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Living in Allen, you get to watch a lot of humanity, just like in other small towns that populate our fruited plain. Another nice thing about writing a weekly article in a small town paper such as ours is you get to observe and even be a part of the details that make America interesting. Big stuff in our small towns as time passes by is watching kids grow up, mature (most of them) and sometimes we get to share in the pride they bring to their families and our town as they go out and see what other happenings take place.
Read moreThe Green Corn Revolution The “Green Corn Revolution had, as its home, Allen, Oklahoma. Allen’s history never fails to amaze. Nor do the farmers of 1915. As usual they were living in hard times. Most were tenant farmers working tiny patches of land and, of course, they couldn’t make much money on those little tracts. The farmers were for all practical purposes “failed” capitalist but in the politics of the day had embraced socialism and come to believe that all their problems had been brought on them by outside forces— such as government and banks. These people wanted the government to open up free stuff to them, such as free land and other free stuff — like free money. The new president (Woodrow Wilson} hadn’t noticed. This party promised the moon but really brought nothing but misery to these farmers. Land kept going up and these farmers were getting squeezed out fast. The very center of this radicalism was right here in Allen, with a lot of members hailing from Seminole, Ada, Konawa, Coalgate, Stonewall and other nearby towns. When President Wilson signed the draft law in 1917, violence broke out. It was on the South Canadian River near Allen where the Little River joins the big Canadian. A “loud” farmer named John Spears raised the red socialist flag over the bluff just outside of Allen on July 27th and called for a march on Washington. The story went nationwide. On August 2nd, Seminole County Sheriff Grill and a deputy rode over to Sasakawa to see what was happening. But they were ambushed by five party members and were lucky to escape with their lives. Next, a big revival was held on a sandbar near Allen (where the Little River and South Canadian join) and the gospel preached had a lot more to do with politics than it did religion. While there are no reports of anyone getting “saved” on the sandbar, there were other results. The phonelines were cut to Francis and the big railroad bridge across the Canadian was set afire and destroyed.
Read moreWhat in the heck is a twin cousin? Well, you see, it’s like this. My mom’s twin sister had a boy about my age and over time (growing up) we became cousins who were close, got along, and enjoyed playing together. So, you may wonder, what made me think of my “twin” cousin today. Well, it was the Ada News. There was an article in it honoring some old Ada families. The Katz, Billy Floyd, the Norris and Criswell family. Seeing Tom Criswell’s name (and his picture) made me think of Walker D. Ray (Corky Ray), my twin cousin. It’s okay for you to wonder why.
Read moreCan we ever understand what we mean by saying someone is depressed? Recordings in the Bible called depressed people demon possessed The “crazies” of those times were thought to be possessed by devils. Once, while I was a child my mom was talking in general terms about some relative or other who was thought to be sort of “nuts.” “Someone spoke up, “I think she is just depressed.” Then I spoke up asking for clarification of terms. I mean, the world was struggling through the worse “depression” we ever knew of but what does it mean when an individual is depressed? Mom went back to her ironing, and I figured that this level of medical inquisition might be a little much for a Centrahoma housewife and mom, Later on in my life, I asked a local doctor about a customer of ours who had shot herself. What caused her to do that, I asked. “She was depressed,” he answered. I was perplexed. “How?” I just didn’t understand the overuse of the word.
Read moreI remember one nice day in Oklahoma 75 years ago when I volunteering to drive my grandfather, Will W. Armstrong, down to Wister for a visit with his daughter. I was the only one handy that day and besides, being a teenager with a new driver’s license, I looked forward to the trip. I asked my grandpa a lot of questions that day. We were pretty close buddies anyway and many items he mentioned that day I still remember. Born in 1872 he knew a lot about early Oklahoma history. In fact, he lived a lot of it. Driving through Gowan on US270 and down Gowan Mountain into the vast Gowen Prairie, I asked him if he remembered how this part of the state looked in his “day.”
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