Some Oklahoma
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Day 4: December 22, 2009 Some Oklahoma |
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For some unknown reason, I'm always surprised to learn that Arkansas was
part of the Confederacy. I've been surprised by that several times. Today
I was also surprised -- for the first time -- to learn that an awful lot
of battles were fought in the state. The extremely knowledgeable attendant
at the
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park told me that
Arkansas and Missouri ranked third and fourth in number of battles after
Virginia and Tennessee. He started with a total of 4000 battles with about
2000 of those occurring in Virginia, around 1000 occurring in Tennessee,
and 400 taking place in Arkansas. I haven't found an online source that
identifies that many battles. I did find a
list of battlefields in which Arkansas ranks seventh.
Not every battle produces a battlefield so I don't doubt the count of 400
and rank of third. Neither ranking was something I'd have guessed.
There is a nicely done small museum, with a film that educated this Yankee about Arkansas battles in general and the Battle of Prairie Grove in particular, and both walking a driving tours of the battlefield. Guides to both tours are available free at the museum. |
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Back on Sunday, when I talked about all the happy and unhappy states, I
forgot Oklahoma. At 21st, it's securely in the happy half and I'm happy to
be here.
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I snapped this street sign picture because I initially didn't know what
the symbols at the bottom were and thought I might sort it out later. I
sorted it out within a couple of blocks. Seeing something similar on the
grass of the town square was enough to remind me that I was in the
Cherokee Nation and
make me realize those symbols represented a translation. I was, in fact,
in Tahlequah, the Nation's capital, and those symbols... er, letters, were
on the lawn of its first capitol; now a courthouse. That marble fountain
was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Among its
inscriptions is the name Stand Watie. A larger
marker at the side of the building explains
that Stand Watie was the "only full blood Indian Brig.
Gen. in the Confederate Army". If you're having trouble with the
lawn decorations, try this.
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Fort Gibson is on its winter schedule so was not open
today. I did speak with a couple of workers as I walked around the area
and I learned that the log buildings are a very accurate WPA
reconstruction but that some original stone buildings do remain. The stone
chimneys were part of the Adjutant's Office which Jefferson Davis occupied
between 1833 and 1835.
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I can now add
Three Rivers
Museum and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame to the list of closed
sites I've visited. The first recorded sale of
Girl Scout cookies occurred in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and is
commemorated by a statue outside the Three Rivers Museum. You can see
she's proud to be a Girl Scout from Muskogee.
After spotting a few large decorated Telecasters, I finally realized that they were Muskogee's answer to painted cows and flying pigs. This specimen at the edge of town is the only one I got a photograph of. |
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Boynton, Oklahoma, lies on a north-south section of Route 62 and the
historical society building is at its north edge. I noted the fresh
looking sign as I drove by. At the other end of town, there is a gas
station/convenience store; open but with bars over the windows and door
glass. In between, the neat post office building had a car parked behind
it but, aside from these three, the only sign of life in the entire town
was a decorated Christmas tree in an empty lot with the post office on one
side and a burned out building on the other. There were empty buildings
and empty lots everywhere. One corner lot was filled with scattered bricks
from the toppled building that once stood there. I consciously thought
that it was one of the sorriest towns I'd ever seen. I'd taken no pictures
but turned back in less than a mile. The few signs of life were kind of
like those splashes of color in black and white pictures that advertisers
use to draw attention to their product. That Christmas tree was stuck in
my head.
I know there's much more to this town. The historical society building wasn't open but regular hours are posted and there were two phone numbers given for requesting appointments. I wish I had called. At the end of the day I found the Boynton Oklahoma Historical Society website and it is clearly a going concern. Helen or June will hear from me the next time I'm in town.
ADDENDUM: July 26, 2011 - The Boynton Oklahoma Historical Society is a
going concern no more. It became a gone concern sometime prior to
January of 2011 when
Laurel Kane visited. I chatted with Laurel at Afton
Station early this month and learned of the latest Boyton setback. The
high school closed in September 2010 less than year after I passed
through. A few weeks before Laurel's visit, the mayor, facing felony
charges, resigned. The news that I picked up in Afton and which led to
this addendum was that the elementary school closed permanently in June
as a result of the district's accreditation being revoked by the state
in March. Besides dwindling enrollment, the school's accounting
practices were being questioned. It's sad enough when a town dies from
natural causes but even more so when the wrongdoing of its leaders hurry
its demise.
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I like following old alignments so was happy to leave Henryetta, Oklahoma,
on Old US Highway 62. The first eight miles or so are mighty rough. At
least that's what my notes say. There's no doubt that some portion is
mighty rough but I see from the map that a county line crosses the road
about four miles west of Henryetta and that seems a likely place for a
road surface to change. I marked the point with the GPS and know I lagged
a bit but hardly four miles. Wherever it occurred, the move to smooth
asphalt was welcome although I'm sure it hides some original Portland
pavement.
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I cleverly timed my arrival at Oklahoma City to coincide with the end of
day rush hour and my passage through the city was not the highlight of my
day. US-62 separates from I-44 near the town of Newcastle and that's
where I ended the day. I thought the Newcastle Motel a
promising-but-look-first sort of place so pulled in.
Good room, good price, good night.
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