April 18, Oklahoma City, OK

Yesterday dawned a very wet and miserable day, not being able to do the exploring we planned, we decided we needed to put the car to good use, and do some "retail shopping."

This morning was overcast but no rain, so we took off to Bricktown, Oklahoma.  We were led to believe there was a 'Trolley bus' tour, but what we found was a bus, with the driver trying to be the guide.  Most of the trip, we were the only passengers and the driver was very helpful, even hooting and signaling to us that he would stop for us to hop on the bus round the corner. 

We did the canal boat tour, which was very interesting, and as the pictures show, there were some very beautiful sculptures, depicting the history of the Oklahoma Land Run.  Here is a little bit of information about that, if you need any further info, Google is your friend.  There are some lovely murals as well.



1889 April 22. Oklahoma Territory's First Land Run.

The opening of the Indian lands in Oklahoma Territory was of great interest to people across the United States in the late 1800s. The Indian's desire to keep the Territory for their exclusive use and occupation was complicated by the rapid growth of white population on its northern, eastern, and southern borders; and when the first railroad crossed it (1870-1872), any effort to find an answer became hopeless. The reasons for attempting to obtain lands in "the great American desert" were almost as many as the individuals who made the attempt. Ranchers, Railroads and Boomers sought access to the diverse landscape.
The Unassigned Lands were laid out in 160-acres homesteads, and on 22 April 1889, it was opened to white settlement in the "Run" for farms and town lots, which has become one of the most dramatized episodes in western history. Tent cities sprang up at Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, El Reno, Norman, Guthrie and Stillwater.

We then went to the OKC National Memorial & Museum.  Only when we got there did we realize what we were seeing.  This was the site of the Oklahoma bombing by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in 1995.  We then found out that this took place exactly 21 years ago to the day, 19 April, 1995.  The last 3 pictures show the Memorial with a reflective pool, occupying the space where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building stood before the bombing, and the present museum.

Tomorrow we are on the road again, so watch this space.