Through my work, I have been truly fortunate to see a great deal of the United States. I have performed work in over half of the states and visited all but a very few states either while working or through personal travel. More than a few times I have been asked why I live in the Sooner State. Apparently, Oklahoma has an image problem. So let me show you around. Not the tourist bureau tour but the real state. A bit of history and a bit of life in the Sooner state. Check back from time to time as I will be adding new pictures and comments.
Oklahoma City is the state's capital and largest city. The greater metropolitan area has a population of about 1.4 million people. OKC, as everyone calls it, is a boom town. The city has been boosted by investments of both public and private funds that have turned it from a sleepy city in the 1980's to a vibrant place now.
Here's a view of downtown back in the 1940's. I've always enjoyed this particular picture. It has sort of a "Christmas Story" look to it.
The Oklahoma State Capitol was completed in 1912 and then completed again in 1999. The founding fathers of the state ran out of money before the dome could be completed. It was finally added as a prelude to the state's centennial celebration in 2007. Of course, when the dome was proposed it was to be completed without using public funds. That did not turn out to be the case, but no one really seems to care. All in all, they did an excellent job and it looks very nice in the snow!
Bricktown is the primary entertainment venue in downtown Oklahoma City. This photo looks east towards the ballpark. Bricktown has been one of the most visible signs of OKC's dramatic growth.
The dust bowl days are a well remembered part of Oklahoma’s history. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gave us the Joad family, popularized the use of the word “Okie” and gave the state something of an inferiority complex that has taken us years to overcome. Without a doubt the 1930’s were a difficult time everywhere but they were particularly hard in Oklahoma. The picture above (courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society) illustrates one of the great dust storms of the era. I’ve seen the air turn a dirty brown from blowing dust but have never seen anything like what is pictured. Of course, to be an Okie meant being a transplant to California but Okies could also be from Texas, Arkansas, Alabama or almost any southern state. Will Rogers famously commented that when the Okies left Oklahoma for California it raised the IQs of both states. I don’t know if its true but it’s a great line
Okie was not a term of affection. It was considered to be an insult akin to harsher terms used to describe various ethnic groups. Now Oklahomans sometimes proudly refer to themselves as Okies. Governor Dewey Bartlett tried to make it acceptable in the late sixties and country singer Merle Haggard had a hit record with “Okie from Muskogee.” The folks in Muskogee still argue whether Merle was being serious or had produced a satirical work. There is still disagreement among Oklahomans about the use of the term Okie. Personally, I don’t care much for it but I’m also not offended by it.
Many people are fascinated by the mystique of Route 66. Route 66 crosses into Oklahoma from Missouri and cuts all the way across the state to the Texas panhandle. It’s a wonderful scenic alternative to either Interstate 40 or 44. Route 66 takes you through a myriad of small towns and the state’s two largest cities. People come from all over the world to travel “old 66”. Is it worth the trip? If you’re not in a hurry, it surely is. The people are friendly and they are glad you came. One word of warning, many of the small towns carefully monitor the speed limit in their city limits so slow down and enjoy stepping back in time. The “blue whale” is located near Catoosa which is just east of Tulsa. Years ago it was part of a locally owned place where kids and families would go to swim and picnic. I don’t think you can do that any more but they have given the whale a nice coat of paint and it is quite striking when you see it…especially if you weren’t expecting to see a blue whale on the north side of the road.
The round barn is located in the town of Arcadia just east of Oklahoma City. It has been restored and the last time I was there the barn was open to the public and housed artwork by local artists. It was once a working barn where the community sometimes gathered for, you guessed it, barn dances. At one time there were two round barns in Arcadia but this one's twin was destroyed many years ago by one of Oklahoma’s famous tornados. It’s also on the north side of the road but there is no chance you will miss it. It is a marvel.
Finally, be sure to have access to Bobby Troup’s great song “Route 66.” I like the Nat “King” Cole version but there are many fine versions available. It’s a great song for a great drive from “Chicago to L.A.”
How about a hamburger? Meers is located in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton and Ft. Sill. You are looking at most of the town. The primary function of the place is hamburgers. Longhorn hamburgers. The meat is lean and the folks there make excellent burgers. As I recall, one can also get a buffalo burger. Meers is a great day trip out of Oklahoma City.
We were recently over in the southeast part of the state at Robber's Cave State Park near Wilburton. This is the wonderful view from the Belle Starr Lodge.
Then there is Robber's Cave itself. Legend has it that outlaws such as Jesse and Frank James and Belle Starr frequented the place. However, theres no solid evidence any of that really happend. On the other hand, those were wild times in the Indian Territory. Belle Starr, the Queen of the Outlaws, was clearly in the Robber's Cave area. There are also many legends of the James-Younger gang in Oklahoma and it is known that Frank James lived out his last years in Lawton (in the southwest part of the state) allegedly looking for treasure he and Jesse had hidden in the Wichita Mountains years before. If he found what he was seeking, Frank never told anyone.
Not too far from Robber's Cave is the small town of Krebs. Krebs was originally an Italian coal mining town. The mines played out but the town now survives on Italian Food. There are three or four wonderful Italian restaurants located in Krebs. The Isle of Capri is my personal favorite.
College football is the biggest sport in the state. The Oklahoma Sooners are, by far, the most popular of the state's three Division I schools although Oklahoma State and Tulsa also have their supporters. Around here,it is not uncommon to see Sooner shirts, license tags, drinking glasses, garden gnomes, and virtually anything with room for an OU logo. Expectations run high. The Sooners are the great common denominator for life in Oklahoma.
Speaking of the great common denominator, there were two pictures in the Oklahoma City Newspaper one of which I forgot to save and the other I chose not to save. The first was a still photo from a bank security camera taken during a robbery. Yes, the perpetrator had on his OU baseball cap. That's the one I forgot to save. The other picture was an article about a fellow who has been addicted to methamphetimine and...he also was wearing an OU ballcap.
Even though this was not the football season Sooner fans wanted. We continue to support the team. Bank robbers, addicts, social workers, lawyers, the folks at my dentist's office and most everyone else.
Oklahoma City is the state's capital and largest city. The greater metropolitan area has a population of about 1.4 million people. OKC, as everyone calls it, is a boom town. The city has been boosted by investments of both public and private funds that have turned it from a sleepy city in the 1980's to a vibrant place now. 
Here's a view of downtown back in the 1940's. I've always enjoyed this particular picture. It has sort of a "Christmas Story" look to it.
The Oklahoma State Capitol was completed in 1912 and then completed again in 1999. The founding fathers of the state ran out of money before the dome could be completed. It was finally added as a prelude to the state's centennial celebration in 2007. Of course, when the dome was proposed it was to be completed without using public funds. That did not turn out to be the case, but no one really seems to care. All in all, they did an excellent job and it looks very nice in the snow!
Bricktown is the primary entertainment venue in downtown Oklahoma City. This photo looks east towards the ballpark. Bricktown has been one of the most visible signs of OKC's dramatic growth.
The dust bowl days are a well remembered part of Oklahoma’s history. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gave us the Joad family, popularized the use of the word “Okie” and gave the state something of an inferiority complex that has taken us years to overcome. Without a doubt the 1930’s were a difficult time everywhere but they were particularly hard in Oklahoma. The picture above (courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society) illustrates one of the great dust storms of the era. I’ve seen the air turn a dirty brown from blowing dust but have never seen anything like what is pictured. Of course, to be an Okie meant being a transplant to California but Okies could also be from Texas, Arkansas, Alabama or almost any southern state. Will Rogers famously commented that when the Okies left Oklahoma for California it raised the IQs of both states. I don’t know if its true but it’s a great line 
Many people are fascinated by the mystique of Route 66. Route 66 crosses into Oklahoma from Missouri and cuts all the way across the state to the Texas panhandle. It’s a wonderful scenic alternative to either Interstate 40 or 44. Route 66 takes you through a myriad of small towns and the state’s two largest cities. People come from all over the world to travel “old 66”. Is it worth the trip? If you’re not in a hurry, it surely is. The people are friendly and they are glad you came. One word of warning, many of the small towns carefully monitor the speed limit in their city limits so slow down and enjoy stepping back in time. The “blue whale” is located near Catoosa which is just east of Tulsa. Years ago it was part of a locally owned place where kids and families would go to swim and picnic. I don’t think you can do that any more but they have given the whale a nice coat of paint and it is quite striking when you see it…especially if you weren’t expecting to see a blue whale on the north side of the road.
The round barn is located in the town of Arcadia just east of Oklahoma City. It has been restored and the last time I was there the barn was open to the public and housed artwork by local artists. It was once a working barn where the community sometimes gathered for, you guessed it, barn dances. At one time there were two round barns in Arcadia but this one's twin was destroyed many years ago by one of Oklahoma’s famous tornados. It’s also on the north side of the road but there is no chance you will miss it. It is a marvel. 
How about a hamburger? Meers is located in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton and Ft. Sill. You are looking at most of the town. The primary function of the place is hamburgers. Longhorn hamburgers. The meat is lean and the folks there make excellent burgers. As I recall, one can also get a buffalo burger. Meers is a great day trip out of Oklahoma City.
We were recently over in the southeast part of the state at Robber's Cave State Park near Wilburton. This is the wonderful view from the Belle Starr Lodge.
Then there is Robber's Cave itself. Legend has it that outlaws such as Jesse and Frank James and Belle Starr frequented the place. However, theres no solid evidence any of that really happend. On the other hand, those were wild times in the Indian Territory. Belle Starr, the Queen of the Outlaws, was clearly in the Robber's Cave area. There are also many legends of the James-Younger gang in Oklahoma and it is known that Frank James lived out his last years in Lawton (in the southwest part of the state) allegedly looking for treasure he and Jesse had hidden in the Wichita Mountains years before. If he found what he was seeking, Frank never told anyone. 
Not too far from Robber's Cave is the small town of Krebs. Krebs was originally an Italian coal mining town. The mines played out but the town now survives on Italian Food. There are three or four wonderful Italian restaurants located in Krebs. The Isle of Capri is my personal favorite.
College football is the biggest sport in the state. The Oklahoma Sooners are, by far, the most popular of the state's three Division I schools although Oklahoma State and Tulsa also have their supporters. Around here,it is not uncommon to see Sooner shirts, license tags, drinking glasses, garden gnomes, and virtually anything with room for an OU logo. Expectations run high. The Sooners are the great common denominator for life in Oklahoma.
