Only 24 Hours From Tulsa: Oklahoma City

[UKDEB]

I seldom post on the boards these days, so I hope you'll indulge me in what is a pretty selfish exercise. An explanation is warranted as to why I'm resuming reports of a trip we took more than 4 years ago. For posterity's sake, I'd always intended to record the details of our first Oklahoma trip in their entirety. For reasons I won't bore you with, I hit a minor obstacle when I reached this point and what should have been a temporary hiatus became a gaping chasm. My motivation has been roused by the promise of a third trip in 2015. Most importantly, our very good friend and trip host has begged me to finish them on many, many occasions. She got so desperate that she told me it was all she wanted for her birthday. In 2012!

Index of previous instalments

Sunday, 1st August, 2010

[Yesterday saw us driving Route 66 from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, with an overnight stay in the capital’s regenerated Bricktown area on the eastern edge of Downtown.]

I’m sound asleep when the alarm goes off at 7:15 and, unusually for me, it’s a real effort to drag myself out of bed. Even so, we’re ready to meet Susan for our complimentary breakfast at the pre-arranged time of 8:30. It’s a buffet which includes eggs, pancakes and waffles all freshly prepared to order.

With a big dinner planned this evening and the unexpected bounty of free breakfast, we’ll no longer be needing our scheduled lunch stop so some juggling of the itinerary is in order. With Irma's Burger Shack no longer in play, the geography lends itself to bringing this afternoon's activities forward. The free trolley we’d planned to use today doesn’t start running until 10am, so we walk the three blocks up, three across to the Museum of Art only to discover that it doesn’t open until noon on Sundays. Susan and I had both been meticulous in checking information of this type at the planning stage and had formulated the itinerary accordingly, but it hadn’t occurred to either of us to record the details. A quick look at the information we have to hand reveals that the National Memorial Museum a couple of blocks away has an even later opening time of 1pm. The National Cowboy Hall of Fame isn’t within walking distance, but opens at 10am, so we have little choice but to head back to the hotel and pick up the car. Still, it’s been a very pleasant stroll.

It’s a short, straight-forward drive to The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in northeast OKC’s Adventure District.

From the museum’s website:

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the museum in Oklahoma City collects, preserves and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs and ground-breaking scholarly research to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of our American West. More than 10 million visitors from around the world have sought out this unique museum to gain better understanding of the West: a region and a history that permeates our national culture.

This is a magnificent 4,000-square-foot space with seven exhibition galleries housing more than 28,000 Western and American Indian pieces reflecting the spiritual, social, economic and cultural influences embodied in American Indian art. The grounds of the 18-acre site include a series of outdoor sculptures nestled among trees, flowers, ponds and running streams, creating a beautifully tranquil and utterly pleasant outdoor setting.

Museum Entrance

Welcome Sundown by Hollis Williford

Code Of The West by Herb Mignery
What we didn’t realise at the time was that this sculpture had been dedicated just a week before our visit.

End Of The Trail by James Earl Frazer
The monumental, 18' plaster sculpture was created for San Francisco's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and received the exposition's Gold Medal for sculpture. Although Fraser hoped his masterpiece would be cast in bronze and placed on Presidio Point overlooking San Francisco Bay, material restrictions during the First World War made the project impossible. Instead, in 1920, the city of Visalia, California, obtained the discarded statue and placed it in Mooney Park, where it remained, in a gradually deteriorating condition, for 48 years. In 1968, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum acquired this original plaster statue, restored it to its original magnificence, and made it a focal point of the museum.

The design of the housing allows the statue to reflect the varying colors of dawn, sunrise, mid-day, dusk, and sunset

 

[UKDEB]

Enlargement of Charles Remington’s Coming Through The Rye

Abraham Lincoln by James Earl Fraser

John Wayne by Edward J Fraughton

Charlton Heston as Will Penny by Blair Buswell

Ronald Reagan, After The Ride by Glenna Goodacre

American Cowboy Gallery

American Rodeo Gallery

Herons by Walter T Matia

Ring Of Bright Water by Kent Ullberg

Buffalo Bill Cody, “The Legend Of The Westerner” by Leonard McMurry

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[UKDEB]

Rather than retracing our outbound route, we take the opportunity to follow the alignment of Route 66 that passes the State Capitol along Lincoln Boulevard. The capitol building sits atop the OKC oil field and boasts an active oil derrick.

Hoping for a fruitful outcome this time around, we head back to the OKC Museum of Art.

Dale Chihuly’s Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower atrium centrepiece

We first take in a fascinating temporary Hollywood Costumes exhibition where, disappointingly, photography is not permitted. Next we make our way to the third floor which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Dale Chihuly glass in the world.

 

[UKDEB]

Although we’ve only managed to take in a small fraction of what’s on offer here, we’re conscious that time’s beginning to run away from us. In any event, the Chihuly Collection was the big draw and we’re forced to acknowledge that we really do need to press on.

We walk the short distance to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. [As this is a trip report, my aim is to chronicle our visit rather than to mete out a history lesson, but a bit of background is necessary.]

On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 am a massive explosion destroyed the north side of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. Investigators soon discovered that this explosion was not from a gas leak or any other natural cause. It had been a deliberate act of domestic terrorism.

From the first hours after the April 19, 1995 bombing, Oklahomans began to create small makeshift memorials around the perimeter of the bombsite – mounds of flowers, stuffed animals, personal notes, cards and prayers. Later, after the Murrah Building was demolished and removed, a chain link fence secured the footprint of the building. The Fence became Oklahoma’s – and America’s – memorial. Each day, visitors would hang mementos on the fence. Items including poems, key chains, brief scribbled messages of condolence and support, event convention badges, car tags and airline ticket stubs were left by visitors to Oklahoma City. The Fence has been preserved, and a portion of it is a part of the permanent memorial to allow visitors the opportunity to continue to leave personal messages of hope, comfort and goodwill.

In the months after the bombing, it became apparent that there was overwhelming support for the creation of a major, permanent memorial where the Murrah Building once stood. After an international design competition was commenced, 624 entries from all 50 states and 23 countries were received. These designs were put on public display for several days. More than 10,000 people filed past the designs. The winning design was chosen by a committee comprised of family members, survivors, rescuers, civic leaders and design professionals.

After taking the obligatory shots of the And Jesus Wept sculpture across the street and The Fence, we decide to tour the museum before looking around the memorial grounds. The museum is a walk-through exhibit which takes you on a chronological self-guided tour through the story of April 19, 1995, and the days, weeks, months and years that followed the bombing.

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CHAPTER 1 - BACKGROUND ON TERRORISM
Databases and personal accounts show visitors the perception and reality of terrorism in the United States in the decade leading to the Oklahoma City bombing.

CHAPTER 2 - HISTORY OF THE SITE
Graphics, models and photos provide a feel for the building, the surroundings and the agencies in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

CHAPTER 3A - THE HEARING
The impact of the explosion is heard and felt through the only known audio recording of the blast.

CHAPTER 3B - CONFUSION
Leaving Chapter 3A, visitors can see and feel for themselves the confusion of the first minutes following the blast.

CHAPTER 4A - CHAOS
Damaged furnishings and pieces from buildings, personal items, as well as the sounds of police and emergency radios give visitors the feeling of chaos many experienced moments after the bombing.

CHAPTER 4B - SURVIVOR EXPERIENCES
Video and interactive computer stations offer a look at what survivors and others experienced in the first hours after the explosion.

CHAPTER 4B - SURVIVOR EXPERIENCES
Video and interactive computer stations offer a look at what survivors and others experienced in the first hours after the explosion.

CHAPTER 5A - WORLD REACTION
Visitors see how the media around the world reported the first bulletins and special reports on April 19, 1995.

CHAPTER 5B - RESCUE AND RECOVERY
Video and artifacts lead visitors through the incident from the perspective of the rescuers.

CHAPTER 6 - WATCHING AND WAITING
Interviews, video footage and photos show the first few weeks, the work of the rescuers and the waiting of the families.

CHAPTER 7A - GALLERY OF HONOR
Tributes to the 168 who were killed are featured along with photos of each in this breathtaking gallery.

CHAPTER 7B - FUNERALS AND MOURNING
Excerpts from memorials and funerals, faith tradition and comfort from friends and strangers mark the weeks following the bombing.

CHAPTER 8 - IMPACT
Visitors can see the healing in progress, as well as the beginning of the Memorial process. Videos also highlight the determination and resourcefulness of survivors and families in affecting change in government.

CHAPTER 9 - BEHIND THE SCENE: THE OK BOMB INVESTIGATION
The crime scene investigation unfolds as pieces of evidence used to convict the perpetrators of the crime show visitors the intricate work that led to the arrests.

CHAPTER 10 - HOPE
See how the community has rebuilt since that fateful day through images and anniversaries. Origami Cranes show the hope that was displayed after the bombing, and the positive thoughts of people around the world that better tomorrows emerge from the experience and resilience of this community.

For both Susan and me, the tears start to fall during chapter 2. A handful of photographs depict the children of the America's Kids Day Care Center on the second floor, all smiles as they engage in activities and outings. 15 of them lost their lives in the bombing. From thereon in, there's little opportunity to compose ourselves. The experience is at times moving, harrowing, overwhelming, poignant and occasionally even heartwarming. It's completely engrossing throughout. [Post script. By the time we stepped out into the sunshine, I felt thoroughly drained. I can only try to imagine how it impacted Susan. She is Oklahoma born and raised. She has been an elementary school teacher for most of her adult life. She definitely perceived it all much more keenly, that I know. There were times when she was palpably sobbing.]

The outdoor symbolic memorial is the perfect antidote to the heartbreak meted out by the museum. It's a beautifully conceived place of quiet reflection, honouring the victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now sacred soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood, capturing and preserving forever the place and events that changed the world. It's tranquil and consolatory; thought-provoking in a much more gentle way.

Gates of Time
These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. – and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing.

Reflecting Pool
The pool occupies what was once N.W. Fifth Street. Here, a shallow depth of gently flowing water helps soothe wounds, with calming sounds providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts. The placid surface shows the reflection of someone changed forever by their visit to the Memorial.

Field of Empty Chairs
The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children 9 (15 of them from the day care center). The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building.







Survivor Wall
On the east end of the Memorial stand the only remaining walls from the Murrah Building. These walls remind us of those who survived the terrorist attack, many with serious injuries. Today, more than 600 names are inscribed on salvaged pieces of granite from the Murrah Building lobby.



The Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree, an American Elm, bore witness to the violence of April 19, 1995, and withstood the full force of the attack. Years later, it continues to stand as a living symbol of resilience. The circular promontory surrounding the tree offers a place for gathering and viewing the Memorial.



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[UKDEB]

After dinner we head back to the hotel in Bricktown. Leaving Matt happily propping up the bar, Susan and I walk to the landing dock below Mickey Mantle Drive, across the street west from the third base entrance of the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, for the 40 minute round-trip Riverwalk Canal Cruise.

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We join Matt back at the bar around 10:30, spending a while discussing our plans for tomorrow and chatting with the bar staff before retiring at 11:30. My sore, swollen feet are testament to another long, full day.

 

[SusanEllen]

Thank you, Debbie. I love my birthday present. I know that writing about that day, when we visited the Memorial and Museum, must have been especially difficult to do, but as always, you found the right words to beautifully describe the experience. Your photos and descriptions also showed to best advantage the Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Museum, the OKC Museum of Art, and the Bricktown Canal cruise. Surely anyone whoever thought he should have been a cowboy (Tony Buckland) needs to make a pilgrimage to the Western Heritage Museum. Debbie and Matt, let's do it again.

 

[florida sun]

I've said it before I know, but I adore reading your trip reports. This one in particular as it's somewhere I would love to visit. I always feel as though I'm reading a great book when I read whatever you write. So professional

 

[UKDEB]

Thanks, Sue. You're so sweet! It's lovely to think that my ramblings are giving pleasure to someone other than me.

 

[SusanEllen]

Thanks, Sue. You're so sweet! It's lovely to think that my ramblings are giving pleasure to someone other than me.

And to me, Debbie. Hi, Sue.