114 YEARS AGO The Checotah Times
Friday, December 17, 1909
Stories from the past
Another Railroad
The Webbers Falls and Western railroad with headquarters at Muskogee, capital stock $100,000, was incorporated here yesterday to build a line 105 miles long from Webbers Falls southwest to Warner and then thru McIntosh, Okmulgee, Okfuskee, Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties to Shawnee. The estimated cost is $9,000 per mile.
TULSA BANK FAILS
Tulsa, Dec. 14 – That the failure of the Farmers National Bank at Tulsa last night was indirectly due to the failure of the Columba Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City a few weeks ago, is maintained here today.
State Bank Commissioner Young arrived on the morning train from Muskogee, following advice received last night that the local bank had failed.
GOV. HASKELL SICK
Guthrie, Dec. 14 – Suddenly seized with an aggravate attack of acute indigestion, which came upon him without warning, Governor Charles N. Haskell was tonight forced to seek his bed and is under the care of several physicians who were hurriedly summoned to his bedside. His suffering is intense and his condition is such as to cause general alarm among his friends.
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100 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat Thursday, December 6, 1923
CHARLES ASHLEY DEAD
At the Lafayette hotel in this city at 4:40 o’clock this morning death claimed the life of Charles T. Ashley, one of McIntosh County’s best known and popular farmers.
Mr. Ashley had been in poor health for some time and about a month ago was taken to Muskogee for medical treatment. He was brought back to Checotah two weeks ago and rooms were secured at the Lafayette hotel in order that he might have the best of medical attention.
Purchases Griffin Grocery
J.E. Boatmun last week purchased the J.F. Griffin grocery located on Front Street and is now in charge of the business.
Mr. Boatmun needs no introduction to our people as he has lived here for many years. He knows the grocery business, will endeavor to give his patrons satisfaction in every respect and solicits a share of your trade.
Christmas Bazaar
Don’t forget to do your Christmas shopping at the bazaar which the ladies of the Christian church will hold Friday and Saturday Dec. 7 and 8 at the M.L. Newman grocery store. Besides a large assortment of cooked and baked foodstuffs, candy and fancy work there will be handmade comforts and bedspreads and a booth there you may be served a light lunch consisting of sandwiches, pie, cake, doughnuts and hot chocolate and coffee.
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80 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, June 10, 1943
Draft Board Hits At Farm Fathers
Parents who are claiming military exemptions for their sons, due to ill health, will be required to secure doctors certificates to secure deferment in the future.
“In reviewing scores of applications for deferment made out by parents of boys eligible for miliary duty it appears that as soon as the father reaches 40 years of age, he becomes almost totally unable to do farm work,” said Hugh Miller, member of the county draft board.
TYPHOID CLINIC VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT Volunteers to assist at the typhoid clinic Friday afternoon and Saturday morning are sought by local Red Cros officials to expedite the handling of patients.
Response to the Red Cross offer for free typhoid shots has been so great that it has been difficult to handle the crowds.
Last week 457 shots were administered.
New Mail Method To Speed Service
The new method of speeding up mail delivers, through addition of a branch post office number to the address on mail for delivery in large cities, is being placed in operation rapidly, according to W.W. Hunter, postmaster.
The new system speeds up the separation of mail for distribution to branch offices and permits much more rapid handling of mail by inexperienced postal clerks, thousands of whom have been employed to replace personnel who have gone into the armed forces.
An example of the new type of address is: John C. Smith 222 Mattapan Ave. Boston 8 Massachusetts
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75 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat Thursday, December 16, 1948
Army Engineer Assures City Highway 266 To Be Retained Checotah Still Carries Fight For Original Dam Delegations from all towns and cities bordering the proposed Eufaula reservoir have united in an effort to block construction of two smaller lakes proposed by army engineers to replace the original reservoir.
Protests will be lodged at the public hear in Eufaula next Tuesday morning by officials from Checotah, Stigler, Porum, Warner, Boynton, Henryetta and Okmulgee.
Checotah claimed that the new dam proposals would discriminate against this section of the county; that all of our good land would be placed under water and that we would derive none of the benefits from the project including recreation, navigation, fishing and the manufacture of electric current. All of those things would be available on the South Canadian river.
City officials and members of the chamber of commerce feared that Highway 266 would be permanently lost if the new projects were completed since army engineers maps failed to show location of dikes or bridges necessary to prevent the road from being closed and the traffic routed over another road.
Onapa Is Selected For Cage Tourney
Onapa has been selected as the site of the county high school basketball tournament Feb. 3, 4 and 5, it was announced this week by the board of control of the McIntosh county athletic association.
Fame will be host to the county grade school tournament Feb. 10, 11 and 12.
Harve Melton Dies In Auto Accident
Harve L. Melton, former district judge of McIntosh and Pittsburg counties and first director of the Oklahoma public welfare commission, was killed in an automobile wreck south of Edmond Wednesday afternoon.
His car angled off the road, flipped over and landed upright in three feet of water in a creek bed.
A trooper said he may have died of a heart attack. Melton served as district judge from 1919 until he was named to the state court of tax review in January 1929. Less than a year later he was appointed presiding judge of the court.
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50 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat Thursday, January 3, 1974
It Was 1973
1973 went out throwing one last punch with cold weather and snow, and I have the feeling a lot of people are not sorry to see it go.
It was a year of much turmoil – from the local to the international scene – and it cut some wounds that will take a while to heal.
It was the year of investigations from the White House to county offices and it left in its wake a vice president and numerous other public officials.
It was the year of shortages, when suddenly the land of plenty was the land of not enough gas, beef, paper, bailing wire, and the list could go on with a shortage of almost everything but news.
Landfill Fees Explained
The city of Checotah started landfill operations on Jan. 1, 1974. The Health Department and Federal Government will not let us do any more burning. We must comply with their rules and regulations as the law will be enforced by them. The penalty is rough for burning or disposing of garbage other than by landfill.
We must put a fee on private hauling as follows cars – 75 cents; pickup – $1.50; truck – $5 – semitrailer $15.
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25 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat Thursday, January 8, 1998
Checotah’s Year Ends With Flurry of Activities The Checotah business community continues to prosper as two new businesses opened in early July. Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held at Just Your Style Beauty Shop and Commercial Credit of Eastern Oklahoma.
Latest Tax Collection Shows Another Increase For City
Checotah followed the statewide trend, collecting $137,069.98 from October ’97 sales compared to $123,293.29 from October ‘96 business.
