Blackburn, Oklahoma 

 

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TOWN OF BLACKBURN

 

 

 
    

NEW FEATURE ON THE BLACKBURN WEB PAGE

There is a new feature on the Blackburn Web Page.  It is written by no one other than yourselves!  It is called:   

"MEMORIES"

It's simply that.  Memories of life and people in the beloved town of Blackburn, Oklahoma.  Stories from your past.     Stories of life when you were

growing up.  Stories of visits by family.  Stories told from your heart.  No flowery or sophisticated words needed.  Just memories of life in Blackburn.

We ask that you get permission from individuals mentioned in the stories whenever possible.  Make them as long or short as you like.  Please put

your name at the top of the story.This is your web page so lets share information of life in Blackburn for our family and others to see.  These stories

will be posted below the History of Blackburn in the next section below.  I'll go first as the best memories of my childhood were formed in

Blackburn.  I have quite a few tails to share so check back once in a while.  I hope to put your stories on the page soon.

Please send your stories by mail or email. 

Email:  Blackburnokla2010@gmail.com (case sensitive 

Snail mail: Mark Hill

                   2232 Highland Road            

                   Midwest City, Oklahoma 73110                                                  

                   PH  405-973-4656  

Thanks for your help with this section.

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History of Blackburn

1889 to present

Following the first run in Oklahoma Territory in 1889, John Skinner, an Osage Indian Agent and

Licensed Trader, obtained survey rights for a town on the south side of the Arkansas River. This plot

of land was located two miles north and eleven and one half miles east of Pawnee (County seat), and

seven miles west of Cleveland.There was no doubt in his mind that his new settlement would prosper

and grow, and eventually be an important shipping point for the Kansas, Oklahoma, Central and South

Western Railroad on its proposed route from St. Louis to Guthrie. Being located in the curve of the

river, its bottom land could grow almost anything.In addition, the woods and streams were full of

wildlife from ducks and geese in the winter to quail, rabbit, squirrel, and other fur-bearing trade animals.

The pioneers of this run were mostly from the north and northeast as contrasted to migrants in the

1889 run who originated from areas of the old south.They came by foot, horseback, and almost every

conceivable conveyance known at that time, and raced to their selected plot, hoping to be the first

stake.In the 1870’s and 1880’s Texas cattle were driven along both sides of the Arkansas River.The

East Shawnee Trail tracked the Osage side of the river, while the West Shawnee Trail was located on

the Blackburn side, and with terminated in Cowley County, Kansas.

The Post office was officially opened on Dec. 15, 1839 and the new town was on the map.Popular

opinion among the new residents and businessmen ran strong for the new town to be called

“Skinnerstown”, but the Agent and Trader was not of the same mind.He told the citizens of the area

that if he were to choose a name, it would be in honer of his good friend, Senator Joseph Schyler

Blackburn of Kentucky. In 1896 Joe Fisher arrived in town to help operate the first saw mill and cotton

gin while M.C. Burge homesteaded in 1899 and helped in the formation of the town’s government.The

town was plotted on a high knoll overlooking the river on the north side, with hills and a half bend of

the river to the east, gentle plains on the south and west.Main Street ran east and west, extending for

about two blocks, with buildings on both sides.A road headed north toward the river and had a few

buildings near main street but was mostly lined with houses and barns.The nearest road heading

south became known as Cemetery Road since this was located about one and one half miles south

east of the cemetery.A road at the southern edge of town intersecting cemetery road was the East

Bend Road which follows the curve of the river after moving beyond Lankard Hill.This area is still

referred to as the East Bend.

The main street of town runs east and west.In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the commercial area,

which ran from the second block west, had a general store, a butcher shop and a hotel on the north

side.On the south side of the same block were a newsprint building, a machine shop and a blacksmith

and livery stable.The second block east contained another livery stable, The German-American Bank,

Hotel de Hoss and the Blackburn Nursery.Across the same block heading west was a livery stable, a

harness and hardware store, a grocery store, drug store, the Blackburn Bank building, a mercantile

store and general store.The schools were eventually located two blocks west and two blocks south of the center of town.

In 1896, the town had grown, and the local Assessor reported a population of 2,272 citizens.A new

bridge and the coming of the railroad let to a greatly expanded community spirit.Banners and ads told

of the many advantages of locating and living Blackburn, but this was not to be.

The bridge over the Arkansas River became the first major problem both with its environment and

opposition by an Osage Indian agent, Col. H. H. Freeman.The Cleveland Bee of May 10, 1895 made

reference to the first bridge as being a toll structure built by Frank Purdon, an Osage Indian.Col.

Freeman, speaking on behalf of the Osage Nation, had evidence that Purdom had used unauthorized

lumber from the Indian reservation and many other supplies had come from this same source. In

retaliation, Mr. Purdom appealed to Judge Bierer of the Supreme Court and obtained an injunction and

restraining order against Col. Freeman.Work was then completed and the bridge was opened in June

1895.The bridge was then lost to high water.In 1896 a new bridge was started with such men a Charles

Fox, a California’ 49er and supplies from A.F. Myers and his lumberyard.Col. Freeman again objected

to the construction claiming that such a passage would only make whiskey more accessible to his

people in the Indian reservation.Fights and loss of life had been experienced in Ralston, and other

towns above and below Blackburn that had built bridges into the Osage country.Freeman went so far

as to build a fence on the northern approach to the bridge, but was eventually compelled under court

order to remove this obstacle. The 1,200 foot bridge was opened for traffic in August, 1896.It also was

later lost to high water and, for an extended period, there was only a foot bridge while vehicles were

ferried from each side by boats.In the early 1930’s the town fathers, led by John Carter, Bob Gilliland,

Ruben Upshaw, Joe Fisher, Bert Warner and others, began making requests of the Pawnee county

Commissioners to build a steel and concrete all-weather bridge across the river.The community was

being cut off from neighbors on the Osage side of the river and travel to other towns such as Fairfax,

Hominy and Pawhuska had to be extended through Ralston or Cleveland which more that doubled the

distance to these areas.The request was finally honored and a bridge was completed in 1935, but with

funds running short, had to be covered with a rough plank roadway.Perhaps the lack of a railroad let

to the low priority for a first class road with a durable roadbed.

The high expectation of the coming of the railroad was on the minds of all the businessmen of the

community and was noted repeatedly in the local paper.It was conjectured that, if and when the

railroad came through Blackburn, then it would surely provide the town competition with Tulsa and

Oklahoma City.The town fathers, in their attempts to encourage the installation of rail traffic, offered

213 lots as future sites for a depot, machine shop and switching yards.In addition, they offered an

adjoining 350 acres and right-of-way from the river’s edge to Black Bear Creek.The arrival of the Santa

Fe in Skedee in 1903 and later the MKT depot in Hallett, just 10 miles south, finally made myth of a rail

stop in Blackburn.The business boom, which failed to materialize, was replaced by a healthy farm

economy.Corn was king in the area, and cotton was so plentiful that a gin had to be built. It was also

envisioned that produce and fruit would be in marketable proportion in due time.Also, in 1905, oil was

discovered in the East Bend on the Lowe farm.Bessie Brocaw christened the well and citizens

explained that Blackburn was now in the “Oil Belt”.The severe drought of 1901 caused many of the

committed people of the area to leave but many of these same citizens returned under more favorable

circumstances.The annual “Old Timers Picnic", which now occurs in the second Sunday of each June

is, in a sense, a memorial to these hardy pioneers.

Soon after the turn of the century, bonds were sold to finance an elementary school building. The site

is located about three blocks west and one block south of the center of town. One of the stone

masons working this structure had told friends and relatives that he placed a frog in the rear footings,

which should be a future archaeological puzzle to a future investigator. The stone mason was Henry

Carter. The two story stone was completed in 1905 and remains standing today. The downstairs is

now the town hall and the upstairs is still pretty much like it was as can be seen in the photos in the

link on this page. A rectangular brick building, the high school, was completed in late 1924 and

accepted the first class in the fall of 1925. It was torn down and the land is now used as the

schoolyard  pavilion next to the original school.

Utilities finally come to Blackburn. The telephone exchange was the type that notified its members by

a series of long and short rings, especially the rural members. It was well known the most of the

neighbors were aware of each others ringing combination's and if you wanted to listen in to the

conversation, well, that was all right too.Blackburn was electrified in the middle 1930’s. A gas line was

laid to the community in 1968 and a water line was completed in 1973. The post office was closed in

1960 and now mail is delivered from Pawnee to rural box numbers.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ mid August, 2010 by Mark Hill

By Mark Hill

Summer evenings at my grandparents (Lemual and Lenora Upshaw) were always interesting.  After supper my dad, grandpa, uncles and cousins

would gather and sit on the front porch or in the front yard while the ladies would clean the table and kitchen. Soon they would finish and join the

men.   I remember the sounds of the evening like they were heard just yesterday.  The night critters would start singing.  An occasional pickup would

go by crunching the gravel and sending up a billow of dust.  Now and then I would hear the wood planks on the bridge bouncing over the Arkansas

River.  Ba dump, ba dump.........ba dump ba dump!  You could always tell if someone was in a hurry by how fast the ba dumps were.

 The big thunderheads would start forming in the evening and flash their lightning, the flashes growing ever brighter as  the sun retreated.  Soon the

stars would start putting on their show with the moon showing up occasionally. The firefly's would put on their dance. I remember watching the

satellite called "Echo" traverse the sky. A little moving star in the sky. I remember the smells of pipes, rolled tobacco and cigars mixing in with the

evening smells.  There was always a lot of good natured joking and laughing and raised voices among my family. Sometimes no one would talk. 

They would just sit and enjoy the peacefulness of the evening. Soon the night would wear on and everyone would start drifting off to their  beds and

homes.  I would go to my bed upstairs and lie looking out the window.  Off in the distance an oil well would pop missing an occasional beat.  Now

and again I would hear the crunch of gravel or the rhythm of the bridge.  My eyes would get heavy and soon they would open to another wonderful

day in Blackburn as a city boy turned country boy.

By Marilyn Pinkstaff

Posted August 29, 2010

Now this is the truth about how my Mama and Grandma washed our family's clothes of  9 children for  very long time.  Do you think you're woman

enough to do this?  I know I'm not.  This is how you "warsh your clothes" from an ole expert grandmother.  It works.  I can vouch for that since "I've

been there and done that".  Lots of memories in this one.  We did have the water from the well and pump to fill up the "warsh tub".  We had a line to

hang wash on instead of grass in the yard.  We made starch with Faultless Powdered Starch and used Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in rinse water for the

sheets and towels.

 

Never thought of a "washer" in this light before. What a blessing!

"Warshing Clothes Recipe"

(imagine having a recipe for this ! ! !)

Years ago a grandmother gave a new bride the following recipe:

(this is an exact copy as found in an old scrapbook).

 

 

WARSHING CLOTHES

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.

Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.

Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles

1 pile white,

1 pile colored,

1 pile work britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth,

then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board,

scrub hard, and boil,

then rub colored on board 

don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle,

then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed.

Scrub porch with hot soapy water.

Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs..

Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

================================================

Paste this over your washer and dryer 

Next time you think things are bleak,

read it again,

you'll kiss that washing machine and dryer,

and give thanks..

First thing each morning you should run and

hug your washer and dryer,

probably your toilet too---

those two-holers used to get mighty cold!

 

LOCAL CHURCHES

BLACKBURN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

501 North F Street

Pawnee, Oklahoma 74058-3325

9128-538-2442

Pastor: Jeff Kuhn

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF BLACKBURN

This web site is a work in progress. If you see errors in information, want information deleted that you consider private or would like to contribute information or photos; please contact Phil or Marilyn Pinkstaff at:

This website is a community project of the Town of Blackburn, Oklahoma.

Webmaster: patriot2232@gmail.com