The Century Chest Collection

Lee-Huckins Hotel, letter to the future manager

(Transcribed from the original)

April 22, 1913.
TO THE MANAGER OF THE LEE-HUCKINS HOTEL
Corner Broadway and Main Street,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Dear Sir:

Today is quite an eventful on – Twenty-four years ago this city was nothing more than a Depot with a watering tank, and one line of railroad, while today we have a city of approximately 65,000. Of course, the papers you will be reading at the time this letter is delivered you will have a full description of the city as it is today, telling of its buildings, manufacturing enterprises, people, etc.

Today at noon when the Whistles blew, every one ran out into the street, forgetting for a minute that it was just Twenty-Four years today that this portion of Oklahoma was opened to settlement.

If you are in any way as much interested in antiquities as the writer, why this letter and the contents of the envelope should be expecially interesting. I am enclosing several bills-of-fare, one of our general business statements, and some advertising matter, etc.

This hotel and the Annex have approximately 400 odd rooms, and we are running about 85% full, banking on an average of a little better than $1,000.00 a day. We operate the rooms, Cafes, Cigar Stand, News Stand, Barber Shop, and Billiard Room. We are charging the hotel for the rooms and Cafes and the Lobby space, $48,000.00 a year, while the other feaures run from $125.00 to $275.00 per month.

As I write I can't help but wonder what the hotel will look like. IN almost all our bed-rooms we have a Thermos bottle for keeping ice water cool, and Electric revolving fans. I wonder how you are colling the house and handling the Ice water.

Page #2
We have been open just a trifle over three years, having opened on the 15th of January 1910. The Annex immediately south is a seven story building, and was built before the old Lee Hotel burned, which was on the 15th day of August 1908. The writer's Father died in March of 1908 at the age of 72. He was born at Freedom N.H. in 1836, while I was born at St. Louis, Mo. May 14th 1870. My Son Joseph the 3rd was born in Texarkana Texas September 9, 1900 where we also have a hotel and two brothers reside managing the hotel.

My father and brothers have been interested in the Hotel business exclusively all our lives. My Brother  L. W. Huckins is equal manager here with me, and is seven years younger than I am.

Now if you would be kind enough to make some effort toward locating some of my descendants and turn them over this letter, it certainly would be appreciated. Just how you would go about it, I have only this one suggestion to make. The Luthern Church have promised that every 10 years they would have some sort of description of the contents of the century chest, and I presume as the different ones are located they will be notified and a record handed down or kept.

IT would be no trouble to write along with our letter giving details of the management of the hotel, and description of it's various working parts, but of these you will please draw your own conclusion.

The writer is about 5 feet 11 ½ inches tall, and weighs 231 pounds, with redish hair, and slight bald, while Mr. L. W. Huckins is dark complected and dark hair, and is only about 5 feet 10 inches, and weighs about 145 pounds. As stated we have always been engaged in the hotel business, and know little of anything else.

Page #3
Wishing you success, and trusting the property is still a handsome money maker, I am
Yours very truly
Joseph Huckins
L W Huckins

Typewritten by
Sam Wylie