Geo-Sources

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Route 66

Our very first Geo-Sources feature is on Tulsa, Oklahoma. Until I found out even a little bit about Tulsa and Oklahoma;  I could not have imagined how rich its history is and the degree to which its history is the history of the entirie country. For example, the nation’s highway system crosses Oklahoma, the oil boom, the story of the Blackfoot among other native American tribes, Art Deco architecture and design, the Dust Bowl and there is more...So, this week it’s all about discovering Tulsa and the region surrounding it.                                                                 

• Route 66                                              

Perhaps the most iconic cross country highway is Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway,  or Main Street of America, because it was designed in order to wind through America’s Main Streets. It was meant to encourage economic progress in the country while driving westward.  Route 66 was one of the first highway systems in the United States and was built in 1926, just as the “motor car” was being mass produced.  It covers 2338 miles and originally went from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica, California. Route 66 became the name of a popular television program from 1960-1964 and a well known song by the same name.  By 1985, Route 66 had been eclipsed as the primary means of traversing the country by the Interstate Highway System and is currently being redeveloped as a national bicycle route, US Bicycle Route 66.                              

The Lyrics and the song, “Route 66” sung by both Nat KIng Cole and Ray Charles and Diana Krall & Russell Malone’s version of the Bobby Troup song

Oklahoma, in particular, has the largest segment of the Highway of any state. It was made infamous by the writings of Oklahomans, namely, Will Rogers, who romanticized it as the road to the American West and Woody Guthrie, who along with John Steinbeck, memorialized “the Mother Road” as the “Okie” and "family Joad" exodus from the Dust Bowl to the west and supposed land of prosperity, adventure and work. On any tour of Oklahoma’s Route 66, one can find giant Paul Bunyons, a round gas station, abandoned motels and many other roadside oddities. 

• Museums, Art & Culture

Right outside of Tulsa, in Claremore, Oklahoma, is the Will Rogers Museum & Birthplace Ranch. In Tulsa itself, there are numerous well endowed museums, among them are: the Gilcrease Museum which has one of the largest collections of Native American and North American art and artifacts. The Philbrook Museum features gardens, nature walks, western and Native American art. There is also a Woody Guthrie Center, the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, The Tulsa Air and Space Museum and numerous public murals. The Greenwood Cultural Center functions as a community center and has comprehensive information and exhibits on Black Wall Street which was in the Greenwood area. The 100th anniversaray of the Tulsa Race Massacre was held here just this last summer (2021).  There are numerous other cultural options to enjoy in Tulsa, a children’s museum, historical society, music, sports venues and more.

• Education

The Christian Evangelical Oral Roberts University was founded in 1963 by the evanlegist Oral Roberts. It is one of the largest private Christian Universities in the country and ranked in the top five of ‘regional colleges west’ in US New and World Report. The other well known and well respected university in Tulsa, is The University of Oklahoma at Tulsa. It is a highly ranked public university which draws its students from all over the midwest and is known for athletics, agriculture and numerous other areas of study.

• Art Deco District and architecture

In order to view historic and original art deco architecture one doesn’t need to visit New York or Chicago. Tulsa, Oklahoma has one of the largest art deco architecture collections and Art Deco districts in the entire country. Tulsa’s Deco District is located at the center of downtown Tulsa. It is a compact collection of ornate Deco skyscrapers and other buildings and is a home to local businesses, restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and events that show off Tulsa’s art deco history. The Deco District came to prominence during the 1920's oil boom when the economy expanded to include cultural and other areas of public interest.

There is no more iconic “American” musical than Oklahoma, the Musical- by Rodgers and Hammerstein

• The Oil Boom (and bust)

Oklahoma’s oil boom began in 1859, when Lewis Ross found oil in Indian Territory. This was almost 50 years before Oklahoma became a state. The “oil boom” continued to grow as the railroad continued west. Tulsa would become known as the “oil capital of the world.” It's oil production peaked in 1927 at 762,000 barrels a day, and by 2005 had declined to 168,000 barrels a day. But by 2014, however, Oklahoma’s oil output had more than doubled to 350,000 barrels per day, making it the fifth highest oil producing state in the U.S. Cushing Field is outside of Oklahoma City and is known as “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World.” It is one of the largest crude oil storage hubs on Earth.  In the early 1980s, the boom "busted.” By 1999 production had declined markedly, dropping to about 40 percent of the 1986 level. As a result, employment fell, and at the end of the twentieth century only one in sixty workers had petroleum industry related jobs. By the close of the twentieth century when Oklahoma's oil economy had rebounded however; many major companies had begun abandoning the state as overseas production came to dominate the world's energy supply. Even so, the energy industry continued to be a cornerstone of the state's economy, producing in excess of $3.3 billion in the year 2000.  Despite the state’s overall number of working rigs decreasing, early in 2019, the “Sooner State” boasted of 14 of the nation’s 100 largest natural gas fields. A State Chamber of Oklahoma Research Foundation executive summary noted that today nearly 150,000 Oklahomans work in the oil and gas sector and it remains among the top oil and natural gas-producing states in the country.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Native American Communities in Oklahoma

Oklahoma was settled on the Arkansas River by Osage, Cherokee, Creek, Plains Apache, Tonkawa Native Americans and others. There are over 39 native american “nations” in what is now Oklahoma. There have been both local and state courts which have argued that a majority of Oklahoma has been illegally usurped by the state and Federal government. In fact in 2020,  the Supreme Court ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma falls within the property of an Indian reservation The court ruled In McGirt v. Oklahoma, in a  5-to-4 decision that much of eastern Oklahoma is in effect an Indian reservation. This may be one of the most consequential legal victories for Native Americans in decades and could have far-reaching implications for the people who live across what the court affirmed was Indian Country. The lands in dispute include much of Tulsa, which is Oklahoma’s second-biggest city. The decision puts in doubt hundreds of state convictions of Native Americans and could change the handling of prosecutions across a vast swath of the state. Lawyers are also examining whether it has broader implications for taxing, zoning and other government functions. Many of the specific impacts will be determined by negotiations between state and federal authorities and five Native American tribes in Oklahoma. “Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law,” Justice Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “Because Congress has not said otherwise; we hold the government to its word.” There are still other lawsuits which are pending regarding the Native American community in Oklahoma. Watch this space!

• The Dust Bowl 

The “Dust Bowl” occurred during the 1920’s and 1930’s in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles as a result of a combination of factors. These factors were: the nationwide economic depression, an extended drought, unusually high temperatures, poor agricultural practices and resulting wind erosion. It is estimated that over 100 million acres were impacted. The Dust Bowl and the phenomenon known as the “Dirty Thirties” resulted in the largest migration in American history. By 1940, over 2.5 million people had moved out of the Plains states. Of those, 200,000 moved to California. 

The country music singer Merle Haggard who wrote the satirical, “The Okie From Muskogee,” was from Fresno, California, but his parents came West in the thirties after their farm was burned down in Checotah in McIntosh Country, Oklahoma, about 20 miles south-west of Muskogee. 

Lyrics

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee

We don't take our trips on LSD.

We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street.

We like livin' right, and bein' free…

• Visiting Tulsa?

According to Ray Hoyt and the Tulsa Visitor’s Guide, Tulsa, has a LOT to recommend it. The latest impressive statistics and their sources are:  

• “Top 9 most surprising cities” according to Afar Magazine 

• “Top 5 unexpected U.S. foodie destination” according to Lonely Planet    

• Home to the #4 best live music venue (Cain’s Ballroom) per the LA Times

• “#3 best place to travel in July 2020” in Travel + Leisure  

• Home to the “most important monument to visit in the U.S.” according to National Geographic 

• And finally, Tulsa is the only American city on TripAdvisor’s Global Emerging Destinations list in 2020. 

• As travel adapts to the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasis shifted from airplanes to driving once again and Route 66 and Tulsa are favorites.  

• Weather and Tornados

Now, as for the weather? We’ve all heard about tornados and seen the tornado funnels ripping through the area. Given the floods and fires elsewhere, perhaps the tornados pale in comparison.  All in all, “… According to the Koppen climate classification, Oklahoma's climate ranges from humid subtropical in the east to semi-arid in the west. Warm, moist air moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico often exerts its influence, particularly over the southern and eastern portions of the state, where humidity, cloudiness and precipitation are greater than in western and northern areas of the state. 

Summers are long and quite hot. Winters are shorter and less severe than those of the more northern Plains states. 

Periods of extreme cold are infrequent, and those lasting more than a few days are rare.”  

Oklahoma Rose

Did You Know? ”The world's first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935.”...For many other interesting facts and figures about Oklahoma, see the following: 100 Amazing facts about Oklahoma, and 15 Things You Might Not Know About Oklahoma

• Demography & Geography

Oklahoma has 11,611 miles of shoreline, more than the combined non-tidal coasts of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Oklahoma is the nation's 20th largest state, and it covers 69,903 square miles.  Oklahoma has parts of four mountain ranges: Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas and the Ozarks.
The population of Oklahoma is approximtely 4 million plus, and the majority of the population live in either Oklahoma City which is the state capital or Tulsa.  The state flower is “ the Rosa Oklahoma”

• Politics

Oklahoma is generally considered to be ”conservative” politically.  During the 2020 election, Donald Trump received 65.4 percent of the vote. The Republican vote for President has been relatively consistent in the elections of,  ‘08, ’12, and ’16. Jim Inhofe (R)  and James Lankford (R) are the two serving Senators from Oklahoma and all five Congressional Representatives from the State are Republican.  In the Oklahoma State House, there are currently, 82 Republicans and 19 Democrats.