1947au:Craterville OK
Nine photos

Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
Clyde's Cafe
Watermelon Feed
The "Dorm" -- Go directly to photo
A small gathering (beside the dorm?) -- Go directly to photo
Two Group Pictures -- Number one  |  Number two
Table = Persons featured in photos

Preface and Acknowledgements

The following information about Craterville is based on website materials sent here by Barbara (Kimball) Grundman.

Craterville Park. Until the land it sat upon was acquired by the US army at Ft. Sill in the mid-1950s, a neat old amusement park, Craterville, was to be found nestled in the Wichita Mts. in southwestern Oklahoma, about 15 miles west of Lawton and five miles north of Cache on the southern central approach to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.

According to the OHS Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History website, the 59,000+ acres wildlife refuge area in which Craterville was located has an interesting history. The story goes back at least to 1901, prior to the “Opening” of the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache lands of Oklahoma to Euro-American settlers and developers. At that time, Pres. William McKinley proclaimed a portion of the mountains transferred from Native American sovereign domain to the Forestry Division of the General Land Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1905, the area, renamed the Wichita Forest Reserve, was transferred to the Bureau of Forestry under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Later that year, after Congress passed a bill authorizing a federal wildlife refuge, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation creating the Wichita Forest and Game Preserve as the nation's first big-game animal (and other native wildlife) refuge. Earlier, Roosevelt had established several national bird sanctuaries. In 1906 Roosevelt issued second proclamation, adding 3,680 acres to the refuge. In 1907 the park became the Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve, when all forest reserves were reclassified as National Forests. In 1936 Congress renamed the area the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and transferred it to the Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1939 federal refuges moved back to Department of Interior control. In 1940 the Biological Survey and the Bureau of Fisheries combined to become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which continued to administer the Wichita Wildlife Refuge into the twenty-first century.

Craterville Park was owned and developed by a local rancher, Frank Rush, who worked closely with Native Americans. The Rush name still was affixed to the "Rush Inn", featured in the group picture below.

According to the Oklahoma University Western History Collection's website , Rush conducted all-Indian fairs at Craterville from 1924 to 1932.

From that website = A "covenant" drawn up between Rush and Indian leaders, written on tanned buckskin, set forth the object of this annual event at Craterville Park, as follows =

The object of this Fair will be to create self-confidence and to encourage leadership by the Indian for his people, to better his position, and to take his place on terms of equality with other races in the competitive pursuits of every day life, and a desire to accomplish the most possible for himself and his people.

The ninth and last annual celebration at Craterville Park was held in 1932. Members of fourteen Indian tribes were present. Will Rogers, the famous actor and columnist of Cherokee descent, attended, and thousands of visitors came during the celebration from August 25-27, 1932. The next spring, Frank Rush died at his ranch home near Craterville Park.

Another website relating to Craterville [W].

Fifteen years after the last annual Native American celebration at Craterville, here came the Ratcliffs, Kimballs and other Euro-American folks with pioneer ties to Mathewson Township OK (located about 80 miles to the north-northeast of Craterville). These folks lived in many different places but still had direct involvement in or shares in the annual wheat harvest around Piedmont OK. The harvest was now over. They had exerted themselves in the competitive pursuits of every day life and accomplished the most possible for themselves and their people, at least for now. There was next to no traces of the old Native American Fair, but for some of the youngsters this was the first view ever of a "mountain"

The nine photos featured here were sent by Gloria Ratcliff, whose husband, Glen, was a teenager among the celebrants pictured here. It is not known who took the pictures, though some evidence points toward Russ and Johnnie Kimball. Bits of information are written at the margins, but not apparently in Russ' or Johnnie's hand.

In the identifications supplied with the pictures, maiden names are used for those young women not yet married at the time. Not all identifications are certain. Any help on this matter would be most welcome. Email = kimball@uoregon.edu

That same email address could be used to send comments. I will create a place on this page for any reminiscences that might enrich the meaning of these few photos. I will perform, as always, the role of editor in regularizing and judging the appropriateness of comments that go onto this page.

Clyde's Cafe

Clyde Peddicord introduced a method of brewing coffee in a large open pot over a small campfire.
Egg shells dropped into the brew and a green branch laid over the open mouth of the pot controlled the boil.
Les Kimball's job was to keep everything centered and the campfire at the right intensity.
Understandably, he needed an unfiltered Camel cigarette even before coffee.
The operation was the object of much curiosity in the encampment.
Photo One [7.3]  |  Photo Two, example one [1.1]  |  Photo Two, example two [1.2]

L to R = Dave Eades, Russ Kimball, Clyde Peddicord, Leslie Kimball, Beverly Kimball, Marge Kimball, Velma Eades

L to R = Les Kimball, Beverly Kimball, Marge Kimball, Alan Kimball, Velma Eades, Ruth Peddicord, Barbara Kimball (Joyce Peddicord? behind her), Marge Washecheck

L to R = Les Kimball, Beverly Kimball, Marge Kimball, Alan Kimball, Velma Eades, Ruth Peddicord, Barbara Kimball, Joyce Peddicord?, Marge Washecheck

Watermelon Feed

 On a crude camping table in the shade, David Eades sliced a big Oklahoma melon, very likely from Rush Springs OK [ID].
It is not certain, but it is likely that Rush Springs was named after the family of Frank Rush [ID]

Photo one [2.2]  |  Photo two, example one [3.2]  |  Photo two, example two [3.3]
Photo three, example one [8.2]  |  Photo three, example two [8.3]

L to R, along backside of table = Tub Ratcliff, Beverly Kimball, Marge Washecheck, Dave Eades, Clyde Peddicord, Marge Kimball, Irene Ratcliff ("Howard's Irene")
Along frontside = Barbara Kimball, Kay Kimball (behind Barbara), Philip Kimball, Steven Kimball (back turned), Alan Kimball (maladjusted sailor cap)  

L to R, backside of table = ?Howard Washecheck?, Tub Ratcliff, Ruth Peddicord & Beverly Kimball (faces blocked), Marge Ratcliff, Karen Kimball or Joyce Peddicord, Dave Eades
Frontside of table = Kay Kimball, Philip Kimball, Barbara Kimball, Steven Kimball (turned away), Alan Kimball (sailor cap now at rakish angle) 

L to R, backside of table = Tub Ratcliff, Ruth Peddicord & Beverly Kimball (faces blocks), Marge Ratcliff, Karen Kimball or Joyce Peddicord, Dave Eades
Frontside = Kay Kimball, Philip Kimball, Barbara Kimball, Steven Kimball (turned away), Alan Kimball (sailor cap now at rakish angle)

L to R, standing = Marge Washecheck's dress, Dave Eades (back turned), Tub Ratcliff, Kay Kimball, Beverly Kimball (Ruth Peddicord just behind her), Velma Eades
On their haunches = Roy Ratcliff, Les Kimball, Clyde Peddicord

L to R, standing = Dave Eades (back turned), Tub Ratcliff, Kay Kimball, Beverly Kimball (Ruth Peddicord behind Beverly), Velma Eades
On their haunches = Roy Ratcliff, Les Kimball, Clyde Peddicord

And then one night a bat circled the rollicking amateur theatrical show in the big room of the Dorm

Clyde Peddicord, Irene Ratcliff ("Tub's Irene"), Beverly Kimball, Marge Ratclif

L to R, along back = Tub, Doug, and Glen Ratcliff, Johnnie Kimball, Clyde Peddicord, "Tub's Irene", "Howard's Irene", Howard Ratcliff, Howard Washecheck, Ruth Peddicord, Marge Washecheck, Velma Eades, David Eades, Marge Kimball, Les Kimball holds Philip and Steven Kimball
Youth along the front = ?Linda Ratcliff?, Barbara and Karen Kimball, Paul Washecheck, Hugh Peddicord (behind Beverly), Beverly, Kay and Alan Kimball

Left to right along back = Roy & Tub Ratcliff, Clyde Peddicord, Russ Kimball, "Tub's Irene", Howard Ratcliff, Barbara & Karen Kimball, ?Linda Ratcliff?, Howard Washecheck, Ruth Peddicord, Marge Washecheck, Beverly Kimball, Velma Eades, Dave Eades, Marge Kimball and Les Kimball, Steven & Philip Kimball seated on car
Crouched in front = Doug and Glen Ratcliff, Hugh Peddicord, Paul Washecheck, Kay Kimball, Alan Kimball

A Table of Persons Featured in Photos

100s column = RtcGloria’s photo #3 (unnumbered on the RtcGloria list)
200s column = RtcGloria’s photo #2
300s column = A photo not printed & thus unnumbered in the RtcGloria packet
400s column = RtcGloria’s photo #7
500s column = RtcGloria’s photo #8 (sent requesting that I ID the folks there)
600s column = RtcGloria’s photo #5
700s column = RtcGloria’s photo #6
800s column = RtcGloria’s photo #4
900s column = RtcGloria’s photo #1

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