#47 OKLAHOMA

On April 22, 1889, the first day homesteading was allowed in Oklahoma, 50,000 people swarmed into the territory. Those who tried to beat the noon starting gun were called “Sooners,” hence the nickname. In 1890 Oklahoma was divided into Indian Territory and the Oklahoma Territory. On November 16, 1907 the two territories were combined to create the state of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma quarter features an image of the State bird, the Scissortail Flycatcher, soaring over the State wildflower, the Indian Blanket. I saw neither but maybe I just didn’t look in the right places. From the U.S. Mint description: “The depiction of Indian Blanket (or Gaillardia) symbolizes the State’s rich Native American heritage and native long grass prairies that are abundant in wildlife. Oklahoma was formed by the combination of the Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory of the Five Civilized Tribes – Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee. The State’s name is derived from the Choctaw words "okla" and "homma," meaning "red" and "people."

I traveled to Tulsa to participate in the Route 66 Marathon which was held on the 101st Anniversary of statehood – though none of my fellow marathoners that I spoke with seemed to know or care about the historical significance of the date. I opted for the half marathon but could have done the full or quarter. I’ve never heard of a quarter marathon before but think it’s a great idea. I really thought it was a fabulous idea when I realized that the Quarter Marathoners were finished and I was still slogging away.

The northeast section of Oklahoma is known as Green Country. I couldn’t fathom why but was told that the rolling hills and trees are markedly different from the rest of the state and precipitation is much greater in this region. Tulsa sits in the middle of Green Country and they use the moniker frequently. It is November, after all, and most of the green has turned brown for the season.

Tulsa was settled in the 1830’s by the Creek Native Americans. It was the discovery of oil nearby that propelled Tulsa to prominence. The city was known as the “Oil Capital of the World”. Today the city is sometimes referred to as the “Art Deco Capital of the World”. There are some spectacular examples of Art Deco architecture but I would go so far as to designate the city as ‘capital’ of anything.


Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper, The Price Tower, is in Bartlesville, OK. This National Historic Landmark stands 19 stories high above the prairie and has a definite Art Deco style. The design was conceived in 1929 and Wright finally found a home for his “tree that escaped a crowded forest” in 1956 for the H.C. Price Pipeline company, Oklahoma. Today you can spend the night in the hotel, dine at the Copper Restaurant, visit the arts center or conduct business in the offices. It truly is a must see. A visit to the Price Tower is worth a visit to Oklahoma in my opinion.


Driving the 40 miles from Tulsa to Bartlesville, I passed through Collinsville which proudly proclaims itself Home of the 2008 Miss Oklahoma with much fanfare. This community of about 4,000 has erected sign after sign boasting about their native daughter. Bartlesville, a comparatively big city of 35,000, is home to Phillips Petroleum, but apparently no beauty pageant winners .

There is a tremendous Native American heritage in Oklahoma. The “Trail of Tears”, the forced relocation of thousands to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw tribes were all removed to this area from their native lands. Today more than 30 tribes are headquartered in Oklahoma.

Decades later destitute Dust Bowl farmers made their way to and in most cases beyond the state. John Steinbeck referred to Route 66 as “the mother road’ in his epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the too real account of thousands of Depression-era Okies who fled the Dust Bowl for California. Route 66 was championed by State Highway Commissioner Cyrus Avery in the 1920’s and is remarkably preserved in the state today. Route 66 and the Trail of Tears intersect in northeast Oklahoma bringing together over a century of historical significance. This truly is the heartland. It’s the heart of so much of our past.

Tulsa area links:

www.philbrook.org
http://www.okaquarium.org/
www.gilcrease.org
www.woolaroc.org
www.pricetower.org (Frank Lloyd Wright building)
www.uticasquare.com
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/research...ecointulsa.htm
http://www.theroadwanderer.net/66Oklahoma/artdeco.htm
http://www.mapleridgeneighborhood.com/index.html
http://www.tulsagardencenter.com/
www.visittulsa.com

There was no question in my mind that my Oklahoma song would be Get Your Kicks on Route 66 because I literally got my butt kicked on the Route 66 run. Scores of artists have recorded this song. There’s a quite good version on the Cars Soundtrack by John Mayer (this Disney movie is set on Route 66). The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode recorded versions that I like but I had to download Chuck Berry classic for my playlist.

My book selection is Fire In Beulah by Rilla Askew
From the back cover:

Oil-boom opulence, fear, hate, and lynchings are the backdrop for Rilla Askew’s riveting novel, Fire in Beulah. Althea Whiteside, an oil wildcatter’s high-strung white wife, and her enigmatic black maid, Graceful, share a complex connection during the tense days of the Oklahoma oil rush. Their juxtaposing stories – and those of others close to them – unfold as tensions mount to a violent climax in the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, during which whites burned the city’s prosperous black neighborhood to the ground. The riot becomes the crucible that melds and tests each of the characters in this masterful exploration of the American race story and the ties that bind us irrevocably to one another.

It’s a good read that haunts. I’m only half way through and continue to wrestle with the racial violence portrayed. Fire in Beulah is another dose of serious Oklahoma history and I recommend it but it’s certainly not light reading.


http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/states/index.cfm?flash=no&state=OK

www.route66marathon.com