Sunday, May 15, 2022
We had a leisurely breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee in the RV before heading out to the First Americans Museum. The museum explored the collective stories of 39 tribal nations who were removed from their ancestral lands to what is now Oklahoma. We saw displays about their origin (creation) stories, ways of living, encounters with European settlers, their removal from their ancestral lands as well as their modern way of life and accomplishments. This was a familiar but regretful story that we heard in Cherokee, NC, and, of course, the Cherokee were one of the 39 tribal nations moved to Oklahoma. We also watched a movie about Kiowan author, Scott Momaday, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his novel House Made of Dawn. We then walked on a ramp spiraling up a mound constructed behind the museum and were rewarded with a great view of the Oklahoma River and OK City.
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| First Americans Museum |
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| Animated Presentation of an Origin Story |
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| Display in the First Americans Museum |
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| The Oklahoma River and OK City viewed from the Mound behind FAM |
After FAM, we drove to the Museum of Osteology that has over 300 skeletons of vertebrae species from around the world on display. They cover a range of sizes from a tiny shrew to a 40 ft. long humpback whale. While it may sound macabre, we were fascinated. The variety and professionalism of the two floors of displays was notable. Additionally, many skeletons were displayed to demonstrate different types of locomotion found such as flight, tree climbing, swimming, running, digging and jumping. Jane remarked as we were departing that the museum exceeded her expectations -mine too.
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| Bones, Bones, Bones !!! |
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| Giraffe Skeleton |
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| Monkey Skeletons |
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| Amphibian, Lizard and Snake Skeletons |
Our final museum of the day was the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The museum documents the events of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building and honors all who were affected. The stories of the victims, survivors and rescuers are presented as well as the trail of evidence, investigation, arrest and trial for the bomber. Ultimately, Timothy McVeigh was sentenced and executed for the horrific act while his accomplish, Terry Nichols, was given 161 consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.
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| Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building post-Bombing |
A memorial honoring the victims is outside the museum. A Field of Empty Chairs occupies the former site of the Murrah Federal Building. Each of the 168 chairs has the name of someone lost in the bombing. The chairs are arranged in nine rows symbolizing the nine floors of the building and each person’s chair is in the row representing the floor where s/he worked or was visiting.
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| 168 Empty Chairs on the former Site of the Murrah Federal Building Honor the Victims |
The Gates of Time are two monumental gates separated by a shallow reflecting pool across from each end of the former building. The entrance gate is inscribed 9:01 and the exit gate 9:03 framing the moment of destruction (9:02).
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| The Gates of Time and Reflecting Pool |
After our third museum of the day, we drove by the Oklahoma capitol building, dropped in at a local brewery (Prairie OKC) for a beer, and stuffed ourselves on a great sushi dinner at Yazu before returning to the campground for another relaxing evening in the RV.
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| Oklahoma State Capitol Building |
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| Prairie Artisan Ales |
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| Our Dinner Venue |
That sure looks like a fun day!
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