Cotton fields are plagued by boll weevils

This Week in County History

— Sequoyah County Times, June 17, 1949

25 Years Ago

—The first phase of the proposed Cherokee Nation port on the north side of Kerr Lake will cost about $9.9 million and could create 1,500 to 2,000 jobs, a Cherokee Nation spokesman said Tuesday.

Charles Gourd is the Cherokee Nation Port Authority administrator. He called the first meeting of the port authority Friday.

The meeting, Gourd said, “went very well, it was excellent.”

Dick Mayo of Sallisaw, co-owner of Your TIMES, was appointed to the port authority by Principal Chief Joe Byrd. Mayo and other authority members were sworn into office at Friday’s meeting and elected officers. Mayo will serve as secretary and treasurer. The Cherokee Nation Gourd said, is not planning on owning and operating businesses at the port. Rather, the tribe hopes to attract new business to the area with the facility.

50 Years Ago

—Sequoyah County Health Inspector Homer Pace Monday officially closed the Roland City Dump after giving the city an oral closing notice Saturday.

A spokesman at Roland said the Ward Manufacturing Co., of Fort Smith came to the Roland dump early last week and dumped a large quantity of paint, thinners, glues and other chemicals.

The materials caught fire or “exploded” as one spokesman put it, causing dense smoke and hazards in and around the dump.

Pace, the inspector, said the dump was closed because the dump was not being properly maintained and had caused a nuisance because of the smoke.

Despite the heavy rains last week, the chemicals continued to burn and the Roland Fire Department was called in but could not extinguish the smoldering remains with their equipment. It was learned that the Fort Smith furniture company received permission to dump at the site from a Roland councilman.

—Mrs. Gertrude McConnell, Marble City, will appear on the John Chick show Monday, June 17 at 7 a.m. over Tulsa TV channel 8.

Mrs. McConnell, a noted ragtime piano player, will play several numbers on the show including one during which she will have the piano keys covered with a cloth and she will be blindfolded.

Mrs. McConnell said she will be dedicating her numbers to people who live in this part of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

75 Years Ago

—C.L. Weatherford, County Agent, announced today that boll weevils are now making their appearance in cotton fields in this county. Aphids or lice are also doing some damage to cotton.

Weatherford said two new insecticides which have proved very effective are being recommended this year for control of boll weevils and other cotton insects. They are 3-5-40 (Benzenchexchloride DDT and Sulphur) and Chlorinated Camphene.

—Dr. D.G. Divine, Director of District No. 1, said today that all children who are to enter school for the first time in the fall should have a thorough examination by a physician and by a dentist in the spring or early summer. This, he explained, will allow the summertime for correction of defects, for vaccination, and for immunization, if needed. Devine added that school brings added danger of contacting communicable diseases.

—Brooks Griffith, local building contractor who is repairing the interior of the upstairs of the Post Office building, Wednesday uncovered an old stock exchange blackboard on the walls of one of the rooms. Griffith said that the board was under seven layers of paper.

Roy Frye and W.D. Mayo both said that the old stock exchange office was established in 1904. According to them, one of the dealers of the New York Stock Exchange who had an office in Fort Smith opened a branch office in Sallisaw to take care of “stock market gamblers.” A direct wire was maintained into the local office.

However, the story goes that the office remained open only a short time as the local dealers were “sold short.”

100 Years Ago

—A hail storm visited a section of the county near Akins Friday morning and completely destroyed the cotton, corn, grain and berry crops, according to reliable information received here this week.

Col. George Fine who lives near Akins was in the midst of the hail route and his cotton, corn and berries were completely destroyed. Col. Fine stated he was replanting his cotton and trusting that his corn crop would pull through. He stated that corn waist high in that vicinity was stripped by the hail and the cotton beaten to the ground. Col. Fine has a fine orchard and it is a total loss this season. Farmers living in the vicinity, where the hail visited suffered untold losses.

—Wade H. Borin, a Civil War veteran and a member of General Custer’s Old Guards, which made American history, died at his home in the west end of town early Sunday morning. Mr. Borin was stricken late Friday evening with apoplexy and continued to grow weaker until the end came.

Mr. Borin was eighty-one years of age. Was born in South Carolina and after growing to manhood he went north. After war was declared between the states he enlisted with the Union Army and saw active service for three years. He was in such battles as Gettysburg and Bull Run. In the battle of Gettysburg Mr. Borin was seriously wounded and after recuperating he again entered army service. Following the end of the war, the civil war veteran enlisted in the regular army to battle the Indians. He served with General Custer for two years and took part in many important skirmishes with the Indians.

Mr. Borin has the distinction of being a member of the posse which captured Wilkes Booth, after the assassination of President Abe Lincoln.