Bull roundup slows U.S. 64 traffic

— Sequoyah County Times, March 25, 1999

25 years ago

—It wasn’t quite the typical scene out of a western movie, but nonetheless U.S. Highway 64 just west of Sallisaw was the scene of a wild-west tale Tuesday morning.

The scene developed after a bull escaped from Sallisaw Veterinary Clinic. Sallisaw police reported the bull got away from its owners when it was being unloaded at the clinic.

The escaped bull presented a unique situation for both Sallisaw police and Paul Harl, Sallisaw animal control officer. Harl managed to drive the bull a short distance with his truck before the bull crossed the highway and the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

As word of the escaped bull spread, Barry James, an outrider at Blue Ribbon Downs, arrived at the scene with his horse to help capture the bull.

James managed to rope the bull after a short chase, and with the assistance of Cutter Holloway, Gary Dale Brooks and Beau Burlison, the bull was contained in a small area on the north side of the railroad tracks.

With the bull captured, the easiest part of these modern-day cowboys’ effort was completed.

—Over eight million dimes lay scattered in the median of Interstate 40 at the 291-mile marker after a semi-tractor trailer rig crashed into an overpass embankment early Friday morning.

Not long after the recovery team cleared the scene, individuals began to arrive, many with shovels and buckets, to sift through the mud for dimes. It was reported that sometimes there were as many as 100 people digging for dimes on Saturday. Others reported seeing people searching for dimes with flashlights at 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

The truck’s cargo shifted forward and ripped through the front of the trailer at impact leaving eight-million dimes scattered on the grassy embankment.

50 years ago

—The Sallisaw Board of Education continued their meeting from Monday, March 11, Tuesday night and discussed the possible sale of the present Liberty Elementary School and the subsequent erection of a new school.

On the subject of selling the present Liberty School, the board invited Howard Johnson, Sallisaw real estate broker, to attend the meeting.

—The construction of a 20,000 square foot gymnasium-auditorium at Roland High School has been taken under consideration it was announced this week.

Carl Matlock, superintendent of the Roland School System, said although it is not definite the project has reached a planning stage.

If constructed the building would be located west of the Roland football field.

75 years ago

—Superintendent G.R. Hurd announced today the arrival of a new 1949 Chevrolet being furnished by the McDonald Chevrolet Company for use in the Driving Training course which is to be taught in the Sallisaw High School Mr. Cecil Acuff is to be instructor for the course. He took a special course in driving instruction during the Christmas holidays and is well qualified to teach this class.

Mr. Hurd said that the course carries a full semester credit and is approved by the Department of Education and the State Department of Public Safety. At the present time only seniors are eligible for the enrollment in this course.

It was pointed out that this is the only course of its kind offered in the county. Larger high schools such as those in Cleveland, Ohio, have been teaching driving classes for a number of years and statistics recently released show that over a period of ten years after the inauguration of driving classes, accidents among high school students have been cut down as much as fifty percent.

—The house public works committee Tuesday approved a bill authorizing purchase of sites for new post office buildings in at least 10 cities in Oklahoma.

Those cities listed as eligible for new buildings in the Second Congressional District in Oklahoma are: Sallisaw, Stigler, Checotah, Haskell and Wagoner.

Sam Pointer, Sallisaw Postmaster, said that there is a definite need for a new building here.

—Jim Moss, Vian farmer, has been a successful strawberry grower for many years. According to statistics from the office of C.L. Weatherford, County Agent, he expects to harvest about 20 acres of strawberries this spring. Barring unusual conditions, Mr. Moss conservatively estimates that his yield should be about 100 crates per acre or 2,000 crates on his 20 acres. The strawberry plants look fine at the present. They have been fertilized and are showing a vigorous growth.

Mr. Moss last year through the insistence of Mrs. Moss. Tried his luck with growing out 800 White Leghorn pullets for egg production. In order to bring the number of pullets down to the size of housing facilities he sold about 400 of these last summer and is carrying at the present about 400 hens in his flock.

He states that he had some losses due to predatory animals but on the whole he has had a very successful poultry program.

“If I were starting again now, I would get my baby chicks in March and rush them to fall when they would come into production at a time when the price of eggs are at the best, during November and December. I would grow my own grain and green feed and thereby cut out the cost of laying mash,” states Mr. Moss.

100 years ago

(From the March 21, 1924, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat)

—Sallisaw experienced a real thrill Wednesday night when news spread like wildfire throughout the city that little Gladys Spears, nine-yearold daughter of E.S. Spears was lost. The child did not return to her home after school hours and about 7:00 o’clock, J.C. Woll, chief of police and Perry Chuculate, night policemen were notified and an immediate search was started all over the city. Chief Woll announced the search at the theater and every man and boy responded. The town was systematically searched, under direction of Mayor C.B. Johnson and the police, and about 9:30 o’clock the child was found at the home of Perry Scoggins where she had gone after school hours. The search was made even more exciting and fearful because of the heavy snow storm which had started about 6:30 p.m., it being the belief of the searchers that the child might have become exhausted and gone to sleep before the storm began.