George Birdwell's Grave (Pretty Boy Floyds Gangster Friend)

Ойын-сауық

George Birdwell was the associate and close friend of Pretty Boy Floyd.
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Rhetty for History
P.O. Box 850593
Yukon, OK 73085
#PrettyboyFloyd #Gangster #oklahoma

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  • @bigboy-sr8dn
    @bigboy-sr8dn5 жыл бұрын

    Strother hit the first oil gusher in seminole county that brought a lot of prosperity to the area. love your vids. keep up the great work. ...

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the information! I had no idea who I had stumbled upon definitely explains why there is a big oil Derrick in the city park. I tried to look for a sign about that but it was missing.

  • @audielowe2700

    @audielowe2700

    Жыл бұрын

    Mr. Strother, pioneer traveling man of Seminole, died Wednesday in a city hospital. Services were announced by Watts & McAtee's funeral home. He leaves two daughters, Mrs. Susan A. Simpson of Miami and Miss Louise Strother, Hockaday college, Dallas, Texas. He was 68 years old. Strother was a shoe salesman from St. Louis who traveled the Indian Territory beginning in 1881 spending considerable time in Okmulgee, McAlester and Seminole. This rugged Territory was a haven for outlaws and desperados. Strother traveled this land using a two-horse driven spring wagon where few roads and virtually no bridges to cross rivers or streams existed. He learned to survive using his keen sense of direction, his wit and excellent salesmanship. Crude oil was discovered in the Indian Territory in 1896 and word of this new source of wealth spread like wildfire throughout the Territory. Strother became enamored with the stories of the discoveries and investigated the early sites of discoveries. He was not a scientific man, but had boundless energy and enthusiasm and began to investigate the early Oklahoma discoveries with the aid of other oil men and geologists. His investigations convinced him that a northeast to southwest trend was established in these early fields which would run through the small farm town of Seminole, and he became interested in buying land in this area. Strother began to purchase land in the Seminole area in 1905, and by 1917 he had purchased approximately 6,500 acres. The accumulated taxes on these properties became more than he could afford. In 1917, he organized The Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company, thus incorporating his holdings, and raised $50,000 to help pay for the property he had acquired. Strother traveled the oil company circuit to Bartlesville, Tulsa and elsewhere to encourage the oil companies to lease and drill on his property in Seminole. He usually brought gift packages of pecans, grown on the trees of his lands, to the oil executives to entice them to lease his property. The Wewoka discovery in 1923 brought a few oil companies into the Seminole area for exploration -- mostly shallow wells, a majority of which were dry. This discouraged many of the oil companies, but not Strother. He had the courage of conviction not to give up on his faith that oil was in the Seminole area. Strother constantly encouraged and prodded oil companies to explore the area. He was a consummate salesman with undying faith, unfortunately he died March 17, 1926. Four months later, Garland's Fixico No. 1 well came roaring in at a rate greater than 6,000 barrels of oil per day from the Wilcox sand and made Strother a prophet. Soon after, Pure Oil Co. developed Strother's leases, one of which (SW/4 Sec. 26-9N-6E) located 1 mile East of the City, would ultimately yield more than 12,000,000 barrels of oil! The Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company celebrated its 80th annual stockholders meeting on June 1, 1998 in its headquarters offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The investors of Home-Stake have reaped large financial benefits since 1926 with total cash dividends paid to date in excess of $15.5 million. Many of the stockholders were third and fourth generation owners of this stock, including O.D. Strother's great grandson and the former Chairman of the board Robert C. Simpson. All of them owe tribute to a man who ushered in one of the greatest oil fields in America and added a rich page to our states' history books. Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company was purchased by a larger oil company in 2001 and no longer exists.

  • @gearjammer4779
    @gearjammer47795 жыл бұрын

    O.D. Strother was a shoe salesman from St. Louis, MO. He came to the Seminole area and settled there. The name of the street you were on where you drove into the cemetery is Strothers Ave. (Pronounced Straw-thers). He bought up lots of land in the Seminole area and struck it rich with an oil well. He also helped set up the streets and building plots in Seminole for building homes. He went through a highly publicized divorce from his wife Minnie in 1918. He had to pay her $50 per month alimony. His daughter that built the memorial building in his honor was adopted. She moved to another state and thats probably why she’s not buried near him. His former wife might be buried in Maple Grove Cemetery also but I’m not sure. If she is buried there I’m sure she is planted near the back in the whining section.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Interesting, thanks for sharing what you found out. Sounds like he did a lot for the town.

  • @graveexplorations
    @graveexplorations5 жыл бұрын

    I always knew that Oklahoma was a wild place back in the Depression era, and your videos put a human face to it. Outstanding work as always 👍🏼

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you my friend. Oklahoma has a rough time back then between the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. I think it was tough times for everything across the country though.

  • @LandumCgoesthere
    @LandumCgoesthere5 жыл бұрын

    We owe so much to these folks ( our Vets) Once again, thank you for showcasing the graves of those sometimes forgotten. Great video Rhetty!! Enjoyed the outlaw research too!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    We do owe a lot to those guys that fought for our country. I have the utmost respect for them. Thanks for watching Landum.

  • @TampaJay
    @TampaJay5 жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed you’re telling of the history, I learned so much. Such a great video. I love this stuff

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you buddy! I appreciate you watching!

  • @AViewFromTheMiddle
    @AViewFromTheMiddle5 жыл бұрын

    There was a World War II veteran that came by my spot in Weatherford every month. I always wanted to ask if I could meet with him and get some of his stories on video, but I haven't seen him in a few months. I do wonder if he hasn't passed on as well. That generation is certainly fading away. I remember hearing the name George Birdwell, but couldn't have told you two things about him. Maybe he should have stuck to being Pretty Boy Floyd's buddy considering how going out on his own turned out for him.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah I think those WW2 guys have stories like no other in recent times. I used to love listening to my grandparents as well as others from that generation. I guess if Birdwell would have listened to Floyd that time then he would have been saved but ultimately Floyd ended up on the wrong side of a gun as well.

  • @davidramirez882
    @davidramirez8825 жыл бұрын

    George Birdwell Jr was my aunts late husband who passed away years ago. My aunts name is carol and they would always tell us story's of his father the bank robber.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Wow! That would be interesting. I think read where George Jr was 13 when his father was killed should make him to have been born in 1919?

  • @carollee5103

    @carollee5103

    5 жыл бұрын

    I'm related to these Birdwells. :)

  • @swansfan6944
    @swansfan69442 жыл бұрын

    Wow Rhetty, to see rows upon rows of veterans together was so moving, brings a tear to your eye. That chapel was Amazing! ❤️and thanks for the history lesson 👍 much appreciated.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    The chapel was small but it was still interesting to see it. I enjoy looking at different ones in cemeteries. Thank you for watching!

  • @lukepate8749
    @lukepate87495 жыл бұрын

    Very intriguing!!! Thank you!!!👍

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Luke! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

  • @tangie777uk
    @tangie777uk4 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely love these cemetery videos.Thank you Rhetty for all the hard work you do researching the information.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome and thank you for watching!

  • @EllenCFarmGirl
    @EllenCFarmGirl4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Rhetty!

  • @zipshed
    @zipshed5 жыл бұрын

    Hello Rhetty, you're right I have never heard of this guy that I can remember. Very interesting. That stone building does look amazing!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    It's always interesting to me which criminals are remembered and stories keep getting told about them and then others never do. Thanks for watching and I appreciate you commenting as well.

  • @sallykohorst8803
    @sallykohorst88032 жыл бұрын

    I have been watching alot of your older videos and they have great history. Thanks. I loved Geronimo video. Many more to see as your new videos arrive. So glad I got you from Ron faces of the forgotten. Both of you are just great.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for going back and watching some of the older videos. I'm glad you are here and are enjoying the content!

  • @TheGraveyardChannel
    @TheGraveyardChannel5 жыл бұрын

    Kind of funny that everyone was in town for bird hunting season and his last name was Birdwell :-) Also hard to believe that the WWI soldier you mentioned who died in 1918 has been dead for 100 years. Love the castle-like chapel. Thanks for another interesting cemetery tour!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    You know that is funny now that you pointed that out. I didn't even make that connection. Maybe his name should have been Birdnotsowell. It is hard to believe that 1918 was a hundred years ago. Seems as though those veterans have been gone forever now.

  • @driveinfan1955
    @driveinfan19553 жыл бұрын

    My husband’s 2nd great grandmother is buried in this cemetery. Love your videos, and this was a nice surprise seeing where she is buried.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    It's really a nice cemetery. Thank you for watching!

  • @maryrichards8086
    @maryrichards80865 жыл бұрын

    Great video, thank you for sharing.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome and thank you for watching!

  • @travelingwithmikeandpam9074
    @travelingwithmikeandpam90745 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome. I appreciate you watching.

  • @CaptainSkeleton2004
    @CaptainSkeleton20045 жыл бұрын

    My grandparents didn’t live through the depression since my grandmother was born the last year for the Great Depression and my grandfather was born 3 years later.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    They w er re thought times. I'm sure they heard a lot of stories from families that did live thru it. For some it didn't end until much later.

  • @sandradonally8920
    @sandradonally89204 жыл бұрын

    I just started watching recently. Love your video's!! Love the stories!!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Sandra! I'm glad you're here and I appreciate you watching!

  • @rosseganjr9402
    @rosseganjr94024 жыл бұрын

    Just found your videos I like hearing about turn of the century bank robbers keep up the great work

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Welcome to the channel and I'm glad you found it. There are quite a few of those bank robbers to cover so more will be coming. Thanks for watching.

  • @stacykim2719
    @stacykim27195 жыл бұрын

    Clean cemetery with memorial chapel is unique place. Thank you for explaining the history about the outlaw George.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    It was definitely a nice and well maintained place. Thanks for watching Stacy!

  • @philipcollins5440
    @philipcollins54403 жыл бұрын

    Well done, I enjoyed your time and the history of the cemetery.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you watching!

  • @greghall4113
    @greghall41135 жыл бұрын

    Very good video. Thanks for sharing.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Greg! I appreciate you watching.

  • @raynonabohrer5624
    @raynonabohrer56244 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Thank you for your time in doing those videos.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome Raynona and thank you so much for watching!

  • @raynonabohrer5624

    @raynonabohrer5624

    4 жыл бұрын

    Welcome

  • @mikelaughlin4789
    @mikelaughlin47895 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting as always, the vet graves stones in a long ribbon of cement is something I have not seen prior to your video.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    I like they way they did that veterans part. I had not seen them in cement like that before either. It does make me wonder if they were all recently moved there like that. Thank you for watching!

  • @rosicarrillo3579
    @rosicarrillo35795 жыл бұрын

    Another great video! Tfs

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome! Thanks for always watching Rosi!

  • @yvonnepetty3400
    @yvonnepetty34004 жыл бұрын

    Thank you that was so interesting you really are teaching me some history. My Dad was in World War 11 wil tell you about it sometime am really enjoying your videos .Keep safe

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Yvonne. I'm glad you are enjoying the videos. Men like your father have always been my hero. Thanks for watching.

  • @brileyvandyke5792
    @brileyvandyke57924 жыл бұрын

    Great stuff man!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Briley!

  • @nancyparrish3297
    @nancyparrish32974 жыл бұрын

    Thanks enjoyed this video. Learning alot from your Videos.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad to hear you're learning a lot. I appreciate you watching them. I know you've been going thru quite a few.

  • @nancyparrish3297

    @nancyparrish3297

    4 жыл бұрын

    Love them

  • @gingerbread6614
    @gingerbread66145 жыл бұрын

    Very nice, thank you

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome and thank you Ginger!

  • @kristydillon3923
    @kristydillon39235 жыл бұрын

    This cemetery holds a special place in my heart. My parents, both sets of grandparents, 3 great grandparents, and numerous other family are buried here. Interesting story about George Birdwell...my grandfather, Bill Adams, worked for the city water department. The police were expecting trouble the day that Mr. Birdwell died so they had my grandfather, along with other city employees, to help keep order during the burial. It is rumored that Pretty Boy showed up dressed as a woman to the burial but who knows if that is true! We have had several family funerals in the chapel. One of my father's earliest memories was attending the funeral of his older sister there. It is a very beautiful building and with the generous donations made over the years, they have been able to upkeep the building. Maple Grove has a wonderful veterans section! My great uncle Olden Brown is buried there. I believe because of how soft the ground is during rain the cemetery placed all the stones on cement to help preserve them. My father, Babe Adams, worked for the local funeral home for 55 years and could tell you exactly where everyone was buried without looking at a map! He and the rest of my family are buried just to the right of the veterans section. Thanks for the great video!❤️

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    I filmed some of that veterans section towards the end of this video. I wonder if I captured your relative?

  • @kristydillon3923

    @kristydillon3923

    5 жыл бұрын

    You scanned over my great Uncles! And I saw my father's grave as well.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Oh that's neat. It's always nice to hear a little more about what I've captured.

  • @robertcoffee9512
    @robertcoffee95123 жыл бұрын

    Great video, just subscribed!

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching and subscribing!

  • @jessicawalker8564
    @jessicawalker85644 жыл бұрын

    what a fantastic memorial to those WW2 veterans along with a bank robber? my Grams just turned 97 years old this March we been recording her stories for the last couple decades as not to miss any possible details... for my birthday in this year she gifted me her box of letters telegrams postcards between her and Grampa during WW2...she is quite proud to be one of the last of their incredible generation... always inspirational this was another great video.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    That was an incredible generation. They had to live thru some horrific times and yet they stepped up in every way possible. I'm glad you are documenting the history and keeping the correspondence! That is something to treasure forever!

  • @gypsytreasures3856
    @gypsytreasures38565 жыл бұрын

    I think i have family buried there! My grandmother went to bowlegs highschool. Yup, you heard that right....BOW LEGS. She said it was named after a tribe of Indians. How cool. She was in the same class as a child with pretty boy floyd

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    This cemetery and the town of Bowlegs is located in Seminole County and is the old Seminole Nation or tribe area. The town of Bowlegs got it's name from Billy Bowlegs and Seminole leader. I have a friend that lived down there. Pretty Boy Floyd was a little ways north and east of here out towards Sallisaw, Oklahoma. There is a lot of history in Oklahoma and there is no doubt your grandmother was surrounded by it and experienced a lot of it.

  • @gypsytreasures3856

    @gypsytreasures3856

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@RhettyforHistory my grandmothers father was an oil lease mgr. They moved all over Oklahoma

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Ahh ok that would definitely make since. New spots were popping up all over then.

  • @sherryhumphreys2708
    @sherryhumphreys27082 жыл бұрын

    You're right, didn't know of George. Fascinating.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching and commenting Sherry.

  • @jeanarey5328
    @jeanarey53283 жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed the video👍

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you watching!

  • @bigboy-sr8dn
    @bigboy-sr8dn5 жыл бұрын

    i also looked up birdwell on that robbery. Apparently he was killed by an accountant that worked in the bank. seems they had a rifle stashed in the vault. talk about having a bad day...its laughable.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yes you're right on who shot him. Usually on those old bank vaults they would stache a revolver. I rifle would have been different. But after the alarms and shots were fired there were numerous people that showed up with rifles. They were doomed from the start and that's what Charley was trying to warn them about. Sometimes it's crazy to think about how greedy or desperate these criminals get and it then because to an abrupt halt.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    As the story goes there was a recent bank robbery that was quite large and George and Floyd got blamed for it. They didn't do it but this got George wanting more. I think he got too eager and desperate and it showed how this ended.

  • @mikelovin7
    @mikelovin75 жыл бұрын

    RIP veterans, thanks for your sacrifice.

  • @ronileigh9336
    @ronileigh93364 жыл бұрын

    Awesome to see graves of famous gangsters of yesteryear. The stories are interesting.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying and I appreciate you watching!

  • @ravensbrood3544
    @ravensbrood35443 жыл бұрын

    Interesting vlog👍

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you and I appreciate you watching Raven!

  • @michaelthomas7178
    @michaelthomas71782 жыл бұрын

    The school by Hitchitee church and cemetery is named after Strother.

  • @gypsytreasures3856
    @gypsytreasures38565 жыл бұрын

    I think i have family buried there! My grandmother went to bowlegs highschool. Yup, you heard that right....BOW LEGS. She said it was named after a tribe of Indians. How cool

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    I believe there was a chief Bowlegs.

  • @mogulsmoke2428
    @mogulsmoke24285 жыл бұрын

    O.D. Strother was a traveling shoe salesman prior to his purchase of much land in this area. Her formed an oil co. to help pay for his land purchases. Here is the link to the article: www.findagrave.com/memorial/9047983/oscar-dabney-strother

  • @tracylong5192
    @tracylong51922 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for warning Tracy!

  • @robertmcgee141
    @robertmcgee1415 жыл бұрын

    Army Corp of engineers crest is a castle like that. Maybe that's it?

  • @michaelthomas7178
    @michaelthomas71785 жыл бұрын

    Strother gave land and chapel for Cemetary.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Interesting. I didn't know that.

  • @robertloken8613
    @robertloken86134 жыл бұрын

    The chapel is The Strother Memorial Chapel. Built in 1927 and dedicated to Strother by his daughter. Strother founded Home Stake Oil & Gas Company

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Robert for filling us all in on who that was.

  • @robertloken8613

    @robertloken8613

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@RhettyforHistory Just came across your channel last night, spent about 6 hours bingeing on your posts, very interesting, very informative and above all very entertaining. Your very respectful to your subjects and you stay on subject. Look forward to seeing more of your posts in the future, great job; keep them coming.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@robertloken8613 Thank you Robert! Welcome to the channel and I'm glad you found it. I appreciate you binge watching!

  • @jessigross6234
    @jessigross62343 жыл бұрын

    He had 2 sons and 2 daughters, he passed when his son George Quinney Birdwell was 12. George W. Birdwell was my great great grandfather.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    That is quite a relation you have. I'm curious if you have other photos of him?

  • @jessigross6234

    @jessigross6234

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@RhettyforHistory I know my family does, i'd have to look around a little and ask some family where they are.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    3 жыл бұрын

    I would love to see them if they do.

  • @580gifted

    @580gifted

    Жыл бұрын

    I believe I am also related to George. Did you have family in Fletcher, Oklahoma?

  • @AmandaBryan-nb8yc
    @AmandaBryan-nb8yc Жыл бұрын

    That’s my great great grandfather. My great grandfather was George Birdwell Jr.

  • @scoobydoodle5473
    @scoobydoodle54735 жыл бұрын

    I like cookies!

  • @danielc5205
    @danielc52055 жыл бұрын

    The 1930's was the last era for the true American outlaws.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    At least ones where they could continually get away with widespread terror and damage. Certainly the I'll equipped police forces played a part in not being able to stop it.

  • @mikemoats2710
    @mikemoats27105 жыл бұрын

    Jeez these poor soldiers look how many.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    There are quite a few in there but I like the way they have honored them! They're in good company.

  • @European-Okie1986
    @European-Okie19865 жыл бұрын

    Hey RhettyforFun. I send you a postcard from Germany. Did you get it yet ?

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    I need to go check my PO Box. I haven't checked it in a week.

  • @ConwayTruckload
    @ConwayTruckload5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah Strother was a big oil man. He was who discovered oil in the Indian territory. He also had a huge court case dealing with his divorce. It made all the local headlines in the news at the time.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    That's interesting.

  • @michaelthomas7178
    @michaelthomas71782 жыл бұрын

    The woman driver who drove car in Boley robbery is also buried in Maple Grove cemetery. Floyd attended Birdwells funeral as a women. A told to me by Floyd's wife's cousin.

  • @lalenaturner3535
    @lalenaturner35352 жыл бұрын

    George Birdwell was my GREAT UNCLE, HIS WIFE FLORA MAE WAS MY GREAT AUNT, SHE RAISED MY GRANDFATHER AND HIS BROTHER, WHICH WAS HER NEPHEWS. MY GRANDFATHER AND HIS BROTHERS MOTHER PASSED AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. AND RECENTLY I FOUND OUT THAT MY BEST FRIEND, HER 2ND OR 3RD COUSIN IS PRETTY BOY FLOYD, THATS PRETTY NEAT

  • @ConwayTruckload
    @ConwayTruckload5 жыл бұрын

    Those military markers of WW2 soldiers are just memorials. Their bodies are not there.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    I wasn't sure especially since there was an actual marker that was moved there.

  • @ConwayTruckload

    @ConwayTruckload

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@RhettyforHistory yeah that was actually very common for the WW2 soldiers especially the men from the Pacific theater. I came across markers like that and remembering seeing their actual grave in the Philippines. I looked for those specific graves in the Philippines at the request of the family members.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    I have seen where they are memorial markers placed and many times they will say something to that affect. I wasn't sure about these.

  • @rebeccamartin9664
    @rebeccamartin96644 жыл бұрын

    Interesting wow

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Rebecca! I appreciate you watching!

  • @brettbirdwell1165
    @brettbirdwell11652 жыл бұрын

    He was shot and killed in bowley ok when pretty boy said don't rob this town and he didn't listen

  • @lalenaturner3535

    @lalenaturner3535

    2 жыл бұрын

    So if your a birdwell, then im sure were related

  • @lalenaturner3535

    @lalenaturner3535

    2 жыл бұрын

    George Birdwell was my great uncle and flora mae my great aunt, she raised my grandfather (her nephew) Charles Ledford and his brother. My mom named my middle name after their granddaughter Rachelle, Patty Lou's daughter... So i guess that means somewhere along the line we are related 😊

  • @lesd9783
    @lesd97835 жыл бұрын

    O. D. Strother was involved in oil and he was a 32 degree Mason and Shriner.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Les! He was definitely an unexpected find. He sure had quite the memorial and chapel in his honor.

  • @lesd9783

    @lesd9783

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@RhettyforHistory Here is more information that I had found on O. D. Strother. Maple Grove Cemetery is located within the city limits of Seminole, Oklahoma at 1201 Van Drive. . The cemetery is well maintained and provides the final resting place for a broad cross section of the communities most notable residents. It began in 1908 with the burial of Glenn Billington when Seminole was still know as Tidmore Oklahoma. Maple Grove Cemetery was incorporated into the City of Seminole in 1926. Susan A. Simpson dedicated the Strother Memorial Chapel in 1926 in honor of her father O.D. Strother. The Chapel is an excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture. Its sandstone structure, four prominent turrets, and large chimney make it the centerpiece in Maple Grove Cemetery. Strother Memorial Chapel was added to the National Register for Historic Places in 2003. Maple Grove now encompases approximately 24.06 acres. It is a perpetual care cemetery, which insures that funding will always be available for the maintenance and care of the cemetery. Rededicating ceremonies were held Memorial Day, May 25, 1998 at 12:00 noon for the O.D. Strother Chapel located in the Maple Grove cemetery in Seminole, Oklahoma. This Chapel, which stands as a tribute to O.D. Strother, the pioneer founder of the Seminole City Oil Field, was built and dedicated to the City of Seminole by his daughter, Susan Alberta Strother Simpson in 1927. The Chapel had fallen into a bad state of repair over the past 70 years, and has been restored through the efforts of the Maple Grove Cemetery Association and the Seminole Historical Society. O.D. Strother was a shoe salesman from St. Louis who traveled the Indian Territory beginning in 1881 spending considerable time in Okmulgee, McAlester and Seminole. This rugged Territory was a haven for outlaws and desperado's. Strother traveled this land using a two-horse driven spring wagon where few roads and virtually no bridges to cross rivers or streams existed. He learned to survive using his keen sense of direction, his wit and excellent salesmanship. Crude oil was discovered in the Indian Territory in 1896 and word of this new source of wealth spread like wildfire throughout the Territory. Strother became enamored with the stories of the discoveries and investigated the early sites of discoveries. He was nota scientific man, but had boundless energy and enthusiasm and began to investigate the early Oklahoma discoveries with the aid of other oil men and geologists. His investigations convinced him that a northeast to southwest trend was established in these early fields which would run through the small farm town of Seminole, and he became interested in buying land in this area. Strother began to purchase land in the Seminole area in 1905, and by 1917 he had purchased approximately 6,500 acres. The accumulated taxes on these properties became more than he could afford. In 1917, he organized The Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company , thus incorporating his holdings, and raised $50,000 to help pay for the property he had acquired. Strother traveled the oil company circuit to Bartlesville, Tulsa and elsewhere to encourage the oil companies to lease and drill on his property in Seminole. He usually brought gift packages of pecans, grown on the trees of his lands, to the oil executives to entice them to lease his property. The Wewoka discovery in 1923 brought a few oil companies into the Seminole area for exploration -- mostly shallow wells, a majority of which were dry. This discouraged many of the oil companies, but not Strother. He had the courage of conviction not to give up on his faith that oil was in the Seminole area. Strother constantly encouraged and prodded oil companies to explore the area. He was a consummate salesman with undying faith, unfortunately he died March 17, 1926. Four months later, Garland's Fixico No. 1 well came roaring in at a rate greater than 6,000 barrels of oil per day from the Wilcox sand and made Strother a prophet. Soon after, Pure Oil Co. developed Strother's leases, one of which (SW/4 Sec. 26-9N-6E) located 1 mile East of the City, would ultimately yield more than 12,000,000 barrels of oil! The Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company celebrated its 80th annual stockholders meeting on June 1, 1998 in its headquarters offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The investors of Home-Stake have reaped large financial benefits since 1926 with total cash dividends paid to date in excess of $15.5 million. Many of the stockholders were third and fourth generation owners of this stock, including O.D. Strother's great grandson and the former Chairman of the board Robert C. Simpson. All of them owe tribute to a man who ushered in one of the greatest oil fields in America and added a rich page to our states' history books. Home-Stake Oil & Gas Company was purchased by a larger oil company in 2001 and no longer exists.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing what you had found on Strothers, the cemetery and the town. I figured that cemetery was bigger that that. It's amazing to think of a shoe salesman who become rich off of oil and it produced some really big wells! That's all really fascinating!

  • @hughsmith4008
    @hughsmith40085 жыл бұрын

    I have been watching you videos and enjoying them. But just about everyone is a criminal.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching the videos. I guess it would depend on how you define criminal.

  • @nanrodgers9740
    @nanrodgers97404 жыл бұрын

    en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strother_Memorial_Chapel

  • @brettbirdwell1165
    @brettbirdwell11652 жыл бұрын

    George birdwell was my great great grandfather

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    That quite a heritage you have.

  • @lalenaturner3535

    @lalenaturner3535

    2 жыл бұрын

    So was your great grandparents, my mom named my middle name after Pats (Flora mae & George Birdwells daughter) daughter Rachelle

  • @lalenaturner3535

    @lalenaturner3535

    2 жыл бұрын

    I meant who was your great grandparents..?

  • @marcieconant5559
    @marcieconant55592 жыл бұрын

    Of course he's stupid. If he were smart he wouldn't be an outlaw...loved the chapel!😇💕

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Very true! That was a cute little chapel. Thank you for watching!

  • @Tiner124
    @Tiner1244 жыл бұрын

    This is My Great Grandfather.

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Interesting relation. Thank you for watching.

  • @lalenaturner3535

    @lalenaturner3535

    2 жыл бұрын

    So can i ask who your grandparents are, he was my great uncle

  • @josem.santiago760
    @josem.santiago7605 жыл бұрын

    👍👍👍👍👍🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

  • @itzzcaleybz558
    @itzzcaleybz5582 жыл бұрын

    Ain’t tryna make this relevant to me but my names caleb birdwell

  • @RhettyforHistory

    @RhettyforHistory

    2 жыл бұрын

    Are you of relation by chance?

  • @gaylakellner720
    @gaylakellner7204 жыл бұрын

    He was a Shrinner

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