90 YEARS AGO
1912
The Shattuck Monitor, ed. "Cap" Mitchell, Rate $1.00 per year. A newspaper for all the People. But strictly Democratic in politics.

August 29: Reaching the High Mark. The high mark in Oklahoma crop conditions has been reached in this part of the state this year. Such plentitude was never known in the history of the country. It is a fact that a stone wall could be built entirely around the state and it would be self sustaining. There are not many states in the union in which a wheat field, a corn field, a broomcorn field, a truck patch, a cotton patch and an alfalfa meadow can be found on the same quarter section of land.

Locals: Fred Becker and family left this afternoon for Oklahoma City to attend the conference or council of the Adventist church where 2000 are expected and is now in session at that place. They went in an automobile.

Sept. 5: Big Irrigation Plant. W. W. Farmer, who lives six miles south of the city, says he has just installed another irrigation plant on his farm across the river on the place known as the George Wilson Farm, and has about 200 acres in cotton on that place. Besides this he has 225 acres on his home place.

Sept. 26: The Fair at Higgins. The town of Higgins pulled off its Third Annual Fair on Thursday and Friday of the past week. There were lots of old timers there, men who have witnessed the wonderful changes the country has made, who have seen it pass from a "kow kountry" to that of an agricultural paradise in a few short years. Melons, squashes pumpkins, wheat corn, rye, oats, kaffir and broom corn and garden truck were in the exhibition and as fine pears as we ever saw.

Locals: John Vallaster, a former Shattuck boy who has been over at Ochiltree for the past year, came in today and will go out to his farm near Catesby to spend a time. He is a good friend to Shattuck and Shattuck people.

October 3: (full page ad) Shattuck Booster's Carnival, October 7-8 & 9

Air Ship flights - this will be free to everyone and will be made twice a day. Mr. R. G. Fowler the noted flier, who made the celebrated flight from coast to coast in his Wright Biplane will be here. - 3 Full Days of Jollification - the Oklahoma-Panhandle Concert Band - 4 baseball games: Oct. 7 - Arnett vs. Chaney, Oct 8 - Woodward vs. Ivanhoe, Oct. 9 - winners play for $100. Shattuck is spending $2000 to entertain people of this country at this carnival.

Live Stock Letter: Kansas City Stock Yards. Medium class steers slumped off 25 to 40 cents more last week. Prime cattle are firm, best here last week $10.90. Stockers and feeders range from $4.50 to $7.40.

Ad: Free:Absolutely:Free Commencing Friday, Oct. 4th, we are going to Give Away a beautiful velvet rug 9x12. With each $5.00 cash sale will be given a coupon then on Dec. 24 the sale will close and the one holding the lucky number will win. J.A. Guipel, Furniture & Undertaking.

Oct. 10: Locals. J. J. Riffel, who has 320 acres 15 miles north of town was a visitor and trader in town and made the Monitor office a call. Mr. Riffel has come to Ellis county to make it his home. - Flavius P. Rose, the Republican candidate for Representative from Ellis county, was a visitor in town this week. This election business has got him to rustling a bit. He didn't state whether he was a Bull Mooser or a Taft man. - In the sham battle with the Indians Tuesday evening Buck Oliver received a wound that was no sham, it made a hole in his pants, drew actual blood and was the source of putting him on the limp. - Lipscomb county turned out in full force to see Shattuck's three days carnival. The air ship flight on Monday was witnessed by probably five hundred Lipscomb county people alone.

Ad: Stray Horse. Bay horse, with saddle, came to my place eight miles south and two miles west on Sunday night. Owner can have same by paying for this advertisement and the keep of the animal. See Henry M. Schultz.

Oct. 17: Locals: A letter from B.F. Barnett, candidate for county judge on the Democratic ticket, says he is hitting the high places over the county. He says things are taking on a decidedly rosy hue so far as the county judge's race is concerned.

- Mr. and Mrs. Lawson of north of town, while coming to town the past week in their buggy met an automobile on the road and their team became frightened overturning the buggy, throwing the occupants out and injuring both of them, Mrs. Lawson sustaining severe injuries.

Oct. 24: Locals: Persimmons and 'possums are reported to be getting ripe down on the Canadian. A sure sign of rare feasts in the near future. Where is there a man that his mouth doesn't water at the thoughts of persimmons and 'possum?

Ad: Pears and Apples. Ben Davis, Black Twig, Missouri Pippin. A car to be on the track at Shattuck. T. D. Ballard

Nov. 7: Democratic Landslide. Wilson and Marshall will have more than 400 electoral Votes. Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey, the Democratic candidate for President and Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana, the candidate for Vice President, have swept the country and achieved the most signal victory ever won by presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Ellis County seems to be about the only place on earth that has gone republican - their victory here complete.

Wow! And here we are in 2002 also hearing non-stop political talk - from television, radio, newspapers, computers and maybe sometimes even from the candidates themselves. I wonder if it were easier to make a decision before all these electronic miracles were even nouns, and we had to depend on the words of the man himself...if he came by automobile or train to our rural community. The newspaper at a dollar a year was the weekly glue that kept us a part of all the space beyond us.

November 14, 1912: Balkan War. The Balkan war may yet involve all the European powers. The chances are that it will. Regardless of right or wrong in the matter the European powers will take sides where their interests are. The interests of Russia puts her financially in sympathy with the Ottoman Empire. The indebtedness of the Turkish government is great. The sympathy of the world is with the Balkans, and all of Europe as a result may become involved.

Market Report. Kaffir corn has took quite a tumble this week and still there is lots of it rolling into town. Wheat is also off a little. The broom corn market has not yet opened up while hogs and cattle are holding their own.

Thanks the Public. I am thankful to the voters of the second commissioner's district for the splendid vote I received at their hands in the recent election and can assure you that my election to this office will mean the best possible service I can render. Frank McCartor

Locals: E. E. Whitehead, L. D. Stephens, W. E. Stuart and several other boys of the town who are still following in the steps of Nimrod of hunter's fame expect to depart in a few days for a week's stay down on the Canadian. We hope that some of them will do better shooting than they done in the recent election.

Nov. 28: Ellis County Poultry Show. This show at Shattuck Dec. 18,19,20 and 21, 1912 to be the biggest thing of the kind ever pullede off in this county. Shattuck and her citizens will have the honor of having the Third Annual Poultry Show in Ellis County held in their own beautiful little city. It is an institution that is maintained for the promotion of better stock in the poultry line. Expert judges have been secured to score the birds and prizes will be awarded that will be worth the effort to get.

Health. For general health Ellis county takes rank above any county in the state. There are fewer cases of epidemic or contagious diseases and fever...Pure water, pure air and an ideal climate such as we have are conducive to good health. Run downs in other parts seek our climate for its rejuvenating qualities.

Ad: Horse Taken From Pasture. A bright red bay horse with white hind foot, black mane and tail, weight 950, was taken from my pasture on Wed. night, Nov. 20th. A reward of $25 will be paid for recovery of horse or $50 for thief and horse. Wm. Truitt, Arnett.

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Dec. 12: Will Bore for Oil. A company is being organized to put down a deep well. Work will begin within the next two or three weeks. Oil and gas prospects in the vicinity have been in evidence for a long time and the only reason that development hasn't been made is the lack of organization of our people.

Locals: -George E. Baker of Gage was visitor between trains in Shattuck Monday evening. -Berkeley Dawson departed yesterday morning in the big Auburn for the Laverne section where he will engage for a time in buying broomcorn. -The town marshal is doing street work this week by having cinders hauled and placed between 4th and 5th streets.

Ad: Kansas Ice Co. Ice and Coal. We sell the genuine Rockdale, Canyon City coal. Stock of ice on hand all the time. Our wagon will deliver daily. O. W. Barnett, mgr.

Ad: Christmas Shoppers - old Santa has called on us and left a nice line of groceries, fruits and vegetables. Also a fine lot of nuts and candies. Have some new dishes that would make nice xmas presents. Hamlin and Down.

Ad: Beginning Nov. 25th with every $1 worth of goods bought at Northup's Jewelry Store, Shattuck, you will get a number on a 400 day clock, a $15 watch and a $20 ladies diamond ring to be given away Dec. 25th.

Dec. 26: Oklahoma at Canal Show. New state will participate in the big Panama Canal Exposition in 1915. Determined to do all in his power to secure participation by Oklahoma in the San Diego exposition celebrating the opening of the Panama canal, C.T. Byrd has come to Oklahoma to put up to the legislature the advantages of an exhibit worthy of this commonwealth. Byrd resided here many years, was a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional convention and served in the first legislature.

Proclamation. Whereas, Chinch bugs caused serious damage in 1912 in several of the most important wheat growing counties of Oklahoma, and whereas hosts of these insects are safely passing the winter under the dead grass and trash of the fields and, if left unmolested, will multiply greatly...I hereby designate...the week of Monday, Dec. 30, 1912 as bug killing week and call upon all farmers to co-operate in the burning of all grass and weeds along fence rows and in fields, meadows, pastures and yards and gardens and along roads and culverts. Lee Cruce, Governor.

Five Eclipses. During the year 1913 there will be five eclipses, two of the moon and three of the sun. The eclipses of the moon will be total and those of the sun partial. The moon eclipses will be visible at Shattuck as will one of the sun eclipses.

Thoughts on 1912: Despite the rhetoric, 1912 didn't seem as positive for the folks of Ellis County as did earlier years. Crop prices were down somewhat and we were beginning to feel the effects of the insect world. Machinery and those new automobiles were wonderful but also fatal at times. War was looming in the Balkans and beyond. But Shattuck was planting trees in the town and planning well attended fairs and shows and, of course, there was always the carrot on the stick called "oil and gas". How things have changed, how they remain the same!

See you in 1913. Anne O. Sage

Submitted by: Anne O. Sage

 
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