Stories from the past
McIntosh County Democrat 110 YEARS AGO Feb . 19, 1914
Odd Fellows’ Home, Oddfellows’ Hall, school buildings and street scenes in film A movement started recently by leading Oddfellows of the state to give the order publicity through the medium of moving pictures met with a hearty response in Checotah and very soon more than 3,000 feet of film depicting scenes in and about the I.O.O.F. homes of Carmen and this city will be thrown on the screen over the state.
••••• McIntosh County Democrat 100 YEARS AGO
Feb. 21, 1924
J.D. Faulkner Dead
Former well known Checotah Citizen died Tuesday night.
A wave of profound sadness swept the city Wednesday when word was received that J.D. ‘Pops’ Faulkner had died.
Water reported safe
Word was received from the State chemist last Saturday that the city water of Checotah was now in safe conditions for drinking purposes.
This came as a welcome relief for those who were boiling.
••••• McIntosh County Democrat 80 YEARS AGO
Feb. 24, 1944
Jim Lucas relates the fury of Tarawa
Lt. Jim Lucas, Checotah’s famous combat correspondent, was the principal speaker at the district Boy Scout rally at the high school auditorium last Thursday night.
He told how well fortified the island was before the marines landed. Concrete pillboxes reached three stories underground and concrete fortificAtions were seven feet thick. Machine guns were placed every five feet on the beach. The marines had to swim ashore. Those who did get ashore had to go through the barbed wire.
R. J. Koch, Prominent City resident, dies of stroke
Checotahans mourned the loss this week of one of their most outstanding citizens, R. J. Koch, Sr. died Monday in Muskogee.
McIntosh County Democrat Feb. 24, 1949
King to direct fight to build original dam Milam M. King of Checotah was elected president of the Eufaula Dam Association at a protest meeting condemning the two-dam proposal at Henryetta last Thursday night attended by delegates from towns throughout eastern Oklahoma.
A strongly worded resolution supporting the original Eufaula dam plan was adopted. The resolution calls on congressional support of the one-dam plan. The association refused to even consider the proposal for the two smaller dams instead of one large one on the South Canadian river 15 miles southeast of Checotah.
••••• McIntosh County Democrat 70 YEARS AGO
Feb. 24, 1954
Blacktop is planned on streets
Plans for blacktopping Checotah’s traveled streets in the residential areas were discussed by members of the city council at a meeting last week. Mayor Horace Frame and several members of the street committee traveled to Stigler Tuesday morning to make a first hand study of a similar project there. The plan is to blacktop about 25-30 blocks.
City to modernize lake for swimming
One of Checotah old city lakes has been turned over to the Lions club by the city council for use as a swimming pool for the summer.
The lake, located at the base of waterworks hill, three miles southwest of Checotah, was used for swimming in 1937. The project was abandoned after two swimmers were drowned one afternoon. The swimming pool at that time had no supervision.
