September 14, 2003

Highlights From North Central OK Field Trip

We had quite a list of things to see on our field trip to north central Oklahoma this weekend, and ended up seeing them all plus some other unexpected sights!

Following is a brief run-down of what we did and saw:

Friday:

Ponca City, OK - Toured the Pioneer Woman Museum. Also ran across the new Standing Bear Memorial Park. (A very nice older couple told us where to find the labyrinth inside the park.)

Pioneer Woman Monument

Saturday:

It poured rain on us almost all day on Saturday, so we were unable to take outdoor photos of some of our stops....

Perry, OK - Toured the Cherokee Strip Museum (Learned about the Cherokee Strip Landrun of 1893.) Also toured the historical buildings behind the museum, including the Rose Hill School.

Zach, Testing His Vision Using an "Ancient" Eye Chart!

Rose Hill One-Room Schoolhouse

Pawnee, OK - Toured Pawnee Bill's Museum and Mansion. Fascinating stuff here, especially the house. (And to think I'd never heard of Pawnee Bill before!) We drove through the buffalo preserve behind the museum; got to see some buffalo, longhorn steer, and horses up close!

Jenna at Pawnee Bill's Museum

Yale, OK - Toured the home of Jim Thorpe, once proclaimed "The World's Greatest Athlete"!

A Sampling of Jim Thorpe's Medals!

Stillwater, OK - Drove through the Oklahoma State University campus. We also ran across the Indian Meridian sign, from which we learned about how and where the Indian Territory and the Unassigned Lands were divided.

The Indian Meridian Sign

Sunday:

Langston, OK - We located the Indian Meridian monument, a fascinating historical marker chock full of interesting information. We also drove by Langston University, Oklahoma's own African-American college.

The Indian Meridian Monument

It was a great trip! We saw a lot, learned a lot, and gained even more appreciation for the history of our state. (And even Socrates had a good time!)

Socrates, Our Mascot and Favorite Four-Legged Friend!