Deep Deuce

[Doug Loudenback]

Inspired by this print I saw at the Oklahoma History Center last Saturday ...

... I've started a series of posts on "Deep Second", now called "Deep Deuce".

The 1st article is called, "Deep Deuce: A White Man's Pause" and, other than the above pic, it contains none. It is basically a reflection upon/about why such a place as "Deep Deuce" existed in the 1st place, and it is not a pretty story. Read it if you want: Doug Dawgz Blog: Deep Deuce Prologue

A snippet:

This vibrant image resonates vitality and inspires a pride in Oklahoma City of "Deep Second", later to be called, "Deep Deuce", the principal commercial and entertainment area for the Black population of Oklahoma City in a much earlier day. The area was the venue for much Oklahoma City Black heritage as well as for the contributions of many members of the Black community to our city's richness.

Lately, most if not all non-Black Oklahoma Citians have come to take pride in this all but vanished historic part of Oklahoma City history as they continue to shear themselves of their past racial prejudices ... pride in the likes of Black jazz musicians like Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing, the internationally renowned author Ralph Ellison, and many others.

I do feel such a pride ... but after researching this post, other considerations give me pause as to whether I have a "right" to claim a share in the pride.
***
While experiencing a walk through the history of this area, it is right to remember why the area existed in the first place - Blacks had no place else to go.

The next article will reflect upon the positive contributions of Black Oklahoma Citians during the era of "Deep Deuce."

[Karried]

Hi Doug! I was just at the History center yesterday on a field trip.. It is beautiful inside! I have to go back because we had a very short tour with 60 third graders! We also toured the Capital Building..

I'm off to read your article..

[ChristianConservative]

Very nice Doug. Thanks for posting, and I'll try to follow your blog.

[windowphobe]

The saddest thing about Deep Deuce, it's always seemed to me, is that so little of it remains; there's Calvary Baptist Church (since renamed), but that's about it.

"Breaux" might refer to Zella Page Breaux, music teacher and operator of the Aldridge: among her students were Jimmy Rushing and Charlie Christian.

Recommended reading: Douglas Henry Daniels, One O'Clock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006).

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks, ChristianConservative, appreciated.

windowphobe, I fully intend to get into the things you mentioned, among other things, in the follow-up Deep Deuce post, in a few days. I hadn't intended to write the "prologue" until I completed my early day Oklahoman research, but that caused me to think that the prologue was necessary, and at the outset of discussion.

Yes, the "Breaux" does refer to Zelia Breaux, co-owner of the Aldridge. She was also influential in the life of Ralph Waldo Ellison, author of "The Invisible Man" which won the National Book Award ( National Book Award - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) in 1953, as well as other literary works. Zelia Breaux was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1983 and was named one of Oklahoma’s "100 Notable Women of Style" by Oklahoma Today magazine. All in good time, my friend ...

[Doug Loudenback]

I've finished Part 2 (of 3) of the Deep Deuce articles: Doug Dawgz Blog: Deep Deuce History

It is mostly text (about 21 pp. including the pics), but here are the images in the post:

The General Map


Calvary Baptist Church


Deep Deuce Grill


Aldridge Theater
credit Oklahoma Historical Society


Slaughter Building / Slaughter's Hall
credit Vanished Spendor III, by Edwards, Oliphant and Ottaway (Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1985)


Black Dispatch Front Pages




Early Douglass School Location (left, at about 9 o'clock)
credit Vanished Spendor III, by Edwards, Oliphant and Ottaway (Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1985)


1915 Douglass Faculty Pic
credit Vanished Spendor III, by Edwards, Oliphant and Ottaway (Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1985)


Douglass at NE 6th & High
credit Vanished Spendor III, by Edwards, Oliphant and Ottaway (Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1985)


The Same Building Today
credit Doug Dawg

I'm working on Part 3 which will be about Deep Deuce "people".

[windowphobe]

If I remember correctly, after the "new" (now the old) Douglass opened, the location on 6th Street became Page-Woodson Elementary. There exists a plan to turn it into a local museum/cultural center, though I suspect it's languishing due to lack of funding.

[Doug Loudenback]

windowphbe, yes, I think that you're 100% correct about that. Hope that it happens.

[John]

Doug, there are more than a couple 'original' buildings down in the Deuce. One of them is the clubhouse for the Deep Deuce Apartments. Central dead ends in the south to some old buildings. The Hill sales/design center is in one, too.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks, John. Do you know which building the clubhouse originally was (or the others you mentioned)?

[writerranger]

Doug,

I just wanted to say what a great job you are doing documenting Oklahoma City - past and present. The Deep Deuce series is excellent. So much history! It's such a shame so much of it is gone.

There is a new book that has a nice section on Ralph Ellison and Deep Deuce. It's called, Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks . Here's the Amazon link:

Amazon.com: Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks: Books: B. J. Welborn

It's also at the Oklahoma County Libraries at the following branches:
Belle Isle
Edmond
Southern Oaks
Warr Acres
There's also a nice piece about Okemah and Woody Guthrie.

Good work!

-----------------

[Doug Loudenback]

Following up ...

If I remember correctly, after the "new" (now the old) Douglass opened, the location on 6th Street became Page-Woodson Elementary. There exists a plan to turn it into a local museum/cultural center, though I suspect it's languishing due to lack of funding.

I've done a bit more research and have edited the post to include these remarks:

After Douglass School relocated to a new facility on then Eastern now Martin Luther King, the school became the Page-Woodson School, now vacant. This source indicated plans were in the works to make the building an African-American cultural center and museum, but a September 2006 Journal Record article indicates that the property may be converted to office space.

Doug, there are more than a couple 'original' buildings down in the Deuce. One of them is the clubhouse for the Deep Deuce Apartments. Central dead ends in the south to some old buildings. The Hill sales/design center is in one, too.

I've added a small pic of the clubhouse and changed the text to indicate the survival of some other buildings, but without description (since I don't know it).

And, writerranger, thanks for the nice words and encouragement. I've added substantial additions and changes to the post this morning, containing several additional pics, largely located at the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area's nice website, Oklahoma Images .

Thanks, too, for the book link ... I'll check it out shortly!

[John]

Doug, the building in your blog at the SW corner of 2nd and Central still stands (unidentified hotel) today.

[Doug Loudenback]

Doug, the building in your blog at the SW corner of 2nd and Central still stands (unidentified hotel) today.

Whoops! Thanks, with lots of fine tuning from you guys, maybe I'll eventually get it right! I'll try to drive by later today.

[Doug Loudenback]

I inadvertanly deleted the "Deep Deuce History" blog post yesterday morning, but, thanks to the Google Cache feature, I was able to reconstruct (as well as revise) the post this morning. The revised "Deep Deuce History" blog post is here:

Doug Dawgz Blog: Deep Deuce History

The older link will no longer work.

[Doug Loudenback]

I've added my "preliminary" 3rd post on Deep Deuce, this one called "Famous Deep Deucians" ... Doug Dawgz Blog: Famous Deep Deucians ... but it's not in its final form yet since it doesn't include all the bios I intend - but I wanted to get it started.

The post so far is mainly words ... the few pics in the post are included here ...

THE BLUE DEVILS AT THE RITZ BALLROOM, 15 ½ S. WALKER, 1931
Left to Right: Hot Lips Page, trumpet; Leroy "Snake" White, trumpet; Walter Page, bass; James Simpson, trumpet; Druie Bess, trombone; A.G. Godley, drums; Reuben Lynch, banjo; Charlie Washington, piano; Rueben Roddy, tenor sax; Ernie Williams, director/vocals; Theodore Ross, first alto sax; Buster Smith, alto sax/clarinet, arranger.

Cover Jacket for the book, "One O'clock Jump," about the Okc Blue Devils Band

From the inside book cover jacket:

• The legendary bandleader Count Basie once said of a Blue Devils performance, "It was the greatest thing I ever heard." Now, in One O'Clock Jump, historian Douglas Henry Daniels tells the fascinating story of this incredible jazz band from Oklahoma City.
  
  Though the Blue Devils survived in various forms from 1923 to 1933, their legacy has largely been overlooked. Individuals who played with the band – including writer Ralph Ellison (as a teenager), trumpeter Oran "Hot Lips" page, saxophonist Lester "Prez" Young, and bandleader Basie – went on to become celebrated artists of the twentieth century.

But, One O'Clock Jump is not just a history of the band – it presents a much larger view of Black history in Oklahoma, and, more particularly, in Oklahoma City. A significant amount of text is available at this Amazon link from Chapter Two – Oklahoma City Pioneers (when there, at the left, click the link, "Search inside This Book").

BASIE, CHRISTIAN, RUSHING, IN THE LATE 1940s
Left to Right:Count Basie, Ernie Fields, Melvin Moore, Charlie Christian, Jimmy Rushing

Before the New Year arrives, the post will be amended to include bios of Charlie Christian, Jimmy Rushing, Ralph Waldo Ellison, and perhaps others. A fairly extensive list of links for more information than is in the post is at the end of the post.

[Doug Loudenback]

1st, a correction ... the caption associated with the group sitting at the table, above, should be "Late 1930s", not 1940s.

Doug Dawgz Blog: Famous Deep Deucians has been modified to include a bio and some pics of Charlie Christian. The pics are below ...

Leaving OKC for LA


With Bennie Goodman's Sextet


Jammin At Ruby's in 1940


1942 Funeral At Calvary Baptist


Marker at Bonham, TX, place of birth and burial

[Doug Loudenback]

"Famous Deep Deucians", Doug Dawgz Blog: Famous Deep Deucians , is now done. Added bios (in addition to Zelia Breaux, The Blue Devils, and Charlie Christian, mentioned above) are Jimmy Rushing and Ralph Ellison. Ellison's bio was the hardest to write since I don't care much for his apparent closing the door on his Okc past, but, then, I didn't walk in his shoes.

Anyway, the added pics are below:

Jimmy Rushing -- Mr. Five by Five








Ralph Waldo Ellison



His "Invisible Man" Novel & NYC Memorial