Oklahoma City Memorial:
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people and left 680 others were injured. It destroyed one third of the building and damaged 324 other buildings.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial is America's remembrance of the 168 people killed.
The fence outside the Museum.
The fence was installed to enclose the crime scene, however it quickly found a different purpose. People began leaving tokens of love and sympathy. Some of the items are preserved in the Museum Archives for education.
Reflecting Pool (below): What was once NW Fifth Street now cradles gently flowing waters that help to soothe and inspire calm.
The Gates of Time are the two structures on either end of the Reflecting Pool. They frame the moment of destruction that occurred at 9:02 am on the morning of April 19, 1995. At one end the "East Gate" has the time 9:01 engraved to represent the time before the bomb went off and depicts the innocence before the attack. At the other end the "West Gate" marks when healing began.
Picture below shows the 9:03 engraved on wall.
The "Field of Empty Chairs" are arranged in nine rows that reflect the floor where victims were working or visiting. 168 chairs are etched with the name of a person killed. The 19 smaller chairs represent the children. The field matches the footprint of the Murrah building.
Looking down at the Reflecting Pool from the second floor in the Museum.
Inside the museum you are overwhelmed at the destruction. This was part of the building that had the building name on it.
This is a replica of what the destruction looked like after the blast.
Below are pictures of what the first responders saw.
The shirt McVeigh was wearing at the time of his arrest has a picture of Abraham Lincoln and the phrase "sic semper tyrannis" which means "Thus always to tyrants" shouted by John Wilkes Booth after he shot Lincoln.
Timothy McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001 for the bombing of the Murrah Building. McVeigh was a Gulf War veteran who sought revenge against the federal government for its handling of the 1993 Waco seige, which ended in deaths of 76 people exactly two years before the boming, as well as for the Ruby Ridge incident. He hoped to inspire revolt against the federal government.
This was a very emotional Memorial and Museum. We were amazed at the number of people that come to this site daily.
Science Museum:
While driving around the area the day we arrived, we saw the OKC Science Museum was only a mile or so from the campground. The "Bodies Revealed" exhibit was on display. Since we didn't see this exhibit when it was in Tampa, we decided to check it out.
"Bodies Revealed shares the body in detail that is normally reserved for medical professionals. You can look deeply inside the carefully preserved specimens, learn about the human anatomy and see the effects that disease and unhealthy lifestyles have on the body". We were not allowed to take any pictures of any of this exhibit, but was able to get a picture on display outside the actual exhibit area.
It was a great experience.
Afterwards, we walked around the interactive museum for a while. These types of museums are amazing for children and adults of all ages!
This was actully a "bed of nails". You lay down while the nails are all the way down and then you press the button on the cord and it raises the nails. You can tell that you are on nails, but it doesn't really hurt.
How astronauts use the bathroom. HUMMMM.
Animated Praying Mantis
So, we noticed a rink below and decided to check it out. Turns out it was a Segway park where an instructor shows you how to ride one. After giving you a minute of instruction, they walk around the rink and through all the obstacles with you.
Of course we had to try that!
And of course I had to go first!
It was easier than we thought it would be.
And of course I had to go first!
It was easier than we thought it would be.
This was bazaar! When you pushed all the little soft pins in to make a flat surface, you go around to the other side and make a hand print, or in our case a "face" print. When Alan did it, I was amazed at the accuracy of his face.
We had a great time at the Science Museum!
The Botanical Gardens:
The gardens were in the city near the bombing memorial, so we decided to go check it out. This is a 15 acre facility - a process that included excavating a lake to water table and construction of a massive concrete bridge that would form the base of the unique cylindrical conservatory. In 1988 the Myriad Gardens Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory was opened to the public and has since seen over 2 million visitors. The facility now includes a Children's Garden, a Band Shell with a Great Lawn, a 600 seat outdoor performance space, two restaurants, an ice rink and more than 12 acres of intensely planted botanical gardens. It became the "Garden for the City". Unfortunately, we did not see as much of the facility as we would have liked. You see......it was about 100 degrees in the city that day....and it does say "tropical" . Felt like we were back in Florida. As we walked around inside the conservatory we were hot and wringing wet! We decided to cut it short and try another garden in the wintertime!
Lush and beautiful gardens.
Loved these little people pots.
Blown glass decorations.
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum:
This wasn't on our "to do" list while we were here, but it was less than a mile away from the rv park, so we took a look. The museum was founded in 1955 and collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally known collection of Western art and artifacts. It was a beautiful facility and grounds. However, again, it was just too hot to walk around the outside gardens, so we took advantage of the coolness inside.
The End of the Trail sculpture is the first thing you see upon entering the museum. The sculpture depicts an American Indian brave hanging limp as his horse comes to an abrupt halt just prior to momentum carrying him over an unseen precipice. It was created in 1918 by an artist named James Earle Fraser.
"The Duke"
Life size replicas of scenes from the old west:
This first picture is of hunters shooting buffalo.
This first picture is of hunters shooting buffalo.
Pullout drawers showing old type barbed wire. Didn't realize there were so many different types.
There were also MANY galleries with beautiful western art.
Cattleman's Cafe:
We couldn't leave Oklahoma City without going to Cattleman's in the historic Stockyard City for a great steak! The cafe opened it's doors in 1910 to hungry cowboys, ranchers, cattle haulers, and the like. The Stockyard City area was a beehive of activity back then, as herds of cattle were driven to Oklahoma City in an unending stream to satisfy the East's growing demand for beef. In 1945, Cattleman's was owned by Hank Frey, a gambler of sorts. In a smoke-filled room at the old Biltmore Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, Frey was running out of luck and money in a dice game attened by a local rancher , Mr. Gene Wade. Frey put up Cattleman's as the pot if Wade could roll a "hard six", otherwise known as two 3's. Wade put up his life savings, which was a sizable amount of money. With one roll of the dice, Gene Wade was in the restaurant business. The "33" brand on the wall of Cattleman's Hereford Room became a well known symbol of Wade's good fortune.
We decided to go for a late lunch and was surprised at the number of people ahead of us. They actually have a second floor with tables that is just for a waiting area. It was a good sized room and had a wooden railing all the way around the room to lean on if you were not lucky enough to get a table to sit at while you waited. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long.
The restaurant was not real big or fancy, but our
steaks were cooked to perfection and were absolutely delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment