By the time we were up and moving around it was obvious that weekenders were packing up and heading home. By evening less than 20% of the spaces were occupied.
It was also obvious that someone in Texas was bragging extensively already because the wind was strong and high. We are of the mind that “Oklahoma Strong” probably also refers to the wind. After all, it is windier here than in that windy city east of us, Chicago.
After breakfast we took off for a visit at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and a lunch with Floyd and Joyce Shealy and their daughter, Joselyn, who was visiting from Houston.
Sitting atop Persimmon Hill, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum features an amazing collection of classic and contemporary western art, including works by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as sculptor James Earle Fraser’s magnificent work, “The End of the Trail”. 20 minutes after being in the museum we realized that we didn’t allow enough time. The museum consists of over 220,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space spread across two, opposing wings in addition to a children’s center for hands-on exhibits.
The first thing one notices after entering the building is that famous and often copied sculptured Native American on his horse. Sculpted by American-born artist James Earle Fraser, The End of the Trail has become one of the most recognizable works of sculpture in the United States. The only works more widely known that it would have to be the statuary that is at Washington, DC. Many people are familiar with this representation of an American Indian on horseback, but few actually know the history of the piece. Most of us are probably unfamiliar with it’s background. After a visit to the museum one learns that it was a meaningful reminder of a childhood spent on the American frontier by it’s creator.
End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser, 1915
James Earle Fraser grew up on the plains in Mitchell, South Dakota where he had many personal encounters with pioneers, hunters and fur trappers. He also befriended many of the Plains Natives and frequently heard stories about the “doomed fate” of the Native people. He sympathized with their suffering as westward expansion of the US by Western Europeans threatened to consume the lands on which they farmed and hunted. As a tribute, he sculpted a model that would later become this famous work done in plaster over a wood and chicken wire base. The End of the Trail was completed in 1915 and first displayed at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. After the Exposition it was moved to a city in California where it was left exposed to the elements and not properly cared for. In 1968 the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum acquired the plaster piece, had it cast in bronze, and the had the bronze statue shipped to California and the original restored and put on display under cover in Oklahoma City.
To either side of this imposing statue lie the two wings of the museum. At one end is a plaster statue of Abraham Lincoln and at the other end is a granite carving of an cougar (panther) called “Canyon Princess”.
Two sculptors adorn opposite ends of the building. Canyon Princess, is
at the end of the hall on the exhibit wing and Fraser’s
larger-than-life plaster sculpture of Lincoln
is on the entertainment wing.
The exhibition wing houses a turn-of-the-century town and interactive history galleries that focus on the American cowboy, rodeos, Native American culture, Victorian firearms, frontier military memorabilia, and a large display featuring western performers. Also in this area are rooms filled with fine art and firearms to Native American objects, and historical cowboy gear. The entertainment wing houses a large banquet hall and restaurant.
In our opinion the gift shop is probably the largest of it’s kind. And why not? With such an extensive and broad collection of items, there are a lot of opportunities for commercialization in a tasteful way. One could easily spend 50 minutes just looking around all the merchandise on display. Warning: Be prepared to spend a lot of money for the nice stuff. (Of course, at that price it shouldn’t be called “stuff”).
The museum wasn't at all what we expected. We were glad another motorhome club member recommended we include the museum in our list of things to do on this trip. The museum is as awesome as it is interesting. Two hours doesn't do it justice.
From there we traveled from the northeast side of OKC to the northwest side to visit with Martha’s uncle and aunt, Floyd and Joyce, and cousin. Jocelyn had been present for the weekend and was going to leave to return to Houston later in the day. We had a great lunch with them. It was going to be a cook-out but the wind was too strong to be outside unless chasing napkins and hamburger buns is your idea of a good time. We not only had sumptuous hamburgers but also some great-tasting beans from a deli and potato salad from Walmart (once again, Walmart comes through). The dessert was some type of bourbon-laced cake. The vanilla ice cream helped smooth out the sweet taste.
After a two-hour time of discussing a wide range of things from the recent tornado to the dominant accent in Oklahoma, we returned to the campground after having our photo taken by Jocelyn’s mother-in-law. We had a good visit and left things in such a way that we firmly believe we’ll be allowed back.
Jocelyn, Joyce, Floyd, Byron, and Martha
After returning to the coach at the KOA so Martha could do some work, we decided to go downtown for another visit to the OKC National Memorial. It was impressive to be there for Memorial Day. The chairs all had flags placed by them and several had remembrances placed on the seats or wreaths attached to the back of the monuments. The chain, that normally separates the visitors from the memorial lawn, was removed to allow visitors to have a closer view.
From there we went to the Land Run Monument which is at the terminus of the canal in Bricktown. Since we saw one of the sculptures being prepared for shipment to OKC while we were in Santa Fe last year, we wanted to see if it had been put in place. Sure enough, we found it.
Tomorrow we’ll be back on the road as we make our way northward to Wichita and then turn westward for Wyoming as we pass through Denver.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
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