Bones plus tree, equal mystery on Akins farm

25 Years Ago

—The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently released costs for improvements to U.S. Highway 59 south of Interstate 40, along with tentative bid dates.

The new Arkansas River bridge will be located about one-half mile east of the current location and will cost about $24.1 million to build.

—Flames shooting out of control from the top of a propane tank created a potentially explosive situation for firefighters late Monday afternoon.

The tank ignited just as Arva Jett, captain of the Vian Volunteer Fire Department, arrived at the scene of a burning mobile home at Pinhook Corner, northeast of Vian.

Firefighters, from Vian, McKey and Marble City Volunteer Fire Departments battled the blaze for more than three house, Jett said. With no hydrants to hook into, the firefighters, resorted to a modern-day bucket brigade, shuttling tankers out to fetch water back to the fire scene.

50 Years Ago

—Blue Ribbon Downs, the richest non pari-mutuel futurity race in the country, will have its first post time of the 1974-75 season at 10 a.m. Friday. There will be races every Friday and Saturday through Jan. 11, 1975.

Purses for the upcoming season are expected to exceed a record breaking $1,000,000 which has aroused the interest of race horse owners in 40 states and two foreign countries.

The track was widened by 19 feet and equalized so all horses will have an equal chance regardless of the gate drawn.

In addition to the new bleachers, four new barns have been added, at a price of $15,000 each, to accommodate the estimated 3,330 horses which will pass through Blue Ribbon Downs before the season ends.

75 Years Ago

—Mr. and Mrs. Bill Davis, who live one mile south of Akins, uncovered a mystery Thursday that could well be over a hundred years old.

They were splitting logs for cook wood and came upon two apparently human bones about 10 feet up from the roots of an oak tree.

“The bones are sort of reddish colored,” said Mrs. Davis, who phoned the TIMES office with the information. “The three or four people who have looked at them have all thought they were human bones.”

“We found the log out in the pasture,” she said, “and it measures about three and a half feet across.”

The mystery? How did the bones get there in the first place. That’s the $64 question.

—The Palace drug store is in the process of having its face lifted this week, and according to Dale Byrd, manager, there’s more to come.

Byrd has put in a brand new floor covering of an attractive design, and is currently installing new red and tan upholstered booths with tables to match.

“Also the store will be shortened a little,” said Byrd. “We’re going to bring the prescription case up several feet and put in a wall at that point. Then later we will install a new back bar on the fountain.”

—A new eating establishment has been opened by Mrs. Harry Davis next door to Davis’ Service Station, in which she is serving sandwiches, cold drinks and pastries.

“I am going to call my place,” Mrs. Davis said, “The Kitchenette.” She got the name from the very fact that the kitchen in which she works is kitchenette size.

Mrs. Davis is going to cater to the school children and sell them their hamburgers and other eats at reduced prices. She declared “I am going to give them good eats like they would get at home, but at the same time have reasonable prices.” Anyone else who wishes to eat in her new “Kitchenette” may do so but she is expecting to charge more and at the same time give more to eat than she will to the school children, she explained.

100 Years Ago

—Frank Chance, who was captured about two weeks ago by the local sheriff’s force, was removed to Stilwell on Monday for confinement in the county jail there pending his trial, in December upon the charge of having robbed the Kansas City Southern station agent of Westville. Mose Crittendon, sheriff of Adair County, came to Sallisaw and took Chance back there. The capture of Chance was one of the most important made in a long time in this county. He is said to have served two terms in the state penitentiary and had made the boast to friends that he never intended to be taken alive again and the officers of Adair, Cherokee and Sequoyah counties anticipated trouble should they ever capture him and their expectations were realized. Chance was captured recently near McKey and showed fight when commanded to surrender the officers were forced to shoot him. His wounds were of a minor nature however and he recovered sufficiently within a week to permit his transfer to Stilwell.