Two Former Governors, One Democrat, One Republican, Hope Not
Will the Oklahoma Legislature let this masterpiece-in-progress die, mid-stream, in its tracks? In the above video produced by the Chickasaw Nation and published a couple of days ago, two former governors, one Democrat (Brad Henry) and one Republican (Frank Keating), say NO, that would be a wrong course to follow.
But, with the changing of the guard in Oklahoma State Legislature during the past several years from democrats to republicans, governmental sponsorship of projects relating to culture and the arts have had an increasingly hard row to hoe.
Nothing demonstrates this difficulty more vividly than the earlier-promised partial state funding of the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum (AICCM) in Oklahoma City. Notwithstanding the support of current Republican Governor Mary Fallin, in spring 2011 the controlling committee members of the Oklahoma Legislature's House & Senate refused to allow further funding to even come to a vote. Overall, funding is from multiple sources which I'll explain later.
But, without the state legislature doing what it earlier committed to do, is the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum doomed? David F. Allen expressed his thoughts at OkcTalk.com. About himself, David says,
I was born and raised in South Oklahoma City, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with Bachelor of Architecture. I am currently living in SW Houston. However, Oklahoma and to be more exact, Oklahoma City has always been home to me.
About the above video and the project, David wrote,
That was a very well done video, and it captured several key things that will (I hope) 1. Raise awareness of how significant a facility this really is. 2. Showcases its integral nature in relation to the Downtown renaissance. 3. Address the fact that there is a real economic as well as intangible cost that will be realized simply by failing to complete a project that has this type of visibility and unique cultural significance, paid for with immense public investment. Failing to complete this sends the unintended message of instability could very well give developers pause before pushing forward serious plans in the area. 4. Completion of the project allows for the continued momentum in the growth and development taking place downtown.
It was nice to see many of our leaders of the past who recognize the intense detrimental impacts of this project being left to flounder in the shadows of downtown. There is no hiding this place, it is right down the river from the Oklahoma River rowing courses and will be a source of national and international exposure for good (if completed) or ill (if not) The landform and striking architecture of the buildings will draw attention unto itself, so there will be no way for OKC or Oklahoma in general to hide this unfinished project. So we may as well realize that the unfinished project could cost us far more in losses due to the negative PR that we will get, for the negative perceptions that will be reinforced or taken away from this if not completed, such as: That we do not value our history, that we can't live up to what we have been advertising, issues of race and the list goes on and on ... the biggest issue is that we will not be able to control the way the rest of America or the world for that matter, will take this and run with it.
This project IS critical to get completed because we are too far along for us not to! We have used it as a feather in hats in many of our chamber videos that have been at major development conferences (and anywhere else we can get them played) showcasing Oklahoma and its capital city. Even the cost of shuttering it for a while and then at some future point dusting off the plans and completing, will cost far more as there will be significant cost increases anytime you demobilize the site and then have to start back up, plus the costs of labor and materials and on and on and on ...
The decision to build this facility was made long ago and there is nothing that can undo that, those dollars are spent. The costs of not completing it are incalculable, even from a fiscal responsibility standpoint. If you ordered dinner at a nice restaurant and your date has eaten half of hers already, and you then realize that you do not have the money, you have to work out a way to pay it, or be prepared to wash the dishes. But one thing is for certain, even if you begrudgingly wash the dishes, yes you have met the obligation, but the date that you were hoping to go well is over. Feel free to insert developers, corporate relocation candidates, or large group events/meetings seeking a venue, etc. into the role of the date in the analogy.)
You can be assured that there are many very key people who are keeping an eye on our state and city with interest, watching for us to support our claims of being world class or waiting for us to falter. The fact that we have run into budget issues on the project does not doom nor define us, however how we respond to the challenges that face us do. So do we just try and brush this one under the rug and wait until some casino decides to pony up the money for the land and facility and then become the laughingstock of the nation? Or do we work to identify a viable solution to deliver a promise that was begun a long time ago and let the expense finally mature to the point that it can begin having a positive economic impact in our area. There is no doubt that this will become every bit, if not more renowned than the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
It is my hope that in years to come we will recognize this moment for what it is, a pivotal one that had lasting and unimaginable economic impacts on our city.
The rowing venue is one of Oklahoma's most currently relevant venues for increasing international exposure for something (other than the Thunder.) of permanence and place. When there are significant races being held here, the network camera crews will be looking for shots to showcase its location and this is immediately adjacent to the course!!!! Even in Europe there is a familiarity with the plight and issues of the Native Americans on this continent. You cannot buy this type of public advertising that will be a boon to tourism in our city and state.
Note: Edited on September 21, 2010, to reflect the name change from OklaTravelNet.com to OklaVision.tv, and to re-embed the video shown below. Many thanks to Pauline in her comment below for calling this problem to my attention.
OKLAHOMA! I generally restrict my articles to the Oklahoma City metro area but do make occasional exceptions. The Wichita Mountains article was one exception and this is another. Many thanks to AFCM, a poster at OkcTalk.com for calling this to our (at least, my) attention in this thread there. Although I've added a link to OklaVision.tv in the "Links" sidebar in the left panel, I feel the need to be move overt than that, hence this post.
A stunningly gorgeous Oklahoma video from that website is shown below. For reasons I don't know, it ends a little prematurely and I'm trying to figure that out. It seems to run full length in the host's website: Click here to play the video there.
The text associated with this video at OklaVision.tv reads,
Everyone knows Oklahoma is flat, right? Wrong! Visit the 1,000 square miles in the Arbuckle mountain range, or see the rocky granite at the Wichita Mountains or Quartz Mountains. Don't forget Oklahoma's highest point, Black Mesa, standing at 4,973 feet above sea level. Along with the Glass Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains, it's true, Oklahoma rocks!
I really need to explore that fine website much more and will be doing so in the weeks and months ahead. I thought that maybe people interested in this blog might want to do that, as well.
Below, a collage of screen captures in the above video is presented ... you may like to have it as your wallpaper from time to time ... the "largest" and "smallest" files are proportionally correct but the 1024 px wide version has been modified to fit a 1024 x 768 px display. I've reduced JPEG compression to the lowest level for these beautiful images of Oklahoma, so the files are larger than usual.
Even though this blog's focus is Oklahoma City, I'll take license to shift to Southwest Oklahoma with this post, more particularly, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and its environs north and west of Lawton, where I spent most of my childhood. Though I've not visited that area recently, a thread at OkcTalk.com got me started thinking about it, and, as usual, one thing led to another. But, The Mountains are much more than a nice place for pondering nostalgic times gone by ... it remains a great place to visit today and it's just a stone's throw from Oklahoma City. This is just a "starter" post for now ... I'll add more content and pictures in the future ... but, as is said in the Wolf Brand chili commercial, "It's been too long," so let's get started!
This post is divided into sections ... click a link to move directly to that area.
In 1901, prior to the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Opening, Pres. William McKinley proclaimed a portion of the mountains as the Wichita Forest Reserve, assigned to the Forestry Division of the General Land Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1905 the reserve was transferred to the Bureau of Forestry under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Later that year, after Congress passed a bill authorizing a federal wildlife refuge, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation creating the Wichita Forest and Game Preserve as the nation's first big-game animal (and other native wildlife) refuge. Earlier, Roosevelt had established several national bird sanctuaries. In 1906 Roosevelt issued second proclamation, adding 3,680 acres to the refuge. In 1907 the park became the Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve, when all forest reserves were reclassified as National Forests. In 1936 Congress renamed the area the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and transferred it to the Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1939 federal refuges moved back to Department of Interior control. In 1940 the Biological Survey and the Bureau of Fisheries combined to become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which continued to administer the Wichita Wildlife Refuge into the twenty-first century.
See the full article for more and the brief history by the US Fish & Wildlife Service for less.
Note, however, that the full history of the region predates the existence of the United States by many millions of years, it being one of the oldest mountain areas in North America. See this Wikipedia article for more about geology and such things.
MEMORIES. As a kid in the 1950s and ending with my high school graduation in 1961 (LHS ... Go Wolverines!), many many excellent adventures were to be had, and were, in what most of us simply called, "The Mountains." In that time, much less federal regulation was present than is true today ... you could camp, and swim, most any place you wanted (except for the "reserved" area where wildlife was largely kept, mostly in the northern areas of the Refuge).
Other adjacent areas, not actually in the Refuge, provided lots of fun, as well!
Craterville Park. Until the land it sat upon was acquired by Ft. Sill in the mid-1950s, a neat old amusement park, Craterville, five miles north of Cache on the southern central approach to the Refuge. The park was owned and developed by Frank Rush who worked closely with Native Americans. According to the OU Western History Collection's website, he conducted all-Indian fairs at Craterville from 1924-1932. From that website:
A "covenant" drawn up between Rush and Indian leaders, written on tanned buckskin, set forth the object of this annual event at Craterville Park, as follows:
"The object of this Fair will be to create self-confidence and to encourage leadership by the Indian for his people, to better his position, and to take his place on terms of equality with other races in the competitive pursuits of every day life, and a desire to accomplish the most possible for himself and his people."
The ninth and last annual celebration at Craterville Park was held in 1932. Members of fourteen Indian tribes were present. Will Rogers, the famous actor and columnist of Cherokee descent, attended, and thousands of visitors came during the celebration from August 25-27, 1932. The next spring, Frank Rush died at his ranch home near Craterville Park.
See that website for many pics of the all-Indian Fairs, but, unfortunately, not really any of the park buildings which were largely built with the small round rocks common to the area, as I recall. The park closed in the mid-1950s, its remnant moving to the Lake Lugert area near Altus.
But, a book, Come Have Fun with Frank Rush at Craterville Park and Sandy Lake by Frank Rush III is available. Lawton blogger Georgia Gill Williams says that the book is 400 pages and contains 200 historical photos of Craterville Park and Sandy Lake Park. Also, see The Cowboy Bookwork which is selling the book. It says, "Frank Rush was an entrepreneur who had a huge impact on rodeo and the entertainment industry in Oklahoma and Texas. His development of Craterville Park in Oklahoma and Sandy Lake Amusement Park in Texas, provided thousands, if not millions of people with memories of fun and family entertainment. This book is guaranteed to be a trip down Memory Lane for anyone who grew up and visited these family amusement parks."
Medicine Park. According to Medicine Park's website, it was founded on July 4, 1908, by Senator Elmer Thomas. It sits along the east edge of the Refuge and was once a very popular tourist area, like in the 1920s-1930s. Many excellent 1920s photo images are provided by the Whitworth Family webpage, three of which are below:
Medicine Park became the “playground” for the State’s rich, famous and notorious. Folks would come to town for the week-end and leave their “work-a-day” world, troubles and reputations behind them. Outlaws and horse thieves mixed with noted politicians and businessmen, families and socialites in this new cobblestone community.
The pages of the Town’s colorful history are filled with the likes of Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Frank Phillips, Bob Wills, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Lil Hardin, Colonel Jack Abernathy, Les Brown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and countless others.
That popularity lessened substantially and by the time I was growing up in Lawton it was pretty run down, even if picturesque with its cobblestone buildings. I understand that it has been and is being spruced up these days ... its website says, "Medicine Park has grown into an arts community with several artists in residence including sculptors, fine artists, graphic designers, musicians including street theater actors." Next time I visit I'll report back and let you know.
Meers. Just north of the Refuge is a bump in the road called, "Meers." But, it's a regionally famous bump these days because it hosts the old Meers Post Office and Restaurant ... and if you've not enjoyed sinking your teeth into a "Meersburger," you've missed one of life's most succulent pleasures! A couple of Christmas' ago, my daughter & son-in-law kindly presented me with a copy of Greg Burn's neat drawing, below, which I've scanned ... click on the image for a larger image ...
The Holy City. The Holy City, built in part with federal money during the Great Depression by the Works Project Administration, hosted an annual Easter Drama staged by locals. See its organization's website, and the OHS On-Line Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History, for more detail. Although it depicted a religious event, Doug Dawg can assure his readers that, as a teenager, lots of heavy necking was going on under the blankets on the hill overlooking the pageant as one "watched" the Easter sunrise drama unfold! A B-movie was even made surrounding this pageant in 1949. Doug Dawg even "acted" in the Pageant (not the movie) with his DeMolay brothers on one occasion ... can't remember what I did, no "words," nothing significant, probably a soldier or something else filling in the background.
Located in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, this 66-acre area looks much like Israel during Biblical times, and is the site of the nation's longest running Easter passion play, "The Prince of Peace." Attendance reached an all-time high in 1939 when 225,000 visitors jammed Audience Hill for the sunrise performance. Other attractions include a memorial for the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, a Veterans Walkway, and the World Chapel, which has become a popular wedding locale.
From that website, while the show still "goes on," it ends around 10:30 p.m., definitely shortened from the older version which lasted until sunrise on Easter Day! Here are a couple of images from the organization's website ... click the link to see more. I'll take my own pics in the future.
Camp Boulder. This area was my main "hang out" ... from here you could hike "up" the creek to the "40 Foot Hole" ... a small waterfall with a deep hole inside a small but lovely canyon ... or hike "down" the creek (actually, climbing a good part of Eagle Mountain was necessary to get there) along "The Narrows" to arrive at a sumptuous swimming hole surrounded by mountains. Taking this trek is not recommended unless one is in good shape ... it's not an easy walk.
MAPS. A fairly nice "starter" map furnished in a PDF file by the US Fish & Wildlife Service gives a quick, if not particularly detailed, overview of the area.
Click Map For Larger View
But, that's really not much of a map! Soooo ... I decided to "make" (actually scan, copy/paste) my own ... move your mouse pointer around the small image below ... info will appear at the top of the image ... and then click on what you want to see. You may need to click the map to activate it.
A large (5200 x 2750 px, 5.44 MB) single file with all of the above is also available. Left-click on the following link below to open, right-click to save, this file: Click Here For The Large Single File.
Three segments of the topographical map which may be most useful are included below. Click on an image for a larger map ...
Mt. Scott
Camp Boulder & Vicinity
Post Oak & Treasure Lake
PICTURES. Ahhh ... you see that I don't have any uploaded just yet ... but I'm hoping to have some volunteers help fill the void until I take some of my own ...
Operation Scissortail - Our Latest Book!
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[image: devon book cover]
We are very happy to announce the release of our latest book, "Operation
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Saturday in the Park..on a 113 degree day
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For those who don't know, there is a reason I've gone very quiet at such a
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