What a wonderful surprise to me, Oklahoma City was not what I expected. It is sparkling, and sophisticated, and sprawling, and FUN. The museums are awesome and the reclaimed downtown area is intriguing. Travel is the great educator for all who look for the new and exciting and every day of this trip I find there are so many places I need to explore to have a true idea of our great nation.
Bricktown is a real jewel in the downtown center and has been restored for convention business with a large arena, a ballpark, and a canal which flows through it all and which features gorgeous bronze sculptures of the land rush with life size men and animals.
Boats carry you along the flowing canal and you are in the midst of restaurants and shops and history and wonderful fountains spilling over walls covered with paintings and mosaic art.
We are getting our first glimpse of Western culture and is it so exciting. The restored Stockyard area of downtown features restaurants and shops in what was once the largest cattle processing center of the West.
Oklahomans should be very proud of what their leaders have done to revitalize
their inner city. It was a treat for us as tourists and I am certain the residents love the ballpark and other venues this quarter has to offer.
But the highlight for me of our two day stay was our visit to The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, with it's fabulous collection of art, sculpture,and memorabilia of the American cowboy, pony soldier,scout, pioneer, and rancher.
Galleries of famous paintings and sculptures by Remington, Russell and many others
were expansive and beautifully presented. You expect this from a gallery of this caliber, but what amazed me were the rooms filled with samples of saddles, barbed wire, branding irons, chaps, hats, rodeo awards, and ropes. The finest collection of Western relics I could ever imagine.
There is a gallery dedicated to cowgirls and their gifts to the legend of this free spirited life style. Dating back to the early days, these were really liberated women and role models for today's young active women.
My favorite, by far, was the area dedicated to the Western stars of the movies with an exceptional collection of John Wayne props and clothes used in his many movies of this genre. The famous black hat and eye patch from "True Grit", the Union officer's uniform from "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and so much more.
Jimmy Stewart,Randolph Scott, Walter Brennan, Tom Selleck, Gary Cooper, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were also featured.
How many Saturday afternoons have I spent in a darken neighborhood theater watching them fight off the ravaging Indians or lead a wagon train of pioneers through perilous mountains? It was my childhood and a part of my DNA forever.
They taught me to look for humble courage and strength in kindness in the men in my life and for adventure in my world. Yep, pilgrim, I loved these men and their movies.
We left Oklahoma City with a different idea of what she is all about and what she has become. What a great city.
Tomorrow...on to Amarillo.
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