Marlow, Oklahoma - September 17, 2008
Marlow may be best known for
the Marlow Brothers,
whose run-ins with the law and vigilanties formed the basis for the movie,
The Sons of Katie Elder. I knew
mothing of the Marlow Brothers when I picked Marlow's street plan and size
as the basis for Croy, the small town in my novel,
Comfort Me.
Although this
was my first visit to Marlow, the town is as I is much as I imagined it based
on my boyhood in Murphysboro, Illinois, including the warm, friendly people,
a variety of homes, fascinating alleys, and the all-important railroad line.
Marlow Mercantile. Upstairs is the Marlow Historical Museum, whose
exhibits are maintained by various community organizations.
Ms. Debbe Ripley of the
Marlow Champber of Commerce was kind enough to
open the museum for me and answered many of my questions about the
area and provided me with photocopies of articles about Marlow.
The State National Bank was built in 1911. It is now a restaurant.
Front door to the Methodist Church. The sign to the left says, "Open Hearts, Open
Minds, Open Doors."
Perhaps the finest house in Marlow. Howerver, this is not the model for the Alquist
mansion in
Comfort Me, which I imagined built of stone.
The
Herndon House
in Ada, Oklahoma, is much closer.
A nice house, such as the Tibbits family in
Comfort Me
might live in.
A house much like the Edoms' in my novel.
Same, rear view.
Marlow Armory, a WPA project building
An interesting tombstone in the Marlow Cemetary. I don't know what the
symbols on the stone mean, unless they are an early sign of
the Woodsmen of the World.
An old shed in an alley.
Same, interior.
Late summer sunset, Marlow Oklahoma. Taken from just west of the
railroad tracks.
The landscape areound Marlow was a surprise. The crosstimber country is greener
than I expected, and has many gently rolling hills.
A country road west of town. The Marlow watertower is in the background. You can
really see the crosstimber nature of the countryside in this shot. Early explorers
found it nearly impenetrable. Now it is seen mostly along creeks and at the edges
of fields.
I was delighted to come across this scissor-tail. I stopped my car and got
out to take a picture. Someone who was coming down the road stopped to ask
if I needed any help. When I explained I was trying to get a picture of the
scissor-tail and a nearby hawk, he said, "Yeah, they [the scissor-tails] have
just started coming back this week." I didn't know they migrated.
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