247 Years of Freedom and Counting

Still the Greatest Nation on Earth

As we Americans prepare to celebrate another anniversary of our “Declaration of Independence” in 1776, the contents are most likely the furthest thing from our minds. The family outings, fireworks displays and other recreational activities we will take part in have become, at least to most Americans, what this holiday has come to represent. And perhaps that in itself is the greatest testimony about this awesome country.

It’s now been well over seventy years since the end of World War II, and perhaps the last time American men and women perceived the sacrifices they had just endured really made a difference in the preservation of our way of life. Few remain alive today who can recall the moving of our country’s Declaration of Independence from its shrine, for safe keeping following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was placed between two acid-free sheets of Manila paper. The documents were then carefully wrapped in a container of all-rag neutral millboard and placed in a specially designed bronze container. It was transported, under heavy guard, to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for safekeeping throughout the war. Until 9/11, I just wonder how many of my generation, or later, had ever considered that any of our national treasures could be threatened, much less that our way of life could be altered or changed in a permanent way.

Be Safe Out there & Have Fun

If, on this Fourth of July, I lived in northern California, I would insist my family board a boat to view the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge. I would hope the bridge had remained as it was in 1967, when I passed beneath it aboard the U.S.S. Gordon, a troop carrier, in-route to Vietnam. I still recall my surprise at the gun installations which remained from World War II, when for a time following the attack on Pearl Harbor an invasion of our shores was not out of the question. 

This American boy had never even dreamed that our fathers and grandfathers must have had thoughts of defending our nation right here in the U.S. of A. If I could, I would make sure all of our families understood the price which has been paid for our very way of life. There’s just more to this holiday than a cold beer and a dip in the lake.

The “Fab-Five” of our ancestors was called the “Committee of Five.” Some pretty heavy hitters….John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Their charge was to write the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson wrote it for the most part, Franklin tinkered with it, and John Hancock, the President of the Congress, was the first to sign it. The rest, as they say, is history.

In this day in time, when we are constantly bombarded with criticism of our country from the left and the right, perhaps a look at our roots might be in order. If that famous Committee of Five was to check in with us today, I would suggest to you they would be amused. I doubt our struggles with the economy, the deficit, terrorism and wars in other distant locations would hold a candle to forming a new nation. A task which included taking on the most powerful nation in the world. They succeeded in spite of insurmountable odds that few gave them a chance of overcoming.

The 'Ol Pub

On this Fourth of July, as the jets come screaming over Duck Creek and we celebrate the anniversary of what has become the greatest country in the world; let’s not forget to ponder how it all came to be and the price which was paid. The Fab-Five dealt with consequences worse than losing an election and the cushy way of life of today’s politicos.

As the fireworks fill the sky over Grand Lake with a spectacular sight, on this special holiday weekend, let’s all give thanks for this great nation, founded by great people, who entrusted its care to future generations……just like us! Have a safe and happy holiday.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!        

Grand Lake Historical Book making a come-back

 
Grand Lake..The Crown Jewel of Oklahoma set for second printing

The South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce a second printing of the  

“Coffee Table” book recounting the history behind the construction of the Pensacola Dam and the dramatic impact it has had on all of northeastern Oklahoma. It traces the roots of an idea to provide electricity to The Cherokee Nation to what has now become home to the one of the most exciting recreational based economies in our nation. Plans call for 1500 copies of the book, Grand Lake, the Crown Jewel of Oklahoma, to be arriving sometime around the Labor Day weekend and will be retailing at the same price, $50.00 per copy, as when the book was initially introduced at the 2015 Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show.

 The book project, bringing Grand Lake’s colorful history clearly into focus, is a joint effort between the South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the book’s author, Jim Weeks, and couldn’t have been accomplished without the full cooperation of the Grand River Dam Authority. The hardback presentation has a leather 10”X 15”cover with an emblazoned outline of Grand Lake with the books title proclaiming “Grand Lake…The Crown Jewel of Oklahoma.” The book also has a full color dust cover with a breathtaking aerial photograph from behind the Pensacola Dam looking to the North.

 The fruits of Jim Weeks passion for the story of Grand Lake and those who played a role in bringing a farfetched idea to reality, is told in 96 pages filled with both photos and written accounts of Grand Lake’s history. After retiring from The Norman Transcript Newspaper, where he served as the publication’s sports editor for many years and authored three books related to University of Oklahoma football, he and his wife Micki retired to Grove, Oklahoma. But the journalist in him soon led to an idea of researching the colorful history of Grand Lake and publishing a book on the subject.

 Soon, Weeks was engrossed in interviewing Grand Lakers new and old, spending countless hours at the Grand River Dam Authority’s headquarters in Vinita researching their archives and reviewing old newspaper accounts about anything related to the history surrounding Grand Lake. His efforts led him down a chronological path to that day in August of 1940 when the last gate was closed, but unfortunately Weeks passed away in 2009 before the fruits of his labor could be published.

 Through the efforts of Coves resident Dr. Bruce Howell, the retired superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools and primary author of the “Echoes from the Past” series of articles related to the history of the four county area surrounding Grand Lake, the idea of a collaboration between the Weeks family and the South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to publish the book was initiated. An agreement was soon reached and the project was underway.

 As I recall, the idea for a book separating fact from fiction regarding the unique story of Grand Lake was way overdue and the older the lake gets the more difficult it has become to determine which was which. Yours truly and others who have read the Week’s transcript have marveled at the amount of details and wide swath of research included in the book. As I said at the time of the first publishing of the book, It’s difficult to even begin to estimate the number of hours Jim invested in this detailed account of our lake’s history. The chamber is again extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to partner with the Weeks family Trust and the Grand River Dam Authority in this long overdue account of this unique project being published.

 Plans call for once again printing 1500 copies of the book and some 400-plus copies are already spoken for. I would anticipate the remaining 1100 will go fast once some of books once again start to circulate. If you, a friend, or a family member have an interest in Grand Lake, I can’t think of a more unique gift for that hard-to-shop-for Grand Laker.

 To claim a copy of what will surely become a collector’s item once again, recounting a truly remarkable feat, just reach out to The south Grand Lake Chamber via e-mail at sgrandlakechamber@gmail.com or visit the chamber’s office in the GRDA Eco-Systems Building in Langley or place your order by telephone at 918-782-3214.

 See Ya’ Around the Pond!