History.
THE PERKINS JOURNAL, Thursday,
March 15, 2012 - A5
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• On March 23, 1836, in
hopes of keeping pace with
the furious march of technol-
ogy, the U.S. Mint unveils its
first steam-powered press.
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The new-fangled contraption
helped crank out coins more
efficiently.
• On March 25, 1911, at the
The Farm Museum at the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza
tells the story of farm life in the Perkins area during the
years 1889 to 1919. Fortunately for farm historians,
the last twenty years of this time period was also the
Golden Age of picture postcards.
Privately printed postcards had been allowed in the
mail since 1861, but it was not until 1901 that their use
was simplified and their cost of mailing reduced to a
penny. In this same year, photo paper with preprinted
postcard back was introduced. Many photo labs
offered this option for all the film they developed.
The introduction of rural free delivery in 1902 added to
the demand for postcards with hundreds of thousands
of them being produced before the boom ended with
World War I.
Research done by the Post Office at the time showed
that the most numerous postcard mailingsper capita
actually occurred in rural areas and small towns. This
is probably why cards with views of fanning
operations still exist in such large numbers today. One
subset of these farming postcards which enjoyed wide
popularity was devoted to portraying the (ahem!)
superior size of the local farm products. One can only
look with wonder at the prowess of these early-day
farmers!
LEGAL NOTICE
The Farm Museum is in need of farm postcards
printed before 1919 for enlargement and display on the
museum walls. If you can help in this matter or if you
need further information, please call Bob or
Norma Constien at 405 547-5057.
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
in New York's Lower East
Side, a fire quickly engulfs
the factory and claims 146
lives, mostly young women.
Because management had
locked the exit doors, many
of the garment workers either
expired from asphyxiation or
leapt from windows -- a fatal,
10-story fail. The factory's
owners were eventually
found guilty on charges of
manslaughter.
• On March 20, 1920, Bugatfi
delivers its first 16-valve car
to a customer in Switzerland.
The Bugatti was a symbol of
wealth and status, and its cars
were equipped with massive
racing engines. The renowned
American dancer Isadora
Duncan was riding in a Bugatfi
when her trademark long scarf
caught in a rear wheel of the
vehicle, and she was instantly
strangled to death.
• On March 22, 1947, Presi-
dent Harry Truman issues an
executive decree establishing a
sweeping loyalty investigation
of federal employees in every
department and agency. The
program uncovered only a
few employees whose loy-
aity could be "reasonably"
doubted.
• On March 19, 1952, the one-
millionth Jeep is produced.
The name"Jeep" is reportedly
derived from the Army's 1941
request that car manufacturers
develop a "General Purpose"
vehicle. "G.P." turned to
"Jeep" somewhere along the
battle lines.
• On March 24, 1989, the
worst oil spill in U.S. territory
begins when the supertanker
Exxon Valdez runs aground
on a reef in Prince William
Sound in Alaska. An esti-
mated 11 million gallons of
oil eventually spilled into the
water, polluting more than 700
miles of coastline.
(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.
Legal notice published in The Per-
kins Journal, March 1, March 8,
and March 15, 2012
NOTICE OF SALE
The following vehicle will be
sold March 17, 2012 at 7:30 a.m.
to satisfy the lien against it:
1981 Yamaha motorcycle.VIN
#JYA3Y6004BA106453.
The sale will be held at AGT
Motor Works, claimant, 1909 W.
92nd Perkins, OK 74059. For
further information contact Stu
Preston at 405-743-2865
C
When a visitor to the com-
munity asks the location of a
house or business, we try to
give them a clear answer so
they won't get lost. In our
day now (2012), we have
Global Positioning Systems
(GPS), cell phones, maps,
and street signs. In earlier
days we would describe
landmarks around the com-
munity, and we can still use
landmarks to give directions.
We can say so many miles
past a particular landmark.
A landmark is something
that is impressive in size or
appearance. It is usually
something that local people
know about and is also obvi-
ous to a newcomer. Every
community has its land-
marks, but I will mention
some ound Perkins.
Some landmarks before
1952, one mile south of
Perkins were the old river
bridge, the railroad, and the
depot.
In 1916, the Ozark Trails
Highway System was devel-
oped, and by the 1920's two
of these Ozark Trails high-
ways intersected just south of
the Perkins river bridge. An
oblisk structure was built
there out of concrete which
gave directions to various
towns like Vinco, Goodnight,
Coyle, Cushing, Carney,
Perkins, and Stillwater. A
block west of the oblisk
was a Witness Tree which
marked the intersection of
section lines. This tree was
in the driveway entrance to
the railroad depot and at the
north edge of Vinco.
Around 1920, it was at this
tree that the town marshal of
Perkins stopped and arrested
the thieves who robbed the
ser & Company00
Antiques • Gifts [
Collectibles H
47 S. Main N
Perkins
47-5298
away Gift Registry
Gift Certificates
Coyle bank.
Going south from the
river bridge the mad went
to Dugout Creek bridge
and up a steep hill. Back
in the 1940's and 1950's
it was called Capitol Hill.
Now no one under age 50
seems to know we called
it Capitol Hill. There was
a picnic place up on top of
the hill. Coming down the
hill from the south gives a
beautiful panoramic view
of the Perkins area.
That road on Capitol Hill
was not paved until the
1950's, and there was not
much traffic. The boys in
Perkins who had bicycles
would sometimes take their
bikes to the top of Capitol
Hill, and see how fast they
could ride down.
Following that road south
takes the motorist to Four
Comers and then to Carney.
The road was designated
State Highway 40 and then
in 1952, re-designated as US
Highway 177.
In 1957, Mary Jane and
I were recently married,
and her brother George
Dunlavy came from out of
town to visit us. George did
not know where we lived.
He stopped in Perkins and
borrowed his five year-old
nephew, Randy Dunlavy, to
show him. Randy was like
a live GPS to show George
where our farm was.
When I explain to someone
how to get to my house, I tell
them it is Goodnight Road,
the road to Bill Scott's Body
Shop, Grider's Pumpkin
Patch, and Horsethief
Canyon.
The ladies know where the
pumpkin patch is because
they have taken their children
and grandchildren there. The
men know where the body
shop is because they have
taken their cars there.
Some of our present streei
signs are named after land-
marks - like Jogline Road,
Fairgrounds Road, Lakevie w
and Cottonwood Road.
The Ampride Corner,
northwest of Perkins, is now
a landmark. Years ago the
comer was called the Nine-
mile Comer. The MK&O
Bus Company called it Per-
kins Comer. It was a busy
bus stop where passengers
changed busses to go to their
desired locations.
If you get lost, call me on
your cell phone, and we will
try to find a landmark.
Perkins old Cimarron River bridge, circa 1955.
Breakfast & Lu,¢h Spe©ials Daily
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7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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• Slow Cooked Brisket • Salad Bar & Much More
Needing
a loan?
Let us help you
accomplish your goals.
• Auto • Real Estate • Business
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Stop in and visit with a loan officer for details.
www.paynecountybank.com
1 Main Bank . 202 S. Main Ho=b
Convenience Branch . 417 E. Hwy 33 . Perkins, OK IRI
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