Early pictures of Anadarko
(Links to other pages are at the bottom of every page.)
(The reason for the following "thumbnail" pictures is for extra quality and speed of loading onto your computer.The larger pictures are actually each linked to a different website down the street and around the corner where they are being stored.
The picture quality improves in later photographs, once we get past these really old post cards.)
This scene is from a post card purchased over the Internet from Ebay. The card reads "View on Broadway, Anadarko, Okla." At the bottom is printed "Post Office Book Store, Anadarko, Okla."
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We are looking East from Second Street on the left and right, with the Courthouse Square behind us and to the right.
Does anyone remember these store names? Youngheim's Clothing Store is at the left center. When did they move to their final location near the end of the block?
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This 1907-1908 post card says "Cotton Weighing, Anadarko, Okla." on the front and "Pub. by Popejoy & Stowe, Anadarko, Okla." on the backside.
Do you know the names of these people??
This 1909 post card published by Popejoy and Stowe shows the Terry Gin Company. Judging from the railroad tracks and the Indian City hills in the background, this view is apparently looking southeast from maybe Central Blvd.
The other side of the post card is addressed to: Miss Edith Shea__ of Rural Route #6, Walkerton, IN, which is southwest of South Bend, IN. The card is signed by Edith's cousin Fay.
She says Violet Harris lives next door and came over to play with (her apparent sister) Hazel. Fay indicated the location of their home as being the brick house at the left side of the picture.
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This post card of the old Caddo County Courthouse was taken in 1907 and published by the Post Office Book Store.
Jim Gabbert, who works for the Oklahoma Historical Society in Okla City, says the Courthouse was built in 1902, at a cost of $75,000 by the H.J. VanDenberg Construction Company from Guthrie. It was designed by J. H. Bennett.
It was replaced by the new Courthouse in 1958.
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This 1907 post card published by Popejoy and Stowe shows the old high school that once was on the site of our former West Grade School building. The large houses on the left side do not look familiar.
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1910 post card of the Light and Water Plant, published by Popejoy & Stowe. This view looking north shows the Washita River flowing over the dam in the background.
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This 1912 picture was described as "Loading peaches in Anadarko." The view could be looking northwest along East Second Street towards the Bryan Hotel in the background. The railroad cars into which they were loading the peaches would be to the right of the picture.Someone living in Anadarko should ask someone like that sweet Hazel Jackson to look at these pictures. She would know some of the locations and would enjoy the experience.
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This early-day post card says "Main Street looking West, Anadarko, Okla." The First State Bank building would be on the left and B.F. Hammert Grocery Store on the right side at the corner. The back of the card indicates it was published by the "Model Variety Store."
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This early-day post card says "K.C. Gregor Hotel, Anadarko, Okla. Travelingmen, Look what I built for you." and "G.W.C Rohrer". stamped on the front of the card. This hotel was on the northeast corner of Main and West Second Street where Ira Brown's taxie service was later located. Does anyone know the year the hotel was built??
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This post card was made around 1908 by Popejoy and Stowe Post Card Company. The title of the card is Detrich's New Opera House.The three-story building was located on the southeast corner of Broadway and First Street.
The top floor burned, so it was remodeled into a two story building. Cox-Callaway Furniture Company was located there during the 1940's and later became Jenkins' Furniture store.
What else can you add to this story?
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This is another EBAY post card. The printing on the card reads "West End School Building, Anadarko, Okla."1931 graduate Annette M. Oswald of Alabama remembers attending grade school in this building. She thinks the high school building most of us later graduates remember at 108 SW 4th street between Broadway and Oklahoma streets, was built about 1929, in the area just east of this older building.
Maybe our grade school was built on the site of this old West End School. Now, that grade school building is gone.
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This EBAY post card reads "Anadarko High School, Anadarko, Okla." I think the photo was taken in 1914. Without the bell tower we once knew it as our Junior High School building in the 1940's. Does anyone know the full story?
This is what our old Junior High building looked like in January of 1955. The bell tower is gone. A metal fire escape and playground equipment has been added. Note the unlocked bikes in the foreground.
(Photo from the Juanita Tarpley Collection)
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Called the Post Office Block, these building were on the north side of Main Street, between First and Second Street.The Post Office was located in the right side of this building. The Model Variety Store was next door. A grocery store was apparently a couple of doors to the left.
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Slowly we are gathering information about this "filling station", or service station as they are now called.It was located on the northwest corner of East Broadway and Second street with an address of 131 E. Broadway. Caddo Bowling Alley is now located on this lot.
Judging by the old wooden buildings and early model cars in the background, the business must have been started in the early 1920's.
A 1943 Southwestern Bell Telephone directory shows the company name to be Newt Spradlin's Super Station. Their phone number was a simple "20." A clipping from DAYS OF GLORY, dated Jun 30,1940, says Newt opened his ownership of this station on April 13, 1935. The story said his employees were Archie Bell, Buck Grimes, Forrest Hasbrook and Amos Hines.
In the 1952 WARRIOR yearbook, this business was called Consumer's Service Station and featured Anderson-Prichard gasoline. They still had the same phone number.
Annette M. Oswald, Class of 1931, remembers this business was maybe started about 1919 by the husband of Mrs. Elsie Vallier. He died a short time later and Mrs. Vallier operated the business. Later it was owned by Glenn O'Neal and Esmond Weber and managed by Glenn Wilkerson.
Patsy Reedy-Gray, Class of 1962, remembers that her Father Bud Reedy worked for Brooks, Weber and O'Neil in the late 1940"s. He hauled oil and diesel from Cyril to the storage at the Oil Company and to farmers in the area.
CAN YOU ADD ANYTHING MORE INFORMATION???
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Downtown Anadarko, looking east on Broadway from Second Street, about 1938.If you look closely at the Columbia Theater on the left side you can read that the famous movie star Norma Shearer was featured in a film called "MARIE ANTOINETTE."
Tyrone Power and John Barrymore were also in this movie, which was released by Hollywood on Aug 16, 1938.
Annette M. Oswald, Class of 1931, remembers the short little man in the middle of the street as Bud Stewart. She said he was badly deformed, but was very jovial and everyone liked him.
He made his living selling newspapers on the downtown streets. Barbara Danner, Class of 1951, remembers the name BUD on his little cart. He had three sisters named Margaret, Anita and Laura.
Lucille Kubala King, Class of 1948, also remembers the Stewart family lived in the 300 block of East Oklahoma.
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Does anyone recognize this face??Is this your Grandfather??
Maybe a Great Uncle??
Maybe the old man who lived next door??
The Russell & Miller photography studio indicates "Anadarko, O.T." which means Oklahoma Territory, before Oklahoma became a state in 1907.
(Click on any line below to jump to another page.)
1. Homepage - 2. Early Anadarko: Pictures of downtown from 1907 to 1938.
- 3. Rosters from 1906-1984: Every graduate & former student from 1906 to 1985.
- 4. School Pictures: Group pictures, Beauty Queens and Hobo Day.
- 5. More School Pictures: Classic snapshots from the Fabulous Fifties.
- 6. Band and Orchestra: Formal group pictures from 1943 to the 1950's.
- 7. Popejoy Music Club: Wonderful group pictures from 1941 to 1945
- 8. Class of 1949 Roster: Where they are today and which classmates have died.
- 9. Class of 1950 Roster: Where they are today and which classmates have died.
- 10. Class of 1951 Roster: Where they are today and which classmates have died.
- 11. Class of 1952 Roster: Where they are today and which classmates have died.
- 12. Class of 1951 Pictures: Rare snapshots of classmates from 1945.
(The following three items are Dale's personal pages.) 13. Vanity Auto Tags: See the CRAZY words people put on their car tags.- 14. The MUCH-Older Brother: A small tribute to a BIG brother.
- 15. Talkington Family History: A brief summary of the family history from Oklahoma back to early Pennsylvania.