museum | Rwarner22's Weblog

Time in San Diego November 23, 2013

Filed under: CA,friends,golf,museum,San Diego — rwarner22 @ 11:15 am

We arrived on Tuesday from Seal Beach and got all set up at the Admiral Baker RV Park.

It is run by the Navy but in an area next to the golf course that is open to public. The weather has been a little cloudy with some light showers, so that is a little different. Over the past few weeks, we have had only a little rain here in Southern California.

The clouds make for some great sunsets.

Part of our usual routine in the first couple of days at a new place is to go check out the local area. We have done that. We found the commissary and exchange and bought some groceries. The holiday season is in full bloom so to speak. Got to like that — most people are in a good mood and it seems there is a little excitement and good will in the air.

One thing we noticed about this are is the fast pace. To drive these highways and byways, you really have to get your game face on. And get in to the flow to keep up with traffic! Yikes! None of this—um… “Lets amble over there and take our time finding this place…” It’s more like, “Let’s figure out a plan, get in the correct lane and stay out of people’s way! zoom! zoom!

As you might expect, that is one of the down sides of being in Southern California. There are also a lot of people here! But that is why we are here– to see people. A couple of days ago, my cousin Kevin came over for lunch and we chatted for a couple of hours. We were supposed to go play golf with his Men’s Group at the Admiral Baker Golf Course, but it got rained out. But is was great to see Kevin. We’ll get to see wife Sue this weekend and maybe a couple of their grown kids.

And we are figuring out the best time to see Rob and Chris and their kids. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving (on Friday) with them and some other relations, but hope to see them other times also. And we have some old friends from our days in Hawaii who live here and hope to get together with them.

So despite the fast pace and traffic, it is worth it all. Plus it just adds to the RV experience if you know what I mean.

Life goes on and we are in a good place at the moment. But we are very aware of others who face some challenging times and have some things going on. Life on the road is not always ‘the never ending vacation’ though it may sound that way to some folks at times.

Which brings me to good friends Cathy and Tom. They are in Nashville where their son lives. He has a place there and they are doing some home remodeling projects. At least Tom is. Cathy went in for routine blood work and found out she has AML – Acute Myeloid Leukemia. They immediately hospitalized her and put her on an intensive chemotherapy treatment. My purpose here is to ask all my God-fearing readers and friends to join us in praying for her and Tom and their son. This is serious stuff and we are praying for full recovery. She has a tough road ahead, but I want to enlist your encouragement and support and prayers on their behalf.

When you get news like that, everything else pales in comparison. But please keep her in mind. Often.

Meanwhile, we have been over to Coronado Island and checked out the new RV park that has construction delays. Now they are estimating it will be open in February 2014. We also checked out the golf course over there. We played there about 4 years ago and might do it again while we are here.

We’ve also been to the Mission of San Diego (more on that in another post) and yesterday we went to went by Torrey Pines site of the 2008 U.S. Open. Some of my favorite golfers grew up in this area including:

Phil Mickelson at Torrey Pines in his younger days

We also went to Old Town San Diego. We were last here when Adam and Kelly came out to see in our first year on the road.

Still a nice afternoon with museums and shops and a great Mexican Restaurant where we had lunch yesterday.

That’s if for now on the Roadrunner Chronicles! Thanks for joining us. Until next time…

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Richard M. Nixon Museum November 21, 2013

Filed under: CA,full-timers,historic,museum,Presidential Museum,travels — rwarner22 @ 8:45 pm

We continued on our quest to see all the Presidential Museums and Library’s by taking a day trip over to Yorba Linda, CA a few weeks ago.

Our visit there finished up our stops for the Presidential Museums in California.

As we approached the Nixon Museum, I my mind riveted back to two images of him over the years:

The “I am not a crook” words he uttered during Watergate, and
The photo of utter and complete grief of him during the funeral of Pat Nixon.

I always wonder if the place we visit will be anything like my expectations or what I image it will be like…

We arrived late morning and my first thoughts were that it was in a mostly residential neighborhood where it was located. I don’t recall ever being in Yorba Linda, but it was a quite different than the Reagan Library site. The Reagan Library is off the freeway up on the top of a mountain in Simi Valley.

The Nixon Library was easy to find and we started our exploring.

I like the open feeling of the buildings and grounds. It wasn’t particularly large, but we both thought it was very well done.

I really liked the replica of the East Room of the White House.

The early years were a look into a family that did better during the depression years than many folks.

His father built the house he was born in and had a grocery store in Yorba Linda.

He was able to go to nearby Whittier College in 1934 and graduated from Duke Law School before returning to California to practice law.

He and Pat Nixon married in 1938. They moved to Washington DC in 1942 and worked in the Price Administration before joining the Navy. He was anxious, “…to get into the action” but never saw action. He was assigned to administrative posts during the war and resigned his commission after it was over.

He was recruited to run for Congress and was successful in 1946. He served on various committees, gaining a name for himself on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigating Alger Hiss spy case.

In 1950 he was elected to the Senate and became Eisenhower’s running mate in 1952, serving eight years as Vice President.

Then he ran for president again John F. Kennedy. Though he lost, he was part of the history making event known as the televised Presidential Debates. After the assassination of JFK, Lyndon Johnson became a one-term president as the unpopular Viet Nam War took its toll.

In 1969, Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey and third-party candidate George Wallace and became our 37th president.

Some of his legacy apart from Watergate included:

Opening China, becoming the first president to visit there
Ending the Viet Nam War directing negotiations by Henry Kissinger in Paris
SALT I talks and the Anti-Ballistic Missile agreement with Brezhnev and the Soviet Union
Restarting the stalled Middle-East peace talks

We left the library with a renewed sense that history and justice does prevail in our country. And the flaws of our presidents will come to light in the larger context of their life and service.

Appropriately, this museum gave extensive space to Watergate coverup and trial.

It did not avoid it or ignore it which culminated in his resignation in 1974 – becoming the first and only President in U.S. history to do so.

The museum also gave a broader background and foundation to the full life of Richard M. Nixon. Especially after he resigned. He wrote nine books and took a number of diplomatic trips overseas. In 1977, he granted a series of 90 minute interviews with David Frost which began re-entry into public life.

In 1986, he was on the cover of Time magazine.

His wife Pat died in 1993 and he died in 1994.

We were glad to see the museum and thought it was among the best we have seen. So far I think the Ronald Reagan museum is our favorite, maybe followed by this one. It was a couple of hours we are glad we spent there.

That’s all for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles. Thanks for joining us! Until next time…

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Roadrunner Financials – October 2013 November 6, 2013

Filed under: budget and finances,CA,friends,full-timers,history,museum,Presidential Museum — rwarner22 @ 11:23 am

We continued our time in California taking our time along from the Bay Area heading south to just north of Los Angeles

Roadrunner Recap

We wanted to see the Monterey Bay area because of its beauty and history. It gained notoriety in John Steinbeck’s famous novel “Cannery Row” and was close to the fantastic and memorable Pebble Beach and Carmel coasts. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Moving south, we stopped in San Luis Obispo. We were quite a bit more isolated there and had some good downtime. Next, we went farther south to Port Hueneme where we spent a couple of weeks. While there, we played some golf and went to see the Ronald Reagan Library. Finishing up the month, we stayed at March Air Reserve Base FamCamp. The best thing about it was its close proximity to Redlands where we spent lots of time with old friends from our time at Norton AFB in the 1980’s.

Specifically, we spent time at the following sites:

A – Monterey Bay (Monterey Pines Navy Campground) – 6 days
B – San Luis Obispo (Camp San Luis Obispo Army National Guard) – 8 days
C – Port Hueneme (Fairways RV Resort Navy Campground) – 14 days
D – Moreno Valley (March ARB FamCamp) – 3 days

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

Biggest Expenses
Our campground fees in California continue to be higher than we like, but not much we can do about that.
– We finished up the month at March ARB FamCamp which only cost $17/night but we the Navy campgrounds are $30/night.
An upgrade on the MacBook laptop cost me $216.
– I found a Mac Superstore in San Luis Obispo that was great. They said according to Apple I can only get 4GB of ram on my machine, but they actually doubled it. That sped things up a bit so it was well worth it.
We were pretty close on groceries this month but still went over.
We were $179.83 over in Misc.
– I wish I could point to one thing but it was a lot of things: new comforter for the bed, hats and sweaters and ball markers and gifts from Pebble Beach, more golf than we usually play in a month, a Presidential Pass (that gets us into other Presidential Libraries)…

Large One Time Cost Item
Our yearly RV and car registrations are due, so we paid an even $700. I logged it into the RV Maintenance row with a comment to note what it was for on my spreadsheet. It was easy to do online as a South Dakota resident.
Another big one was a new RV CD/Radio we had put it at Best Buy. While it was only $216.56, it accounted for a large part of the overage in that area.

Monthly Average

We are into the 5th month of our 5th year and are about on track with our monthly spending. If I had prorated our upcoming car and RV registration over the entire year, we’d be right there.

That about does it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles! Really appreciate all the comments and to those that emailed me separately, hope you find the budget spreadsheet helpful. If anyone else would like a copy, I’d be glad to send it out to you ~ just let me know.
Until next time…

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Seeing the Ronald Reagan Library October 26, 2013

Filed under: CA,full-timers,history,museum,Presidential Museum,tourist — rwarner22 @ 9:05 am

The Ronald Reagan Library is less than 35 miles from our campground and a few days ago, we visited it.

Our initial impression was good. It was not hard to find, good roads into the facility and the parking was not far from the front entry.

The facility and front door area looked like a ranch hacienda type of area. It was large and had lots of floors and I could image a few evening functions being catered out here.

When we entered the facility, we were greeted by a volunteer who told us about the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. We became members for $62. Our admission to this presidential library was $32. But as Presidential Foundation members, we get free entry into any of the others we see this year. My guess is we have a shot at seeing four more this year.

But they are scattered around the country.

So far, we have seen the Presidential Libraries of:

Gerald R. Ford – Grand Rapids, MI
Herbert Hoover – West Branch, IA
Harry S. Truman – Independence, MO
George W. Bush – Dallas, TX
Lyndon B. Johnson – Austin, TX
Ronald Reagan – Simi Valley, CA

That means we have a few left to see:

Richard Nixon – Yorba Linda, CA
George H.W. Bush – College Station, TX
Dwight D. Eisenhower – Abilene, KS
William J. Clinton – Little Rock, AR
Jimmy Carter – Atlanta, GA
Franklin D. Roosevelt – Hyde Park, NY
John F. Kennedy – Boston, MA

I think this, the Ronald Reagan may have been our favorite. I liked the grounds, the setting and the layout of the facility. I found this map online that gives a pretty good perspective.

I found a couple displays especially interesting. One was the video and information surrounding his time (1964-1962) as the spokesman for General Electric and the host of GE Theater. I spent some time in there learning about his travels across the country, visiting many of the 140 GE plants nationwide.

It provided him time to meet regular people and engage with them. It was during these years, that he gave hundreds of speeches developed his political philosophy and ambitions.

I also saw a display of his personal collection of note cards. Over the years, he kept his thoughts and ideas on 4″ x 6″ note cards that he carried in a re-purposed photo album book. That really impressed me for some reason. Every time he heard a quote, or a statistic or a joke he wanted to remember, he jotted it down on note cards for later use.

We spent a couple of hours wandering through the museum and saw his whole life story. Some galleries included some great film footage of him and some scary moments during his presidency like the assassination attempt.

It was all very interesting. I could have stayed longer. Reading about his days as Governor, the accomplishments, the ‘agenda’.

One thing I believe at all presidential museums has been a replica of the Oval Office. We spoke with the ladies there for a few minutes. I always try to thank the volunteers. Without them – it would be quite different. Whether they are at the Information Center in downtown Napa or at this Presidential Library, I appreciate their contributions. Their contribution makes a difference in my day.

Next, we headed over to the Air Force One display. It was quite impressive. We got a chance to walk through it although photographs were not allowed.

Then we went through another part of the museum

Around back, we saw a piece of the Berlin Wall.

And his final resting place

It was a great afternoon. Sometimes during the tour I got goosebumps and our time there was very uplifting.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles! Until next time…

Steinbeck Center in Salinas October 20, 2013

Filed under: books,CA,history,museum — rwarner22 @ 11:07 am

While in Monterey, we drove over to Salinas, home of John Steinbeck. The Steinbeck Center was one museum I didn’t want. I felt like I didn’t get a lot of those ‘standard’ reading assignments in high school. Back then it depended on what English or Literature teacher you had as to what ‘classics’ or authors you became familiar with. Now that we were in Steinbeck country, I was interested in learning more.

I am now reading Steinbeck and it has really been good. To my surprise, I feel as if I am becoming more familiar with what early life was like for my parents. They both lived through the realities of the Depression and Steinbeck does a great job of creating the word pictures.

My most recent reading, “Grapes of Wrath”, creates images of hardship that may have been real for them. Neither of my parents were migrant workers or ones to talk about it much about their growing up years. But now and again, we’d pick up a hint of what life was like being poor back in the 1930’s.

The Steinbeck Center museum is well funded so it has a ‘study center’ look to it as if there are conferences or important research going on. The facility is not especially large, but it has a museum area with displays and artifacts, a theater to show short videos about Steinbeck, as well as meeting rooms and other parts we did not venture into.

We saw a short film, then took our time in the museum area. I liked how it was set up very informational displays. It starts off with a family tree of sorts that shows his ancestors and his immediate family. He was married three times and had two sons.

Some of the displays were focused on famous works like “The Red Pony”, “Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden”.

A number of his works became motion pictures. I’d love to get my hands on “Grapes of Wrath” with Henry Fonda.

Many of his works were about California and the areas where he lived. But he also spent considerable time in New York where he met his first wife.

During his later years, in 1960, Steinbeck became a full-fledged RVer and set out across America in a pick up truck that was modified with a camper on it.

He was ahead of his time on that note and traveled with his wife’s poodle ‘Charley’. He wrote about it one of his last works, “Travels With Charley – In Search of America”.

At the time we went on his 10,000 mile, 11 week journey, it was thought that he was ill and according to his son, ‘wanted to see America one more time’.

His account appeared in three installments in Holiday magazine in 1961 and was published in book form in 1962. Later, the book’s authenticity as a work on ‘non-fiction’ came into doubt with published accounts that his wife joined him many times during the trip.

Later in 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died of congestive heart failure in 1968 after being a life-long smoker.

I learned a lot about John Steinbeck, one of Americas great authors. After I finish ‘East of Eden’, I will probably know more.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles! Until next time…

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The Biggest Piece of Gold You’ll Ever See September 8, 2013

Filed under: CA,daytrip,gold,museum,vineyard — rwarner22 @ 4:51 am

Last weekend, we were in California’s “Gold Rush” Area of Calaveras County and took a side trip to see the Ironstone Winery in Murphy, California. About 15 miles away from the winery, the Sonora Mining Corporation found the largest pocket of crystalline leaf gold. The surprising thing for me was that this was not discovered in 1849, or even in the 1800’s but in 1992. In fact December 26, 1992.

How is this for a piece:

Marty, Elena, Pam and I went to see Ironstone Winery last weekend. While we waited for the tour of the winery to begin, we dawdled in the Heritage museum.

One thing I liked was the Wells Fargo strong boxes.

The area’s most famous/infamous stage coach robber, Black Bart, also liked the strong boxes and was active in the area from his first holdup in 1875. He became Wells Fargo’s Most Wanted Man until his capture in 1883.

Over in the corner of the museum was the massive vault and the gold.

Obviously, this was the centerpiece of the museum and the impressive 44-pound piece of gold. Hard to comprehend.

Inside the vault, you could go in and walk around the display that was heavily alarmed and covered in a glass case.

Though the museum is not a large one by many standards, it certainly full of interesting artifacts. We only spent a few minutes in the museum and jewelry store but it was a fun one and a great start to our time at Ironstone Vineyards.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

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North Platte Canteen July 20, 2013

Filed under: historic,museum,NE,traveling,World War II — rwarner22 @ 3:49 pm

Why would anyone go to North Platte Nebraska?

For us – it is along the way to the Oregon Coast and Northern California. We are headed to San Jose for Matt and Sierra’s wedding in September.

And a few years ago I heard about the North Platte Canteen and how it met troops on trains going to the Pacific Theater during World War II. Here’s a video that tells the story.

It begins 10 days after Pearl Harbor when a small group of people in the small town of North Platte got ready to meet the train for a 10 minute stopover at the Union Pacific Station. Although troop movements were secret, the heard through the grapevine ‘their boys’ were going to be on the train. They got together some baked goods and a few gifts and got ready to meet them.

Instead, the train carried men from Kansas. The folks decided they were not going to take their cookies and candy and bread and other things back home with them and gave them to the surprised service men.

Rae Wilson, a single 26 year-old was one of those that met the train.

She was thinking her brother was on the train. She was struck by how appreciative the men were and wrote the following letter to the editor of the local paper:

The next day the idea caught on and preparations began to meet more trains. Committees were organized, whole communities (over 125) were mobilized. The next train pulled in to North Platte on Christmas Day. What a surprise for the troops on a long trip. Coffee, conversation and someone who gave them a memory of a lifetime with their generosity and hospitality.

Over the course of the war, over 6 million service men and women were met by those that manned the North Platte Canteen!

This is astounding! For people to meet the trains, they traveled a long way. This was during a time when gasoline and other things were rationed.

Sadly, the train station was demolished in the 1970’s. But many artifacts and memorabilia have been moved over to the Lincoln County Museum in North Platte.

Including the original doors to the Canteen.

The museum had a good display of pictures from the Canteen

I am really glad we got to stop in North Platte. The story of the Canteen and the thousands of volunteers that made it work and the profound appreciation of all that took part in the hospitality was a great one to learn more about.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

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Harry S. Truman Museum and Library June 27, 2013

Filed under: history,Library,MO,museum,Presidential Museum,Truman — rwarner22 @ 5:30 pm

Really? Another museum?

Yes – even though we are about ‘museumed out’ for a while, we have a couple more to see while we are here in Independence, Missouri.

Reminds me of playing golf during my summers in high school. After about 8 or 9 days in a row, I was ready for a break. For a day or two. Same here. We are going to take advantage of seeing these places while we can.

So off we went to Independence MO. We stayed at the Blue Springs Campground which was good. It is run by the county and in good shape. Sites and area around them are spacious. Lots of grass and has a good feel to it.

We are only about 5 miles to the Truman Library and it was easy to find.

Inside, we found it to be very well laid out and full of interesting displays and artifacts.
A replica of the Oval Office:

I looked and looked for the “Buck Stops Here” sign but I could not find it on the desk or the table behind. Hmmm, curious …..
Oh!

It had a display all by itself in the hall.

Truman handled his time in the Army like he did with everything in his life: He gave it everything he had. Despite his less than imposing figure, he proved his metal and gain the respect of his men.

After WWI he worked on his farm, tried his hand in business and then entered local politics, becoming a county official and judge for 20 years. Then, with the backing of Kansas City notorious political boss of Tom Pendergast, he won election to the Senate in 1934. Then during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s for a 4th term, he was an unlikely pick for Vice President.

When FDR died, just weeks after his election, Truman was thrown into an overwhelming situation. It was either sink or swim. There was no transition. He dug in and learned what he needed to in order to survive and make important decisions. There were many during his two terms as president.

His policies, like any president, often were met with challenge and an opposing view.

Among his first duties was to attend the a summit with Churchill and Stalin in Potsdam, Germany in July 1945 discuss the post-war realities. He developed his own view of the Soviet Union which was more distrustful than Roosevelt’s. The war in Europe was nearing its end and the war in the Pacific came to a close after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945.

With the beginning of the Cold War and the growth of what Churchill later called, the ‘Iron Curtain’, Truman was in the crucible. He grew into his role and made decisions even controversial ones like firing General MacArther.

During his reelection campaign, he undertook a series of rail car trips all over the United States.

I did not realize how extensive his “Whistlestop Campaign” was until I saw this display.

It was a close call, and some newspapers made an early call which proved to be wrong.

At home, the nation was confronted with the growing fear in the spread of communism, the rise of Communist China and its invasion of Korea, all which came with a U. S. reaction.

Times were changing and Truman’s popularity continued to slide.

He declined to run for another term and returned to his home in Independence, Missouri. There he spent the rest of his days. He was actively involved in building the library and museum. He had a lot of notable achievements:

Orchestrated the Berlin Airlift, saving the city
Responsible for the Marshall Plan, an economic ‘get well’ plan for Germany and Europe
Integrated the Army which led to acceptance and national integration
Advocated for national health insurance
Recognized Israel which led to its statehood
Supported the creation of NATO to stand against the Warsaw Pact
Made substantial renovations to the White House
Realigned the armed forces, creating the Air Force as a separate service

I appreciated being able to see the Truman Museum and Library. I came away from it feeling like I knew more about that period in our country’s history and our 33rd president.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles! Thank you again for all your comments.
Until next time…

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Fantastic Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in OKC June 25, 2013

Filed under: full-timers,history,museum,OK,OKC,travel — rwarner22 @ 8:44 am

On Saturday we went over to the Cowboy Museum. I think we have been to Oklahoma City or through it at least half a dozen times and have never taken the time to see this museum. Turn out — it is one of our all time favorites!

I love the history and intrigue of the 1870’s and 1880’s. I think part of it is due to growing up and seeing the Western TV shows. We loved them all. And we saw reference to them in our tour at the museum.

It was a GREAT way to spend $10 and a couple of hours!

Kirk is in front of the large statue, “The End of the Plains”. This area was the beginning of some art galleries with sculptures and paintings. I really liked how they have it all set up for display and contemplation.

Some of the galleries was a ‘No Photographs’ area but there were plenty of places that weren’t.

This by far is the best ‘western/cowboy’ museum we have seen anywhere. I loved every minute of it. I found it captivating from start.

Then my favorite area of the whole museum:

Displays of Barbara Stanwick, James Arness, Dale Robertson

Richard Drury, Doc, Festus, an early Roy Rogers

Gunsmoke, and a young Burt Reynolds

Dales Evans, Gene Autry, Sam Elliott

Tom Selleck, Walter Brennan

And a few film clips of actual footage

There were lots of other galleries

We could have wandered around for hours and hours

But it was a bit overwhelming. Pam’s museum meter was pegged for the day and we were getting hungry for lunch.

So we concluded our tour for the day and vowed to come back again and see more.

Thanks for joining us to day on the Roadrunner Chronicles! And thanks for all the comments! We really appreciate it.

Until next time…

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Oklahoma State Capitol June 24, 2013

Filed under: Capitol,history,museum,OK,OKC,travel — rwarner22 @ 4:00 am

We always enjoy getting together with Kirk and Susan and decided a long time ago we were going to see them next time we were close to Oklahoma City. We got to see them last when they stayed with us a few days in Key West over the Christmas / New Years holidays two years ago.

After leaving Brad and Sue in Fort Worth, we headed out early for OKC. We made it in about four hours. Along the way we called Twin Fountains RV Resort. They said they were full a few days ago but we thought we’d try again. Earlier in the week we called around to campgrounds within 30 miles and most were full. We really didn’t want to be 30-35 miles away from them. Turned out we got into Twin Fountains. It is a nice park that we would give a “9”.

We met at their place for dinner and had a nice evening. Kirk took Friday off and we played golf at Quail Creek Country Club. It is a NICE place. It is one of my favorite courses anywhere. We had a competitive round and he edged me out with an 83 to my 85.

But I had my closest shot at a hole-in-one ever with a 7 iron that was 8 inches from the cup.

In the afternoon we went over to the State Capitol and toured the building. We hope to see them all one day and have only recently decided to do that. In the last six months we have seen Florida and Texas and now Oklahoma.

Two things caught our attention: first the statute on top – the Guardian. And the fact the capitol dome was only completed in 2002. The Guardian is over 22 high and weighs almost 6,000 pounds.

This is a 9 foot replica inside the building. The guardian represents all of the state’s 39 Indian tribes and is a symbol for one who guards, protects and preserves.

The original capitol build was finished in 1917. But funding for the dome was diverted to the war effort. The project was revitalized in 2001 and the dome was completed at a privately funded cost of $21 million.

Oklahoma was acquired as part of the Louisiana and the result of the Mexican-American War. It opened for settlers in 1890 and those that established claims before that were known as “Sooners”. It became a state in 1907.

Oil was discovered in the 1850’s but it wasn’t until the 1920’s that it stabilized and the state began to rise in wealth. Until there were so many oil companies that there was an oil glut before the Great Depression hit. Then the mid-1930’s saw the Dust Bowl era in the midst of record high temperatures and draught during the Great Depression.

Oklahoma was making its way back when the whole country got caught up in supporting World War II.

But the history of Oklahoma and its people is heavily centered on the Indians in the state and their culture throughout that last 300 years. We saw numerous galleries and paintings and statues representing that side of things.