Beckham County residents were well informed in August 1925. While television and the internet were a long way in the future, newspapers filled the need for information. Beckham County had six newspapers including The Elk City News-Democrat, The Southwestern Elk City Press, The Sayre Journal, The Beckham County Democrat, The Carter Express, and The Texola Tribune. Those publications delivered local, state, and national news along with entertainment and ads for local businesses.
On August 6, 1925, public school news in the local papers focused on textbooks. A law had been passed repealing free textbooks for Oklahoma’s 600,000 school children. The issue was expected to make its way to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Meanwhile, confusion over whether parents would be paying for their children’s books ensued. Also at issue was what to feed the school children. School cafeterias were apparently not available, and an article appeared instructing parents how to prepare nutritious portable lunches for their school-age children. One article recommended that each child take a pint of milk that could be easily kept cool in a thermos bottle that cost no more than two dollars. The article went on to give examples of nutritious lunches, one of which consisted of one cottage cheese sandwich, one combination lettuce and tomato sandwich, a pint of milk, and fruit.
County and town fairs were newsworthy events in 1925, and articles about the plans for those fall events appeared in the papers. The Erick Fair and Exhibition was set for October 8, 9, and 10. An article in The Beckham County Democrat concluded with, “Other things may change…but you can see today at Erick the same kind of crowds and joy your great grandfather delighted in a century ago.”
In addition The Elk City News-Democrat reported that the Beckham County Fair would take place over a six-day span in September. A new exhibit hall was being built, and fair plans included the famous McKenzie Band, fireworks, and “the Gold-Medal Shows with 20 double cars of attractions.” The article promised, “The big free acts will delight all.”
The Texola Tribune published a column entitled “The Kitchen Cabinet,” which focused on household hints and recipes. The recipes demonstrate how culinary tastes have changed in the last one hundred years. Directions for making Tongue Scramble are as follows: “Take one cupful of finely minced cooked tongue, add six well-beaten eggs, season to taste with grated onion and chopped green pepper. Cook in butter and serve very hot.”
Then as now, agriculture was an important industry in Beckham County. “Cotton is King” was a dominant headline in the The Southwestern Elk City Press. The article “predicts a very large and bountiful crop of cotton.” It goes on to say, “Cotton is truly King in this locality,” and “Elk City has four fine gins that are ready to receive this big fine crop.”
Beckham County newspapers in 1925 were sources of entertainment with their comics and serialized novels. The Texola Tribune featured the book Their Name Was Legion by Courtney Ryley Cooper; The Sayre Journal featured Nameless River by Vingie E. Roe; and The Beckham Democrat featured King Tommy by George A. Birmingham. Each edition of the newspapers printed a few chapters of the novels, leaving readers to anticipate the next installment.
Another source of entertainment for Beckham County citizens in 1925 was silent movies. According to one article, the Story Theatre in Elk City had “stupendous selections.” Some of the popular movies were Madonna of the Streets, How to Educate a Wife, and White Fang. Every Wednesday at the Story Theatre was family night. A whole family could see the movie for “four bits” (fifty cents). One big advantage of the theater was air conditioning. It boasted of “bracing breezes from the great blizzard cooling system.”
Of course, the newspapers included ads for products and services. One very prominent ad, “Tisdal Hospital and Training School,” appeared in more than one paper to recruit women aged eighteen to thirty-five for nurses’ training. Another large ad promoted the Ford Coupe for $520 ($9,552 in 2025). The ad proclaimed, “It is the car for the true adventurer.”
An old adage proclaims, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That bit of wisdom certainly rings true in the current events section of The Sayre Journal. The article “Progress of the Anti-Evolution Trial” updates the readers on the Scopes trial. Ironically the front page headline of the July 13, 2025 edition of The Oklahoman announces “Renewing the Fight: Century after Scopes, how Oklahoma became the epicenter of religious conservatives’ school protest.” Some issues persist.
Newspapers cited:
The Beckham County Democrat
Elk City News-Democrat
The Sayre Journal
The Southwestern Elk City Press
The Texola Tribune