If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be a pioneer in the days when those brave enough to venture into the new land to the west you may have not given any thought to what it was like to actually live there.  What were the conditions?  What type of house did they have?  Was it as romantic as the movies have made it appear to be?

The first answer is that living conditions were extremely difficult.  First, there were no stores to run to for milk or eggs.  Those things had to be produced on the farm.  There was no air conditioning, running water, indoor toilet, natural gas stoves or electric lights.  Everything that we, as "modern" citizens take for granted was missing for those that lived in that time. 

The first thing they had to do was to provide a shelter, home, for themselves and their families.  Since there was a scarcity of trees, and importing lumber very expensive, they turned to the very land they walked on.  Having seen how the Indians used the sod to create a home they followed suit and soon were building their homes out of sod blocks.  This led to the settlers sometimes being referred to as "sodbusters."

It required an acre of land broken into blocks to build their one room homes.  It was hard work that took a long time to do since each block had to be cut with a spade. The best sod was comprised of that which was densely packed with the roots of the grasses such as buffalo grass, big and little blue stem, wiregrass, prairie cord grass, Indian grass, and wheat grass.  This difficult work was helped along in the mid 1880’s when a plow was invented that improved the process by "breaking" or "grasshopper" with the new plow which cut the sod into strips one foot wide and 4 inches thick.

Usually the sod slabs were one foot wide and two to three feet long.  The sod was laid with the grass side down toward the inside of the house.  With the bricks placed alternately lengthwise and crosswise it increased the strength of the wall.  If you wanted a window you had to make a wood frame with wood pegs driven into the sod wall.  Roofs were made of thatch, or sod help up by poles.  Common materials used for roofs were poles of cedar or cottonwood, rafters of willow, cedar, or other wood, brush from wild plum and chokecherry, prairie grass atop the brush and sod over the prairie grass.

Now, this may have seemed like a really awful way to live (and it wasn’t the most comfortable by any means) but it did have some advantages.  It provided excellent insulation to keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  It also served as an effective haven during prairie wild fires since it wouldn’t burn.  Often times the settlers would bring their livestock into the sod house during these fires to keep them safe, after all, they were the lively hood they depended on for food and milk.

I bet you have often thought that a canopy bed was the most charming type of bed to have.  Did you realize that they were created to keep the bugs that fell from the ceilings off you while you slept?  There was often a canopy put over the cooking area too to prevent the snakes, bugs and mice out of the cooking area as well as to help keep the mud off the food and cooking surface when it was raining and the mud was running in from the ceiling.

Come and visit the Sod House Museum in Aline, west of Enid to see what it was really like.  Here it will show you a sod house built in 1894 by Marshal McCully. The sod house was used by the McCully family from 1894 to 1909 when they built a large, two-story frame house but continued to use the sod house for storage until 1963!

The soddy remains in its original location with a metal building erected around the soddy to preserve it from the elements.  The sod house is open for walk through observations.

Admission:  Free

Location: 1 mile east, 21/2 miles south of Aline on State Highway 8

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Phone: 405-463-2441
 

Sod House Museum – Aline, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

The fun and interesting museum is housed in a renovated 1910 mansion. Even without all of the toys, it would be fun to explore the nearly 100-year-old house!

When you begin touring the house, you will see a wide variety of toys and miniatures in the collection. Many of the items in the house are quite old and exotic, but there is a good chance that people will find items that remind you of your own childhood. The museum’s galleries hold a number of interesting treasures, from artisans around the world.

Most of the items on display are from the collection of retired local teacher Ida Dennie Willis, which includes toys, miniatures, and dolls gathered for over thirty years. In addition, you can see other collections that are very impressive in their own right.

A few of these other collections that you can see are Fannie Hill’s "One Thousand Dolls," Eddie Fay Gates’ ethnic dolls, as well as dolls used in advertising, a collection of Native American Dolls and artifacts from the collection of Buena V. Green, and handcrafted miniature houses and a Gypsy caravan by Carl Smith.

While the toys and miniatures are certainly nice, the museum does more than just bring about a sense of nostalgia. It also offers a look at history and art, as well as the style of the toys and how they changed over the years.
While the permanent collection of toys and miniatures is quite impressive, the museum also has many rotating exhibits. Some of these are on loan from people in the community.

The Ida Dennie Willis Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys is open from 11AM to 4:30PM Wednesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Admission for adults is $3.50, $3.00 for seniors as well as children between the ages of 12 and 17. Children are $2.50.

Dennie Willis Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys – Tulsa, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

The museum is located in what was once the town’s school. The many collections and exhibits are on display in the old trophy cases, and the auditorium is now a performance hall. The auditorium now seats 500 people and is the home of the annual Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival.

The Gene Autry Museum is the only one of its kind dedicated to the history and legacy of the singing cowboy. Visitors will find a number of interesting and informative displays that showcase some of the most famous movie cowboys in existence. You can see exhibits on Gene Autry, of course, as well as Roy Rogers, Ken Maynard, Eddie Dean, and more.

In addition, guests can peruse the movie posters from a variety of old western films, LPs, toys, comic books, and a whole lot of other collectibles. Anyone who is a fan of those old cowboy films, where the hero sang songs and saved the day will love a visit to this museum any time of year.

Many people choose to come out to the Gene Autry Museum for their annual Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival. It is held in late September of every year, right around the time of Gene Autry’s birthday on September 29th. People come from all around the country to see cowboys, country singers, Western stars, lookalikes and more.

People can watch old films, attend panels that have their favorite Western actors and authors, and listen to some great live music. The festival is a blast. Be sure to stop by the museum’s gift shop The Blue Rooster as well.

Anyone who loves Westerns, especially the classic Westerns from yesteryear, will get a lot out of a trip to the museum. To find out more about the museum as well as the annual festival, you can visit their website at geneautryokmuseum.com.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday throughout the year and is closed on Sunday. The museum is also closed between Christmas and New Year’s each year.

Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum
PO Box 44
47 Prairie Street
Gene Autry, OK 73436

Gene Autry Museum – Gene Autry, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

The museum has a number of interesting exhibits and displays that cover a wide range of history and subjects. You will be able to see a number of Native American artifacts that display the culture and heritage of the 38 tribes of Natives that made their home in Oklahoma.

The museum also has a large number of farming tools. You will be able to see a wide variety of farming implements, tools, and machinery used through the ages. Many call the area around Kingfisher the "buckle of the wheat belt."

In the Wildlife Room, you can learn quite a bit about the many different kinds of animals that make their home on the Oklahoma plains. You can even learn quite a bit about some of the migratory birds that make their way through the area each year.

Some of the most interesting artifacts that you will see at the museum are the items from the pioneers. You will be able to see many of the day-to-day items they used. In addition, you can see a huge collection of barbed wire and branding irons that were used to show ownership of the cattle.

When you visit the museum, take plenty of time to walk around the Village, where you can see the Harmony Church, the First Bank of Kingfisher, the Grant School, the Dalton Cabin, the Cole Cabin, and more. You will also be able to see and visit the Governor Seay Mansion.

Abraham Jefferson Seay built the Governor Seay Mansion in the early 1890s in the hopes that Kingfisher would become the new capitol of Oklahoma. It never became the capital, but it is now a popular tourist spot for those who come to the area. The mansion has a number of artifacts within, and the house itself is quite interesting.

Admission to the museum and the mansion is $2. They are open from Tuesday through Saturday from 9AM to 5PM and from 1PM to 5PM on Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays and on legal holidays. The museum is a fun place to visit that offers a nice glimpse into the past.

Chisholm Trail Museum and Governor Seay Mansion
605 Zellers Ave
Kingfisher, OK 73750
405-375-5176
405-375-5176

Chisholm Trail Museum – Kingfisher, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

Visitors to the museum will be able to find a number of interesting items in the Gilcrease collections. They have an extensive amount of exhibits in their Fine Art, Anthropology, and Archives collections, many of which are on display.

The Fine Art Collection has more than 10,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints from artists around the nation. The pieces in the collection date from the colonial times to the present. Many of the artists featured at the museum specialize in Western themed art. You can see work from William M. Cary, Charles M. Russell, Willard Stone, Thomas Moran, and many others.

Of course, the museum also has a number of other artists’ work that encompasses other themes and styles. You can see works from Daniel Chester French, Winslow Homer, and James McNeil Whistler. Anyone who likes art will love the collection of work.

The Anthropology collection has more than a quarter of a million pieces. They cover the prehistoric period onward. Guests will be able to see a number of different types of artifact from Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo-American culture. You will be able to see ceramics, clothing, tools, and much more that help to detail the rich history of past cultures in America.

In the Archives collection, you can see more than 100,000 manuscripts, maps, and documents that date from about the time that Columbus came to the Americas. A few of the impressive documents in the collection include a letter from Thomas Jefferson dated July 1, 1776, the Cortez Decree of 1521, and copies of the Declaration of Independence. Anyone with an interest in rare and old books will love this section of the museum.

In addition to the displays, you will also want to explore the gardens at the museum. A few of the gardens that you can’t miss are the Pioneer Garden, Friendship Garden, and the Pre-Columbian Garden.

Be sure to visit the Gilcrease Museum Store as well, where you can search for the perfect souvenir to bring home.

Tulsa has a variety of other attractions available as well, as the city just keeps getting bigger. For excellent rates on hotels, visit HotelsCombined.com.

1400 Gilcrease Museum Rd
Tulsa, OK 74127

Gilcrease Museum – Tulsa, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

You will find a number of great things to do once you get to the park. A number of fun, watery rides await you. Some of the most popular include Sidewinder’s Rapids, Breaker Beach Wavepool, Endless River, and Lil’ Springs Lagoon.

Sidewinder’s Rapids

When you reach the Sidewinder’s Rapids, you climb 4 ½ stories up and choose from among three double tube slides to zoom down. This is a great ride for both the adults and the kids.

Breaker Beach Wavepool

Everyone loves a wave pool, where he or she can relax and let the waves bounce them around. This huge wave pool creates waves that are between 2 and 4 feet high. You can use a tube to ride on the waves or just body surf. Either way, you’ll have a great time. Chances are you will spend quite a bit of time hanging out in the pool

Endless River

The Endless River is a great place for the whole family to relax. They can take a tube and float along the slow moving, lazy river that never ends. It is a great opportunity to get some sun and talk with your friends and family. You can also head over to the river’s island and relax there if you choose.

Lil’ Springs Lagoon

Here is a place that the little ones are going to love and never want to leave. The Lil’ Springs Lagoon is a children’s pool that has plenty of interactive things to keep the kids busy. They can play in the waterfalls, take a ride down the mini slides, and use animal floats. The little ones will love it here.

Of course, Comanche Nation Water Park has more to offer than just rides. Kids and adults can visit the arcade and try out some of the latest games. It is also a good place to get out of the sun if you burn easily. When you get hungry, you can the family can head on over to the Windjammer Food Court. You will be able to find restaurants that offer pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and nice cool drinks.

The Comanche Nation Water Park is the best place to beat the heat in Lawton. Lawton is quickly growing and there are several hotel options available for when you’re in the area. HotelsCombined.com provides excellent rates on Lawton accommodations.

Comanche Nation Water Park
(580) 353-6129
501 Ne Larie Tatum Rd
Lawton, OK 73507

Comanche Nation Water Park – Lawton, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

In 1925 an oilman names Frank Phillips decided to build a retreat in Northeastern Oklahoma.  This ranch encompasses 3,700 acres where it is a wildlife preserve for many different species of native and exotic wildlife.  There are buffalo, elk and longhorn cattle.  On the land is also a museum showcasing a wonderful collection of western art and artifacts.  Included in the displays are Native American material, one of the best collections of Colt firearms in the world and amny other items.  There is a nature trail and two living history areas for you to experience the natural environment of Woolaroc.  There is the pre-Civil War 1840’s mountain man camp and an early-day oil lease.

At the museum you will be able to see one of America’s most unique displays of Western art and artifacts from Native American pottery, baskets, beads, blankets and cultural art; there are historical displays and the Colt display.  The Native American displays trace the prehistoric civilizations of Oklahoma with the baskets, pottery and Navajo blankets.  The displays include items from the Apache, Hopi and Pueblos located in Arizona and New Mexico.  There are beaded buckskins and feather bonnets from the Plains tribes showing their beauty to all that visit.  With approximately 40 different tribes work on display you will certainly get a broad exposure to the culture of the past.

The Fine art paintings include the work of greats such as Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russel, William R. Leigh, Frank Tenney Johnson, Thomas Moran and others.  Contemporary artists such as Wilson Hurley, John Clymer, Clark Hulings, and Bettina Steinke. Five of the original six Taos Society Artists are represented: O.E. Berninghaus, E.I. Couse, Herbert Dunton, Bert Phillips, and J.H. Sharp.

Is there anything that is more beautiful than good sculpture?  Here you will see pieces by many of the great western artists, including Remington and Russel. There are 12 bronzes for you to see. There are heroic-sized sculptures by Bryant Baker and Jo Mora both inside and outside the museum.

There are also the works of contemporary sculptors such as Harry Jackson, Joe Beeler and John D. Free.

The over 30 varieties of native and exotic animals and birds that call Woolaroc home are part of the working ranch.  You can take the two mile drive through the animal preserve to the main complex where you may well see the animals which roam the entire preserve, then again, they may not be near enough for you to see them so you will have to come back another time and try then.

Of course the most prominent species at the ranch are the American Bison, elk and longhorn cattle, which are native to this area.  Some of the other species include the Japanese Sika deer, North European fallow deer, water buffalo, llamas, aoudads, ostriches, Sardinian donkeys and pigmy goats.  These are wild animals so stay in your car.  Don’t leave your car to photograph, feed or touch any of the animals…they are wild and will stay that way!

Regular Schedule: Wednesday thru Sunday 10 – 5
Summer: Tuesday thru Sunday 10 – 5

Admission: Adults $8; Over 65 $6 and Children 11 and younger are Free.

Directions: Woolaroc is located on Oklahoma State Highway 123, twelve (12) miles southwest of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Tours/services
Group Tours

For school or other group tours, please call Carol at 918-336-0307, ext. 31. She will help schedule your dates, help you with food services and can discuss our group rates. Woolaroc will help make sure that your trip is special and that your group experiences some of the MAGIC of Woolaroc!
Shopping

The Museum Store is located in the Woolaroc Museum. The Museum Store carries a wide variety of gifts, Native American-made jewelry, pottery, books on related subjects, reproductions of some selected paintings, and other unique gifts.
Food Service

Buffalo Haunt Concession Stand – Sandwiches, snacks and drinks are available at the Buffalo Haunt located adjacent to the Woolaroc Heritage Center. There are picnic tables and a covered pavilion at the adjacent picnic area. Indoor seating is also available in the Heritage Center Building.
Facility Rentals

The Clyde Lake Pavilion and the Woolaroc Events Center are available for rental for special events and business functions by calling the Foundation Office at (918) 336-0307-x10.

Location: Mailing address: 1925 Woolaroc Ranch Road, Bartlesville, OK 74003

Phone: (918) 336-0307 ex. 10
Fax: (918) 336-0084
Toll free: 888-WOOLAROC (966-5276) ex. 10

Email: woolarocmail@woolaroc.org

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve – Bartlesville, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

If you are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and want to see the only "skyscraper" he designed then you need to come to Bartlesville.  The Price Tower is the only cantilevered skyscraper designed by him and was inspired by a tree.  It is a National Historic Landmark destination which serves local, regional and global audiences for its architecture and art.

The Price Tower Arts center integrates history, a museum, hotel and restaurant in the downtown are of Bartlesville.  See the exhibitions that are on display, which change regularly so you won’t get bored seeing the same thing all the time.  Take for instance the 106,000 aluminum cans that are transformed into pieces of artwork.  The displays are created to show the impact of the transformation of common objects such as audio takes, floppy disks, water bottles, newspapers, old clothes and more made into art.  This display expands the notion of what can be considered art.  The exhibitions concepts and contents raise questions about our society’s habits of consumption and attitudes toward the environment, natural and human resources and offer artistically conceived alternatives.  It is thought that the exhibit may cause some reflection on how we can examine our own habits of buying and tossing things. 

The tower also is home to the Inn at Price Tower where visitors can stay in Wrights glass-wrapped sleeping lofts and dine on the 16th floor terrace.  There are just 19 rooms at the Inn but may well be worth checking out if you are planning to stay in town.

Tours are offered of the Tower with the stories of Frank Lloyd Wright and how this pioneering experiment in the multi-use skyscraper was designed in a tall, slim, richly detailed structure to handle business offices, retail and apartments.

Arts center Gallery Admission: $4 adults; $3 Seniors, free for children 16 years and under (tax not included.)

Tower Tour Admission: $10 adults (15 -64); $8 Senior (65+); $5 Students and children 16 and under, included gallery admission (tax not included.)

Tour Times: Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.  Reservations are recommended for groups of 10 or more for both Tower Tours and Museum.  Special group rates are available.  Call 918-336-4949 for more information.

Price Tower Arts Center museum features both temporary and permanent collection on view Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 12 to 5.

The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Mondays
.
Location: 510 Dewey Ave., Bartlesville, OK 74003

Telephone: 918-336-4949

Email: Scott Perkins, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions: sperkins@prictower.org
 

Price Tower Arts Center – Bartlesville, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

Located in Woods County this small community of approximately 5,288 people is the county seat.  It was the land office for the Cherokee Outlet land run, the largest of the land rushes in this area.  Northwestern Oklahoma State University is located in Alva.  The smallest Wal-Mart Supercenter is located here.

The town is also the home to the Cherokee Strip Museum which boasts one of the best collections of pioneer exhibits and Indian art and artifacts in the state.  There are 40 rooms displaying the history of Alva and the Cherokee Strip.  There is an old school room drug store, kitchen Indian room, Presidential room, Army room and a POW camp.  The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday year-round from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Group tours are available by calling ahead.

During the summer it it open Tuesday – Sunday 2-5 PM and during the winder Saturday and Sunday 2-5 PM.  It is always closed on Mondays.

Nescatunga Arts Festival – Alva, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism

Not everyplace has a big blue whale sitting at the edge of a pond for people to enjoy either swimming in the pond and jumping off the tail of the Big Blue or just getting your picture taken in the whales’ mouth.

The Blue Whale was build by a man named Hugh Davis in the early 1970’s as an anniversary gift for his wife who collected whales.  In 1988, due to health issues of Mr. Davis, the area was closed down but in late the 1990’s the area was restored by local volunteers and fundraisers to give Route 66 the Blue Whale of Catoosa again.

The Blue Whale is one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66 in Oklahoma.  This 80 ft long whale was built out of pipe and concrete.  It ended up being a gathering and swimming place for those traveling on 66 or townspeople and their kids.  In 1988, when the Davis’ just weren’t able to take care of it any longer, it fell into disrepair, the rest of the park that had grown out of the idea of the whale totally decayed but the whale was too beloved by the townspeople and they refurbished it so you can still enjoy being there.

There are some picnic spots near the whales’ mouth for those that want to take a lunch break.

Location: 2705 N Hwy 66, Catoosa, OK
 

Blue Whale of Catoosa – Catoosa, Oklahoma is a post from: Oklahoma Tourism