Elaborate ceremonies to dedicate buildings at Dwight Sunday

— Sequoyah County Democrat, April 25, 1924

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times

25 Years Ago

(From the April 29, 1999, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Bill Hedge of Sallisaw is still The Man at Blue Ribbon Downs, the racetrack he founded 39 years ago, in April 1960.

Sunday, Hedge, 82, won the oldest futurity in existence for Quarter Horses, the 53rd Oklahoma Futurity, with Taking On The Bully, in the last running of the futurity in this century.

The Oklahoma Futurity was actually run in several other states before it finally found a home at Blue Ribbon Downs, and it has run under other longer names. And there are bigger and richer Quarter Horse races. But as far as tradition and prestige go, there’s no other futurity which can match the Oklahoma Futurity.

Hedge has seen a lot of Quarter Horse and racing history since 1960, and placing his name among the trainers who have won the Oklahoma Futurity is just about as good as winning his first race.

50 Years Ago

(From the April 25, 1974, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —Two men remain at large following a jail break that apparently took place Saturday night or thereafter, Sheriff Ade Walters told Your TIMES this week.

The men apparently sawed a bar loose in the county jail with a hacksaw blade and fled the jail.

They were being held after they had filled up their car with gas and allegedly fled the service station without paying for the purchase several weeks ago.

The men were not missed from the facility until Tuesday morning, Sheriff Walters said.

—Sequoyah County law enforcement agents reaped an early crop of approximately 150 to 200 small marijuana plants that were found in a neat garden patch near a stream north of Vian Tuesday.

Trooper Jim Riseley and Deputy Matlock began an investigation that led up to the harvest Tuesday.

The officers said approximately 200 plants were in the garden that had been partially cleared and rowed.

Matlock said the plants were analyzed and have been proven to be actual marijuana plants.

75 Years Ago

(From the April 29, 1949, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —W.H. Johnson, Chief of Police, today warned all dog owners that starting Monday every dog found running at large on the streets of Sallisaw that is not wearing a tag showing that they have been inoculated for rabies and a tag showing that the city license fee has been paid, will be shot without further notice.

Johnson stated that it is estimated that tags have been bought for less than 50 percent of the dogs in Sallisaw, and that unless there is a rush of business the dog population will be greatly reduced after Monday. Johnson also stated that he hoped everyone who cared for their dogs would buy the tags before Saturday, the deadline.

—It is reported that Mrs. Noah Sparks had quite an experience last Monday afternoon during the windstorm as she was crossing the bridge at Hog Creek on her way home.

The bridge is in a hollow, Mrs. Sparks said, and in some way the wind caught the car and whirled it around several times on the bridge. The car was then blown off the bridge into the ditch, and as if that were not enough, was blown from side to side in the ditch.

The thing that worried Mrs. Sparks most though, seemed to be the fact that she had groceries in the back end of her car and they all blew away.

100 Years Ago

(From the April 25, 1924, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat) —The dedication of the new buildings, Sunday, April 27 at the Dwight Indian Training school, located nine miles northwest of Sallisaw, marks the beginning of an elaborate expansion program to be carried out by the board of missions of the Presbyterian church.

Dwight Indian Training school is the oldest school in the entire state and is at this time receiving more donations from the board and gradual upbuilding of the school will follow The Dwight Mission school has been destroyed by fire on two or three occasions during the past fifteen years, and in one fire thirteen little Indian pupils gave their lives. Since this disastrous fire the school has been practically abandoned, with the exception of teaching of pupils in the grades, until last year when the Presbyterian board sent Harvey C. Hansen from North Dakota here to build up the school again. During the past few years the school has been headed by F.L. Schaub, now of Muskogee, John M. Robe of Okmulgee, who was superintendent at the time thirteen lives were lost in a fire, Minnie C. Clayton and the present superintendent.

—Con Sullivan was sentenced to two years in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, by Judge Robert L. Williams, on Tuesday. Sullivan was convicted for conspiracy in connection with possession of stolen Argentine bonds. Sullivan is well known in Sallisaw to the older residents having lived here in his boyhood days. His father was a former banker in Sallisaw prior to statehood.

—W.C. Wood and R.Y. Nance, formerly of Stilwell, have formed a law partnership and the firm will be known as Nance and Wood. They will have offices in the Frye building. Attorney Nance was a former law partner of E.B. Arnold and was in charge of their law office in this city until it was dissolved several days ago. Attorney Wood is well known in this county and has been practicing law for the past two years.