Then and Now images of Sapulpa

(Then) Dewey Ave on Labor Day, parade, 1913
Dewey Ave
(Now) Dewey Ave, 2018

Labor Day is celebrated in the U.S. as a national holiday on the first Monday in September. This holiday honors workers of this country. It starts the September off with a long weekend break .

Did you know...

This month in Sapulpa history: The trolley service in northeast Oklahoma came to an end. Oklahoma Union Railway (O.U.R.) announced on August 12th, 1933 its services between Sapulpa and Tulsa would no longer run. The company was also shutting down its trolley service within Tulsa; it had shut down the routes to/from Mounds and Kiefer a few years earlier - August 1926. These services to/from Tulsa, Mounds, Kiefer had started in 1910 in Sapulpa. (Sapulpa Herald, August 12, 1933)

Article reads:
​Sapulpa-Tulsa Buses to Take Place of O.U.R.
Change from trolley to motor vehicles goes in effect here tonight

O.U.R. (Oklahoma Union Railway) interurban cars will be discontinued between Tulsa and Sapulpa tonight at 11:25, it was announced by G.A. Chandler, superintendent of transportation in Tulsa today.

The trolley service will be substituted by bus line on a similar schedule by Union Transportation company of Tulsa. City street car service in Tulsa is being discontinued also, it was indicated by Chandler.

The first bus in Sapulpa on the new line will arrive shortly before 2 a.m. It will depart sharply at 2 o'clock. The regular schedule will remain unchanged.

Tickets had by commuteers on the interurban will be honored on the bus line, it was stated today by J.T. Crow in charge of local bus depot. The hours of bus station will continue as in the past from 7 a.m. to 11:15 p.m.

Artifact(s) of the Month...

Lewis Meyer: graduate of Sapulpa High School, class of 1929. He attended Dartmouth college, then earned a law degree from University of Michigan. He would practice law in Sapulpa, while opening the Lewis Meyer Book Store - which he presented book reviews on the local radio station, and for 42 years had his own program on KOTV Channel 6 in Tulsa. He opened this store on 34th St and S Peoria in 1935; but would latter move to London Square in 1994. He died in January 1995.

Lewis Meyer became 'famous' in our town by writing about his adventurous life, including:

• Preposterous Papa
• Mostly Mama
• Off the Sauce
• Second Wife
• Pooped!
• The Customer is Always

Did You Know...

Three buildings in the unit block of S Main were destroyed by fire on July 27th, 1954. The buildings were Yale Theater, Yale office building, and the Beard building. No lives were lost in the fire. Jimmy Zartaludes (owner of Yale Theater) announced the next day that the Yale would be rebuilt at or near same location - this never came to be. (Sapulpa Herald July 27 & 28, 1954).

Artifact(s) of the Month:

The image shows a rare World War II (WWII) 48 gold/48 white star casket flag, the museum has on display in our military rooms. Casket flags during WWII were made in America with 48 white stars on both sides of the flag. However, there are other similar casket flags, like this one, with gold and white stars, but these flags may only have 4 or 5 gold stars displayed.


Why the gold stars?
The Marshall Plan in Europe to stimulate recovery of war torn countries, such as France, the US Army contracted with local French flag manufactures and seamstresses to manufacture casket flags for the repatriation program rather than have flags shipped in from the US. Though, there were flag specifications, it’s believed that some French workers, familiar with America’s World War I use of “Blue Star” and “Gold Star” window banners (see the images for examples), included gold stars on one side in place of white stars to honor America’s fallen soldiers.

Though there are no numbers to substantiate actual French manufactured casket flags, it’s believed 150-500 “Gold Star” flags were produced – most of these flags only had 4-5 gold stars on one side. However, flags with all 48 gold stars on one side are considered to have the smallest production, making them extremely rare.

Though the US caught the mistake early in production, it opted to use the flags with gold stars because of the short supply of flags. Subsequent flags were manufactured with all white stars.
When the flag is correctly folded, the white stars will show; when correctly draped on the casket, the gold stars will show.

Then and Now Images of Sapulpa...

(Then) Bovaird Supply Company
(Now) Farmers' Feed Store lot

Bovaird had several locations in town, however, oil supply businesses in Tulsa took a while to branch out to Sapulpa. Sapulpa had been trying to land an oil field supply house for some time. They had been working with Bovaird Supply Company for several weeks, and their efforts had finally paid off. Bovaird had agreed to come to Sapulpa if the Commercial club could furnish them with suitable site. A site had been secured and Bovaird was coming to town. The location of this new business was to be on the east side of N Main, just south of the Frisco right of way. This was very welcomed news as it gave us a major supplier of oil well goods. We could not become a great oil center and compete with Tulsa without supply houses. It was hoped that this was to be on of many supply houses. The seven supply houses in Tulsa had made an agreement that they would not come to Sapulpa. This lack of oil supply houses and no first class hotel was a big impediment to us competing with Tulsa. Bovaird would remain in Sapulpa for many years and employed many Sapulpans. (Sapulpa Light, March 1, 1907; Sapulpa Herald, August 31, 1954).

Did You Know...

The Sapulpa Street Car Company was going to extend its tracks to the new Schram Glass Plant, west of town. This would put it close to the water treatment plant and the big dam. With the extension of the tracks to the dam it made its area very suitable for a park. With very little expense this assured that the park would come to being as they had sold all but six shares of stock for the purpose of buying the land. The trolley line was extended to the Schram Glass Plant. (Creek county Republican June 20, 1913).