My grandparents lived on Red Hill in my hometown of Purcell, Oklahoma. That’s a postcard of it attached here — from before my time or theirs. As a young bike rider, I remember going up the hill being more challenging and down the hill more adventurous that this view would suggest.
The top of the hill was across the street from my grandparents’ home, and the town swimming pool and a sandstone pavilion were there — both built by the WPA and both gone now. But there remains a stone stairway leading down to Conger Field, the high school football stadium with bleachers created right into the hillside. Standing at the top, the view of a game was no further away than from an upper deck seat at Owen Field or Giants Stadium. When my brother and I were in the PHS Dragon marching band, my grandmother used to walk over to a good viewing spot just to watch the halftime show.
Only now that I actually examine the postcard (I was too giddy at finding it to actually read it), I see that what’s shown there isn’t what I know of as Red Hill at all! What?! It’s of another Purcell hill entirely, one that went up from the train station to downtown Purcell — or the other way around as need be. I swear, in all my life, I never ever heard anyone refer to that one as Red Hill.