Pioneer Recipes for Soap and Skin Care
Lye Soap
5 lbs. Fat
1 can lye
1 qt. Cold rainwater
3 tsp Borax
1 heaping T. salt
1 T. vinegar
½ cup rainwater
¼ cup ammonia
1 T. Salsoda (washing soda)
(I added ¼ cup Clorox)
Mix original 1 qt rain water with original 1 can of lye and dissolve. Set aside. Mix next 8 ingredients and mark.
Heat grease, strain and let cool but not cold; mixing all other ingredients together, start stirring in a one way motion and pour in very small stream of grease. Keep a steady stirring; not fast or slow. It will start to thicken. Let it set a few minutes and pour in heath pan, like a dishpan, with a few layers of absorbent cloth to absorb the water. Allow several days to set then cut into squares and wrap in tissue paper for storage.
Pearl Water for the face
Put a half a pound of best Windsor soap scraped fine into a half a gallon of boiling water; stir it well until it cools, add a pint of spirits of wine and a half ounce of oil of rosemary; stir well. This is a good "cosmetique" and will remove Freckles.
Wrinkles in the skin
White wax, one ounce; strained honey, two ounces; juice of lily bulbs, two ounces. The foregoing melted and stirred together will remove wrinkles. |
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In February 1949, a French freighter arrived in New York carrying 49 boxcars filled with gifts of thanks from the French people to the United States. The act was in  response to the 'Friendship Train' that in 1947 toured the US and collected $40 million worth of food and clothing to aid France at the end of WWII. Every continental US state received a boxcar from the 'Merci Train' or 'Gratitude Train'; Oklahoma's car was brought to the front of the State Capitol the morning of February 18, 1949. In a grand ceremony, Governor Roy J. Turner accepted the gifts from the Consul General of France, Hon. Lionel Vasse. Within the next few days, the items were unloaded and on display in the auditorium at the old Wiley Post building of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Refurbished in 1989, Oklahoma's Merci Train boxcar sits in front of the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The gifts were given to the Oklahoma Historical  Society and have been stored in the Oklahoma Museum of History's collections. The Merci Train collection comprises a unique mixture of personal belongings, clothing, homemade trinkets, dolls, souvenirs and art. Some of the most emotional items are the handmade ornaments and box full of hair ribbons with notes attached that read "Souvenir reconnaissant de l'Orphelinat de Trevidy À Morlaix", which translated means "Gifts of thanks from the orphans of Trevidy at Morlaix." These ribbons were  probably orphan girls' dress sashes and hair bows that they sent to say 'thank you'.
Another interesting artifact is a brass jar that was made from an old shell casing. The outside had been decorated with etched and punched designs, and on the lid was engraved Givenchy 1918. This particular container was a souvenir that had been made from the shells of the First World War and then given in gratitude after the Second. Approximately 300 artifacts make up the Merci Train collection. They serve as a reminder of the many sacrifices and losses experienced by people of France and the United States during WWII. However, these gifts and letters also express the happiness and the hope of a war-torn country after the World Wars. |
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TOMORROW'S LEGACY:
OKLAHOMA'S STATEWIDE PRESERVATION PLAN (2010)
NOW AVAILABLE
The Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce the availability of Tomorrow's Legacy: Oklahoma's Statewide Preservation Plan (2010). The State Plan is the result of a year and a half long collaborative effort among the SHPO, other government agency representatives, preservation professionals, and concerned citizens to identify the goals and priorities for the state's historic preservation programs for the next five years. In addition to the goals and objectives, it contains discussions about some of Oklahoma's archeological and historic resources and threats to them, suggested ways for the state's preservation community to meet the State Plan's goals, a detailed glossary, extensive contact information for preservation agencies and organizations, and much more.
The SHPO recently received formal U.S. Department of the Interior approval of the updated State Plan, and it is now available on the SHPO's webpage at www.okhistory.org/shpo/stateplan.htm. If you wish to receive a hard copy, provide your name and complete mailing address to the SHPO at (405)521-6249 or bharris@okhistory.org.
The SHPO greatly appreciates the time and efforts of those who participated in the development of the new State Plan, and we look forward to working with our many partners to meet the goals we established together for protecting Oklahoma's significant archeological and historic resources. |
