♪ Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain....♪ Oklahoma was another one of our earlier destination states due to its proximity to Iowa. I had one specific destination the first time we went there - Heavener.
So I could see the Heavener Runestone - one of those (to me) fascinating bits of evidence of early Viking exploration of our country - eight runes carved on a huge 12 foot tall boulder around 700 A.D.
And from there to the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah.
Natural Falls State Park was a stop after leaving Tahlequah. It was late spring and cold, but still an interesting area.
One thing I notice about these older photos is how much they have faded in the years since they were taken. This was probably in the early 90's.
A later trip to Oklahoma was to Muskogee where we visited the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee [Creek] and Seminole.)
Across the Arkansas River is the Fort Gibson Stockade Historical Site. This is one of four early settlements in Oklahoma claiming to be 'the oldest'.
Of interest to me was a memorial to Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Arbuckle, the 7th Infantry Regiment leader who supervised the construction of the stockade in 1824. My friends, April & Bill have a son named Mat. I always thought Arbuckle was an unusual name and wondered if they are related to that long ago Matt. And if the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma were named for or by that early military man. (They were.)
My nephew and his family have been living in the Tulsa area more than five years. He keeps posting beautiful nature pictures of Oklahoma. We keep saying we are going to make a trip down there to see them. I would like to see some of that natural beauty for myself. I'm thinking maybe this fall......
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