I attended a monthly meeting of the CHOGs (Capitol Hill Old Guys) on May 16 last — and I apologize for not remembering which of the Old Guys made the comments which I fuzzily remembered when driving around the fairgrounds on June 3 — BUT WAIT — AS WE SPEAK I've just gotten a PM from Generals64 identifying himself as the news giver. While driving around on June 3, I remembered the comments made. Paraphrasing liberally, the conversation on May 16 went something like this:


GENERALS64: Are you familiar with the seldom used road that runs from east of the fairgrounds into downtown Oklahoma City?
Doug Dawg: Yes, I am.
GENERALS64: Do you know what that road originally was?
Doug Dawg: Well, no, I don't. What was it?
GENERALS64: It was originally a canal built in the early days of Oklahoma City which was to be navigable but when it was filled with water the water all seeped into the sand, and the project was abandoned.
Doug Dawg: Whoa! I need to check into that!
Putting aside my Capitol Hill article revision (though I did take some additional pics today to complete the article), I've taken a side step to explore the remarks made above.

The result is the presentation of two Oklahoma City Urban Legends ... the 1st Oklahoma City Canal; the 2nd is the 1989 Oklahoma City World's Fair:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/canals_1934_03_04c2.jpg

The first dream is the story associated with Oklahoma City's first canal, 1889-1890.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/canals_1934_03_04as.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/canals_1934_03_04a.jpg)

The second dream is about the almost-had 1989 Oklahoma City World's Fair but which never happened.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/pershingblvd_1983_08_19.jpg

Both are connected to each other by General Pershing Boulevard which runs from Main & Pennsylvania to the state fair grounds.

How much is Urban Legend? Read Doug Dawgz Blog: OKC's 1st Canal & Its World's Fair (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2009/06/okcs-1st-canal-its-worlds-fair.html) and find out.

Enjoy! And thank you, Generals64, for providing the incentive!

really interesting stuff about the canal... guess it was more for providing hydro power than for transport. when you labeled some of the pictures from your drive 'urban legend canal' did you mean that tongue-in-cheek? i'd have thought that the canal would've been a bit further south and oriented in a slightly different direction based on the map you linked... still... *really* cool stuff. if there are any traces left, it'd be great to find them.

also... bought a copy of 'the story of oklahoma city' based on your recommendation and excerpt... seems like it might be a good read.

-M

really interesting stuff about the canal... guess it was more for providing hydro power than for transport. when you labeled some of the pictures from your drive 'urban legend canal' did you mean that tongue-in-cheek?
Yes, since, according to the map in the Oklahoman article, the roadway wasn't really the path of the canal, except that they crossed each other at one point.


I'd have thought that the canal would've been a bit further south and oriented in a slightly different direction based on the map you linked... still... *really* cool stuff. if there are any traces left, it'd be great to find them.
Generals64 would be the guy who would know.

As to map accuracy, I did my best to make the overlay match the current city map ... not exactly a match but very close. NW 10th & Reno & SW 15th are aligned as are May, Penn & Western. Santa Fe is a little off.


Also... bought a copy of 'the story of oklahoma city' based on your recommendation and excerpt... seems like it might be a good read.
-M
I don't know how long that's been sitting on a shelf, unread. I think that it's kinda hard to find but I see a couple in Amazon's listings (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00086QRY4/ref=sr_1_olp_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244211419&sr=1-2) ... where did you find yours?

where did you find yours?

bought it online from a bookstore in missouri... but if i would've thought to look on amazon, i would've bought it from there... and saved ten bucks!

-M

bought it online from a bookstore in missouri... but if i would've thought to look on amazon, i would've bought it from there... and saved ten bucks!

-M

What is the title?

^
it's the story of oklahoma city by angelo scott.

-M

Here is the table of contents and the Preface:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/scott_okcstory_contents.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/scott_okcstory_preface.jpg

ugh... just as i feared... i already bought this book for my mom nine years ago as a gift. i coulda just borrowed it from her. -M

here's a legend.....Jesse's House of Ill Repute....I have heard of that place forever but no one actully knew where it was.....lots of stories but no one knew the place....Just like the Alamo Motel on 44th & Robinson....Everyone went there...but, they never told anyone that they never got out of their cars....It would be like this:....." hey, went to the Alamo last night."...Hey cool....unspoken law never ask if you got out of the car....

here's a legend.....Jesse's House of Ill Repute....I have heard of that place forever but no one actully knew where it was.....lots of stories but no one knew the place....Just like the Alamo Motel on 44th & Robinson....Everyone went there...but, they never told anyone that they never got out of their cars....It would be like this:....." hey, went to the Alamo last night."...Hey cool....unspoken law never ask if you got out of the car....

I have to admit I knew where Jesse's was, and attended a few times, won't go in to more detail tho.

I know at one time there were a few escorts who made the Hotel Black their headquarters..............

or was that hindquarters?

pretty sharp lookin' as well.............

Wonder if any worked the Skirvin? Maybe now?

I have to admit I knew where Jesse's was, and attended a few times, won't go in to more detail tho.


Well where the crap was it?

Well where the crap was it?

If I remember right it was on s.w. 14th between Robinson & Walker. There's nothing much down there now. I remember Jesse offering me some kind of home brew in a mason jar....I passed.

If I remember right it was on s.w. 14th between Robinson & Walker. There's
nothing much down there now. I remember Jesse offering me some kind of
home brew in a mason jar... I passed.

Wasn't he next to a field or something on the north side of the street? A
park and close to Harvey?

I remember talk about that 1989 World's Fair. That was right at the time when World's Fairs were waning in popularity and becoming financial maelstroms for their host cities. The idea faded, as I recall, pretty quickly, but was replaced with what was deemed a pretty successful hosting of the 1989 US "Olympic Festival," which was termed a "prelude" to the "real" Olympics. Venues across Oklahoma were employed for just about every event you can imagine, from water skiing (at horrible old Lake Thompson, which I thought was an embarassing venue), to fencing on campus at OU, to wrestling in Edmond.

Hundreds of volunteers, all sporting IGA-sponsor green T-shirts (which became a HOT commodity at the time, too!) were spread out over these venues. Actually, they had more volunteers than they needed, because many of us stood around and either did nothing at our assigned venues, or were just told we could watch the event for free.

The closest thing I did to any official action was monitoring a bathroom while a USOC representative randomly selected certain participants for drug testing. I was told to make sure no one entered or exited the bathroom while the athlete was providing, ahem, a sample. I also helped some poor soul who was some sort of harried press liaison (remember, this was WAAAAAY back when the term "net" was only something on a tennis court) hunt-and-pecking the results of a water skiing result on an old, portable typewriter, and was astonished that I A) could type, and B) volunteered to finish it for her, which I did. She was very grateful for the help, and it was nice to have been of help to someone...

I took a week of vacation that year just for the Festival, and it was a great deal of fun. They threw a big closing ceremony at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with a HUGE fireworks show, music, the works, and while most of the athletes had already gone home, it was kind of a neat "thank you" for the folks who had worked the festival.

I'm pretty sure the whole concept of an "Olympic Festival" has gone by the boards, but it was a unique thing for Oklahoma to have been able to host, and it was fun to have been a part of it. I have one of my very best balloon pix I ever took from the opening ceremony, and it hangs on the wall, matted and framed, to this very day, 20 years later....and I think my mom still has one of those IGA T-shirts...

I'm pretty sure the whole concept of an "Olympic Festival" has gone by the
boards, but it was a unique thing for Oklahoma to have been able to host,
and it was fun to have been a part of it. I have one of my very best balloon
pix I ever took from the opening ceremony, and it hangs on the wall, matted
and framed, to this very day, 20 years later... and I think my mom still has
one of those IGA T-shirts...

I attended the Baseball and boxing events. They were excellent. Every time
I drive to a gig in Lawton, and pass OC3, I wish I had attended some of
the swimming and diving events.

Next time?

I remember talk about that 1989 World's Fair. That was right at the time when World's Fairs were waning in popularity and becoming financial maelstroms for their host cities. The idea faded, as I recall, pretty quickly, but was replaced with what was deemed a pretty successful hosting of the 1989 US "Olympic Festival," which was termed a "prelude" to the "real" Olympics. Venues across Oklahoma were employed for just about every event you can imagine, from water skiing (at horrible old Lake Thompson, which I thought was an embarassing venue), to fencing on campus at OU, to wrestling in Edmond.

Hundreds of volunteers, all sporting IGA-sponsor green T-shirts (which became a HOT commodity at the time, too!) were spread out over these venues. Actually, they had more volunteers than they needed, because many of us stood around and either did nothing at our assigned venues, or were just told we could watch the event for free.

The closest thing I did to any official action was monitoring a bathroom while a USOC representative randomly selected certain participants for drug testing. I was told to make sure no one entered or exited the bathroom while the athlete was providing, ahem, a sample. I also helped some poor soul who was some sort of harried press liaison (remember, this was WAAAAAY back when the term "net" was only something on a tennis court) hunt-and-pecking the results of a water skiing result on an old, portable typewriter, and was astonished that I A) could type, and B) volunteered to finish it for her, which I did. She was very grateful for the help, and it was nice to have been of help to someone...

I took a week of vacation that year just for the Festival, and it was a great deal of fun. They threw a big closing ceremony at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with a HUGE fireworks show, music, the works, and while most of the athletes had already gone home, it was kind of a neat "thank you" for the folks who had worked the festival.

I'm pretty sure the whole concept of an "Olympic Festival" has gone by the boards, but it was a unique thing for Oklahoma to have been able to host, and it was fun to have been a part of it. I have one of my very best balloon pix I ever took from the opening ceremony, and it hangs on the wall, matted and framed, to this very day, 20 years later....and I think my mom still has one of those IGA T-shirts...

My family and I attended the closing at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. If was spectacular. Darrell Royal said he would never return after the crowd booed when his name was announced!! :ou :ou2

Wasn't he next to a field or something on the north side of the street? A
park and close to Harvey?

There is a park in that area. I would have to look for it because I am not sure where it is.

It's a park to honor a Mexicn American Medal of Honor winner. Think WWII?

Follow up on the ill-fated 1889 canal: When looking for something else in the Oklahoman's archives this morning, I ran across this 2/9/1938 article talking about the canal.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/1938_02_09_bunky_canalplaque.jpg

Notice that the article describes a plaque marking the route ...


The plaque will be placed at the southwest corner of West Noble and Olie avenue on the canal route, where excavations are still visible.

Being curious, I wondered exactly where that was ... and might it even still exist today?

In those days, Noble would be SW 3rd today. I looked at some old Sanborn maps as well as a Bing map. From what I could find, Olie did not exist at SW3rd / Noble, it not always existing along its general north/south route a block east of Western. The 1929 (updated 1955) Sanborn map shows the respective roads ... yellow being where Olie would be expected to be, if it existed in the areas that the map shows it did not ...

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/sanborn_1922_1949_canalmarker.jpg

A couple of Bing maps shows the area around Noble/SW 3rd and were Olie would be if it existed in the area ...

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/today_canalmarker2.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/pershingblvd/today_canalmarker.jpg

That's the best I could do.

here's a legend.....Jesse's House of Ill Repute....I have heard of that place forever but no one actully knew where it was.....lots of stories but no one knew the place....Just like the Alamo Motel on 44th & Robinson....Everyone went there...but, they never told anyone that they never got out of their cars....It would be like this:....." hey, went to the Alamo last night."...Hey cool....unspoken law never ask if you got out of the car....
I drove by where Jesse's use to be the first of this week! I was checking out down town. Jesse's was located about 75 yards East of S.Walker on S.W.13th on the South side of the street. It was a bunch of un-painted shacks back in it's hay day! Actually, there was not just one particular house, just whatever was not occupied. Mary Lou and Linda Lou were the two main attractions. It was going strong back in the middle sixties and the price was $3.00. I have to admit, I did get out of the car a time or two!! The Black, Hudson, and Victoria Hotel all gave you a Nationalty choice etc. I hope this answers your questuins. But then again, why would you ask when you had your own personal charge account at most of these fine establishments. LOL

My family and I attended the closing at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. If was
spectacular. Darrell Royal said he would never return after the crowd booed
when his name was announced!!
Prunette sang at something on Owen Field for the Festival. Not sure what it
was. I was gigging someplace else.

My Grandfather ran/owned (we do not know which) Victoria Hotel until his death in 1957. He also had O.K. Billiards which was also on Reno and a half a block west of the Victoria. The billiard hall had pool, snooker, and dominoes downstairs, and gambling upstairs. I have never been able to find anything that points exactly where the pool hall was, not even Sanborn maps. Any articles in the newspapers, shootings, bootlegging, and gambling incidents refer to the place as the O.K. Pool Hall. He met my Grandmother when she was working at the Isis Theater across Reno from the Victoria and Pool Hall. My Mother came from a rough family.