Jamál (Beauty), 2 Núr (Light), 167 BE – Saturday, June 5, 2010 about 8:54 PM Pacific Time
My brother sent me a link about Blackwell, Oklahoma, my hometown. The link was a May 15, 2008 article in corpwatch.org called Suing the Smelter: Oklahoma Town Takes on Freeport by Eliza Strickland.
The article brought back memories of the Smelter Heights, of my Grandpa Newland going to work everyday at the Smelter, and of the laundry days Grandma Newland refused to hang cloths on the line because of the smoke from the Smelter. If the wind changed directions after Grandma hung the cloths out, she would rewash the cloths because she refused to wear cloths smelling like smoke.
I remember Blackwell,
I remember the Zinc Smelter,
I remember the smoke stacks bellowing smoke,
I remember Grandpa Newland after he retired...
Showing posts with label Zinc smelter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zinc smelter. Show all posts
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday Morning Memories
Kamál (Perfection), 11 Kamal (Perfection), 165 B.E. – Monday, August 11, 2008 about 5:59 AM PDT
I remember Grandpa Newland going off to work on Monday mornings. Grandpa worked at the Zinc smelter in Blackwell, Oklahoma until he retired. I do not remember how old Grandpa was when he retired from the Smelter, because after he retired he continued to working on a part time basis.
When the boxcars brought the Zinc ore to the smelter, there were wooden boards in the cars. These boards remained in the unloading area (at least I think that is where they remained), until they were hauled away. The company sold the boards to a retired worker for ten cents a board. The person who bought them could then resell them for a profit, Grandpa did that until he became too ill to work.
Anyway, Grandpa would buy the boards for ten cents each and then resell them for twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty cents each, depending on the condition of the board. That gave him a little money to supplement his retirement and social security check. I can remember Grandpa and Grandma living well on his retirement and social security check. That is not the case today though, I doubt that anyone can do more then survive on that little of an income.
When Grandpa went to work he did not wear a suite and tie, instead he wore overalls and a cotton work shirt. I would watch the shows in T.V. and see the fathers going to work in suites and ties. I would see the mothers in the show staying home. Those T.V. shows never related my family. Those shows never showed a grandparent or mother going to work, only the fathers in those shows made a living for the family. As far as I was concerned, those shows were a fantasy and had nothing to do with real life. Yet I watched them anyway, maybe that is why I enjoy fantasy and science fiction so much; the shows I watched, as a child had nothing to do with my real life.
I remember Grandpa Newland going off to work on Monday mornings. Grandpa worked at the Zinc smelter in Blackwell, Oklahoma until he retired. I do not remember how old Grandpa was when he retired from the Smelter, because after he retired he continued to working on a part time basis.
When the boxcars brought the Zinc ore to the smelter, there were wooden boards in the cars. These boards remained in the unloading area (at least I think that is where they remained), until they were hauled away. The company sold the boards to a retired worker for ten cents a board. The person who bought them could then resell them for a profit, Grandpa did that until he became too ill to work.
Anyway, Grandpa would buy the boards for ten cents each and then resell them for twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty cents each, depending on the condition of the board. That gave him a little money to supplement his retirement and social security check. I can remember Grandpa and Grandma living well on his retirement and social security check. That is not the case today though, I doubt that anyone can do more then survive on that little of an income.
When Grandpa went to work he did not wear a suite and tie, instead he wore overalls and a cotton work shirt. I would watch the shows in T.V. and see the fathers going to work in suites and ties. I would see the mothers in the show staying home. Those T.V. shows never related my family. Those shows never showed a grandparent or mother going to work, only the fathers in those shows made a living for the family. As far as I was concerned, those shows were a fantasy and had nothing to do with real life. Yet I watched them anyway, maybe that is why I enjoy fantasy and science fiction so much; the shows I watched, as a child had nothing to do with my real life.
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