community grew to expect. The Muskogee Sun's end led to the establishment of a number of successor publications.

Muskogee's First Skating Rink

2009-02-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is the story of the first time Muskogee residents, children and adults alike, had a place built especially for roller-skating. Until the construction of the rink, local residents ice-skated on the town pond north of town, or on the Arkansas River, when they froze over during brief cold snaps. Being shallower, the town pond froze quicker and was safer for ice-skating.

Joseph Merlin invented roller-skates in 1760 while a resident of London, England. His skates had wooden wheels. Later, skates used wheels made out of copper. The first "hall" used for roller-skating was built in 1857.

Thirty years latter, Colonel William Robinson built the first skating rink in Muskogee in early spring of 1887. Col. Robinson was a former Confederate officer who served at one time as the King of the Creek town of Thlopthlocco. He was the superintendent of the Wetumka Mission and served on the board of trustees for the Tullahassee Mission.

His commercial interests included running a trading post at Stonewall and operating a blacksmith shop. He was among the many Baptists who supported law enforcement efforts in the Creek Nation, including in Muskogee.

Col. Robinson got the idea of building a local skating rink following a visit to a larger metropolitan center. Following his return to Muskogee, he acquired a lot in town. Then he hired carpenters Charlie Woodward and Jake Pirtle to build the rink.

It is believed that Col. Robinson built the rink next door to the post office or the express office. While serving separate functions, both offices were adjacent to one another in the same building in 1886.

The post office and express office sat just north of Turner and Byrnes' lumberyard. Today, this location would be the southeast corner of Second Street and Okmulgee Avenue.

The rink was twice as long as it was wide, being 33 feet by 65 feet in size. Another ten feet in the front served the skaters and visitors by having padded benches and a heater. Lanterns provided light for night skating.

The rink opened Monday night, March 21. Everyone could skate free that first evening. Thereafter, non-skating visitors paid ten cents. Skaters bringing their own roller-skates paid fifteen cents. Those using Col. Robinson's skates paid twenty-five cents.

Initially, women and children could skate Monday through Friday afternoons. Saturday afternoons, however, were saved for the "university" boys who were big fans of the sport.

Low turnout resulted in an adjustment of the hours the rink was open. Women and children were allowed to skate from ten o'clock until noon Monday through Friday. Col. Robinson again opened the rink in the evening from seven o'clock until eleven o'clock on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.

Next month, Muskogee skaters will be able to celebrate the 122nd anniversary of roller-skating in town. As far as is known, Col. William Robinson's rink was the first built in Oklahoma.

Braggs' 1911 Fire

2009-02-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

The fire on July Fourth, 1911, destroyed much of the central business district of Braggs. While missing issues of area newspapers prevent a full account from being told, Winifred Clark's recollections tell part of the tale. She was teaching school in Braggs at the time.

The fire reportedly began with children playing with firecrackers. Their antics caused the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway depot to catch fire. The wooden shingles commonly used in that day were the first to ignite. Had it been one of the cotton gins on the edge of town, a whistle could have alerted the community residents. The depot had no whistle. The only quick communication was via telegraph. Here, too, the operator had to abandon his station shortly. His report on the fire's progress could not be sent until after the telegraph wire was repaired.

Burning embers from the depot blew to nearby roofs that windy day. The men and boys in town, upon hearing the cries for help, immediately dropped their tools and tasks. Some formed water brigades to help extinguish the fires. Others began running into structures with burning roofs in order to save furniture and possessions.

The Commercial Hotel was one building the townsmen did not try to save. Winifred Clark described it in 1938 as a two-story structure. This meant that its roof was almost beyond reach of the water brigade. It was an older structure built on pier and beams that raised the bottom floor high enough so that wandering pigs and geese often roamed underneath.

The family that owned the hotel also lived on the premises. Apparently, they had their furniture insured against loss. As well-meaning townsmen and strapping boys rushed indoors to retrieve the dressers, tables, chairs and beds and bedding, the owners fought their efforts. Finally, the good Samaritans backed out of the hotel and let the fire consume it. Some later believed that the owners might have actually set the hotel afire to claim the loss against their insurance carrier. In this, Winifred hints that their efforts were unsuccessful in obtaining reimbursement.

John H. Todd was the town's sole photographer. An Alabaman by birth, he only recently moved to Braggs where he found a steady demand for his services. His small studio burned to the ground taking with it a new, expensive camera. This camera was a major investment for Todd who was able to save his smaller equipment.

While the fire destroyed the post office, the postmaster and helping residents saved the mail and some furniture. Other small businesses faired less fortunately.

Doctor Reece's office stood across the intersection from the post office. David T. Reece was more of a merchant and druggist who also saw patients. Burning embers on the roof of his small structure forced him to work fast. While he lost most of his merchandise and some of his equipment and records, he was able to save his beloved old bird dog that always stayed in his office.

The fire's loss was valued at over $30,000. On the other hand, most Braggs businessmen rebuilt and the town survived. Today it continues to thrive.

Muskogee's First Auto Ordinance

2009-02-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

June 7th, 2009, marks the one hundredth year anniversary of Muskogee residents registering an automobile, getting a car tag and obeying speed limits.

It was a city ordinance that passed unanimously. State legislation came later. The ordinance applied to "all motor vehicles, whether electric, steam or gasoline, using the streets and avenues of the City of Muskogee." Later, motor vehicle operation in alleys fell under the same guidelines.

The City Clerk was authorized to keep records of automobile registration. Each record included the owner's name, the make of the vehicle and any other description necessary for identification. The clerk also received the fees for owner's registration. Commercial vehicles, ones hired out, paid $10. Private owners paid half as much. Registration was for one year. The city no longer has copies of the registration records.

At the time of registration, the clerk issued a tag made of sheet metal. The word "Muskogee" appeared with the tag number. Each number was printed in white figures four inches high against a black background. The city initially ordered three hundred tags.

Muskogee's ordinance required all vehicles operating on its streets to have a dependable speedometer (then considered an option on vehicles). The ordinance also required two white lights on the front and at least one red light on the rear. These lights had to be on between one hour after sunset and until sunrise the next morning.

The center of town had a posted speed limit of eight miles per hour. The rest of the town had a speed limit of sixteen miles per hour.

Local incidents illustrate the trials of driving in 1909. An automobile following a horse-drawn wagon ran up on the rear of the wagon. The horse had stopped when it became frightened by an approaching trolley car. The automobile driver saw the situation in time, but found his feet tangled up in the different pedals that prevented him from breaking in time.

The ordinance specified that a driver be required to be at least eighteen years old to legally operate a vehicle in town. Failure to abide by any section of this ordinance was punishable by a fine of one hundred dollars! The City Council could also revoke the driver's license as further punishment.

In mid-November of 1910, the city council modified the license tag. They passed an amendment requiring the numbers to be six inches high. "M. O." replaced Muskogee on the tag. Apparently, this stood for Muskogee, Oklahoma, but that is not stated in the ordinance. The ordinance also authorized a blue background in addition to black.

Within weeks of passage, Councilman Davis complained to Bud Ledbetter about the lax enforcement of the new city ordinance. City Marshal Ledbetter probably felt he had enough law enforcement problems without the council adding more work for the police.

This is how one Oklahoma town dealt with a new technology a hundred years ago, only a decade after H. B. Spaulding drove the first car on Muskogee streets.

Braggs Newspapers

2009-02-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

The history of the newspapers published in Braggs coincides with the surge in the American economy during the 1910's. Braggs businesses during this period included general merchants, blacksmiths, hardware stores, meat markets, restaurants and cotton gins. The town boasted having a depot on the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway.

With a decade of prosperity behind them, entrepreneurs began establishing newspapers in town. In 2009, Braggs is celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of its first newspaper.

John C. Brown, who had been a lead miner in Lawrence County, Missouri, became Braggs' first newspaper owner when he relocated to Braggs. He established the "Braggs Journal" in November 1909. He started in Braggs by moving his press from Boynton after an effort there of a year and a half.

A year's subscription cost only a dollar. At two cents an issue, he was barely prospering in the rural community east of Muskogee. Considering some customers paid in commodities, his difficulty was in maintaining a strong enough cash flow. After a little less than two years, Brown returned to Missouri.

The second Braggs newspaper came to town just like Brown. The second Braggs newspaper was formerly the "Wainwright Enterprise." E. J. Garner was the editor and publisher of the "Braggs Bugle." His first issue appeared April 4, 1912.

Like all Braggs newspapers of the day, the Bugle was a supporter of the Democrat party. Garner was a town booster as well. He summed his populism up in his newspaper slogan that appeared on each front page just below the masthead. "He That Tooteth Not His Own Horn Shall Not Be Tooted," it read.

Garner's "tooting" worked for his newspaper. On September 19, 1913, he acquired the rights to the "Warner Register." In so doing, he changed the Braggs newspaper to "Braggs Leader."

R. A. White bought out the "Braggs Leader" not long afterwards. White kept the slogan, price and political slant in the new newspaper. The last surviving issue is dated at the end of August 1914. While it may have lasted longer, it could not have lasted much beyond 1915.

In 1916, H. S. Penn as editor and publisher began the "Braggs Mirror." Because no issues survive, it is not possible to say much more.

The end of the Braggs newspapers came at the hands of competition from two directions. A larger rival was the "Muskogee Times-Democrat" newspaper. During this period, the Times-Democrat published a newspaper for countywide distribution.

Located only twelve miles northwest of Braggs, the Times-Democrat was the largest competitor for Braggs' readers. Another newspaper was published in Fort Gibson at the same time. Today, the "Muskogee Phoenix" covers all three areas.

Doing Laundry in 1900

2009-01-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

Electrical home appliances were just being invented a hundred years ago. It was only in the wealthiest of homes that one even found electrical lighting in Muskogee. Modern appliances such as washing machines came later.

As a consequence, washday was a regular weekly chore for most housewives about 1900. It usually fell on Mondays. This arduous labor over a scrub board and tub naturally came the first day after Sunday, a day of rest.

However, not every family washed linen and clothes in their own home. There was a certain part of the Muskogee community of about 2,000 families that either could afford outside help or was forced by circumstances to seek it.

That percentage is difficult to calculate because there were six commercial laundry businesses in town in 1903. Three included "steam" in their business name. These included Banner Steam Laundry, New Process Steam Laundry and Muskogee Steam Laundry.

One of the three was a Chinese laundry operated in Muskogee before 1896. This was the Muskogee Steam Laundry. The business stood just south of the Maddin Mill on the east side of Main Street about where Court Street intersects.

The laundry used a steam engine, probably coal fired, to heat the water and operate the paddles in the vats. A windmill drew water from a well for storage in a cistern. The Muskogee Steam Laundry burned to the ground in the Great Muskogee fire of 1899. When the owner rebuilt, the new operation was further north on Main Street, closer to the pond.

Ben Wong owned the business. He was born in China just after the end of the American Civil War. Two others with the Wong name worked with him. One of the two co-workers left Muskogee. The census records show he was living in Oklahoma City in 1910 where he worked in a restaurant.

Chinese men have lived in Muskogee since at least 1885. At that time, two were living on the hill north of Arrowhead Mall. They made clay vases and dishes for a living. Mass-produced, low cost "china" may have driven these men into the laundry business.

Henry Kendall College also had a laundry for the use of staff and students. The laundry building sat on the western edge of the campus with a coal shed behind it. It was a one and a half story wooden building. South of the building stood a tall windmill on an iron derrick. Nearby was an in-ground cistern for retaining a reserve of water.

The city directory says that two to five percent of the households in Muskogee had help from laundresses. These forty-three women were all African American. They "took in" laundry to support their family. For some of these women, this work seems to be their only source of income.

Another couple of laundresses were a mother and daughter of white or Indian race. The 1903 city directory listed some men in the laundry business as well. These men tended to be owners or ones who drove the wagon and team to make deliveries.

Manufacturing advancements means most families today have a personal washing machine in their homes. The laundry industry has almost disappeared into homes or Laundromats. Certainly no-one has to spend a day bent over a scrub board anymore.

George Zufall, Blacksmith

2009-01-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

George Zufall was among the first to locate in Muskogee. Some said he was the town's first blacksmith. Unfortunately, there are insufficient records to confirm either statement.

He reported to the census taker in 1900 that he immigrated to the United States in 1866. George married Margaret "Maggie" Cobb, a half-Cherokee, on October 22, 1873. If one allows time for courtship, it is possible to say that he could have migrated across the country and was in the area during Muskogee's first year. His marriage, according to his Dawes Commission file, occurred "according to Cherokee law."

His birth in Germany meant he needed a permit to reside in the Cherokee Nation. A blacksmith by trade, his skills were welcomed in the devastated land fought over by mostly irregular troops during the American Civil War.

There is no advertisement for his blacksmithing services in the October 1875 Muskogee newspaper. The following May another issue includes a big ad for his services. Thus, it seems likely that George Zufall moved to Muskogee during the winter of 1875-76. A winter move fits with a normally lighter work load for a smith. It is hard to think of a town not having a blacksmith for three years.

The Zufall shop stood just south of the stagecoach stand and barn on the west side of Main Street. The forge was in the third building south of the Okmulgee Road. Today, the south entrance to the Veterans Administration building parking lot occupies the blacksmith shop site.

George Zufall initially had the assistance of his brother, Otto, in the shop. Later, Otto went into business for himself. George remained at the South Main Street location and prospered.

George advertised that he made wagons of all types. Wagons were vital to early Muskogee activity. They hauled produce to market and supplies to the home. For many families they also were the sole means of transportation. Wagons were a necessary component to a recovering economy.

Blacksmiths forged plow points for breaking prairie sod. They made hoops used by coopers in barrel making. They purchased bar iron and made chain links individually for chains used on wagon harness. George made bolts and nuts for construction use. He also made nails by the barrel full in the early years.

When hinges and door latches began appearing commercially, as nails did, George began manufacturing wagons. He specialized in manufacturing wooden wagons that had seats sitting atop large iron springs. Settlers, farmers and teamsters called them "Spring Wagons."

Because the stagecoach stand stood next door, George shoed many horses. In the mid-1880's, a young woman recalled him shoeing oxen. Apparently, this was not common and the memory remained vivid for nearly fifty years.

George prospered in his personal life and in business. As his family grew to include nine children, he branched into ranching. He started small, but wound up having 2-3,000 head of livestock on his Bar Z Ranch. The ranch covered Rattlesnake Mountain standing southeast of Muskogee and west of Keefeton.

George's life deteriorated following the death of his son George. Heart problems also troubled him, but the newspaper obituary said his death was hastened by morphine. He died January 24, 1905 near his sixty-fifth birthday. Many lamented the passing of one of Muskogee's first town builders.

1880 Men's Clothing in Muskogee

2009-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

An English travel writer took a photograph while crossing Indian Territory in 1880. The writer was Samuel Nugent Townshend. A photograph in his book documents the current male clothing styles in Muskogee.

Nugent spent much time in the United States despite being born into an aristocratic family. During his numerous visits to the United States, he wrote four books based on his travels, including one specifically for the Australian and New Zealand market.

His first book resulted from writing for a London newspaper entitled "The Field." His letters to the newspaper included comments on a wide variety of topics. Agricultural conditions occupied much of his thinking. So, too, did hunting.

Nugent prepared for his 1880 return to America by buying a camera and a rubberized collapsible bathtub. The focus upon hygiene shows up in him being clean-shaven.

He also purchased a large supply of the latest quick-drying glass negatives for his camera work. This meant that he did not immediately have to develop the negatives right after they were exposed.

Upon his return to England after covering 15,000 miles crisscrossing America, Nugent's notes formed the text of his second book. He entitled it "Our Indian Summer in the Far West." "Muscogee" is mentioned because his train stopped there briefly in early November. A photograph of the town appears as one of the albumen prints in the book.

Muskogee's freight depot is the backdrop. It consisted of a lunch shack and a platform. This depot sat between the main Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway line and the switching tracks just to the east. It was separate from the passenger depot on the west side of the tracks.

There was a wind-torn banner across the lunchroom roof informing travelers they could obtain a meal and hot coffee. The lunch shack later moved across the tracks to be located near the passenger depot.

There are eleven men standing in front of the lunch shack or on the loading ramp leading down to the tracks. Because they stand out in the sun that fall morning, it is possible to identify what they are wearing.

Clothing styles differentiate who were who in the photograph. Clothing worn by the three at the left suggest they might be railroad workers. Their hats were brimless on the sides such as might be necessary for working in close quarters. Engineers and conductors typify those working in enclosed spaces.

Men generally wore vests and coats at this time of the year. The fall weather and poorly insulated buildings of that day made vests necessary.

Generally, the westerners who resided in the Muskogee area wear rumpled clothing. Their clothing style seems somewhat out of date. Several of the local men had full beards that concealed their shirt collars. Their cowboy boots all looked scuffed and a bit rundown at the heels. Especially notable is the tall hats they wear.

Two members of the English party stand out. Their attire appears "alien" in comparison. Furthermore, these two, plus a third man, are clean-shaven.

One Englishman is wearing a smaller bowler hat with his train ticket stuck in the hatband. Family experts believe this is Nugent Townshend. He may possibly have an ascot tie. His cutaway sack coat has a high front button currently in fashion in larger cities. The sixth from the left, he is the best dressed.

Another Englishman is wearing a short-brimmed trilby hat. This is not believed to be John George Hyde. Hyde was the photographer on the trip. This person also has a ticket stuck in his hatband. Thus, he is a passenger who arrived at the same time and is possibly another Englishman.

The individual on the far right may also be English. He is also clean-shaven. In addition to wearing a newer cutaway coat with a high front button, he is wearing a smaller bowler hat. His attire also marks him as another passenger, and possibly another Englishman.

Just as freight and news traveled slowly to Muskogee, fashion trends did also.

Oktaha's Beginning

2009-01-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Within weeks after pushing south of the Muskogee Station, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway passed near a natural spring beside the Texas Road. The railroad eventually built a depot and section house near the spring. Stock pens later helped hold ranchers' livestock for shipment to larger markets.

John Newberry moved to the spring in 1891 ten years after selling his ferry across the Arkansas River. He started a commercial fruit orchard and raised breeding horses there.

A stage house reportedly stood on his farm near the Texas Road, but it could not have been part of the pre-Civil War Butterfield Overland Stage route as has been claimed by a few.

A settlement of families slowly clustered in the area around the railroad depot. No permanent homes existed yet in what became Oktaha proper. Jeanetta Newberry, a half-Creek citizen, claimed her land allotment where the townsite was later located. She and her husband, John, then had one hundred and twenty acres of land "alienated" for the establishment of the town.

A town needs public service to define its creation. The establishment of the depot comes close. For Oktaha, a more definite date is used. Historians believe Oktaha became a town when a railroad boxcar became the first post office on August 6, 1900. Residents incorporated the town three years later.

William A. Cain purchased the commercial interests in a store operated by Rufus R. Eidson, an early area merchant. Cain became the first postmaster within the year because a long list of area residents petitioning the US Post Office Department.

Then, in 1902, Cain built a two-story brick building on the east side of the tracks to serve as a store, post office and residence. By 1903, a second store opened in which William White sold general merchandise.

The opening of Indian Territory resulted in a flood of settlers seeking better opportunities. While most were farmers, this rush also included members of the professional class. Within a couple of years, Oktaha boasted the residence of three physicians, Drs. Snelson, Summerville and Howell.

Yet, the number of paying patients could not support all three. By the drawing of straws, Dr. Orion Emmet Howell continued to practice in Oktaha, serving the community for the next twenty-eight years.

The first congregation in Oktaha used a railroad coach car for a church. The coach car sat with the first post office boxcar on the same side tracks on the west side of the Katy Railroad's main line. In use for years, the church eventually outgrew the train car when membership reached seventy parishioners.

Oktaha's Main Street runs perpendicular to the railroad tracks. The town quickly acquired a livery stable and blacksmith shop. Mr. Fletcher's lumberyard sprang up because of the construction of homes and businesses during the early years. All of the businesses sported hitching rails. Farm families rode horses, and drove horse and mule pulled wagons into town on errands, a practice that continued during the Great Depression,.

A subscription school preceded public education in Oktaha. It operated only two or three months a year. A one-story frame building housed the school on the west side of the railroad tracks. Tuition was one dollar per month for each student in attendance. Students sat in seats at desks built around the walls. The first session of class commenced about 1901.

Shortly after Oktaha's incorporation, an Indian school started. Emma Ingram received fifty dollars a month to teach eight Creek students and sixteen non-Indians. This school did not survive very long.

Oktaha's population peaked before World War I and began a decline that lasted for sixty years. While it has regained population during the past couple of decades, it has never lost its history.

Joshua Ross, Muskogee Agriculturalist

2008-12-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

Joshua Ross is usually remembered as one of Muskogee's first businessmen. Overlooked today is his involvement in the promotion of improved farming practices.

Ross' move to Muskogee's east side brought many benefits. One arose from the railroad connection with eastern states. The Katy brought improved mail service. That meant Joshua received timely delivery of his "Illustrated Journal of Agriculture."

The magazine began publication in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1860, and then restarted after the end of hostilities. Printed much like a newspaper, farmers were reading its agricultural articles all across the American Southwest by the early 1870's.

The articles had a direct impact in Indian Territory. Joshua himself purchased a variety of merchandise from the magazine's advertisers. These items included knives, Berkshire pigs and a sewing machine for his wife.

Ross passed advice from the articles along to area farmers and customers. He especially talked about the benefits of raising a better breed of hogs. He encouraged area farmers to upgrade the quality of their pigs by offering his for sale at $10 each. Joshua was able to use his Berkshire pigs in demonstrating the animal's worth. Farmers commonly raised leaner hogs at the time.

Raising Berkshire pigs brought about a change to the way pigs were raised in Indian Territory. In the past, hogs roamed freely. Berkshire hogs were more valuable. Consequently, farmers learned to keep them in pens, which is the practice today.

Joshua Ross promoted other areas of improved farming as well. He was the first person to plant an orchard in Muskogee. Yes, there were many orchards already in Indian Territory. His planting one so soon after establishing his residence in the new town demonstrated further commitment to agricultural improvements. The trees he chose for his orchard were among the finest varieties of apple, peach and plum trees.

Ross' interest in improving agriculture in Indian Territory also included his promotion of farming practices among the civilized tribes. His service on the General Council of the Indian Territory began as early as 1873.

This council formed in 1869. It promoted improvements in many conditions affecting residents of the territory. The Civil War caused widespread destruction of homes, farms and businesses in Indian Territory. Joshua's focus on improving farming conditions led to his chairmanship of the council's Agriculture Committee.

In the spring of 1874, Joshua began acting as an agent promoting the "Cherokee Advocate," the Tahlequah newspaper. His connection with the newspaper provided him with a new outlet for his promotional efforts. The newspaper publisher encouraged its agents to communicate news of local events.

Ross' first effort in using a newspaper as an advertising medium was a simple announcement. He reported the forthcoming meeting on the last Wednesday in June 1874.

The paragraph called for a meeting of people interested in establishing a fair. It was to be held later in the year the announcement said. This meeting was the initial effort in planning the fair.

The subsequent fair inspired local residents to improve their farming practices in addition to providing entertainment. Many farmers entered livestock and crop samples in judging contests. The competition encouraged farmers to work on improving their crops and livestock in preparation for the following fair.

While Joshua Ross did not work alone in promoting agricultural improvements in Indian Territory, he certainly was a strong promoter. His adoption of improved practices on his own farm shows that he was an early Muskogee agriculturalist himself.

Muskogee Station's Christmas, 1872

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That Christmas morning the road to Muskogee Station reached the Arkansas River. Continuing on the western side of the river meant leaving behind the established settlements of Fort Gibson and Tahlequah. In a sense, it also meant leaving civilization.

Ahead the muddy road was not yet dry from a winter storm. The prairie grass along side the road was now brown and blown over. Quail and rabbits populated the underbrush.

A deeply rutted and wider path marked the intersection of the main north to south road west of the Mississippi river leading to Texas and the American Southwest. There were no travelers this day on the Cherokee Road.

On the north side of the intersection stood a two-room house with an attached lean-to on the back. Not really much to look at now, but in a year or two it would soon be famous as the "Red Front" store operated by Joshua Ross.

It barely kept the wind out because it was built partially with freight-box wood. Nothing stopped the cold temperature. Getting dressed was the first action of the morning after throwing back the old handmade quilt.

The Ross house marked the eastern boundary of the settlement. With no other building nearby, the slightly curving road led to the heart of the settlement ahead.

Most of the settlement's buildings were on the western side of the iron ribbons of the railroad tracks. Wooden boxcars blocked the view of some of the buildings. There were three sitting on the side-track end-to-end. They functioned as hotel and restaurant for traveling railroad passengers. Men hawking merchandise sometimes stayed there to in order to break the monotony of camping along side the Cherokee Road.

The railroad tracks were laid on logs across the countryside. Crossing the tracks meant cracking the whip sometimes or else the team would not pull the wagon across. There was no grading for a crossing yet.

A new restaurant already provided competition to meals found at the boxcars. The diner's dirt floor and dim lighting misled the hungry traveler because the food was good. The cook welcomed customers every day of the year. There was no closing for Christmas.

The Atkinson and Robb store was the most important building in town. It was not much to look at despite being built of sawed lumber. It was only a couple of rooms big. Yet, the increasing business was forcing the partnership to consider adding another room to the store.

Muskogee Station barely had a street. It ran along side of the Katy tracks for about a hundred yards. Nevertheless, there was a sense of permanence growing in Muskogee Station.

The tent structures were disappearing, and so were the gamblers and roughs. They followed the railhead as the laying of track pushed southward.

The decadence of the rough life had driven Muskogee Station's merchants to build their homes away from the tent saloons and gambling dives of the previous Christmas season. The houses sat out on the prairie in isolated outcroppings. One day, they would be in the middle of Muskogee.

In a few homes, there was awareness of the Christmas holiday. Jessie Robb, the first white child born in the settlement, was too young to understand. Most of those who did lived away from the settlement.

Muskogee Station's population totaled less than fifty souls that Christmas. The town has come a long way in both population and celebration during the past one hundred and thirty-six years.

Muskogee's Second Church

2008-12-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

Muskogee's first church burned to the ground the first week of October 1875. A former slave supposedly set the fire in a drunken stupor. He reportedly opposed its construction for unknown reasons. The only other fact known about the fire is that the church was a total loss.

The destruction of the church was deeply shocking. With barely enough money to support their minister, there surely were insufficient funds for rebuilding. Reverend John Elliott had little time to begin over again. He left within days for Atchison, Kansas for a synodical meeting of the Presbyterian Church. He hoped he would obtain assistance there.

The news of his church's burning down motivated many fellow ministers in Kansas to support the building of a new church. In the end, most support came from benefactors in Kansas and in Missouri.

Support was especially strong in Saint Louis. Thomas Munson donated fifty chairs. Others from St. Louis donated a pulpit Bible, twelve hymnals and a chandelier. More benefactors donated another pulpit Bible and fifty gospel songbooks. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad provided free freight for these items.

Following Rev. Elliott's return, the Muskogee church elders realized that the fire was a blessing in disguise. Growth in membership of the first Union Church caused the trustees to realize that the former building was simply too small to serve the congregation very long. Consequently, the trustees planned on a new church twice the size of the first one.

The trustees also realized that the first church's location prevented close supervision of the building. In choosing a new location for the rebuilt church, the trustees selected a location on the northwest corner of Lake and Okmulgee streets.

Lake Street became Second Street after the 1899 fire. In 1875, the town mostly consisted of six blocks strung out on either side of Main Street. The church's new location was on the edge of downtown Muskogee, two blocks from the railroad tracks.

There was no sawmilling in the area yet. According to a later photograph, the trustees built the new church with milled wood. This lumber came into Indian Territory in railroad boxcars, too.

Work in erecting the new church progressed quickly. At the completion of construction, the congregation was debt free. It was for many years the only church in town.

In many ways, the Presbyterian Church functioned as a public meeting place. The white wooden fence and the shade trees surrounded the new church provided an inviting environment for the many public speeches delivered there.

With the encouragement of Reverend Elliott, ministers of other dominations conducted services for Baptist and Methodist faiths before churches for these dominations existed. H. F. Buckner and Dr. Theodore F. Brewer often preached for their respected congregations in the Presbyterian building. In the process, the Presbyterian Church became the mother church for many future churches in Muskogee.