January almost went by without a new blog post ... I'd been busy on a new super secret project with some other guys you know ... but at the end of January I started a new article, still undone, When There Was No Crosstown (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-there-was-no-crosstown.html). I hope to have that one done in a week or so, but it's pretty cool as we speak.

But, I've just done another which is (except for needed editing for typos, etc.) done, OKC Through The Eyes of OG&E (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2010/02/okc-through-eyes-of-og.html). Last week when driving down Exchange into Stockyards City, I remembered a mental note made a couple of months earlier when I caught a glance in my peripheral vision to note the word, "Abalache," on a storefront shop. I wondered then if that might have something to do with the Abalache Bookshop Publishing Company which created and published the magnificent 3-volume set Vanished Spendor. On this trip, I stopped, and, yes, it did.

The shop is owned by one of the co-authors, Jim Edwards. His cool business card is shown below (click on it for a larger view).

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/literature/abalachecards.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/literature/abalachecard.jpg)

I spent a bit more than an hour in his wonderful shop looking for stuff I didn't have about Oklahoma City history. I did find a few items but almost didn't buy one that he pointed me to, the corporate history of OG&E, 1902-2002. I don't usually go bonkers over a corporate history, generally finding them more self-serving than informative. But, it was cheap ($4-$5) and on quick glance I did see some good photos I'd not seen before, so I bought it.

On closer examination, the book contains a treasure trove of vintage OKC photos and I got the bargain in the purchase. The article sets out most of those photos, as well as some not contained in the book (e.g., OG&E's purchase and use of the Belle Isle plan was barely described, but I located some good pics at the Oklahoma Historical Society's website to fill in the gap).

A few of the images in the article (and book) are shown below. Click on the small images for larger views.

Land Run via Train

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_landrun_trains.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_landrun_train.jpg)

The Failed Canal
This is the canal that Generals64 educated me about ... the late 1889 canal which was intended to provide water for the city's electricity's needs. It was a total flop, but the book contains a couple of photos related to that attempt ... one, a canal construction pic, and another, inside the electric plant. Those photos are shown below (click on pics for larger).

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_canals.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_canal.jpg)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1stpowerplants.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1stpowerplant.jpg)

North on Broadway in 1892
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_broadway_1892s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_broadway_1892.jpg)

1900s Service Truck
About this pic, the book says, "First service trucks featured a chain drive, solid rubber tires, a tiller for steering, and an unobstructed forward view."

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1stservicetruckss.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1stservicetrucks.jpg)

Product Offerings in 1900s
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1905_paybills_1s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1905_paybills_1.jpg)

Zooming In On Stuff You Could Buy
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1905_paybills_2s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1905_paybills_2.jpg)

1900s Electricity & Phone Lines
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_telephone_electrics.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_telephone_electric.jpg)

1925 Emergency Car
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1925_companycars.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1925_companycar.jpg)

Crop of the 1927 Architectural Drawing for the New Building on Harvey
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1927_drawing2s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1927_drawing2.jpg)

Construction of 6-Story Expansion in 1958
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1958s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_1958.jpg)

Skyline View in 2002
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_skylines.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oge/oge_skyline.jpg)

There's lots more history in the full article. Enjoy!

Amazing photos Doug.