Give me a home where the buffalo roam....OKC

Tuesday, October 6

Oklahoma City is often called OKC (I didn't know that)!  It was founded in 1889 during the land rush when thousands of people raced to unclaimed plots of land.  It is in the middle of the frontier, and two of the old frontier beasts were there to greet us at the campground!  The buffalo are huge animals that look majestic as they lay around all day, and get up in the early evening to eat, as they look over the campground. 

The landscape is very flat, and this probably explains the number of tornados that have struck here (13 violent tornadoes, 11 rated F4 and two F5)!  It was interesting that there was a "tornado safety" section in the campground information provided when we checked in. 

Sadly, OKC is probably best known for an event that happened 25 years ago...the horrific bombing of the federal building.  We went downtown and visited the Oklahoma National Memorial Museum that is built on the site where the bombing occurred.  It is probably the best museum we've ever visited.

It was a powerful and moving experience, learning about the event, through a thoughtfully and beautifully created museum.  I almost jumped out of my seat when we heard an audio recording of the blast, and watched newscasts of the chaos that followed.  Many artifacts recovered in the rubble are on display providing an eerie reality--glasses, shoes, briefcase, appointment calendar, etc.  There were lots of stories about the rescue and recovery  as well as survivor commentary on their miraculous survival.   It was amazing to see the description of how the suspect was caught and the clues and investigation that brought him to trial.  Much of the actual evidence, including the car he was driving when he was arrested, is on display. 

Equally moving is the memorial plaza for the 168 victims.  The "Gates of Time" are at either end of the reflecting pool, one marked 9:01-the minute before the blast, and one marked 9:03-the minute after the blast.

Across the plaza is a field of empty chairs, each inscribed with a victim's name and 19 smaller chairs for the children who were lost.  It is a touching tribute.  The chairs are arranged in nine rows that reflect the floor where victims were located. 

On the other side of the plaza is a large American elm tree that stands at the highest point of the Memorial.  In 1995, it was surrounded by a parking lot filled with burning cars and survived the impact of the explosion, so it became known as the Survivor Tree, and serves as a symbol of  strength.

This fence was originally installed to protect the site during demolition, but has remained as a place for people to leave mementos for loved ones.

Although it was a somber experience, it was certainly worth the visit. The museum and memorial was very well done, and we came away with a feeling of hope in knowing how strong and resilient people can be...we need more of that in today's world!

We returned to the campground and the buffalo were waiting to greet us! 

After a visit to an Indian market, we stopped and bought a watermelon and called it a day!  It's on to Albuquerque tomorrow!

PS. Happy 30th anniversary to youngest sister Sam & Ted.