G. R. Jackson, Bigheart Pioneer

Earlier this week while researching a baseball team for the Barnsdall Zinc Company in Missouri, I came across a link to a blog page by Andrea Dietze. Andrea is a librarian in southern California and writes stories about her ancestors. I was reading through her blog when I came across the name of G. R. Jackson that was living in Bigheart, Oklahoma. To many, the name wouldn't mean much unless your spare time is spent researching old photos of Bigheart, Ok.  In Andrea's blog was a couple photos. One was of G.R. Jackson and the other was of him in his general store in Bigheart, OK. The name quickly had me looking through my files for a photo of a store in Bigheart from 1908 called the Pearson Jackson General Store. It was located at the northwest corner of Main and 5th St.

1908, G. R. Jackson Store on the left.  The Osage Hotel is to the north and the Bank of Bigheart stands on the right.

Andrea had an email posted with the story so I promptly sent her a message with the store photo and one of the store after the tornado demolished it. The next day I received an email from her in which she told me that she had contacted the Oklahoma State Archives a few days before to see if they could track down any information about the store and what happened to it. Thrilled with her new information, she told me there were a few more photos that may be of interest. Looking through more files I found two more photos of the store and sent them to her. Andrea plans to send the photos and information she has to a local library or museum in the future.

1905, Granville Roy Jackson

The following is from Andrea Dietze blog:

Granville Roy Jackson (or, G. R. as he was always called) was born  in Calhoun County, West Virginia. My grandmother grew up in neighboring Ritchie County. Both families were farmers with deep roots in western Virginia. There were differences, however. G.R.'s father served in the 19th Virginia Cavalry during the War Between the States, while my grandmother's family was staunchly anti-slavery and pro-Union during the Civil War.  As a boy, my dad witnessed more than one spirited debate about the War at reunions.

Whatever their differences, the families came together and celebrated the young couple's marriage on Oct. 22, 1905. G. R. and Iva lived with his parents in Big Springs, Calhoun County for a short time. The next year, they struck out on their own and settled in the boom town of Bigheart, Osage County, Oklahoma. They opened and ran a general store until at least 1910. A tornado in 1911 and a fire in 1913 devastated downtown Bigheart and may have forced them to close the store. By 1918, G. R.'s occupation was listed as tool dresser for a drilling company when he registered for the WWI draft. In the 1920s, he opened a store in Montana where the family spent a short time. By 1930, they were back in Oklahoma, and he was working as a pumper in the Garber-Covington oil field.

He enjoyed hunting and fishing, once catching a 57-pound catfish. His obituaries describe him as a Methodist, 32nd degree Mason, employee of Sinclair Oil, and officer of the Oil Worker's Union 364.

His last few months were difficult ones as his health deteriorated and he struggled to clear his sinuses and throat. He died of metastatic brain cancer on Dec. 9, 1939 and was buried in the plot he and Iva purchased at Memorial Park in Enid, Oklahoma.

1908, inside the Pearson Jackson General Store in Bigheart OK. G.R. Jackson is standing on the far right. It's possible that the man to the far left could be J.T. Pearson, the second citizen of  Bigheart and a business partner with G. R. Jackson.

I'll post more information when it becomes available.This is for sure one of Bigheart's pioneers along with C.D. Pinney and W. R. Staples.

1928 Stinson Detroiter

On a recent visit with Pat Shaw, I was amazed to find a photo taken by her mother Rexie while she attended college in Montana in 1928. The photo is of an airplane with just enough history that it need be mentioned cause of it's Oklahoma connection.

From 1925 to 1931, the Ford Motor Company sponsored aerial tours across the country featuring planes from builders such as Waco, Curtiss and Travel Air. They would all vie for the Edsel B. Ford Reliability Trophy. These tours, as they were called, were set up to show and interest people about passenger air travel. In time they became known as the National Air Tours. In 1928, the Stinson Aircraft Company entered their Stinson Detroiter. It was built with the express intention of being flown in the air tour and would be piloted by the company's head man, E. A. Stinson.  The plane which was being built, had been bought by the Tulsa Junior Chamber of Commerce before it's completion in June, 1928. The TJCC purchased the plane for $12,500 and was in contact with the Barnsdall Oil Company as a sponsor to fly in the 1928 National Air Tour.

On July 20, 1928, the air tour made a stop at Missoula, Montana. Rexie Shaw, a 1923 graduate of Barnsdall High School was attending college in Montana and ventured out to take in the sights. She took this photo of the Stinson Detroiter while it was on display at the Missoula Municipal Airport.

This is a rare photo of the 1928 Stinson Detroiter at the Missuola Municipal Airport in Montana. Though hard to make out, the nose of the plane has the B Square Barnsdall logo on it and has the Barnsdall Oil Co. name on the fuselage. The can sitting under the plane is Barnsdall oil.

Though the plane did not win the 1928 tour trophy, the plane sitting on the left side of the photo did. It was the "Baby Ruth".  Before making a landing at each stop the plane would fly over the crowd and drop Baby Ruth candy bars from the plane. Each candy bar would have a small parachute attached so the would slowly fall to the ground.

After the tour finished in August 1928 the Stinson was sold to Tulsa oil well drilling contractor, John Mabee for $7000.  The Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University was named in his honor.

Two more sales brought the plane to Clarence Jones of Lima, Ohio. Mr. Jones was a radio station director in Ecuador and wanted the plane for missionary broadcasting services. In May 1931 the plane received a new covering but was damaged in an accident in June 1931. In September 1932, the plane was sold at a sheriff's sale to John Botkin and Lew Akin in Shawnee Oklahoma for $1009.72. It was sold two more times finally winding up in Fort Worth, Texas in August 1933. In February 1934, the plane suffered another accident and it's registration was cancelled in March 1935. There is no record of what happened to the airframe or engine. Though just a speck in aviation history, the plane was worth mentioning from some of it's Oklahoma connections. A photo copy of the Stinson Detroiter has been sent to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for their aviation collection.

Another photo of the Stinson Detroiter in San Diego, California. The Barnsdall markings can clearly be seen on it's fuselage.