Seasonings and marinades are an Oklahoma O’riginal
His career as an oilman began at a me when America was undergoing great change following WWI. It began in a me of wooden derricks and horse-drawn wagons and gave way to diesel trucks and steal and bulldozers before the beginning of WWII. Oil would be king, and James, who would become known as Daddy Hinkle following the birth of his fi rst grandsons, would use oil to build his company and give a good life to his family.
T
he history of Daddy Hinkle’s begins with the history of the man who was the inspira on of it's founda on: James
Frank Hinkle, "Daddy Hinkle."
James Hinkle was born in Arkansas in 1886. With his family, he would travel town to town through Texas and Oklahoma Territory, following his father’s water well drilling wagon, around the turn of the century.
James received a spo y educa on at best. He learned to read and write and had some knowledge of math, but a life of moving from town to town and parents having more children every two years did not give the family much in the way of a fi xed home nor a formal educa on for James.
In 1901, James’ mother died a er giving birth to twins and he was sent to Arkansas to live with his oldest sister, Lucy. Now, very much on his own at the age of 14, James’ life of work and adventure began. Early exposure to drilling with his father and fi nding unseen treasures beneath the earth's surface stayed with him all his life.
James was skinny, red-headed and had a quick mind. Infl uenced by his father's business, he became very good with tools and at repairing equipment. He was inven ve, a very quick study, and not afraid of hard work. In search of his future, he traveled all over and worked at any job he could fi nd. He fi nally found his calling in Texas.
Oil was the new gold at the turn of the century. He began, like so many other men, in the oil fi elds of Texas as a roughneck. With ingenuity, he worked his way up to driller, then tool pusher. Using parts from junkyards and his own hands, he built a steam-driven oil rig and began contract drilling for oil in Oklahoma and later in southern Illinois.
14 - NE Connection
He used his skills and entrepreneurial spirit to build an oil drilling company that would aff ord him the ability to give his family an upper middle class lifestyle. Daddy Hinkle's story is that of a truly self-made man. Like all of us he was not a perfect man, but a man who followed his dreams and always did the best he could. He was a man to admire.
Daddy Hinkle, a man with li le more than a second grade educa on would see his children and all his grandchildren receive the best opportuni es and educa ons that he himself could never even have imagined as a young man. He would also help many in his family realize their dreams by owning their own businesses, as he had.
As an oilman, Daddy Hinkle entertained a lot of people, especially at his lake home in Decatur, Illinois. He loved a good T-bone steak. His wife, Zula, who later would be know as Mamaw to everyone, "doctored up" the steaks with a combina on of garlic salt, tenderizer, celery salt, paprika, seasoned salt, pepper and
Daddy Hinkle preparing steaks for some of his frequent guests.
everything else she could fi nd in the kitchen cabinet.
Whatever the combina on of seasonings, the steaks proved to be irresis ble to all of the parade of guests, family, and business associates that dined at Daddy Hinkle's table throughout his life me.
Today, Daddy Hinkle’s marinades, seasonings, and rubs are produced in and shipped from Cleveland, Oklahoma, and are sold in an ever-increasing number of states throughout the USA. Proud to be an Oklahoma original, you will no ce Daddy Hinkle’s encourages the use of other Oklahoma products through their recipes and membership in the Made In Oklahoma Coali on.
In December of 1994, Daddy Hinkle’s sold 9 cases of marinade to the fi rst customer. By 2012, they were selling 40,000 cases in a year. Not a na onal brand, but well on the way with another genera on of family aboard.
Lee Merrifi eld, Daddy Hinkle's great- granddaughter now heads up the company. She con nues in the tradi ons of Daddy Hinkle and brings to each customer the same care her great-grandfather gave his. She hopes that Daddy Hinkle's marinades and spice rubs will become a family tradi on someday in every home in America.
Daddy Hinkle would like that!
Lee Merrifi eld works with a photo of Daddy Hinkle looking on.
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