Oklahoma - Sooner State
Stockyards City is a district within Oklahoma City, and this is where we began our trip. It is home to shops, restaurants and all things western, including Oklahoma National Stockyards, where live cattle auctions take place every Monday and Tuesday and are open to the public. Luckily, we were there on a Monday. Before going to the auction, we had a hardy breakfast at Cattleman’s Steakhouse and, of course, we ordered steak and eggs. I don’t think I’ve ever had steak for breakfast before, but it was bountiful and delicious! The auction was fascinating, with cattle brought into an arena one at a time, and ranchers bidding on them competitively. When the auction was over, we walked on wooden planks around the stockyards where we could view the cattle and realized: we are city slickers, and this is a different world! Later we went to a huge store that sold western clothing, especially cowboy boots. I wanted to buy a pair, but I couldn’t find any in my size that felt comfortable. Too bad!
In a different district, we visited the excellent Oklahoma City Museum of Art, one of the leading art institutions in the region. Dale Chihuly’s wife is from OK City and therefore, the museum is home to one of the largest collections of Chihuly glass in the world. Called Magic and Light, it was spread through several galleries, and represented over three decades of Chihuly’s finest work. The museum’s website aptly states that the collection “heralds this brilliant luminist as the most important artist working in glass since Louis Comfort Tiffany.” The density of the works, literally boatloads of objects, and the brilliance of the colors must be seen to be fully appreciated.
Also downtown is the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, an expansive, cylindrical greenhouse boasting over 750 plant varieties, waterfalls and elevated walkways. There was 13,000 square feet of plant display area in two distinct climate zones: the Tropical Wet Zone and the Tropical Dry Zone. We have never seen anything like this, and it was a lovely place to wander and appreciate the wonders of nature inside a unique architectural structure.
The End of the Trail is an iconic statue that stands in the entry of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It signifies a Native American and his horse, both weary in body and spirit at the end of their journey. It was sculpted by the American-born artist James Earle Fraser and is a powerful symbol of the genocide of Native American peoples amid relentless western expansion. The museum is filled with other sculptures, paintings, photographs and artifacts with a focus on preserving and interpretating the heritage of the American West. One of our favorites was a brilliantly colored painting by Leroy Neiman of Kirk Douglas in Western clothes personifying the American cowboy.
We decided to take a short drive south to Norman, the location of the University of Oklahoma campus, which was founded in 1890. It is a beautiful campus, with its unique Cherokee Gothic style. There is evidence of Native American influence going back to the institution’s founding in Oklahoma Territory in 1890 since the Cherokee Gothic style is apparent in most of its buildings. Stately trees, landscaped gardens, statues and sculptures arranged around campus ovals made a big impression on us, and I have visited many, many college campuses. We could understand why OU was named one of the top 10 historic campuses in 2015.
The following day we were back in Oklahoma City to visit the State Capitol, and it just happened to be Beef Day. What on earth is Beef Day, we thought? Well, the purpose of Beef Day is to provide elected officials and those that work with them a tasty beef meal while promoting beef and building relationships. We learned that Oklahoma is the 5th largest beef producing state with more than 55,000 ranches statewide. This was not a day for vegetarians to visit the Capitol! We chatted with a few people, including a couple standing behind a table with information about the Association for Oklahoma Cattle Women. Who knew? The Capitol building was resplendent with many gorgeous paintings and sculptures. Enoch Kelly Haney’s colossal 17-foot-tall bronze statue The Guardian stands atop the dome. The depicted Native American holds a staff that reaches 22 feet into the sky. A 9-foot replica greets visitors to the capitol on the ground floor. Paintings and murals tell the story of Oklahoma’s beginnings.
Before leaving OK City, we visited the Henry Overholser Mansion, built in 1903 in the Heritage Hills neighborhood. Its owner was considered by many to be “the father of Oklahoma City,” and this was the city’s first mansion. The 11,700-square foot Chateauesque-styled mansion was built at a cost of only $38,000. Prices have definitely risen since then! Original French stained glass windows remain, along with original English carpets and Belgian woodwork.
A somber but movingly beautiful memorial was built to honor the victims, survivors and rescuers of the horrific Oklahoma City bombing that took place on April 19, 1995. It was designed to be a place of healing, reflection and hope. A thin layer of water flows over polished black granite to form a reflecting pool. Most memorable to us were the 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze and stone to represent those who lost their lives, with a name etched on the glass base of each. One cannot help but weep to see these empty chairs. The OK City National Memorial Museum houses numerous exhibits and artifacts related to the bombing. We were profoundly affected during and after experiencing this memorial. It rivals the 911 memorial in New York City.
We drove north to Ponca City, where my father visited often during his days in the oil finding business. My mother came with him sometimes and they talked about what a charming place it was. As we walked around the downtown streets, it was fun to think of them being there a couple of decades ago. The historic district has an old-fashioned small-town feeling with colorful murals, bronze statues and 19th century architecture, which has been thoughtfully preserved.
After lunch, we headed East towards Tulsa. Along the way, we visited the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, located in the Osage Hills. Woolaroc was established in 1925 as the ranch retreat of oilman Frank Phillips. The museum started out in 1929 as a hangar for the Woolaroc, a single-engine, single-wing airplane built by Cessna that Frank Phillips sponsored in an air race from Oakland, California to Honolulu. The plane is still there, but the museum also houses over 600 paintings, 300 bronzes, 2300 pieces of Native American art and artifacts, as well as many pieces of taxidermy. The wildlife preserve is home to over 30 species of different exotic wildlife such as bison, elk and longhorn cattle. Driving around the grounds, we saw zebras, buffalo and other animals wandering peacefully. There is a model of a Phillips gas station on the grounds also, as a reminder of who built this amazing place.
After checking into our hotel in Tulsa, we strolled around the downtown area and landed in a brew pub in the Blue Dom district. We ordered one tasting – fortunately only one – which gave us five glasses of beer to sample. As I remember, it was good stuff. The next day, we went to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, a short distance from Tulsa. This was a great place to visit, and we were given an unofficial tour by a guy in cowboy clothes who had lots of anecdotes about Will Rogers to share with us. Here again were beautiful paintings, photographs and bronze sculptures. Most entertaining of all was a theater that showed movies and speaking engagements in which Will Rogers shared his witticisms and unique sense of humor. We learned that Rogers is Oklahoma’s favorite son and a world-famous Cherokee; this museum is a celebration of his life and work.
Back in Tulsa, it was a Saturday, and we were lucky to be there during their annual arts festival. It was very lively as we walked around visiting booths with displays of arts and crafts, some local but other from distant locations. Apparently, this is a well-known arts festival and artists must apply to be accepted to exhibit their work. Under one tent were fantastical metal sculptures of musicians playing instruments – both guitars and horns. They were elaborate and whimsical, and very unique.
Since it was a hot day in May, a large street fountain in the middle of a downtown intersection attracted many children, which was fun to watch. There are some beautiful buildings in the Deco District, a compact area known for its numerous art deco skyscrapers, including the Philtower Building with its sloping, tiled roof, and the Philcade Building, whose ornate lobby has a small art deco museum. Hotels dot the district, along with lunch spots and urban parks. The elaborate stained glass, marble walls, and Tiffany-style chandeliers were so unexpected in this relatively small southwestern city, but these buildings are fabulous.
Also in Tulsa is the Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world’s largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American west, as well as a growing collection of arts and artifacts from Central and South America. The museum is named for Thomas Gilcrease, an oilman and avid art collector. Outside, themed gardens have been developed which enhance the museum’s collections by reflecting gardening styles and techniques from four distinct time periods in the American West. Many bronze sculptures are displayed within the gardens.
Our last day was spent driving from Tulsa to OK City to fly home, but we made a stop in Muskogee on the way. Andy loves the song, “I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,” so he was excited to see what this city was like. Well, we found out later that the songwriter had never been there, he just liked the way it rhymed. We were disappointed when we drove into town as many of the store fronts were empty. Frankly, it looked like a city that had seen better days. However, on our way back to the highway, we saw a sign for the USS Batfish War Memorial Museum, which made the detour worthwhile. We were able to tour inside the submarine, including the torpedo room and crew cabins. I would not have been able to survive in this environment with my claustrophobia, the bunks were so close together. In the park, there was an army tank, cabins, missiles and WWII memorabilia to view. There was also a Walk of Honor that is a tribute to all veterans. It is not pleasant to think about war, but it is good to be reminded of the sacrifice that so many Americans made in WWII.
