Saturday. My best day in Oklahoma; everywhere I turned, something to see! Possibly the most stunning part of the day was all this statuary of the Oklahoma Land Run. There are actually 45 figures depicted in these giant bronzes celebrating the opening of this frontier that, among other things, led to Oklahoma becoming the 46th state. You’ll see more of this when I celebrate all the statues I’ve been seeing, and holding from you. At precisely noon on April 22, 1889, a cannon boomed – you can see it depicted in the background. At that moment about 50,000 men, women, horses, mules and wagons all descended on unclaimed land in the Oklahoma territory, land made available by the government of the United States. Never mind that this was all Indian territory; never mind that it had been ceded to the Indians years before and occupation by whites prohibited. The ban on occupying Indian land was lifted three days before this land rush began. By the time the cannon fired, people were ready to rush in from all four sides.

This statuary is absolutely remarkable; let me show you at least one more picture. This absolutely stunning statuary is kind of out-of-the-way. You can see by the grain mill in the background that this is not a central neighborhood. You really have to find your way to the sculpture, and the direction doesn’t seem to be well signed. I had to use Google Maps on my iPad very carefully to get here, and then, only after a couple of real driving miscues. But finding this made my day. If not for the heat, this is a place I could spend some serene time. Once you get here, the explanatory signage is detailed. The signage explaining the history is in one place; that explaining construction is in another, the celebration of sponsors is nearby. None really intersect with the other, especially the pure history of this event this magnificent bronze artwork celebrates!

And here’s what the entire thing looks like, courtesy of Google maps:

Oh, about one driving miscue… One wrong turn led me to an area called the Boathouse District. You may remember last night, I was in Bricktown. Oklahoma City has done a rather remarkable job of identifying its various neighborhoods, and ensuring activities fit each one. In the Boathouse District is a water theme park called Riversport. It features giant waterslides and more, and this whitewater rafting experience. I must’ve seen a dozen fully laden rafts come down this water course, and apparently, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic kayakers train here.

So those were the Broncos. Meanwhile, one of my target stops was next – the American Banjo Museum.Why this is in Oklahoma City specifically, I’m not sure, except that a local player felt an overwhelming need to preserve the history and the culture of this unique instrument. But again, what a wonderful place to be, especially since I’m not at Summerfolk , happening this weekend back home in Owen Sound. So the next best thing is to visit the banjos where they live.

The museum has about 650 banjos in a 21,000 square ft. facility; the collection includes about 450 to500 4-string, and about 150 or more 5-string. There are a couple of media presentations that are OK at best; but this is really just about all these banjos… And the people who played them. Some of the earliest, but easily recognizable banjos go back to about 1820. The history goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years to when someone put a skim over a gourd and somehow attached some strings.I was perhaps the most impressed by that part of the banjo we never see you when watching a performance – the back of the instrument. Look at some of what we’ve been missing! So that’s banjos and broncos; there was a burger, too! And these little histories are just fun to stumble across.This is Robert’s Grill in El Reno, Oklahoma, 35 to 40 miles west of Oklahoma City. Of course it’s on route 66! The restaurant was opened in 1926 and remains pretty much exactly as it has always been. It serves up something called the fried onion burger, as local an institution as, say, buffalo wings are in Buffalo – or Beef On Weck. Or white sauce on Alabama barbecue. Back in the 20s, even before the depression, the original owner, another Bob, started including onions in his hamburger patties as they were cooking; it was a way to make the meat go further and it’s been happening ever since. It’s pretty simple; put ground meat on the grill; mash it down hard, put on onions, mash them in and cook it all together. Put the hamburger bun on top as it nears a finish, to soak up the sweat of the onions and voilà! You are served a burger that some people think should be a national treasure. There’s one more little titbit about Robert’s Grill in El Reno on Route 66. It wasn’t always called Robert’s Grill; it used to be Bob’s White Rock and this little restaurant is the forerunner of White Castle!

I drove out from Oklahoma City on Route 66 instead of the interstate nearby because naturally, it was the right thing to do. This is oil, grain and cattle country. I truly played the naïve foreign tourist and bluntly asked about where to see cattle on an Oklahoma ranch, and where to see an oil well.Apparently this is the Paterson well, a single rig north of El Reno on the way to the Lucky Star Casino (owned by the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes). It’s the only one nearby, and this is what a working oil rig looks like today…..not like the big ol’ Phillips 66 derrick out front of the State Capitol….As you can see to the left of the second picture, the building is undergoing massive renovations. That white wrap extends completely around that entire wing of the capital building. I was told the building is open for touring, but that all the artwork had been removed so I wasn’t sure what the point was of going in at this time.

I’ve mentioned there will be a separate item on statuary, probably when I am done my trip. But I did want to share this one… When you enter the town of Yukon, in Canadian County (yes!), this cattlebeast greets you. And behind is the towns greeting sign. What it doesn’t say, but what manifests itself elsewhere around town is that this is the home of Garth Brooks, country superstar. It also seems that this little town is the Czech capital of Oklahoma – it says so right on the grain mill… …and look at the size of it!

So all in all, a great day for any tourist! Lots to see, lots to do, local food, local history – I’ll have to go a long way to duplicate a day like this, at least in my books. But you know I’m going to try! More museums tomorrow, including the biggie!