763. Oklahoma City's Cowboy Culture

Where: Oklahoma City, OK
When: March 10-11, 2019
With: Dave

While Oklahoma may not be a typical vacation destination, let me tell you, it can feel like visiting another country here. At the very least, it's a unique culture that I haven't seen anywhere else in the US. In a way, it feels like a throwback with many residents relying on agriculture more than office jobs to earn a living.  Perhaps this is why the "cowboy culture" continues to permeate so much of daily life in Oklahoma City.

The importance of cattle ranching and farming in Oklahoma is apparent just by standing outside of the state capitol. To the left of the plaza in front of the building sits a giant statue of cowboy riding his horse. 

However, for the true cowboy experience, a visit to the stockyards is a must. In the southwest outskirts of the downtown is Stockyard City and it is literally what it sounds like: it's where all the cattle are kept!

Every Monday morning, ranchers come from all over to bring their cattle to the stockyards for auction. The giant rigs that transport the cattle are parked all over. 

It took Dave and I an alarmingly long time to find the actual stockyards and auction. First, we took a spin through the Oklahoma National Stockyards Livestock Exchange Building. It was like Wall Street for ranchers, filled with offices offering credit and displaying fair market value for livestock, as well as a beautifully landscaped atrium.

So we quickly realized this was probably not where the auction would be held as they aren't going to be traipsing cattle through this beautiful office building. So where were the cows? We drove around the complex (which isn't particularly large) for a few loops until we finally found some cattle. And eventually, we laughed at how we could have missed this scene. 

At first, we noticed just a couple of them fenced into a paddock. There was a staircase over the paddock that led up to a long gangplank. So we climbed up to see what we could find. 

Well, we found the cattle...as far as the eye could see. Clearly, as if the mooing hadn't given it away, we had found the stockyards.

The gangplank that stretched along over top of the pens was so long. It just went on and on. 

And underneath: cows, cows, and more cows. 

The handlers of the various paddocks were moving the cows along the maze-like corrals. A few rode on horseback. These are real life cowboys!

We turned off the gangplank and into a building where we finally found the live auction taking place. The room was a relatively small amphitheater that felt like a college classroom. At the bottom of the seats was a fenced, muddy ring, two handlers, and an auctioneer. 

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There were two doors at either end of the ring. One would open, in would rush a bunch of cows, and the auctioneer was off, just like in a movie. The various attendees were bidding, though I'm not entirely clear how (I just tried to make sure I didn't accidentally purchase myself a cow). Then within a minute, the door on the other side of the ring would open, the cows would rush out, the door would close and the other one would open, and it would start all over again. 

The owner of the cattle would stand in the box in front of the auctioneer, shouting out additional information about his livestock. 

Thankfully, I had the good sense to capture this all on video. 

For all of our hunting for this auction, we didn't end up staying very long as it was not easy to watch the cows be scared and whipped around. I know that this is a livelihood, but as I told Dave, I don't want to know where my meat comes from. If I know too much, I'd quickly become a vegetarian.

That's why I'm super happy that we went to the famous stockyards steakhouse the night BEFORE the cattle auction. Cattlemen's Cafe, sat right in the middle of Stockyard City, is where true cowboys come to eat. Its obvious proximity to cattle makes their incredibly fresh steaks some of the best in the country. 

We went on a Sunday night around 5pm and it was primetime. While we had a 45 minute wait, the restaurant actually dedicated an entire floor as a waiting room with tables, TVs, and a bar. We definitely did not mind waiting here at all, especially for the people watching. 

When we got our table, we took a minute to look around. The restaurant was dimly lit, like a traditional steakhouse, but on the walls were these giants photographs lit up of cattle and ranchers. They gave such a unique atmosphere. 

The Cattlemen's menu is pretty no-frills. Choose steak, get potato and salad, order wine. Dave also ordered Lamb Fries, a house specialty, though I'll let the reader go look up what those are...

The steak was indeed fantastic. It was cooked in a salty au jus sauce and tasted exactly how I love steak to taste. It was phenomenal. I wish I'd had two stomachs to eat more (sorry cows, I hadn't seen you guys yet). 

After the Stockyards, it was time to learn a bit more about the plight of the cowboy at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 

This guy sure looks like he has a tale to tell. 

Founded in 1955, this museum focuses on art and artifacts relating to the west, similar to the Gilcrease Museum, but from a more comprehensive historical approach. For example, the evolution of the rodeo, how has barbed wire changed over the years, and how exactly did cowboys come to be?

They even had a little town set up where visitors can walk the streets of Prosperity Junction, a turn-of-the-century cattle town. We explored the local church, dentist, bank, train depot, jail and barn while audio recordings recreated the sounds of the locals. This was really cool. 

At the local saloon. 

The museum also had a pretty extensive art collection. The most eye-catching piece is a giant sculpture that sits in the entrance hall called "The End of the Trail".  Created in 1915 by artist James Earle Fraser, this 18-foot tall statue has become an iconic image of the old west. 

Another impressive sculpture in the museum is that of President Lincoln. He is depicted sitting on his favorite stone high over Washington, DC contemplating the Civil War that was tearing his country apart. 

There is a gallery of art focused on the life and landscape of the old west. This was a beautiful set of paintings. 

However, my favorite paintings were in the massive events hall. Here, artist Wilson Purley was commissioned to create five giant murals. He picked some of his favorite places in the US (Point Lobos, CA; Lower Falls in Yellowstone, WY; Monument Valley, UT; Sandia Mountains, NM; and the Grand Canyon, AZ) and painted the epic scenes as 15-foot tall triptychs. The attention to light and detail was so stunning that they looked more like photographs than paintings. The giant space they were displayed in just added to the magnitude of the scenes depicted. 

Having hit all the major sites for "cowboy culture" in Oklahoma City, we still had a few more things to explore. One activity that locals raved about was visiting Lake Hefner, a large reservoir north of the city. It is meant to be enjoyed at sunset, but on a cloudy day, we didn't anticipate much of a view. It was very serene, but there wasn't a whole lot going on here. 

It did have a pretty lighthouse. 

However, the site that was a "must-do" was visiting the memorial in honor of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Sadly, this event has probably garnered more attention for Oklahoma City than its "cowboy culture" as it was the deadliest terrorist attack on our country until 9/11. 

On the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVey drove a rented moving truck up to the north side of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The truck was filled with 4,800lbs of explosives. He left the truck parked and detonated it remotely at 9:02am. The explosion destroyed 1/3 of the building, shearing off the front facade and leaving a massive crater. The blast was so large that it was felt 55 miles away and destroyed 324 buildings within a 16 block radius.

Of course, the most tragic part is the 168 people who died. Most of them were government employees, though some were at the building simply renewing passports or applying for permits. The most gut-wrenching part though is that just above where the truck sat was the building's daycare center. Of the 168 lives lost, 19 were children. 

The memorial was amazing. The block on which the truck was parked, 5th Avenue, has been permanently shut down. At either end of the entrance to this portion of the road stand two massive gates, called The Gates of Time. 

Stepping through the gates where the road used to be is now a massive reflecting pool. Inscribed over the eastern gate is the time 9:01, representing the last minute of peace and innocence before the bombing. On the western gate, 9:03, representing how life has now forever changed. 

Alongside the reflecting pool is a grassy plot of land where the building once stood.

On this lawn sit 168 empty seats, each inscribed with the name of a victim. There are tiny chairs for the children, and the chairs are lined up to show what floor of the building the victim died on. 

Lining the complex is the original chain link fence that was put up around the bombing site to keep people out. That fence became a memorial for family members searching for their loved ones. Now it continues to be a place where people lay flowers and photos in remembrance.

On the other side of the memorial park is a massive warehouse that houses the museum dedicated to that tragic day. It was heavily damaged in the bombing, but still contains a message spray painted on the side by one of the search and rescue teams that day.

The setup inside the museum is incredibly powerful. An elevator takes visitors up to a room that gives the "before" information: the history of the building, who was Alfred P. Murrah,  life in Oklahoma City and what life was like in 1995 (I heard a dad explaining the OJ Simpson trial to his young daughter -  it was very wild to hear the case explained as a piece of history rather than as a memory). 

Then we heard interviews from a few people who were applying for a water permit that day in the building across the street. They laid out their case and explained that the hearing would start at 9am on April 19th. With that, doors to a room opened and we were led into a replica of the board room in which the water permit hearing would have taken place.

With that, audio was played on loudspeakers with the actual recording from that committee session. It was a surprisingly tense thing to sit there, knowing what would happen at 9:02am, and as the proceedings began, I found my heart rate racing. 

And then, even though I expected it, I still jumped as the recording captured the loud ripping blast and subsequent fall of rubble that seemed to last for a full minute. The recording captured the attendees at the meeting shouting to get out of the building, and with that, a door opened on the other side of our room.

On a TV above our heads as we entered the next room was the initial news reports of the bombing. All around us was the recovered rubble of the building, mostly broken concrete and twisted metal. And throughout the room were piles of personal affects. A giant pile of sunglasses. A shrivelled day planner. A child's shoe. It was hard to not be completely choked up and teary eyed as we walked through, particularly as the name of the particular victim to which the items belonged was displayed next to each one. 

The museum then walks through the aftermath with interviews of victims, rescue workers and family members. There were some harrowing stories of rescue, particularly as several people were left stranded on the upper floors of the backside of the building. One minute, they were in their office, and the next they were sitting outside as half their floor was gone. There were crazy stories of people who were in the bathroom or at a meeting and that meant the difference between life and death. 

Throughout it all, the one thing Oklahomans are very proud of is the way they came together as a community to help during and after the event. Most locals ran towards the bombing, rather than away, carrying blankets and offering whatever help they could. Rescue teams from around the country commented on how the community support in the wake of this tragedy was an inspiring model we should all aspire towards. And really, that is what this museum aims to show: that love will always conquer hate. 

As we left, feeling emotionally drained and just in awe of the entire tragedy, we passed by a church that had been almost completely demolished in the explosion. The main thing to survive was this statue, entitled "And Jesus Wept" that now stands next to the memorial and will bring tears to your eyes no matter what religion you believe in. 

We returned at night to see the memorial lit up. The Gates of Time were even more beautiful at night, and the inscription above them more apparent: 

Right up there with the memorials in Washington DC, the inside of the park was breathtaking. The Gates of Time reflected perfectly in the pool below them, and stood out incredibly vibrant in the dark.

The whole area was so peaceful. 

The bases of the chairs were all lit up to more prominently show the names of the victims in a soft, glowing light. 

It's a staggering number of chairs, more prominent in this lighting. 

Behind the chairs is the steeple of the church that had been demolished in the blast. Its neon cross now adds to the glow of the memorial. 

The reflecting pool at night beside all the chairs is just breathtaking.

The only tall building in Oklahoma City, the Devon Tower, also reflects in the pond and gives another beautiful glow to the memorial.

One feature of the memorial I hadn't noticed before entering the museum was the Survivors' Tree. This 100-year-old American Elm survived the force of the attack and now stands as a symbol of the survivors of that day. 

After walking the memorial, we climbed up to the Murrah Plaza, the only surviving portion of the original building, to look over the memorial one last time. This was just an incredibly moving place.  

And with that, our time in Oklahoma City came to a close. We left with a great appreciation of the city's resilience and culture. The great tragedy it experienced seems to have highlighted the warmth and resilience of its people, showing there's a lot more to Oklahoma than just their "cowboy culture".