Bryan Co., OK; Town of Durant - History --------------------------------- Submitted by the Bryan County Heritage Library Located in Calera, OK Written by Mrs. Fortenberry Typed for the archives by Trudy Marlow --------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ---------------------------------------------------- SOUTHSIDE OF DURANT FIFTY YEARS AGO I can remember Durant in the "good old over fifty nine years ago. The pretty little stream that ran down just northeast of the ball park, the two foot bridges that crossed it. But a boy will only use a bridge when his mother and older sisters are watching. We lived at 416 South Fourth, my mother could look up Louisiana Street and watch me all the way home from school. When I got older Loyd Plyler, Winfred Williams, Irby Lucas, Rosy Lowrence and many others played war, fought, and caught crawdads up and down the crux. South Ward was the old red brick building. Mr. Rowell was principal for a while then Henry Crockett took over. If I could only have five years of schooling I would choose the first five years taught by the dedicated teachers. I dearly love, Myrtle Pratt, Avis Stewart, Henry Crockett and of course my special girl friend Miss Alice Apple later Blanchard. When we lived across the street (Texas and Sixth) from Carrie Taylor my dad had smallpox and we were quarantined. Avis Stewart brought me my assignments so I could keep up with my school work. We moved to 633 South Second in front of the old Wilharte baking building. We lived there during the great depression and the extremely bad winter of 29 and 30. That was the winter they cut my mother's long auburn hair and she went to heaven. I still can't go near that house. I cry when I do. The Fortenberrys seemed to swap houses with the Plylers. We lived in the same rent houses. A.D.'s house on South Third was where my Dad passed away in 1932. South Second was the center of our universe and one of the best streets in town because it had two mule barns. Ola Anders and her family lived in one and Harrison Dyer and his boys ran the other one. Loyd's Implement is where Anders mule barn was. Another mule barn was located between First and Second on Louisiana in between the McElrear Gin and the round bale gin on Third and Alabama. Mr. Hunnicutt operated a bottling works in the building now occupied by Thurman Sausage. He would give us all the red soda pop we could drink while we fed the bottle washing machine. E.E. Amis did a tremendous grocery business just south of the old Coca Cola plant. Les Smith had a black smith across the street next door to the Durant (Cox and Haggard) box factory. Foster produce was located in the building now being used by Texoma Sash and Door. The older members of my family raised turkeys and pecans to supplement our income, which was small in those days. Jim Ladd ran a Purina store further up the street and Hubert came home in a T Model Ford painted in the checker hoard style. Man was I proud of my big brother. He could actually drive a car. Needless to say in 1925 only a few people had cars. Weldon Dyer and I were good friends since we had lived on his grandfather's farm, so we had the inside track on the small whiskey bottles discarded around the mule barns. We could put them up and sell them back for a nickel. I think my first taste of real business was when I was eleven years old just before my father died. Sarah Gardner and Mrs. Vails ran the Moreland Hotel and boarding house down the alley and across Third Street east of the Southern Lumber Yard, now Durant Lumber. Southern had real live alligators in a fence across the street. Sarah made fried pies out of dried apples, apricots and peaches and would put them in a box on a piece of newspaper and I would run around over town, really Market Square was selling fried pies to the farmers that brought their products to town. I even sold fried pies at the air show west of town. Sarah was good to me because I was an orphan and willing to work. In fact after she married John Short I ran a beer joint down on Arkansas near the depot for her the year I graduated from high school. But I am violating good historical writing by getting ahead eight years. We didn't have electricity for a long time. The light bill was really $1.03 a month. When we lived at 516 South Second Edna Cummings helped me study out under the street light. Willie Jo Parkhill now Mrs. Albert Furr, Atoka, took me to the Calvary Baptist Church when it was a one room church. Tyson did too. Mr. Gentry, Talley's daddy, was a barber and he cut my curls for the first time. This was to keep me from fighting at school when asked if I was a girl. I would fight, but it was nice to know Clifford Swafford was around to pull Lavada Treadwell off of me. You couldn't tell how old pupils were back in those days. The age in each grade varied as much as five years. I worked at the Little Onion Cafe on North Third behind the First National Bank. Pop Red Currin owned the joint but several famous gentlemen, such as Mutt Meece and Skeeter Lawerence, sixteen hours a day for fifty cents but never a dull moment. Everyone that was anyone in 1935 ate at the Little Onion. Where practical jokes was routine rather than the exception. If Rector Swearengin, Weldon McGraw and Albert Mason ever got together we could make a soap opera that would put Mel's Diner to shame. I could write a book on the Little Onion. No one was safe at the Little Onion. Lon Rice, Clay Anderson, George Clark or Ceph Shoemake could be the butt of a practical joke or a sermon in gutter language or French from Pot Red. One time Tobe Morrow and Gordon or Sid Vaughn brought a farmer and his wife with six kids into the Little Onion took up every seat, all seven, and ordered a cup of coffee in two cups. This happened right at noon and Red Pop blew up and ran off, which he would do when the jokes got to rough. -------------------------------------------------- Written by Mrs Fortenberry