OKLAHOMA PLANNING AND RESOURCES BOARD OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

New Oklahoma Play Areas Schedule July Ceremonies

Two of Oklahoma's newest links in her chain of nine state parks will be featured by special events during July.

All of the Texoma area in Okla­homa will join in dedication cere­monies July 22 for the newly desig­nated Texoma State Park, with honor guests to include Gov. John­ston Murray and members of the state planning and resources board.

July 4 will be a big day at the Sequoyah State Park, near the ex­panding and picturesque Fort Gib­son reservoir, when the Cherokee National Sports Association will put on its water sports show.

Included in the tentative plans for Texhoma celebration is a party for Gov. Murray whose birthday falls on July 21, the Saturday before the dedication program on Sunday.

The dedicatory ceremonies will

provide the kickoff for development of the area as one of the outstanding recreation areas in the state. The park includes 2,000 acres of land adjoining the lake from Glasses creek on the north to the Frisco railroad bridge on the south. It is consid­ered one of the choice locations on the huge lake.

Owners of cruisers, speedboats and outboards from over the entire lake will be invited to participate in the boating regatta in the Roosevelt Bridge vicinity throughout the after­noon of the dedication ceremonies.

More than 40 cities in eastern Oklahoma have agreed to participate in the Sequoyah water festival. Some of them will bring entire boat clubs, rod and gun clubs and plain old­fashioned town-wide picnics and bas­ket dinners.

Oklahoma City Men Start New $700!OOO Steel Mill

Difficulties Oklahoma manufac­turers have in getting steel for their operations have prompted the organ­ization of a new $700,000 steel mill to be located on the southwest edge of Oklahoma City.

The new enterprise, financed com­pletely by Oklahoma investors, will use state scrap iron in its process, and provide jobs for about 100 men. The factory is about 60 per cent complete, with operations due to start about August 1.

W. H. Hoster, Oklahoma City, will be president of the new plant to be known as the Hoster Steel Corp. He came to Oklahoma City ten years ago from Chicago after a lifetime in the steel business.

Hoster said the cost of making steel here will compare favorably with any other point in the country since Oklahoma's electric rates are as much as 25 per cent lower thml rates paid in other steel centers .

He said the new Oklahoma City plant will be the first of its kind in Oklahoma, and the smallest inte­grated steel mill in the world.

"We feel that the market is un­limited," said Hoster, "and that the presence of a llull here will encour­age processors of steel to move to Oklahoma. We're far from target areas in case of war. And our power and gas rates, plus the market, should encourage more steel fabrication in the state with a constantly expanding need for our product."

Alva Sells Industrial Stock

Temporary officers and advisory board members of the Alva Indus­trial Development Corp., which is being organized for the purpose of promoting new industry to locate in Alva, have launched their sale of 2,000 shares of the 4,000 shares of stock to be issued.

2

Wildlife Refuge In Lawton Area Stirs Interest

This is the season when new life, beauty and drama can be found in the Wichita Mountain wildlife ref­uge, a beautiful wilderness that lies behind 86 miles of high steel fence in southwestern Oklahoma, near Lawton.

The refuge covers 59,099 acres of natural habitat for buffalo, antelope, deer, longhorn cattle and elk, and the fence keeps them inside and the human sightseers out of danger, and outside.

Motorists can drive slowly outside the fence and from what they see they can easily visualize days of long ago. Behind the fence the buffalo roam, the deer and the antelope play, just as they did for the many ages before the white man came to the southwest.

Ernest Greenwalt, manager of the refuge, said Sunday is not a particu­larly good day to tour the scenic, paved roads of the refuge. On that day the traffic noise is so heavy the wild animals stay away from the fence.

The manager said in the refuge there are now more than 800 head of buffalo, 300 head of longhorns, 62 adult antelope, 300 elk and be­tween 700 and 800 whitetail deer, not including fauns .

Our Cover

This picture shows the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, a mile-long COI1-

crete span extending across Lake Texoma between Madill and Du­rant. In this beautifully timbered sector the state planning and re­sources board has acquired 2,000 acres along the west shoreline, north and south of the Roosevelt bridge, for development of a state park.

Huge Shell Plant Is Dedicated The eyes of the oil industry were

focussed upon Elk City last month where a $7,000,000 processing and gas cycling plant was formally dedi­cated.

This ultra-modern plant, designed to increase the ultimate recovery from the huge Elk City oil and gas field, will bring an additional esti­mated $80,000,000 to producers and royalty owners.

More than 2,000 persons attended the dedication, including govern­ment officials, civic and business leaders, and leading oil men from throughout the country.

Presiding at the ceremonies was W. A. Alexander, area manager of Shell Oil Co., Tulsa. Shell operates the plant on behalf of itself and eight other owners including E. Con­stantin, Jr., Continental Oil CO. J. M. Huber Corp., Superior Oil Co., Tide Water Associated Oil Co., Union Producing Co., United Car­bon Co., Inc., and Wilcox Oil Co.

While the plant has a design ca­pacity of 100,000,000 cubic feet of gas daily, application already has been made to the Petroleum Admin­istration for Defense for permission to enlarge the capacity to handle 150,000,000 cubic feet as well as re­injection of another 60,000,000 feet of gas daily back into the reservoir.

The big enterprise is more than a processing plant, it was pointed out. It not only processes every­thing received from the field-first separating crude oil from the gas, then extracting such condensibles as propane, butane and natural gaso­line from the gas-but it also returns the remaining gas to the producing horizon.

Company officials explained that through the unitization of the Elk City field and the building of the new plant, the recovery of liquid hydrocarbons will be increased ap­proximately 25 per cent. In addi­tion, billions of cubic feet of gas will be available for sale in years to come after this particular gas has

Photo-Shell Oil Company

LATEST IN CONSERVATION-Processing area in the new Elk City unit processing and gas cycling plant. It is estimated that this new plant will increase production of the Elk City field by 25 million barrels of hydro­carbon.

done its job of bringing the liquids to the surface.

The plant handles production of the unitized portion of the Elk City field which covers 4,240 acres.

In contrast to old practices, pres­sures in the Elk City reservoir are being conserved by controlled rates of production . Oil and gas come from depths of 8,800 to 10,300 feet. Through a variety of tests, engineers C8n determine the maximum rate at which oil and gas can be produced from this without lessening the chances for the greatest ultimate recovery.

3

Lake Murray Is Not Booked to Capacity

Reservations at Oklahoma's most modern resort lodge and cabin area at Lake Murray state park can still be made despite unauthorized re­ports to the contrary, R. E. Chiles, director of state parks and recreation, announced today.

The director suggested that vaca­tionists plan their stay at the park eluring week days. There's usually accommodations from Sunday after­noons until the following Saturday, he said.

Historical Group Seeks Members To Help Cause

Perpetuating the state's historical background is the primary purpose of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and those who helped Oklahoma's meteoric development should be the most interested in the plans of the organization .

This is the belief of Dr. Charles Evans, secretary of the society, who is working on a campaign to obtain life memberships in the organiza­tion as a means to furthering its work. .

Dr. Evans said the society now has some 400 life members but more are being sought. A life membership in the society costs $25. In return, members receive the organization's publication, "Chronicles of Okla· homa" which are rich in background of historical events and personalities.

The society was founded by the Oklahoma Press Association in May, 1893, at Kingfisher. In 1895 it was made a state institution under an act of the legislature and signed by Ter-

Power Station Work To Employ 300 Men

The Public Service Co. will em­ploy approximately 300 men during the construction of its new $15 mil­lion southwestern power station near Washita, according to Harry Pitzer, of Chickasha, vice-president of the company.

In a speech before the Anadarko Lions club, Pitzer said the big plant would be an advantage to Anadarko and the county through taxation with schools expected to gain $196,-000 in taxes and the county $84,000. The first two units of generators will be completed in the summer of 1952 and two more units in late 1953 or early 1954.

ritorial Gov. Renfrow.

In 1902, the library and collection were removed to Oklahoma City and housed in the Carnegie library. Later it was moved to the state capitol, and in 1930 was located in its new building which is regarded as one of the 10 finest and most modern structures of its kind in the nation .

NEW VACATION AREA-This is a scene at Sequoyah State Park, one of Oklahoma's newest recreation centers. Although it now is in a rough, rugged and native state, the 4,OOO-acre park, located between Wagoner and Tahlequah, is predicted to become one of the most popular vacation are~s in Oklahoma. The sector shown above is where on July 4 the Cherokee NatIOnal Sports Association will hold its first annual water sports show.

4

Small Factories Play Big Part In Tulsa Area

No small factor in Tulsa's develop­ing industrial picture is the part being played by small manufacturing plants.

Ten new factories of the smaller variety have boosted Tulsa county's manufacturing list to 645 plants, em­ploying approximately 24,000 per­sons. A variety of products is pro­duced, including electrical items, stoves, pottery and fishing tackle.

The new industries are as follows : Walker Well Heads, Inc., Sand Springs road, manufacturers of well heads and casing supports for the oil industry; Welding Engineer Co., on Dawson road at Louisville ave­nue, specializes in the design and manufacture of submerged arc weld­ing equipment.

Pinion Manufacturing and Supply Co., on east Admiral, does general machine shop work, metal fabricat­ing and welding; Thompson Build­ing Material Co., Sand Springs, pro­duces window units for domestic and commercial use; Allied Tool Manu­facturing Co., 5105 E. Admiral, pro­duces tools for aircraft companies and machine production jobs for other industries.

Danuser Machine Shop, 3907 E. Admiral, tools and dies for aircraft plants in Tulsa and Wichita; Ameri­can Tank and Construction Co., 3300 S. Sheridan, produces oil field storage tanks; Jake'S Foundry, Inc., 3135 Sand Springs road, brass, bronze and aluminum castings.

Three Men Purchase Tulsa Steel Plant

The Southwest Engineering Co., steel fabrication plant at Tulsa, has been sold to three Tulsa business­men . The three, M. J. McNulty, J r.; Frank P . DeLarzelere and Conn­ley Sanders have organized a new corporation known as the Southwest Steel Corp.

Auto Official Speaks Nicely Of Our State

R. H. "Dick" Worms, an Ameri­can Automobile association travel authority, had some mighty nice things to say about Oklahoma's tourist attractions during a recent visit to Oklahoma City.

"Oklahoma doesn't realize what an attraction it has to offer tourists," he commented after completing a five-week tour of the state, covering 4,600 miles of state roads and visit­ing every state attraction. He will make a report to the AAA to be published in tourist guidebooks.

"I was amazed at some of the accomodations offered around Lake Murray and Lake Texoma," 'Vorms said. "They would compare very favorably with resorts back east. Oklahoma's principal attraction to out-of-state tourists is its lakes. Fish­ing is wonderful. If tourists don't like to fish-the lakes are still won­derful places to loaf."

Glass Company Picks Okmulgee

It's California to Oklahoma this time for a new glass decorating company that has chosen Okmulgee as the site for its expanding industry. Operation is expected to begin early in July after transfer of the firm's equipment from the west coast has been completed.

The new enterprise is the Dick Talbett, Inc., manufacturers of a line of decorated dinner ware and glass gift articles. Owners are Talbett and John Shaw.

Glass to be used by the company will be purchased from the Ameri­can \Vindow Glass Co., also of Ok­mulgee, and the manufacturing molds will be made by a local con­cern.

Co-operative spirit of Okmulgee citizens was the deciding factor in locating the plant there, Talbett said. A better distribution point to eastern markets also figured in the decision.

Dedication of Wister Dam Highlights Scenic Program

CEREMONIES AT NEW RESERVOIR-Dedication of the Wister dam on June 16 was a big day for eastern Oklahoma. There was an unusual amount of sunshine, but more than 3,000 persons heard the formal ceremony. The above picture shows part of the shirtsleeved crowd. The following day, when there were fishathons and boat races, an estimated 15,000 persons were at­tracted to the area near Wister and Poteau, in LeFlore county.

Oklahoma's Wister dam, nestled in LeFlore county in an area where rustic nativity and natural beauty are in ample evidence, went through its formal dedication the latter part of June.

At the ceremonies Morton Harri­son, chairman, Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board, accepted the $10,000,000 reservoir for the state from Brig-Gen. C. H. Chorpening, assistant chief for civil works in Washington.

Co-incidentally, the ceremony also marked the 176th anniversary of the U. S. Corps of Engineers, builders of the dam.

More than 3,000 shirtsleeved per· sons, including federal and state of­ficials, attended the dedication, but before the two-day event ended it was estimated from 10,000 to 15,000 visitors participated in the festivities. Automobiles from 18 different states were counted. Boat races and a fish­athon closed the second day's ac­tivity.

5

The Wister lake area, within a short distance from the rugged mountain regions of the Ouachitas, the Petit Jean, the Poteau, the Black Fork, the Sansbois and the popular Winding Stair mountains, has been described as a potential site for a state recreation center.

The Wister project was author­ized for flood control in the Poteau river valley and as a unit in the gen­eral comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes in the Arkansas river basin. The dam pro­vides a high degree of flood protec­tion to 42,000 acres of land in the poteau river valley.

The lake, which has a surface area of 4,000 acres, is stocked with fish and more will be added this fall. Ten thousand acres nearby are open to the public for hunting.

The reservoir extends 18 miles west from the dam site with a maximum width of three and a half miles, and is located two miles south of 'Vister.

GETTING THE JOB DONE With each issue at RESOURCEFUL OKLAHOMA we will present in this space a map, chart, table or other data which we believe will help you in your work.

+ NONFARM EMPLOYMENT IN OKLAHOMA

INDUSTRY

Manu' act uri ng Durable Goods

Lumber & Wood Products Stone, Clay, & Glass Primary Metal Products Fabricated Metal Products Machinery, exc. Electric Other Durable Goods

Nondurable Goods Food Printing & Publ ishing Refining Other Nondurable Goods

Contract Can.tructlon

Mining Crude Petroleum & Gas Production Coal Mining Other Mining

Public Utilltie. Interstate Railroads Transportat ion, axe. Railroads Other Utilities

Trade ~85ale

Retail D6partment Stores Food Stores Automotive Apparel Other Retail Trade

Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate

Service Hotels & Other Lodg i n9 s Personal Serv ices Other Business & Prof. Services

Government * Federal State & Local

APRIL, 1951

EMPLOYMENT ABSOLUTE PERCENT CHANGE (In Thousands) CHANGE

1---..:..,..----,--..:....----+------1 Mar. 1951 Apr. 1950 Apr. Mar. Apr. 1951 1951 1950

491.2

71.7 32.4

3.1 6.0 4.2 5.5 7.B 5.B

39.3 14.7 5.6

11.4 7.6

34.0

44.2 40.0

1.4 2.B

49.0 ill lB.3 lB.6

121.2 29.8 91.4 9:7 14.2 12.5 5.3

49.7

lB.O

49.5 5.0 10.0 34.5

103.6 42.4 61.2

486.0 /I

70.3 31.7

3. 1 6.0 4. 1 5.5 7.B 5.2

38.6 14.4 5.5

11.2 7.5

33.0 /I

43.5 39.3

1.5 2.7

4B.B 12.1 17.9 18.8

121.7 29.9 91.8 9":6 13.B 12.6 5.4

50.4

lB. 1

4B.9 4.9 10.1 33.9

101.7 40.5 61.2

467.1

63.9 26.8

3.0 6.2 3.5 4.5 5.9 3.7

37.1 14.5 5.5 9.7 7.4

31.0

41.6 37.5

1.6 2.5

48.8 11.3 18.2 19.3

121.2 29.9 91.3 8.9 14.0 12.2 5.5

50.7

17.6

50.6 -0 11.0 34.5

92.4 32.4 60.0

Mar. 1951 to to Apr. 1951 ~r. 1951 Apr. 1951

5.2

1.4 J.. o o

.1 o o

.6

.7 -:3 .1 .2 • 1

hQ. .7 :;

- .1 . 1

.2 o .4

• .2

• .5 · .1 • . • 4 -.1

.4 • • 1 • • 1 · .7

· • 1

.6 :T

• .1 .6

1.9 IT

o

11

2.0 2.2

o o

2.4 o o

11.5 1.8 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.3

3.0

1. 6 1.8

· 6.7 3.7

.4 o

2.2 • 1. 1

· .4 :--:J ~ ~

2.9 • .8 · 1.9 · 1.4

· .6

1.2 2:0 1.0 1.B

1.9 4.7

o

5.2

12.2 20.9

3.3 · 3.2

20.0 22.2 32.2 56.8

5.9 T.4 1.8

17.5 2.7

9.7

6.3 6.7

·12.5 12.0

.4 7-:1 .5

.. 3.6

o .:3 -.-1

9--:0 1.4 2.5 3.6

• 2.0

2.3

2.2 :-T.O · 9.1

o 12.1 30.9

2.0

Source: Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

6

Industry Check Calls For Best Of Appearances

"Wear your Sunday best every day if you want to attract outside industry."

This is the advice given recently to members of the Vinita chamber of commerce by Walter Head, man­ager of the huge Goodrich plant in Miami.

"Y ou never know when you are being checked by persons making industrial surveys," he said. "There are a lot of things that are checked to determine people's interest in their young people, and their pride in their community."

He said included in things other than resources that generally are sur­veyed are such items as attendance at football games, orderliness and appearance of stores and building front and general prejudices.

Plane Plant Moves Into Shawnee Site

More than $70,000 worth of heavy machine shop equipment for an air­plane parts plant is being moved into the plant site seven miles north of Shawnee by that city's newest in­dustry, the J on co Aircraft Corp.

Merle F. Palmer, general manager, said when the plant is completed it will include about $450,000 worth of machinery. He estimated it will take about 90 days to get all ma­chinery set up. The new factory, to be housed in one of the large, reconditioned hangars at the munici­pal airport, is expected to be in full production in a year.

Factory Gets Own Saw Mill

Dow Tipton, owner of the D'Lor­enzo furniture factory, Lindsay, has enlarged his enterprise to include a saw mill. The mill is being supplied with logs from timber within the Washita valley area, including cot­tonwood, elm, oak, hickory, walnut, ash and other varieties.

Sterile Solution Warmer Made by Stillwater Men

An idea that was conceived during the war in Europe has been born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Product of the minds of Dr. Paul B. Lingen­felter and Mahlon Robertson, the infant is a sterile solution warmer for hospital use in keeping sterile sponges warm during an operation.

The Medical Instruments and Equipment Co. of Stillwater is the manufacturer. Mahlon Robertson and Ernest Fuller are partners 111 the business of manufacturing medical supplies and equipment.

Packing Factory Business Good

J. Dyle Carman has never re­gretted the day he traded two farms and 100 head of cattle for a meat packing plant. He has no cause for regret, since he anticipates a million dollar business volume for 1951. Carman, his wife Lourene and Wal­ter Lowry are owners of the Little Dixie Packing Co. of McAlester.

It all started in 1939 near Ada where Carman owned several farms well stocked with cattle. A local packing plant owner wanted to leave the business. A little talk re­sulted in a trade and Carman owned the plant. He ran the Ada plant until 1950 when he saw a chance to expand. Selling the Ada company, he and his wife, along with Walter Lowry, purchased the Little Dixie Packing Co. at McAlester on a part­r:ership basis.

One year later the plant building has doubled in size and business is on the upswing. Carman handles the business end and does the live­stock purchasing. His wife runs the office, while Lowry is plant manager.

Little Dixie nms a fleet of six refrigerated trucks to all sections of southeastern 0 k I a hom a. These carry their products of sa usa g e, smoked meats and cured meats of all kinds. The company's 25 em­ployes process an average of 160 hogs and 60 cattle per week.

Business failures in Oklahoma for the first quarter of 1951 decreased 50 per cent from the first quarter of 1950.

7

Fuller was working on a master's degree in engineering at Oklahoma A. & M. College when Robertson came home from military service. \Vhen Fuller received his degree, the two teamed up to form their pres­ent concern.

Although hospitals for many years have used a solution warmer, the water had to be carried to the re­ceptacle. The idea for the new one is based on electrical heating. Con­stant temperature is a chi eve d through thermostatic control. Wait­tng only for underwriters test and approval, the warmer is ready to go into production.

Another new product being made by the firm and already on the mar­ket is a full set of eight stainless steel dental instruments. Developed by Dr. J. E. Scott of Pratt, Kansas, they are used in a new technique of making full dentures, assuring the patient a perfect fit through scien­tific measurements of the face and mouth.

Although these are the two major items being made by the company at the present time, Robertson and Fuller are continually experimenting with new ideas in the medical in­struments field. At present they have three employes, but plan to expand to 10 or 12 within approximately 90 days.

Construction contracts awarded in Oklahoma during the first quarter of 1951 exceeded those of the first quarter of 1950 by 37 per cent.

During the first quarter of 1951 there were 246 business and indus­trial charters issued in Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA PLANNING & RESOURCES BOARD 533 STATE CAPITOL, OKLAHOMA CITY 5, OKLAHOMA

Return Postage Guaranteed

Sec. 34.66, P. L. & R. U. S. POSTAGE

PAID Okla. City, Okla. Permit No. 198

Muskogee Plant Is Turning Out Army Trousers

Enough khaki trousers to supply an army of 2 million men-that's the output of the Klos Tent and Awning Company over the last ten years.

Located in Muskogee, the plant is set up on an assembly-line basis to handle its latest contract for 100,000 Army khaki trousers. Us­ing this method, sixty women sew together some 1,000 pair of trousers daily. Seventeen other employes manufacture tents, tarpaulins, canvas goods of all types" window shades and venetian blinds.

Top man of the firm is Harold A. Rich who purchased the company in 1937 from George Klos, son of the founder. Rich finds little of the troubles of a regular garment busi­ness in manufacturing for the gov­ernment. "We have no problems of collections, sales or purchases of raw materials, since the Army furnishes all the material," said Rich.

A former employe of the Okla­hom Tent and Awning Company, Rich knows a good thing when he sees it. In 1940 he managed the first government apparel contract in Oklahoma for his firm. Now Klos and Company has an annual payroll of $140,000 and does a $250,000 annual business.

Tulsa Firm Gets Trailer Contract

The Spartan Aircraft Co., a thriv­ing industry, has been awarded a $1,500,000 contract for 350 trailer coaches to be used at the McNary dam in Oregon.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA BEAUTY-A lot of people went to the eastern part of the state the weekend of June 16, to attend the Wister dam's dedication and see the scenic sector in all its ruggedness-and more. Topping it all off so far as natural beauty is concerned was Miss Ellie Vee Saunders of Talihina, who was crowned "Queen of the Lake," in a contest in which there were seven candidates.

E. H. Gubser, vice-president, said it was the largest trailer purchase ever made by private industry and also the largest single order ever filled by one company.

Three companies, combining

forces to build the McNary dam on the Columbia river, contracted for the trailers . They will be used for a semi-permanent housing project for construction workers at Umitilla, Oregon.