Elk City OK to Carthage MO
We chose again to take the unbeaten trail to try to avoid going through Oklahoma City. We discovered two interesting statues. One was at a Walmart and the statue featured its founder and his dog. Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher OK and he is a local hero.
The man on the horse requires a story: A trade route from southern Texas to Kansas was used to drive an estimated five million head of cattle north to the railheads in Abilene, KS between 1867 to 1884.
The trail was named for a man of Scottish-Cherokee descent who built several trading posts in what is now Western Oklahoma, Jesse Chisholm. He wasn’t a cattleman at all! He was a trader, guide and interpreter, who spoke over 14 Native American dialects, possessed a natural instinct for direction and died without ever knowing that the famous Chisholm Trail was named after him.
When going through an unknown area one never knows what one will find. The small town of Drumright gave us a delightful surprise. An art gallery left all of these wonderful sculptures of various animals on the sidewalks on both sides of the street. It was a hoot!
America is a great, trusting place. How do we know? The art gallery was closed! Then again, I don’t think it would be easy to haul away any of these statues without being notice.
We have not been to many rodeo shows so we can only ask: Do bulls buck like that? Anyway, the Drumright Historical Society has a local museum with a caboose that has Christmas lights tacked around its top.
The route we took is, apparently, part of the original Route 66 which is celebrated constantly along the way. Yet, we wondered about some of it.
Did people back in the hey days of Route 66 really place tractors and semi-trucks atop poles? Were there really large bronze bison around to attract customers? And what about those oversized bottles?
Come to think of it, there are giant arrows hitting the ground out West and dinosaurs are a big thing too. Ah, only in America!
Having gone to the Woody Guthrie Folk Center in Pampa TX yesterday, we decided it would be right to visit the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa OK. It opened its doors in April of 2014 so it is a new museum.
Some of Woody’s instruments are on display plus pictures of his art work. We highly recommend this place especially after seeing the Center in Pampa first. Be forewarned: This Land is Your Land is played on and on, ad nauseam.
Currently, the museum has a special exhibit featuring Pete Seeger and his music, life and impact on society. It was as well done as any we’ve seen.
If you are wondering about where our little pet, Tickle was when we entered Woody’s Museum…we left her in her kennel inside the foyer where it was air-conditioned. Surprisingly, many museums allow pets in. We stay away from those that don’t. No, she’s not a comfort dog but we love her! So we went to the Heartland Dog Food Factory and got to take a picture of their mascot, Blue.
BTW, outside the Guthrie Museum a wedding was taking place in the park across the way. Very cool. Then on the way to our hotel we were reminded of the dangers of the road. We strive to keep alert and safety is our main concern as we enjoy our travels.