n March 1926, Elk City was observing its 25th anniversary while celebrating the completion of a new water plant. According to the March 18, 1926, issue of Elk City News-Democrat, the plant was “one of the most extensive in the state of Oklahoma.” The article also stated that cast iron sewer and water lines were laid, comprising 22 miles of pipe. One wonders if those are the same pipes that are currently being replaced in Elk City’s downtown area. The newspaper also reported stories from the past twenty-five years. One story reported that the first passenger train arrived in Elk City October 9, 1901. During those early days, a crowd always met the train while a large number of passengers got off.
The News-Democrat in March 1926 ran ads for three movie theaters: the Rex, the Ritz, and the Liberty. Some of the movies advertised were The Dark Angel starring Ronald Coleman, The Lightning Rider starring Harry Carey, and Away in the Lead starring Francis X. Bushman. Silent movies were certainly popular in Elk City.
Another ad listed six Big Chief tablets for 25₵ and Higgins black ink for 10₵ at the Cross Cash Store. All the county papers were full of ads for spring fashions. The surplice bodice was the height of style in 1926.
The March 1, 1926, issue of The Southwestern Elk City Press reported that the Planters Gin at Carter had burned. The fire destroyed the gin as well as cotton seed and seed cotton. The cause of the fire was not known, and the manager of the gin related that the company planned to rebuild.
The March 18, 1926, issue of the Beckham County Democrat ran a story of an accidental shooting. J. A. French shot his toes while on an outing with his wife and friends at Jaybuckle Springs. The author of the article had little sympathy for Mr. French. He said, “We don’t know but guess he couldn’t find anything else to shoot so he took spite on himself.”
The Beckham County Democrat also reported on the American Legion’s National Aviation Program. In addition to promoting military aviation, the American Legion advocated for civilian aviation.
The Texola Tribune reported that many students had been absent from Texola School due to the flu. In addition, the article said that the high school was rehearsing for a play called “Poor Married Man” to be presented March 26. In other school news, a pie supper was planned at Oak Valley School with proceeds going to buy library books for the school.
The March 18, 1926, issue of The Sayre Journal published an article entitled “Care of the Child.” The article cautioned against having only one child and warned, “These children made slow progress in school because they had never been taught to think for themselves. In a large family, it is necessary for each child to be independent.” The same paper published several recipes, one of the more interesting ones being Tongue in Tomato Sauce. Directions are below.
1 fresh tongue
1 pint tomatoes
1 can peas
1 onion
2 cloves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Boil tongue in salted water until tender. Peel and remove the roots. Combine the tomatoes, sliced onion, and cloves. Simmer until soft, strain and mix with cornstarch mixed with a little cold water. Add salt and pepper. Simmer tongue in sauce one half hour. Add peas five minutes before serving.
In a more serious vein, The Sayre Journal reported that $2,000,000 would be spent in western Oklahoma for public improvements. The increased building was the result of profitable agricultural crops in 1925.
Education was a subject of interest in The Sayre Journal. One article reported on a talk by a member of the State Board of Education, which advocated for longer school terms for rural schools and high quality teachers. Another article said that a night-school history class was planned for Spring Creek School. The superintendent was going to teach the class for county teachers.
On a lighter note, The Sayre Journal reported on Oklahoma’s Terrapin Derby. The derby originated on the 101 Ranch and featured actual terrapins racing. Apparently the terrapins were not fans of the sport. Many simply did not move, and others were frightened by the noise of the crowd and fled the race.
From the luxury of running water to the frivolity of a terrapin race, life in Western Oklahoma was far from mundane.