Hi folks,

I joined this forum to see if I could learn more about the history of Hughes County, but in particular Calvin & Atwood, OK.

Now to begin with, I am a transplanted Texan. When I retired & moved to Oklahoma I began hearing these stories/tales and have since tried to find out more about the history associated with the area. Ive rather become fascinated by the stories. Now I'd like to see if I can determine fact or fiction!

I've heard several tales from folks around here about bank robberies in Calvin. "Sometimes as many as three a week." (to quote one local resident.)

Another tale has it that these robbers escaped via the Calvin Ferry to cross the Canadian river. Some were actually shot & killed while on the ferry.

Additional tales of Cavalry being killed outside of town by Blue Duck (Indian renegade), but before they were killed they hid their payroll near the Canadian river. No one seems to know if it was destined for Ft. Holmes, near Edward's Trading post (Canadian at the Little River). Just that it happened.

It would seem to me that events such as these would be documented to some extent, but so fas has eluded me.

If anyone can shed some light on these or point me as to where I might research it myself, that would be great. Google has been my friend in this, maybe I am just using the wrong search terms.

Thanks in advance for any assistance with this.
Dave

The First State Bank at Atwood, Hughes County, Oklahoma, was robbed of $1640.00 between 1:00-2:00 a.m. on Thursday (8/1/1912) by 3-4 robbers, who used 7 blasts of nitro to blow the safe door thru the front of the bank.

(Source: Holdenville Democrat (w/Calvin Enterprise dateline) 8/9/1912 {p. 1 col. 2})

Also; from the Oklahoma Banking Magazine (V4N2p58 - Aug. 1912): "3 or 4 bank robbers blow safe after midnight, which destroys front of bank . . . 7 blasts of nitro . . . Yeggmen Crack Safe. (Observers say) the bank robbers talked and laughed during bank robbery; then, when the job was done, the calmly walked away into the darkness.

(NOTE: Sounds like the work of Frank Holloway.)

The Calvin Bank was robbed in 1913, 1914, 1916, and 1931. (more info later)

Calvin was originally called Riverview from its location on the south bank of the Canadian River. The first postoffice was established March 21, 1895. The name was changed to Calvin June 24, 1895 and is named after Calvin Perry, a railroad official. Atwood, five miles west of Calvin, was originally called Newburg. The first postoffice was January 23, 1897. The name change occurred December 3, 1909 and is named after C. C. Atwood, townsite owner.
In March, 1936, Pete Traxler, then the southwest's number one bad guy, and a companion engaged in a gunfight with town constable Luke Chadwick and deputy sheriff Bill Gaddy in front of the Calvin Pig Shop. (The pig shop was then a popular bbq franchise.) Both officers were seriously wounded and Traxler escaped.
As to Blue Duck, I'd have to do some research to answer that question. But, Edwards Post, established around 1835, and sometimes referred to as Edwards Fort due to its proximity to Ft. Holmes established in 1834, were not active after traffic on the California Road diminished in the late 1850's. This was before Blue Duck rose to notice. In other words, if he jumped an army paymaster, the squad was going south toward Ft. Arbuckle or Ft. Washita, or west toward Ft. Sill and Cobb, rather than to Ft. Holmes.
Duck's career of rustling and theft ran from the mid-1870's to the mid-1880s when he was sentenced to hang for murder and then sent to prison on a comuted sentence. He developed TB at Menard Pen in Illinois and was sent home to die--which he promptly did in May, 1895.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tower,

Around Noon on Thursday, April 24, 1913, while the banker, B.A. Carter, went to conduct some buisness at the local Post Office for a few minutes, a thief entered the bank thru a basement window and took between $2200-2285 in cash and gold. H. A. Shaw, a young boy suspect in the robbery, was later arrested in Texas.

(Sources: Calvin Enterprise 4/25/1913 (p1c2-3) "Bank Robbery - In Broad Daylight"; 6/13/1913 (p1c1) "B.A. Carter to Texas to look at boy - alleged Calvin Bank Robber...". Also, Daily Oklahoman 6/13/1913 (p7) "H.A. Shaw, Calvin State Bank Robber...2nd request to Texas Governor to return (suspect)...")

Another bank robbery at Calvin is reported to have happened ca1914, as indicated by the following newspaper article:

Oklahoma City Times 1/4/1940 (p4c2-3) "(Carlton) Chilton (42)..." robbed Calvin bank of $2000 in 1914. He was soon caught in Missouri and returned to stand trial ... convicted and sentenced to 2 years at Granite Penitentiary. However, he escaped from there and disappeared for 26 years -- until he was re-captured in Ohio in 1940 with a family and a job. Governors of Oklahoma and Ohio "battle over extradition".

Another incident occured on January 6, 1916, when Calvin's Post Office safe was blown-open with explosives by 3 robbers. They held lawmen and citizens off for over an hour with lots of "firepower" before escaping into the underbrush. Their "take" was around $150 in cash and stamps. (Source: Depwe Indep. 1/7/1916 (p6c4) "Calvin P.O. Safe Blown").

The most spectacular bank robbery at Calvin happened on November 25, 1931. Several badmen were suspected in the $2600 heist; however, the three (3) main characters tried and convicted were Henry Clay Tollett, Bill Anderson, and Gordon Blood. (Note: Others named were - Coyt Morse (or Morris), Bill Manley, and Haley Meredith of Iowa.)

(Sources: Daily Oklahoman 1/10/1932 (9/6); 1/11/1932 (1/5); 1/14/1932 (2/3); 1/22/1932 (15/5); 1/24/1932 (8B/8); 1/28/1932 (10/6); 1/31/1932 (14/1); 2/16/1932 (2/3); 4/27/1932 (15/3); 7/24/1932 (10A/2); 9/21/1932 (10/1).)

Other Bank Robberies in Hughes County, OK:

at Yeager on 4/7/1908; at Stuart on 4/5/1910; at Wetumka on 7/19/1918 & 5/9/1934; and, at Dustin on 3/3/1921 & 9/13/1921.

And remember, Dave, if you ever find any of that "lost loot", we're your friends at Oklahombres!

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves was stationed at Calvin for the Eastern District of Texas Federal Court around 1895-96.

Wow! I'm impressed with the feedback from all of you. But not one of you have mentioned anything about the Calvin Ferry.

Sounds like it was a wild era. We are going to attempt to locate and follow some of the Old California Trail this winter. Guess it will be next year, after the holidays.

BTW, I've been out-of-pocket for over a week, so that's why no response until now.

Well, ya'll keep the info coming. I just love to read about the area.
Thanks,
Dave

Oldwest:
Ya know how these stories go.... Nobody has ever found any of the "lost" loot. :-)

Supposedly many of the would be robbers were killed trying to escape via the Calvin Ferry. Hard to imagine holding up a bank and the trying to get away via hand powered ferry/barge. I have found a picture of the old ferry with a wagon aboard in midst of crossing the Canadian. I have met the folks that own the property on the north side of where the old landing was. Took my metal detector there one day and found 3 or 4 rusty Coors caps!

Tower: I'm not sure that Blue Duck even operated in this area. I have read of him being up around the Tulsa area (Cherokee terr). But nothing of him being this far south.

Oklahoma Kid:
Hmmm... Can't say I blame him for only lasting a year. With all these bank robberies, I'm sure it was overwhelming.

I need more input folks. Come on and cough it up. ;-)

Thanks ya'll,
Dave

When Reeves was stationed at Calvin in the mid '90s, I bet there weren't too many banks in the area at that time. Banks most likely came more prominent in the area after statehood. Reeves was dealing with whiskey peddlers, horse and cattle thieves and other types of desperadoes. Calvin gave Reeves close proximity to the Creek and Seminole Nations, where many outlaws crossed into the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations to commit crimes.

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Calvin would have been an excellent staging point for Reeves. access to 4 tribes within a days ride. Seminole, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw. I imagine that scouting for whiskey runners would have been a major pasttime for him.

sorry for not including this in the earlier post. I was raised around ALOT OF PEOPLE who knew things and people from before statehood and I have never heard one person mention Blue Duck being a regular in that area.

the possibility is there, but obviously it isn't too common knowledge.

Same here! We have asked many folks around the area and no one has any idea who Blue Duck was? I think it is just an old tale that just keeps popping up now then.

So far, we haven't been able to get out and walk the old California Road, like we want to, but we will before spring!

Thanks for your input!
Dave