Stories from the past

114 YEARS AGO The Checotah Times Friday, January 28, 1910

EIGHT YEARS AGO Interesting Items Taken From the Times July 17, 1902 – Hooker, Hensley & Co., the new hardware firm, will open a store in the north room of the Henson & Shay building.

– Tom Monroe Jr.. after an illness of several weeks, died Monday, July 14, at the home of his parents on east Gentry avenue, aged 18 years, 9 months and 14 days.

– Gold C. Brown is a happy father of a new boy, and likewise is richer by 160 additional acres of good Creek soil. Congratulations, Gold.

TOM THUMB WEDDING

Much enthusiasm is being manifested in the approaching wedding of Tom Thumb and Jennie June, which will be celebrated at Tuckabatchee hall Tuesday evening of next week.

Fifty little people will take part in this entertainment, representing their elders, in a very fashionable wedding, which will consist of solos, receiving of guests, wedding march, ceremony reception, supper and departure of bride and groom on their wedding tour, given in four scenes, besides some special music by some of the best talent in town.

Miss Olive Briney of Colorado Springs presents this entertainment under the auspices of the Epworth League.

FINE WINTER, THIS

January Proving One of the Most Delightful Months of the Year Talk about your fine Italian climate – that’s what we have been having in the vicinity of Checotah during the past two or three weeks. Except for an occasional windy day, the weather has been ideal.

••••• 100 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat

Thursday, January 17, 1924

CHECOTAH WINS TWO

Checotah High played their first conference basketball game on the local court Friday night with Wainwright, winning it by the score of 24 to 6.

After the high school game the Checotah town team played Morris town team in one of the hardest battles ever staged in Tuckabatchee hall.

The final score was 22-16 in favor of Checotah.

New Dollar Bill

Have you met up with the strange looking and kinda stuck-up dollar bill recently? Don’t be alarmed but take it as it is worth its face value in gold.

The latest creation of the U.S. Treasury has made its debut in our circulation.

It’s a lollapalooza, all dolled up in a new dress of blue and black, and the figures standing out like sharp silhouettes against a clear background.

Cotton Ginned

There were 9,574 bales of cotton ginned in Mc-Intosh county prior to Jan. 1, 1924, as compared to 16,448 on the same date a year ago, according to Special Agent L.C. Roork.

••••• 80 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat

Thursday, July 15, 1943

GERMAN PRISON LABOR TO HELP HARVEST CROPS 50 Men Now Available At Armory Building In Eufaula Fifty German prisoners, captured by the allied nations in North Africa, will help harvest crops in the county starting Monday, according to Henry Polson, county agent.

The prisoners will be quartered in the armory in Eufaula.

Additional prisoners will be bought in later if the demand for farm labor is urgent, Polson said.

“RED” SHEPHERD TELLS DETAILS OF DEFEAT Helped Beat Nipponese In Battle Of Guadalcanal Thrilling details of hand-to-hand fighting with Japanese soldiers in the American conquest of Guadalcanal were revealed this week by PFC. Raymond (Red) Shepherd, former Checotah football star, who recently returned from the South Sea battle zone.

Draft Board Asks For Dairy Records

Farm youths who desire to claim draft exemption because of necessary attention to dairy cows, will be required to present sworn statements of milk production on their farms, Hugh Miller, member of the county draft board, stated this week.

••••• 75 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat

Thursday, January 20,1949

WETS TEE OFF AGAINST DRYS ON BOOZE ISSUE

The wets and drys went into high gear in McIntosh county this week as the showdown on the state liquor repeal issue neared a climax.

Dozens of petitions requesting the state legislature to hold a special election to determine whether whiskey shall be sold legally in Oklahoma were being circulated in the city and were said to be meeting with unexpected approval.

CITY CHAMBER HIKES ANNUAL DUES TO $25 Group Pays Heavily On Civic Projects During Year

The Checotah Chamber of Commerce raised its membership fee from $10 to $25 to help replenish a badly depleted treasury at the meeting at Edythe’s Café Monday night.

During the first year of organization about $1,500 was raised in the original membership drive. A surplus of funds remained on hand at the end of the first year of operation and it was decided to cut the fee to $10 last year.

Stigler Gets Key Job In Congress; Dam Hopes Zoom

Congressman W. G. Stigler of the second Oklahoma district Monday was assigned by the democratic caucus to the house appropriations committee.

Stigler got the choice assignment by giving up the third ranking position on the public works committee.

Stigler’s appointment was hailed by Checotahns, who believe he is now in a position to call the turn in favor of a single dam on the Canadian river instead of the two dam proposal backed by the army engineers.

••••• 50 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat

Thursday, January 31, 1974

NEWS OF SERVICEMEN Michael A. Pruitt

Michael A. Pruitt, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. Parker M. Pruitt, Route 2, Eufaula, Oklahoma, was promoted to Army specialist four in Germany.

Jerry W. Wells

Army Specialist Four Jerry W. Wells, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wells, Checotah, is assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany.

His wife, Barbara, lives in Braggs.

Mrs. Tom Walker On State Library Committee Mrs. Tom (Cindy) Walker of Checotah has been invited to attend a meeting of the Oklahoma National Library Week Committee for 1974. The meeting will consist of a reception and business meeting to be held Jan. 31, at the Executive Mansion in Oklahoma City.

••••• 19 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat

Thursday, September 15, 2005

County in desperate need of a new jail

McIntosh County Sheriff Terry Jones has a devastating problem on his hands. Not only does he have to worry about covering over 620 miles of shoreline with only 9 deputies, but he also has to worry about prisoners escaping from the dilapidated county jail.

Tuesday, Sept. 6, around 10:12 p.m., two inmates – Jason Cox and Justin Cox – dug through the ceiling in their cell and escaped through the vent in the top of the roof.

“We’ve got a sorry jail that needs to be rebuilt,” said Jones. “The citizens of McIntosh County need to know that we need a new jail … it’s about to fall down.”