Looking Back: Almost, About 100 Years Ago

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 

After deciding I might spend a few weeks researching Grain Valley, 100 years ago, I visited the Oak Grove Historical Society. They have unique bound volumes of The Oak Grove Banner newspapers from 1906 until the late 1930s. Unfortunately, for me, the volume from 100 years ago (1925) is always “on loan” to the current Oak Grove Voice. So the stories over the next few weeks will come from the 1924 volume or the 1926 volume; almost 100 years ago.

I was first drawn to this advertisement from the last week of January 1926.

​Edgar Graham (June 12, 1903 - March 28, 1967) and his wife, Jewell Johnson Graham, were good friends of my Aunt Opal and Uncle Clyde Fristoe.  All four were graduates of Grain Valley High School; Edgar in 1922, Clyde in 1923 and Opal and Jewell were classmates in the Class of 1925. When I was young, the Grahams owned an Apple Orchard and operated a roadside stand on Buckner Tarsney Road, just north of Duncan Road.  If you know where to look, you can still see the gravel on the east side of the road that was their parking lot.

I can recall a few times when they would talk about Edgar’s “professional wrestling career.”  I should have paid more attention. As I recall, Edgar was a small man, maybe 5’10” and 160 pounds. Compared to the professional wrestles I would see on television I remember thinking he could not have been very good.
Evidently, he was better than I thought. 

​From The Oak Grove Banner
 
I cannot imagine either man lasting for an hour and thirty-seven minutes. Was this an endurance test of an athletic event?  Charlton got his rematch on February 19th at the Royal Playhouse in Grain Valley. I will try and do some searching is more issues of the 1926 Banner. Maybe I can let you know who won. I believe I remember that Edgar had matches in other towns around Kansas City. As I peruse future issues of the Banner, I will let you know if I find any updates on Edgar’s success as a wrestler!  I’m thinking it was a limited career and I don’t believe he became famous. I only knew him as a farmer. 
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