Labor Day wedding mob mars holiday at Tenkiller

From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times

25 Years Ago

(From the Sept. 9,1999, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

—The announced closing of the Kansas City Southern intermodal ramp in Sallisaw is not causing city officials much concern.

Mayor George Glenn said Wednesday the intermodal ramp, or piggyback service, located along the railroad’s lines on Port Arthur Place in Sallisaw, “has been nothing but a problem. The noise, the vibration and blocking the crossings has destroyed the quality of life for the people who live there.”

Kansas City Southern opened the ramp in 1985, and announced its closing in a letter dated Aug. 26. The letter was sent to the railroad’s customers, many of whom are in Fort Smith, Ark., where the ramp was originally located. The letter said the ramp will close Sept. 30.

The intermodal ramp is used to load and unload semi-trailers off and onto railroad flatcars for shipment around the country. Area residents have complained about the noise from the yard ever since its opening.

Glenn said the intermodal ramp moved to Sallisaw from Fort Smith and it did not require permission from the city to set up business in the mainly residential neighborhood.

50 Years Ago

(From the Sept. 5, 1974, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

—Lake Tenkiller erupted into a rock-throwing mob scene early Sunday morning when Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers attempted to disperse a wedding party crowd of 100 to 150 persons.

The officers responded to a disturbance call made by lake ranger Norman Philpott and were greeted by the horde of angry party goers.

Nineteen people were arrested and booked for public drunkenness. A charge of possession of marijuana was later dropped.

One youth from Okmulgee was arrested for public drunkenness, resisting arrest, public disturbance and assaulting a police officer. Another was arrested for interfering with a police officer and malicious injury of property.

The incident, which occurred at Crappie Point on Lake Tenkiller, started with the call by ranger Philpott for assistance. Highway patrol trooper Keith Buchanan responded to the call, along with two Coast Guardsmen assigned to the area. The men were approached by a youth shouting obscenities and creating a disturbance, the patrol stated.

Officers arrested the young man after a brief struggle. They were quickly surrounded by about 50 people, but managed to get the man into the highway patrol car.

75 Years Ago

(From the Sept. 9, 1949, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

—Mirl Edwards of Short, said yesterday that a new road between Stilwell and Short was opened for Traffic Tuesday afternoon. The road is 20 miles long and was built from Stilwell to the Adair-Sequoyah County line by the Adair County Commissioners and from the Sequoyah County line to Short by the and F.W. Freeborn of Tulsa, Edwards said.

The new road was named “Edwards Road” according to Edwards. The first car to drive over the completed road was C.B. Taylor of Oklahoma City.

—The Sequoyah County Free Fair-Rodeo contest to decide who shall reign as Queen over the Cookson Hills for the coming year is now in its final week with the three contestants, Miss Patsy Lee Lattimore, sponsored by the Round-Up Club, Miss De Lois Faulkner, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and Miss Ruth Breedlove, sponsored by the Sallisaw Lions Club being the only three entrants in the race.

The judges will base their decision on the contestants riding ability in the parade Saturday and the final decision being made Wednesday night at the big street dance, featuring music by Johnnie Lee Wills and his Boys. Points judged then will be personality, costume and ticket sales.

100 years ago

(From the Sept. 5, 1924, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat)

—Serious thought and favorable action should be uppermost in the minds of our citizens and business men just at this time in connection with the installation of a ferry boat across the Arkansas River near Brent. The proposition has been discussed from every angle in recent meeting of the Ad Club.

The proposed ferry will be installed by an experienced ferryman at no cost to us. He asks only that our people improve and open the necessary roadway to the river bank, costing only a few hundred dollars. The road and ferry will open to Sallisaw a rich and well improved farm trade territory across the river, but in addition it will bring a great deal of natural traffic through this city. Residents of Heavener, Talihina, Poteau, Spiro, Kinta, Quinton, Stigler and many other towns in that section of the state who wish to come into Sequoyah County are forced to go to Fort Smith or to Webbers Falls. This ferry will eliminate the necessity of such and will throw much travel and traffic direct to Sallisaw, that might otherwise choose other routes. Unquestionable the proposed ferry is worth the investment and it is to be hoped that our business men will respond and make its installation possible.

—A large hay barn belonging to the First National Bank of Muldrow burned Sunday night. It was filled with fresh cut hay, baled and stored only a few days prior to the fire and it is the belief of city officials at Muldrow who investigated the causes that the fire started from spontaneous combustion. It was first believed that the fire might have been set but later investigation disproved this theory. Fires of this character occur nearly every year during hay gathering time. The Muldrow loss, including the barn and the feed stuff stored therein, totaled more than $1,000.