Craddock, Hazel
Hazel Craddock: History of Midwest City Area
Interviewed by Dr. James Hochtritt
Interview date: April 7, 2004
Q: Mrs. Craddock, when and where were you born, and if you were born outside of this area, when did you move to the greater Midwest City-Del City area?
A: I was born July 26, 1916 in what is now Midwest City. I was born on the farm that my grandfather homesteaded in ’89, and lived there until my family moved over into the Soldier Creek area in 1920. I went to Soldier Creek School, a one-room school, Sooner School, a one-room school, and grew up out here and stayed until I was married in ’39.
Q: OK. During the time you’ve spent in this area, what sort of career or careers have you pursued?
A: Being born when I was, we didn’t go into careers like people do now. Ah, we went through the Depression. Consequently I wasn’t able to go to the university. I did go to business college and then started to work at 15.
Q: And what did you do at 15?
A: I worked at the Ten Cent Store as a clerk. That’s about the only thing you could do. I had a statement from my father that I could work at 15.
Q: And did you go on to do other things in your life in terms of work or were you a housewife or did you always work a little bit?
A: I worked at two or three different offices when I left the Ten Cent Store. One was a bond company. Another was a federal corporation. And it was there during that time that I met my husband and married in ’39.
Q: 1939?
A: Ah-huh.
Q: OK. What was the physical landscape of the greater Midwest City-Del City area like during your younger years?
A: Farmland. Absolutely all of it was farmland. There was usually one homestead on each quarter section, which is 160 acres, and usually there was one person, or one family, per each quarter section. And they all farmed and shared food, if somebody didn’t have food. If there was a fire in somebody’s home they went with their buckets and gunny sacks to fight the fires, which did happen.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And, ah, they were very neighborly people. We found that, ah, Soldier Creek and Sooner School were of different elements. Soldier Creek School was more of a German descent and those of the Sooner area was Irish and Scotch and there was a lot of different in the type people.
Q: Oh, OK.
A: There was other schools around the area. One school was called Harmony, which was three miles south of Sooner School.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And they named it Harmony because they said they wanted that to be a harmonious neighborhood.
Q: Oh, OK.
A: Interesting.
Q: Sure. What kind of farms where there. What did people usually farm in this area?
A: Ah, they had dairies. They raised their own feed for the cattle. Very seldom did they go into Oklahoma City because back then when I was a kid growing up it was by wagon and buggies if they went into Oklahoma City.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: But, ah, if the fellows – if a person had illness or something, the farmers went in and harvested their crop or whatever needed to be done. It was a real good relationship that the farmers had for each other. Of course they were all pioneers.
Q: Ah-huh. How did the landscape shape people’s attitudes? You’ve talked a little bit about certain people helping one another. Did it influence people’s behavior in any other way in terms of their outlook on life or how they behaved?
A: The thing that they were most interested in, I think, was water. And they would help each other drill wells – big wells. They didn’t drill, they dug wells. A lot of people along Crutcho, which goes through the area there near Sooner School, a lot of people would carry from the creek until they had water at home. But they always with really big wells, helped build barns – just helped everybody do things that needed to be done.
Q: Ah-huh. In terms of the social culture of the area, you mentioned Irish, Scotch, and German. Were they any other ethnic groups that were in the area, or racial groups?
A: It was very mixed. We had Jewish families out here. We had – it was very mixed. I can remember – the Christian Methodist, Baptist denominations, and there used to be a church there located at Sooner and 15th Street. . .
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And almost all of them came to church. Now we had one minister – ministers we had back then were itinerant ministers. They’d just go through the country. And, ah, I know we had one Catholic family that would come to hear a preacher if he would not preach the New Testament. And we had some ministers that did just that.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: Because then you would have Catholic families.
Q: Were there a lot of Native Americans in the area, or African-Americans, Asian-Americans?
A: No, African-Americans. Now we did have people here that spoke the different languages, like some of the Germans and those Dutch who were learning to speak English, but they all got along because they were all pioneers for a good cause.
Q: Ok. Ok. How has that physical landscape changed over time and how have you seen it undergo transformations both in a more positive way as well as a negative way?
A: In the positive way, there were farmers out here who – and also dairymen – who, ah, shared their produce as well as their milk from the cows with the people in Oklahoma City who had nothing like that. I know one man would take milk in to Oklahoma City and dip from his milk bucket into people’s pails with a dipper to give them a gallon of milk.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: But they all shared tried to do things. As more development came on out here, the dairymen became less and the farmers, their farms became smaller.
Q: OK. When did urbanization start creeping in to the Midwest City area and the kind of really profound development?
A: We had what was called a Farmers’ Union from the beginning. Ah, that was when I was a child. I don’t remember too much about it, but I know they had the Farmers’ Union meetings in the old church house. And all the farmers that could would come into those meetings. Now, what they discussed – we kids were not allowed to go.
Q: OK.
A: But that was one of the main – of course there was, ah, the different church organizations that would come out . . .
Q: Ah-huh.
A: Ah, one church built their little building there across west from Sooner School. It was called Bowden Chapel. And that was the only denominational church that was built. The one that was built on my grandfather’s was a non-denominational church, which was the first one built.
Q: OK. How has the population of Midwest City changed over time and what changes have you seen within your own lifetime?
A: The people became older and couldn’t farm so much and they’d sell off some of their farms to others moving in. . .
Q: Ah-huh.
A: . . .who were not necessarily farmers or even gardeners, but they maybe lived in Oklahoma City and wanted to come out and get away from the city. And maybe they had gardens and maybe they didn’t, but it was smaller acreages that were being sold.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And some of the people that came in, some of their children would still go to school in Oklahoma City, because we just had the one-room schools out here back then.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: As the schools enlarged and got more teachers, ah, the children began to come to Midwest City schools.
Q: OK. So has the population become more diverse, I mean in terms of race, ethnicity. . .
A: Ah-huh.
Q: . . . levels of income?
A: Levels of income increased when people from Oklahoma City would move out to get away from Oklahoma City. And then, that would be levels of income, and the race, also. It was several years even after Midwest City developed before we had black people.
Q: Was it a segregated city back in the ‘40s? Were there Jim Crow laws in Midwest City and downtown Oklahoma City – that was a segregated city – but nothing out here?
A: We didn’t have any of the black people living out here at all. They were in Oklahoma City. . .
Q: OK.
A: . . .usually from Eastern in to about North Walnut in Oklahoma City, north of Reno, was the black. . .where most of them lived.
Q: Sure. Sure.
A: And they worked – they could come out here and work, but they’d all go home at night.
Q: OK. In terms of your civic involvement, to what organizations have you belonged to and what organizations do you continue to belong to, and you can just talk about this as much as you want – the city and civic organizations.
A: I stayed out of politics.
Q: OK, so no volunteer organizations?
A: I would volunteer doing things that, ah, were to benefit people – individuals. I was a member of the Eastern Star and I have been in church for years and years. . .
Q: OK.
A: . . . and, ah, I’ve done activities that way. I have worked with organizations, like I say, when it was – maybe a crop walk, and things that way that would help, but I’ve stayed away from politics.
Q: Ah-huh, but no non-political organizations that you can think of over the years – the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, the 60s.
A: During those many years I was married and working for a living.
Q: OK, I understand. When and how did you become more involved in community affairs, just various projects and things like that?
A: When my daughters started to school. Then I became more involved in church – in the schoolwork, as well as church work, because they were active both ways. Ah, I wasn’t too involved because of taking care of family – an elderly mother – and, ah, but I was active on – well, I wasn’t as active as a lot of people. But I did – I was involved enough to know what was going on.
Q: OK. Describe some of the specific community projects that you’ve been personally involved with and how you think they’ve improved the quality of life around this area?
A: After I quit work in ’71 because of illness in the family, I had time on my hands and needed something to do.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And I decided to organize a craft designers association here in Midwest City. Talked to the Chamber of Commerce and they decided it was a good idea – that was in September. In October we had our first arts and crafts show at the Midwest City Community Center. And we started then having two shows a year and its still going. So that was arts and crafts – the thing that we wanted most was to have people selling their own hand-made products. . .
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And that has stayed by most of the times. There have been others come in who wanted to bring something that they didn’t make, but that has been one of the things I’ve been very proud of because it is still active, though we are making one show a year now because of so much competition. But we started out with two shows a year and had a very good show.
And then 12 years ago I had the thought of developing a nature trail here in Midwest City.
Q: That would be 1992, around then?
A: 1992. Really it would have been 1996.
Q: 1996, OK. And that was your idea and you thought that the nature trail would become a good part of that park down there?
A: Ah-huh.
Q: And how did you go about organizing all of that?
A: I bragged. I told people that walking trails – I was on a educational tour down the Amazon River and we would dock and go into various places, and the trails, they were beautiful. Of course, I was very intrigued with the birds and the butterflies and everything like that down there, and as I was traveling I said, “I wish we had something like that in Midwest City.” The lady I traveled with, she said, after eight days, she said, “I have only known you eight days, and I think you’re going to have it!” Came home, walked the brush of the trail up here all the way, and I thought, knowing as much as I did about the north trail, I decided we could do it. I approached the city council and they said it couldn’t be done, but I kept at them, until finally they said, “well, if you think you can, go ahead.”
Q: What reasons did they give you why they couldn’t be done?
A: That it had been tried before and it had fallen through. But I told the councilmen, I said, “I’m not running for office. You guys run for office and use that as part of your political push. But I’m not running for office. I want to see a nature trail out here.” And they said if I thought I could do it, to try.
Q: So who did you then turn to? Who else did you bring on board to kind of drive this project forward?
A: I contacted three or four friends of mine and told them what I was interested in and they all thought it was a good idea after I told them what I had in mind of securing donations, ah, applying for grants, seeing about getting assistance, and consequently we had many donations from five dollars up to a hundred dollars.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: And, one of our first donors was the Crest Grocery, which was great. After that, we had a lot of donors. And, ah, we had volunteers from schools and churches, the army, the air force, ah, boy scout and girl scout – many different clubs that were interested in what we were doing, and I solicited their assistance.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: We raised money also by selling bricks for the Memory Lane.
Q: OK.
A: And that helped pay for the Memory Lane. A lot of pavement. Consequently, we had a 4-mile trail. A bird-watch trail, too, which is just gravel, the rest of it is paved.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: Now there’s been over 50 different kinds of birds that we have seen and heard over there on the bird trail.
Q: Wow. What current community projects are you involved in or do you have more plans for the future?
A: I have a plan for the future. It may go over like a lead balloon, but I’d like to see an arboretum north of the new senior center. I have floor plans or drawings of that – what I’d like to have. We already have the arbor and a patio built on the trail itself. And the flower clubs and a few donors paid for that in full. The city didn’t have to pay anything.
Q: Ah-huh.
A: So that much is done. But I’d like to see an arboretum up there.
Q: How big of an arboretum do you imagine?
A: I think it’s about two and a half acres on that area. Of course, it’s tear-drop shaped, so you can’t really tell how much, but it’s about two and half acres, and I’d like to see – I don’t want anything – I want something that will be attractive and yet not overloaded with trees or anything that would have to be cared for an awful lot. See, there are a lot of things that have to have a lot of care.
Q: Sure.
A: And if we can get something that will be almost – the trees – with irrigation – that’s a main project is to get the irrigation first, and then go from there. And that’s one of the things that I’m gently working out at this time.
Q: What role did you play, if any, or continue to play in development and growth of Rose State College? Do you have any connection with the college?
A: None other than I liked the idea for two reasons. My grandmother was the first teacher here in this area. She taught in her home until a schoolhouse was built. And because of that I was for education being extended beyond the grade school. And Rose State College – part of it – is on the homestead. Of course, the rest of it is on Judge Traub’s farm. But because of that, I was for it and commented how much I appreciated the fact that my grandmother and grandfather would really be thrilled.
Q: Wow. How has that institution impacted this area?
A: Greatly.
Q: Really?
A: I think the young people here would not – a lot of them would not be able to go on to university itself if they didn’t have the Rose State to go to first and then go from there, because they can go to Rose State and get a profession that they needed just for that. If they want to go on farther, then go to university. And it has impacted, I’m sure, a lot of people.
Q: Yea, I feel it very definitely has. Turning to economics, what had been the most significant economic developments in terms of business and construction in the greater Midwest City-Del City area during your lifetime?
A: Tinker.
Q: Tinker.
A: Tinker Air Force.
Q: Are they any others? I have some specific questions here about Tinker. Anything else – other businesses that have come in or developments or anything else that you can think of besides just Tinker?
A: Well, having the larger stores – having the mall and things like that have drawn attention to Midwest City itself. And having, ah, so that people can come from the eastern part of Oklahoma County in to Midwest City, instead of having to go to Oklahoma City, has drawn a lot of interest to Midwest City.
Q: What was that mall built? Do you recall?
A: I would say – I have to count back on that – close to thirty years ago, give or take.
Q: Can you think of any factors that have hindered economic growth in this area or economic opportunities that the area failed to capitalize on? Are there any reasons why Midwest City, maybe, hasn’t grown as much as it could economically or was there missed opportunities along the way?
A: The thing that has happened, to me, is that we are Oklahoma City’s step-child. I worked for Kerr-McGee Oil Company and Senator Kerr called in one day – I was on the switchboard – and he said, “Get in touch with Mr. Atkinson and tell him to call a council meeting immediately to take in the lake south of Midwest City, because Oklahoma City’s going to do it.” I called Mr. Atkinson’s office and told him. They said they’d take it up at the next council meeting. I said, “Senator Kerr said do it now.” That following Saturday, Oklahoma City took it in. That would have been a big boom to Midwest City.
Q: Now was that Lake Draper?
A: Draper, ah-huh.
Q: So that could have been . . .
A: Could nave been part of Midwest City if they had had a council meeting immediately, like Senator Kerr said, they could have had it. But the following Saturday after I talked to the senator, Oklahoma City took it in, and the following Tuesday was the next council meeting in Midwest City. That was a hindrance.
Q: Do you recall what year that was when that all occurred?
A: Sixty – I would say around ’65 or something.
Q: I guess in terms of your political involvement you’ve already indicated to me that you’ve kind of stayed out of politics?
A: Ah-huh.
Q: Well, let me just get your opinion, now, on this. During the course of your lifetime, what had been the major political issues confronting Midwest City-Del City area? Either positive or negative? Kind of as a citizen of the community, what have you known as kind of the major political battles or the political dynamics? Does anything come to mind?
A: Well, I know there were a lot of people that wanted more say in the government of Midwest City than they were allowed to, but as for being a hindrance to the development of Midwest City, I can’t say that.
Q: OK. So nothing major – no political battles that you can think of or anything like that that was a politically contentious time. . .
A: I just stay out of it.
Q: Just stay out of it – OK. I understand. OK, now to Tinker Air Force Base. How has Tinker Air Force Base impacted the area?
A: Greatly. Financially as well as because, ah, Tinker – a lot of people moved out here to be near Tinker. And that has increased the population by a lot. There are a lot of people that come in from various places, ah, I understand some people even drive up from Paul’s Valley to work at Tinker. Others came in from Shawnee and areas like that. But the population of Midwest City increased a lot when, ah, Tinker developed.
Q: That base was built right around World War II?
A: That was built in about – I think about ’40.
Q: 1940. And how has the area’s community leaders – how have they worked with people over at Tinker? Has that always been a good working relationship?
A: It seems to have been. It seems to have been. My husband worked at Tinker, and of course he had a very good job. There was always politics in Tinker as well as anyplace else. . .
Q: Ah-huh.
A: . . . and he, like I, tried to stay out of politics. He did his job, did it well, and so forth.
Q: How has the area’s communities leaders worked with some of the larger businesses such as General Motors, and how has that company defined the area?
A: Since it started, there have been a lot of people who work at General Motors and we appreciated the fact they had to work closer here to this area. Of course, Oklahoma City was involved, too. A lot of people in Capitol Hill and other areas worked at General Motors. But it has, I think, helped Midwest City, ah, financially, as well as people living close to their work.
Q: OK. When was that established?
A: I was still working back then.
Q: My last question. What would you like your legacy to be, that is, how would you like people to remember you and the contributions that you made?
A: The nature trail.
Q: The nature trail?
A: To see people of all ages using that trail for health reasons as well as just to – I think the biggest pleasure I had one day was to see – I think it was seven little people in their wheelchairs using the trail when it was paved. That did me more good – of course, seeing little children out there playing and feeding the ducks and geese. But that’s my legacy – the nature trail would be the one thing I’d like to have people enjoy for as long as they can.
Q: That’s a great legacy. It’s a wonderful addition to this city and it gets people outside. . . .
A: See my next – I have said this before – I would like to see Rails to Trails developed, and we could be part of that.
Q: Now what is Rails to Trails?
A: Ah, it’s abandoned railways have been made into trail ways. See, we have those Oklahoma City, Ada, and Atoka that abandoned and it goes right through. . .
Q: So you just turn that into a nature trail. Are you working on that project?
A: I’ve mentioned it several times. And I don’t know, at my age, whether I should attack something that would be as extensive as that or not, but I do know that through – from Atoka there is a connection somehow over into Arkansas that would connect through Arkansas up through – clear – I’ve seen this on a map – clear up into Maine. See, there’s Rails to Trails up in the eastern United States aplenty. In fact, the original one was in Wisconsin. I walked that probably 40 years ago.
Q: OK.
A: Was impressed. Abandoned railways that’s turned into trails.
Q: Do they just take the tracks and cover them with dirt?
A: They take the tracks out. I don’t know how they arrange all the railroad ties and things like that, but I know that the trails have been abandoned out, they have taken the ties and rails out.
Q: OK.
A: And that would be one thing that would be an asset because abandoned railways are just sitting there. A lot of farmers are using them now as – if I understand right, the state has – I don’t know whether it’s ownership or right-of-way privilege from the Oklahoma City, Ada, and Atoka Railway. But it’s been abandoned for years.
Q: Huh.
A: And I would love to see that incorporated in Oklahoma and if possible, go on over into Arkansas. Of course, that’s years planning ahead of time.
Q: Sure, sure.
A: I mean, I’ll be dead and gone, but that is one thing I’d like to see done.
Q: Wow.
A: Because that would be good for motorized – not motorized vehicles, but for bicycles and hikers and those kids back east. In fact, I have literature from Rails and Trails. I’ve been contacting them for several years now. But it’s one thing I’d love to see happen.
Q: It’s one of those things that moves at glacial pace trying to get people on board.
A: But that’s one of the thing I’d like to see happen. Because trails are getting much more popular and this would be an extended trail, really, if it could go on into Arkansas, join with their trails across, I don’t know just where – I’d have to get that map out again, but it would certainly be extensive – thousands of miles. It would be great.
Q: Well, thank you very much for your precious time and I really appreciate the interview.
A: I just wish you were getting something from ’89 on, because there’s a lot of history back there that someday when I die, like several people said “get it down because you’re the last one out here.”
Q: Well, maybe I’ll come back and try to develop some questions and we can go at that if you’d be willing.
