Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: Oklahoma

"Oklahoma City, Apr. 19, 1906. Dear Cousin, Here we are with our best wishes and some Oklahoma apple blossoms. Yours lovingly, Armada Ruth Tinkham and her mamma, Etta Brown Tinkham." Etta Brown Tinkham also sent a second real photo postcard to her cousin on the same date (she must have sent them both in an envelope since there's no address, stamp, or postmark on either of them). See Greetings from the Future Popcorn King, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1906 :

"Oklahoma City, Apr. 19, 1906. Greetings from the future 'Popcorn King,' James Isaac Brown." "Popcorn King"? Huh? Well, after a bit of searching, I finally located a brief newspaper article, "Is Called 'Popcorn King,'" Oklahoma State Capital (Guthrie, Okla.), July 21, 1909, p. 2, that sheds some light on the subject: "Shawnee, Okla., July 20.--Four years ago Isaac A. Brown of Pittsburg, Pa., came to Oklahoma with a view of locating and establish[ing] himself in business. He saw his opportunity in Oklahoma City and embraced it. Brown is known far and wide as the 'popcorn king' of the new state [Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907]. He manufactures an average of thirty-five pounds of popcorn a day and a near total of six tons a year." As far I've been able to determine, Isaac A. Brown, the Popcorn King named in the article, is the father of James Isaac Brown, the Future Popcorn King who's pictured above. Unfortunately, I haven't found any further evidence regarding the later reign of father or son as Popcorn King. Etta Brown Tinkham, who wrote the message about the Future Popcorn King, was apparently James Isaac Brown's mother or stepmother. She wrote another message on a second real photo postcard on the same date as this one. See Armada and Her Mamma with Oklahoma Apple Blossoms, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1906 (is the Future Popcorn King holding the same kind of apple blossoms, or might he be grasping a handful of popcorn instead?).

"For the 'rest' of your life. Chestnut Circle C Lodge, Arnett, Oklahoma, east of city on U.S. 60 and 283. The Best Western Motels. B.W.M." Sign: "Circle C Lodge. Vacancy. Panel Ray Heat. Westwood Furniture. Foam Rubber Mattress. Air Conditioned. AAA. Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "Chestnut Circle C Lodge, on U.S. 60 and 283, Arnett, Oklahoma. Café nearby, 16 units, tile baths, carpeted floors, panel ray vented hear, GE refrigeration, mahogany interior finish. Westwood furniture, foam rubber mattresses, garages, GE electric blankets. T.V. and radio in rooms.

A photo of flowers in the garden for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note (above left): "Eleanor Henderson, Eva, Texas Co., Okla., Oct. 24, 1914." There's no message or address on the back of this real photo postcard. Little Eleanor posed with her dog among the flowers and plants, all rendered in blue due to the cyanotype photo processing.

A weather photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . Handwritten on the back of this real photo postcard: "This picture was taken right after it stopped hailing on Sunday, May 2nd, 1920. Some hail believe me." Although there's no postmark or notation to identify where this photo was taken, it seems likely that the hail pictured here was the result of the same weather system that produced the tornado that devastated the small town of Peggs, Oklahoma , on May 2, 1920. The twister hit Peggs around 8:30 p.m., destroyed most of the town's buildings, killed 71 people, and injured about a hundred more. The National Weather Service still ranks the tornado as the third deadliest in Oklahoma since 1882 .