DUKE  An event that occurred here 100 years ago was re-created during a "Bury the Bloody Hatchet" ceremony Monday.
The ceremony was a re-creation of an event that occurred in 1912 when the former separate communities of West Duke (also known simply as  Duke) and East Duke made peace via a local treaty and buried a "bloody" hatchet following a battle between residents of the two communities in western Jackson County.
The ceremony was staged by community members depicting a battle between Shaker Kouri, operator of a mercantile store in the Duke community, and A.L. Perry, operator of a general store and real estate operator in East Duke.
The ceremony began with a story about the events of 100 years ago told by current residents John Wampler, who is also the district attorney for Jackson and other area counties; and Rana Womack, an attorney-at-law who practices in Altus. Both Wampler and Womack are descendants of prominent Duke business owners.
"We are here today to commemorate an outstanding moment in the history of Duke. Someone once said that 'It's in the past. Let it go.' But the life of any community is built on the experiences and traditions of its people and the legacy of its past. Ours is as colorful as any other 'Tale of Two Cities'. One hundred years ago, 'cooperation' was 'the rest of the story'," Wampler said.

Read the Full Story...