Smoldering remains of an airplane that crashed into a wooded hillside. Photograph taken for a story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. Caption: "Sheared prop and charred metal scar woods southeast of Purcell."

An Oklahoma Highway Patrolman rests his foot on a tree limb as he watches the smoke rise from the carcass of the airplane that crashed into the wooded area. Photograph taken for a story in the Oklahoma City Times newspaper. Caption: "A state trooper examines wreckage of fatal airplane crash near Purcell."

Photograph of a man examining a stamp book. Caption: "In twelve days Dr. Arnold A. Cooperman has delivered six babies and added a new stamp to his collection."

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1 and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Owl Creek Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2. Site #1. Detention Reservoir. Drainage area – 500 acres. 81.0 acres in cultivation; 334.0 acres in pasture, range, woods; 85.0 acres in abandoned cropland – revegetated. Excellent cover on grassland provides silt screen for water from cultivated land. Note all cultivated fields were terraced when picture was taken. Permanent storage: 1.10. Flood storage: 4.18. Peak flow: 900 c.f.s. Release rate: 23 c.f.s. Detention reservoir protects 700 acres. Flood drainage benefit ration 66:1. Note farm ponds on main branches of drain above this reservoir. Others are planned. White arrows appearing in foreground mark each end of dam at center line. Arrows laid out & ground covered with lime slurry.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1, spillway, and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Owl Creek Site #1. Detention Reservoir, D. A. – 500 acres. Permanent pool – 1.03” runoff with 12.3 acres surface. Flood pool – 4.19” runoff with 33.8 acres surface. Storage total – 5.22” runoff to emergency spillway. The flood pool, which is 8’ in depth, discharges through an 18” pipe at an average rate of 27 c.f.s. or at an average rate of 1.3 inches runoff per day for its whole drainage area. During the storm of May 9-10, 15.5 inches of rain fell upon this watershed. Runoff filled the flood pool to the emergency spillway shown in foreground. In this photo flood pool is still discharging with 2 ft. of water over the 18” discharge pipe.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #4 and the surrounding area. A road runs vertically on the left side of the photograph. Furthermore, a small house stands next to the road in the upper left. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2 – Owl Creek Detention Reservoir Site #4. Redish [sic] Prairie Land Resource group. 70 acres in cultivation, 220 acres in pasture, range, woods; 10 acres in abandoned cropland. Excellent cover on grassland. In foreground abandoned cropland has been revegetated. At right geological erosion has been greatly retarded by good grass and controlled vegetation. Permanent storage: 1.13 in. Flood storage: 4.10 inches. Peak flow: 490 c.f.s. Release rate: 12 c.f.s. Acres of bottomland protected: 700 acres. Flood drainage benefit ratio: 6.6/1. Near top of photo the main drain appears to continue up (north) and beyond the field of the camera. Actually this drainageway drains in the opposite direction startin [sic] ¼ from top of photo.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1 & 2 and the surrounding area. Several homes and buildings populate the land in the top background of photograph. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Bottomland protected by this (site 2) reservoir and by Site No. 1 which is to the right.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #2 and the surrounding area. A barn or miscellaneous building sits alone located at the center right background of photograph. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2. Site No. 2. Owl Creek Detention Reservoir. This photo was taken when heavy rains of May 18 reached peak flow at this reservoir which was empty before rain. The water reached one feet over lip. Farm land below would have flooded but for Detention Reservoir.”

Bishop Brooke of the missionary district held services in the Christian Church January 30, 1893. In 1894 Rev. D. G. Gunn conducted an Episcopal serve while Bishop Brooke rallied the town for pledges to purchase church property. Between 1894 - 1902 the services were held in an old 15' x 30' dwelling. The first church is a single story wood frame structure, front and side doors, cross at apex of front roof.

Photograph of older spring fed pond with shoreline being deepened with dragline to help to coontol the water, weeds and make a nicer place to fish and play.

Photograph of Owl Creek Site #4. 1.8 ft. of water flowed through this spillway with only mnor damage although the Bermuda sod on it has just started to grow.

Photograph of Elmer “Whitey” Marshall building terraces with a district owned bulldozer. The back of the photograph proclaims, “District owned tractor building terrace with bulldozer. Portion of terrace in the foreground is complete. Elmer “Whitey” Marshall has been operating for district 1 ½ years.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1 and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Owl Creek Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2. Site #1. Detention Reservoir. Drainage area – 500 acres. 81.0 acres in cultivation; 334.0 acres in pasture, range, woods; 85.0 acres in abandoned cropland – revegetated. Excellent cover on grassland provides silt screen for water from cultivated land. Note all cultivated fields were terraced when picture was taken. Permanent storage: 1.10. Flood storage: 4.18. Peak flow: 900 c.f.s. Release rate: 23 c.f.s. Detention reservoir protects 700 acres. Flood drainage benefit ration 66:1. Note farm ponds on main branches of drain above this reservoir. Others are planned. White arrows appearing in foreground mark each end of dam at center line. Arrows laid out & ground covered with lime slurry.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1 and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Owl Creek Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2. Site #1. Detention Reservoir. Drainage area – 500 acres. 81.0 acres in cultivation; 334.0 acres in pasture, range, woods; 85.0 acres in abandoned cropland – revegetated. Excellent cover on grassland provides silt screen for water from cultivated land. Note all cultivated fields were terraced when picture was taken. Permanent storage: 1.10. Flood storage: 4.18. Peak flow: 900 c.f.s. Release rate: 23 c.f.s. Detention reservoir protects 700 acres. Flood drainage benefit ration 66:1. Note farm ponds on main branches of drain above this reservoir. Others are planned. White arrows appearing in foreground mark each end of dam at center line. Arrows laid out & ground covered with lime slurry.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #1 & 2 and the surrounding area. Several homes and buildings populate the land in the top background of photograph. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Bottomland protected by this (site 2) reservoir and by Site No. 1 which is to the right.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #4 and the surrounding area. A barn or a miscellaneous building stands in the background of photo on the left side. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Owl Creek Site #4. Detention Reservoir: Drainage are [sic] – 300 ac. Permanent pool – 1.13” runoff with 6.88 surface acres. Flood pool – 4.09” runoff with 19.50 surface acres. Total storage – 5.22” runoff. The flood pool which is 8 ft. in depth has a discharge rate from 31 c.f.s. to 37 c.f.s. from 18” pipe. During the storm of May 9-10 (both pools were empty except the borrow pit) 15.5 inches of rain fell in this watershed, and water was discharged, for a short time, through the emergency spillway at a depth of 1.8 ft.”

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Detention Reservoir site #4 and the surrounding area. A road runs vertically on the left side of the photograph. Furthermore, a small house stands next to the road in the upper left. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Ok-SCD-13-Wa.2 – Owl Creek Detention Reservoir Site #4. Redish [sic] Prairie Land Resource group. 70 acres in cultivation, 220 acres in pasture, range, woods; 10 acres in abandoned cropland. Excellent cover on grassland. In foreground abandoned cropland has been revegetated. At right geological erosion has been greatly retarded by good grass and controlled vegetation. Permanent storage: 1.13 in. Flood storage: 4.10 inches. Peak flow: 490 c.f.s. Release rate: 12 c.f.s. Acres of bottomland protected: 700 acres. Flood drainage benefit ratio: 6.6/1. Near top of photo the main drain appears to continue up (north) and beyond the field of the camera. Actually this drainageway drains in the opposite direction startin [sic] ¼ from top of photo.”

Photograph of SCS technician Kenneth Yoakum and Bill Byman standing in a field and discussing sweetclover as a soil preservation crop. People shown in photo go as followed from left to right: 1. Bill Byman, 2. Kenneth Yoakum. The back of the photograph proclaims, “Kenneth Yoakum, SCS technician, & Bill Byman discussing sweetclover as a soil preservation crop. There were no breaks in the 30 ac. of clover – all other terraces broke where land was clean tilled. 5” rain. Clover seed 1948. 1200 lbs. 20% superphosphate applied. Seed […]. Plans to harvest seed crop & row remainder of farm.”

Photograph of an UNIDENTIFED man (Walter Grey) surveying damage from a broken levee, which damaged 450 acres of bottomland and severely damaged 100 acres. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Owner Walter Gray reports spending $35,000 on levees to protect his bottomland over a 20-year period. Large breaks in levees, along straightened creek, can be seen across field. Owner Gray said 450 acres of bottomland were damaged by flood. Over 100 acres were damaged seriously."

Photograph of broken levee, which protected a bottomland field, near State Highway 24, eight miles west of Wayne. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Break in levee built along State Highway 24 eight miles west of Wayne to protect bottomland field shown beyond."

Photograph of Mr. Gray and Harry Maricle standing in cornfield following flood. People shown in photo go as followed from left to right: 1. Harry Maricle, 2. Mr. Gray. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Corn crop following flood. Best growing season in 51 years followed flood, Mr. Gray said. That's reason crop will be better than expected. He lost one cutting of alfalfa because of flood. 290 acres of corn hurt. Should make 75 bushels to acre in some parts of field. Has spent $500 poisoning corn for insects because was late. Paying $9 an hour to repair flood damage to levy (background). Job will cost estimated $1500. Mr. Gray and Harry Maricle in pix."

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Site #5 and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims "Owl Creek Site #5. Detention Reservoir: D. A. – 490 ac. Permanent pool – 1.15" runoff with 10.0 acre surface. Flood pool – 4.56" runoff with 29.4 Acres surface. Total storage – 5.71" runoff from 490 Acres. Flood pool (10' in depth) discharges through an 18" metal pipe at rate varying from 29 c.f.s. Both pools were empty but were filled during storm of May 9-10 & 1.0' depth discharged through [[…] spillway]."

Photograph of an aerial shot of Owl Creek Site #4, spillway, and the surrounding area. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Owl Creek Site #4. 1.8 ft. of water flowed through this spillway with only minor damage although the Bermuda sod on it has just started to grow."

Photograph of damage done to spillway near Owl Creek Site 5 post flood. A barbed wire fence surrounds the area. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Minor damage to spillway after 1.8 ft. flow. Flood of May 9-10. Bermuda not a cover yet."