copyWrite By Mark House
Born in Anadarko and raised in the rural community of Lookeba, Oklahoma, I've always been proud of my small town Caddo County roots and upbringing. From 1962 to 1976, I belonged with a family of people who lived and worked together towards higher education and brighter futures. As well, we all seemed to watch out for each other in a way that only family would and could care to do. There seemed to be enough issues to eliminate the idea of perfection, but, none more than what normal families and communities would be expected to endure and conquer.
Born in Anadarko and raised in the rural community of Lookeba, Oklahoma, I've always been proud of my small town Caddo County roots and upbringing. From 1962 to 1976, I belonged with a family of people who lived and worked together towards higher education and brighter futures. As well, we all seemed to watch out for each other in a way that only family would and could care to do. There seemed to be enough issues to eliminate the idea of perfection, but, none more than what normal families and communities would be expected to endure and conquer.
A significant memory of youth includes searching for and gathering empty pop bottles to cash in for deposit at Ingram's Grocery Store in Lookeba.
I found every pop bottle I could with great effort to feel and hear the jangle of some small change in my pocket just long enough to walk next door to Mrs. Ingram's dime store and buy a few packs of baseball or football cards. In our current environment filled with instagram, facebook, cell phones, video games and world wide webs, the experience might seem a bit mundane. But, to me, it was huge. Mrs. Ingram always kept them up on the shelf behind the counter and over to the left a bit.
With what I thought at the time was hard work, the potential reward of getting one of my favorite players from the St. Louis Cardinals or Minnesota Vikings from within the small wax paper packages was indescribable. A dime would buy a pack of ten cards and there was always a tasty piece of chewing gum found inside. A real nice bonus in case all I got was some Steelers and damn Yankees.
I can't remember exactly why I started liking the Vikings from Minnesota as they were and remain at a distance and actually lost four Super Bowls at the time of my youthful football fan evolution. I learned later in life that my great great grandparents William and Emilie (Wilcowsky) Schimmel moved to Lookeba in the early 1900's from New America, Minnesota. Relative or not to my Skol fandomship, it is quite a coincidence to discover.
I do know exactly why I became a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals aka the "Redbirds." Both my grandmothers, Sue Schimmel and Zoma House loved redbirds so I sorta took a liking to the Cardinals as my baseball team under the influence of a duel grandma's love for the real deal. As well, the Cardinals were the only team, at the time, that were remotely broadcast over the air waves that could reach Lookeba. The voice of Jack Buck via KMOX in St. Louis via KNOR in Norman reached out with some AM static to stir my imagination with thoughts of becoming a big league pitcher.
I found every pop bottle I could with great effort to feel and hear the jangle of some small change in my pocket just long enough to walk next door to Mrs. Ingram's dime store and buy a few packs of baseball or football cards. In our current environment filled with instagram, facebook, cell phones, video games and world wide webs, the experience might seem a bit mundane. But, to me, it was huge. Mrs. Ingram always kept them up on the shelf behind the counter and over to the left a bit.
With what I thought at the time was hard work, the potential reward of getting one of my favorite players from the St. Louis Cardinals or Minnesota Vikings from within the small wax paper packages was indescribable. A dime would buy a pack of ten cards and there was always a tasty piece of chewing gum found inside. A real nice bonus in case all I got was some Steelers and damn Yankees.
I can't remember exactly why I started liking the Vikings from Minnesota as they were and remain at a distance and actually lost four Super Bowls at the time of my youthful football fan evolution. I learned later in life that my great great grandparents William and Emilie (Wilcowsky) Schimmel moved to Lookeba in the early 1900's from New America, Minnesota. Relative or not to my Skol fandomship, it is quite a coincidence to discover.
I do know exactly why I became a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals aka the "Redbirds." Both my grandmothers, Sue Schimmel and Zoma House loved redbirds so I sorta took a liking to the Cardinals as my baseball team under the influence of a duel grandma's love for the real deal. As well, the Cardinals were the only team, at the time, that were remotely broadcast over the air waves that could reach Lookeba. The voice of Jack Buck via KMOX in St. Louis via KNOR in Norman reached out with some AM static to stir my imagination with thoughts of becoming a big league pitcher.
Listening to the St. Louis baseball games over the sometimes static filled AM airwaves of KMOX radio was a big thrill as a young fan of the Cardinals.
My youthful days spent growing up in Lookeba were not unlike most other young men of the times. School seemed to last forever and the summers filled with little league baseball could not last long enough. A simple existence with simple pleasures are missed. Riding our bikes wherever we wanted and mostly whenever we wanted. Sometimes all the way to grandma's house and back which was a big thrill. A long three miles but a big thrill none the less.
A post game soda cold with ice and a frito chili pie from a small concession stand invades my memory bank when I think of best moments. A personal window of time that seemed to open and close faster than a young kid can swing a little league bat and soak it all in for what it was truly worth.
My youthful days spent growing up in Lookeba were not unlike most other young men of the times. School seemed to last forever and the summers filled with little league baseball could not last long enough. A simple existence with simple pleasures are missed. Riding our bikes wherever we wanted and mostly whenever we wanted. Sometimes all the way to grandma's house and back which was a big thrill. A long three miles but a big thrill none the less.
A post game soda cold with ice and a frito chili pie from a small concession stand invades my memory bank when I think of best moments. A personal window of time that seemed to open and close faster than a young kid can swing a little league bat and soak it all in for what it was truly worth.
A personal and adventurous embrace with little league baseball including a "Coke And A Smile" at Johnny Bench Field in 1971.
As life moves on, things can change and those best moments and dreams of becoming a big league pitcher can quickly become memories written about in blog form. Time spent as part of a small community family can become history before your own eyes. A personal and individual history that is fondly remembered and now recognized as a very brief but special window of life's time within a community's lengthy existence.
With age, I've gained enjoyment from exhuming historical details about things that interest me. Whether it's an old cap, a rare image or facts about my hometown, I've found interesting details are sometimes lurking just beneath a surface that deserves looking underneath with a youthful curiosity.
This philosophy is what brought me to research the true roots of where I came from. It has been such an intriguing adventure of documents, data and images that have fused together in a way that seems interesting enough to share. While everyone, including myself, can make the mistake of thinking time started when they were born, it can be an amazing awakening to look back farther than your mind can imagine and see what you can discover.
While thumbing through various historical images at an Oklahoma City antique market one day and a few years ago, I ran across some that were most interesting and of my hometown. More recently and while scanning through the archives of Oklahoma's magnificent History Center, I ran across some interesting and old articles about my hometown. I believe my attempt to merge these antiquated images with the somewhat distant, rare and time eroded information will be of great interest to some. Maybe to those who were born and raised in my hometown or have just traveled through or even just visited family or friends there at some point within the sun dial of their lifetime.
In search of these details past, it was certainly exhilarating to discover a newspaper supplement published within the "Lookeba Index" in a previous century on March 12, 1914. Many will be surprised to learn that citizens of Lookeba enjoyed reading their own hometown newspapers in the early parts of the last century. This particular supplement from the Index seems to fairly and accurately document exactly what I was looking for. The earliest history of my hometown. This would be the decade of its birth and its genesis of existence that began in 1901.
As life moves on, things can change and those best moments and dreams of becoming a big league pitcher can quickly become memories written about in blog form. Time spent as part of a small community family can become history before your own eyes. A personal and individual history that is fondly remembered and now recognized as a very brief but special window of life's time within a community's lengthy existence.
With age, I've gained enjoyment from exhuming historical details about things that interest me. Whether it's an old cap, a rare image or facts about my hometown, I've found interesting details are sometimes lurking just beneath a surface that deserves looking underneath with a youthful curiosity.
This philosophy is what brought me to research the true roots of where I came from. It has been such an intriguing adventure of documents, data and images that have fused together in a way that seems interesting enough to share. While everyone, including myself, can make the mistake of thinking time started when they were born, it can be an amazing awakening to look back farther than your mind can imagine and see what you can discover.
While thumbing through various historical images at an Oklahoma City antique market one day and a few years ago, I ran across some that were most interesting and of my hometown. More recently and while scanning through the archives of Oklahoma's magnificent History Center, I ran across some interesting and old articles about my hometown. I believe my attempt to merge these antiquated images with the somewhat distant, rare and time eroded information will be of great interest to some. Maybe to those who were born and raised in my hometown or have just traveled through or even just visited family or friends there at some point within the sun dial of their lifetime.
In search of these details past, it was certainly exhilarating to discover a newspaper supplement published within the "Lookeba Index" in a previous century on March 12, 1914. Many will be surprised to learn that citizens of Lookeba enjoyed reading their own hometown newspapers in the early parts of the last century. This particular supplement from the Index seems to fairly and accurately document exactly what I was looking for. The earliest history of my hometown. This would be the decade of its birth and its genesis of existence that began in 1901.
John Dunn served as one of three different publishers of the Lookeba Index which existed from 1909 to 1916.
It is my hope that some will enjoy the historical documentation of Lookeba's genesis as written in supplement form by one Daisy Dean. Daisy notes information assistance coming from Rachel Hageman, Wilber Hadley, Claude Nickell, Ernest Hageman and Arthur Hageman. At the time of the printing and distribution of Daisy Dean's special supplement on March 12, 1914, John Dunn was recognized as the publisher of the Lookeba Index.
"Lookeba - a peculiar name for a town. How it came by that name no one knows certainly. But the majority of its inhabitants seem to believe the origin of the name to have been with Mrs. Loo, who took the first syllables of the names of the 3 townsite holders, Loo, Kelly and Baker, and formed the word Lookeba. But however it came by its name, we know it is Lookeba, and we know that had the townspeople been allowed their choice, we would now be living in Oakdale instead of in Lookeba.
The first settlers came here in the spring of 1901, and a year later the townsite company bought 160 acres of land - eighty from Mr. John Digman, and eighty from Miss Carrie Oplinger. A section line passes through the center forming the main street of the town and another, the boundary to the east. The grassy slopes of four hills form a sheltered valley; black-jack, cottonwood, walnut and elm trees furnished shade: there lies Lookeba.
It is my hope that some will enjoy the historical documentation of Lookeba's genesis as written in supplement form by one Daisy Dean. Daisy notes information assistance coming from Rachel Hageman, Wilber Hadley, Claude Nickell, Ernest Hageman and Arthur Hageman. At the time of the printing and distribution of Daisy Dean's special supplement on March 12, 1914, John Dunn was recognized as the publisher of the Lookeba Index.
"Lookeba - a peculiar name for a town. How it came by that name no one knows certainly. But the majority of its inhabitants seem to believe the origin of the name to have been with Mrs. Loo, who took the first syllables of the names of the 3 townsite holders, Loo, Kelly and Baker, and formed the word Lookeba. But however it came by its name, we know it is Lookeba, and we know that had the townspeople been allowed their choice, we would now be living in Oakdale instead of in Lookeba.
The first settlers came here in the spring of 1901, and a year later the townsite company bought 160 acres of land - eighty from Mr. John Digman, and eighty from Miss Carrie Oplinger. A section line passes through the center forming the main street of the town and another, the boundary to the east. The grassy slopes of four hills form a sheltered valley; black-jack, cottonwood, walnut and elm trees furnished shade: there lies Lookeba.
From its Caddo County, Oklahoma Territory (O.T.) genesis in 1901 to a transformed and thriving township by 1910, Lookeba was an infant community born adjacent to the soothing and clear flowing waters of Sugar Creek.
In the south part of town near the Chickasha gin, there used to stand a little house built of pine. It is not there now, and nothing is left whereby we may know its exact location. That was the home of Miss Carrie Oplinger - and the first house built in Lookeba.
The same spring the townsite was laid out, the farmers graded Rock Island railway, and in the summer the track was laid. On the morning of September 28, 1902, the startled trees echoed for the first time the shrill whistle of the locomotive, and the prairie, so long hidden from civilization, trembled for the first time beneath the form of the "Iron Horse." The mail bags were exchanged. Then it was off to the next stop - but it had left a promise of future development; and the hope of greater prosperity; the opportunity to "make good."
In the south part of town near the Chickasha gin, there used to stand a little house built of pine. It is not there now, and nothing is left whereby we may know its exact location. That was the home of Miss Carrie Oplinger - and the first house built in Lookeba.
The same spring the townsite was laid out, the farmers graded Rock Island railway, and in the summer the track was laid. On the morning of September 28, 1902, the startled trees echoed for the first time the shrill whistle of the locomotive, and the prairie, so long hidden from civilization, trembled for the first time beneath the form of the "Iron Horse." The mail bags were exchanged. Then it was off to the next stop - but it had left a promise of future development; and the hope of greater prosperity; the opportunity to "make good."
A rare visual of the Rock Island Railroad Depot in Lookeba as photographed in the early 1900's. The railroad, arriving on September 28, 1902, was considered a vital element of early day economic and physical growth for this new township in Caddo County, Oklahoma Territory.
In August, of 1902, a post office had been erected. Prior to that time the mail had been brought from Binger three times each week, and was distributed on sideboards set up on posts in front of Mr. Scholten's tent, located in the northeast part of town.
After lengthy discussion it was decided that a schoolhouse should be built. It was not a fine house, nor very large, but it supplied the demand at that time. On December 1902, school opened, with Mr. Otis Russell in charge.
As needful to a community as a school is religion of some form. As was common in small towns a Union Sunday School and a United Bretheren Church were organized. No church was built, meetings being held in the schoolhouse. Rev. Mr. Johnston was the pastor.
In August, of 1902, a post office had been erected. Prior to that time the mail had been brought from Binger three times each week, and was distributed on sideboards set up on posts in front of Mr. Scholten's tent, located in the northeast part of town.
After lengthy discussion it was decided that a schoolhouse should be built. It was not a fine house, nor very large, but it supplied the demand at that time. On December 1902, school opened, with Mr. Otis Russell in charge.
As needful to a community as a school is religion of some form. As was common in small towns a Union Sunday School and a United Bretheren Church were organized. No church was built, meetings being held in the schoolhouse. Rev. Mr. Johnston was the pastor.
Lookeba teacher Thresha Driscoll with her students in 1907. The very first Oklahoma Territorial students in Lookeba attended a makeshift school house that opened in 1902. This makeshift school house was also utilized as a location of church gatherings by Reverend Johnston of the United Bretheren Church.
But to bring people into a locale there must be the promise of better homes, more opportunity, some faith in a betterment of their conditions. All depends on the productiveness of the soil, and what hope can these be for a place where irrigation is practically impossible and where it never rains? That seemed to be the proposition here, for from the time the first settlers came, not a drop of rain had fallen. The third of May, 1903 brought the longed-for rain. It began with a mist and ended with a fall of water that spread Sugar Creek all over the bottom land, forcing Mr. Beach's - and others living on low ground to vacate their homes in the middle of the night and wade through water waist deep to dry land. No serious damage was done, and indeed, most people counted it a very fortunate event. Like the Nile, Sugar Creek has overflowed its banks each year since, and like the Nile, it seems to carry new life to the worn out fields. There has never been a complete crop failure in our locality since that flood.
Then the business men began to come in. G.W. Knapp established the first store - "The Summit Grocery," The Mayberry-Wise Hardware, and H.N. Christian's Department Stores followed. The cotton yield that fall justified the farmers in establishing the Farmers Gin, and the Nickell and Allen gin was also erected that year. This year 1903, the Methodist Church was organized.
But to bring people into a locale there must be the promise of better homes, more opportunity, some faith in a betterment of their conditions. All depends on the productiveness of the soil, and what hope can these be for a place where irrigation is practically impossible and where it never rains? That seemed to be the proposition here, for from the time the first settlers came, not a drop of rain had fallen. The third of May, 1903 brought the longed-for rain. It began with a mist and ended with a fall of water that spread Sugar Creek all over the bottom land, forcing Mr. Beach's - and others living on low ground to vacate their homes in the middle of the night and wade through water waist deep to dry land. No serious damage was done, and indeed, most people counted it a very fortunate event. Like the Nile, Sugar Creek has overflowed its banks each year since, and like the Nile, it seems to carry new life to the worn out fields. There has never been a complete crop failure in our locality since that flood.
Then the business men began to come in. G.W. Knapp established the first store - "The Summit Grocery," The Mayberry-Wise Hardware, and H.N. Christian's Department Stores followed. The cotton yield that fall justified the farmers in establishing the Farmers Gin, and the Nickell and Allen gin was also erected that year. This year 1903, the Methodist Church was organized.
Lookeba's Methodist Episcopal Church Ladies Aid Organization was formed in 1903 to provide assistance and support for settlers residing in one of Oklahoma Territory's newest townships. Standing (left to right) is Mrs Will Hadley, Mrs. Ethel Wheeler, Mrs. H.N. Christian, Mrs. John Chambers, Mrs. Will Scholten and Mrs. Albert Koontz. Seated (left to right) is Mrs. Charles Wise, Mrs. H. Meyers, Mrs. Ed Hadley and Mrs. Ellen Chambers. Photograph is that of Mrs. Titus and standing front right is Mrs. Prosser.
But as yet, not a town - only a settlement. We had no rights as a people, we could not act as a body. What was done had to be done by individuals. In 1907 the town limits were surveyed, and ours became a real miniature city in 1908. The council consisted of W.E. Dean, E. McKinney, and O.M. Hadley. H.E. Warren acted as clerk, I.T. Nickell as treasurer and Clayton Babb as marshal. Of course if the marshal had anything to do, there would be need of a jail, so that fall, in order to protect its rights, Lookeba built a jail - otherwise known as "Clate Babb's Hotel." So far as I know there has been but two lodgers there each for but a night.
In 1909 our school district was consolidated with a strip of country east of here, making our district three miles wide and six miles long. Three wagons were employed to bring the children in from the country. A four room schoolhouse was built in the southwest part of town, the exact center of the district. It stands on a hill where it watches the town and guards it against giving way to the popular feeling of more cotton and less school. Three teachers were employed.
But as yet, not a town - only a settlement. We had no rights as a people, we could not act as a body. What was done had to be done by individuals. In 1907 the town limits were surveyed, and ours became a real miniature city in 1908. The council consisted of W.E. Dean, E. McKinney, and O.M. Hadley. H.E. Warren acted as clerk, I.T. Nickell as treasurer and Clayton Babb as marshal. Of course if the marshal had anything to do, there would be need of a jail, so that fall, in order to protect its rights, Lookeba built a jail - otherwise known as "Clate Babb's Hotel." So far as I know there has been but two lodgers there each for but a night.
In 1909 our school district was consolidated with a strip of country east of here, making our district three miles wide and six miles long. Three wagons were employed to bring the children in from the country. A four room schoolhouse was built in the southwest part of town, the exact center of the district. It stands on a hill where it watches the town and guards it against giving way to the popular feeling of more cotton and less school. Three teachers were employed.
A view from the south side of Lookeba's magnificent four room school house which was actually completed in the year of 1910. The school was located at the top of the hill and overlooked what was now recognized as an official chartered town within the state of Oklahoma which was granted statehood within the Union of the United States three years earlier in 1907.
Mr. Ogle established a printing office that spring and printed the first editions of a newspaper all our own - The Lookeba Index, and it is yet the only paper printed especially for the town news.
After a series of Revival meetings Rev. Mr. Dodson organized the Baptist Church.
Lookeba has had in its history but one fire. About midnight Feb, 22, 1910. Mr. Prossers who were living in the hotel at that time, awoke to find their building in flames. The towns people were quickly summoned, but all effort was of no avail, for by two o'clock the hotel, drug store, pool hall and a general department store were in ruins. The block has not yet been wholly rebuilt.
After much argument with the governor, it was decided that some of the prisoners from the state penitentiary should come here and construct a road of about ten miles through Lookeba. In July 1911, one hundred men arrived, and amid a crowd of people who had come to view the "convicts," they journeyed to their camp west of town. The people seemed to think of them of some sort of humanity but hardly as men.
The roads were greatly bettered by their work.
The advancement of our town since then has been chiefly in a business way. At present there are twenty business houses in Lookeba kept at work, and two seed houses were established in December, 1913. Last year Lookeba shipped out 362 carloads of products while only 87 were shipped in. Ours has grown from a few farm houses and a post-office, into a real , live, thriving town, well fitted to supply the needs of the people who live here."
blogUmentary Under Construction
Mr. Ogle established a printing office that spring and printed the first editions of a newspaper all our own - The Lookeba Index, and it is yet the only paper printed especially for the town news.
After a series of Revival meetings Rev. Mr. Dodson organized the Baptist Church.
Lookeba has had in its history but one fire. About midnight Feb, 22, 1910. Mr. Prossers who were living in the hotel at that time, awoke to find their building in flames. The towns people were quickly summoned, but all effort was of no avail, for by two o'clock the hotel, drug store, pool hall and a general department store were in ruins. The block has not yet been wholly rebuilt.
After much argument with the governor, it was decided that some of the prisoners from the state penitentiary should come here and construct a road of about ten miles through Lookeba. In July 1911, one hundred men arrived, and amid a crowd of people who had come to view the "convicts," they journeyed to their camp west of town. The people seemed to think of them of some sort of humanity but hardly as men.
The roads were greatly bettered by their work.
The advancement of our town since then has been chiefly in a business way. At present there are twenty business houses in Lookeba kept at work, and two seed houses were established in December, 1913. Last year Lookeba shipped out 362 carloads of products while only 87 were shipped in. Ours has grown from a few farm houses and a post-office, into a real , live, thriving town, well fitted to supply the needs of the people who live here."
blogUmentary Under Construction
