A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....11-14,15-07....Oklahoma ~ "The Sooner State" Turns 100!

Aquamarine; Billie

[Aquamarine]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 200,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

Oklahoma's 100th Birthday!

Oklahoma celebrates its 100th anniversary of statehood on November 16, 2007.

We invite you to learn more about the Oklahoma Centennial by exploring their website (click on Seal above), and we encourage you to join Oklahomans as they Celebrate Oklahoma!

Over the past four years we have taken A Few of FR's Finest on a cyber tour of many of the states in this great land of ours; today we are featuring the state of Oklahoma, as it approaches its 100th birthday.

If you'd like to see the other states we've visited since Mama_Bear took us to "Sweet Home Alabama" on May 23, 2003, just click on each STATE on the map below, and the thread will open in a separate window. (States with a white * have not been profiled yet.)

The present Oklahoma State Flag adopted by the State Legislature in 1925, is Oklahoma's 14th flag. This shows a sky blue field with a central device: an Indian war shield of tan buckskin showing small crosses on the face -- the Indian design for stars -- and seven eagle feathers pendent for the edge of the shield. An Indian peace pipe (calumet) with a pipestone bowl and a tassel at the end of the pipestem lies on the shield; above the Indian peace pipe is an olive branch, the white man's emblem of peace. Underneath the shield or design in white letters is the word "Oklahoma."

Brief Oklahoma History

Evidence exists that native peoples traveled through Oklahoma as early as the last ice age, but the state's first permanent inhabitants settled in communities accentuated with mound-like structures near the Arkansas border between 850 and 1450 AD. Spaniard Francisco Vásquez de Coronado traveled through the state in 1541, but French explorers claimed the area in the 1700s and it remained under French rule until 1803, when all the French territory west of the Mississippi River was purchased by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
"End of the trail" By James Earle Fraser - Oklahoma City, OK

Cowboys drove cattle across the state in the late 19th century. Thousands of Native Americans, including those making up the "Five Civilized Tribes", were removed from their lands in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee and transported to Oklahoma in the 1830s. The area, already occupied by Osage and Quapaw tribes, was designated Indian Territory by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Indian Intercourse Act of 1834. Fifteen tribes were given land within the territory in 1830, but by 1890, more than 30 tribes had been allocated federal land.

SOONERS

Major land runs, including the Land Run of 1889, were held for settlers on the hour that certain territories were opened to settlement. Usually, land was allocated to settlers on a first come, first served basis. Those who broke the rules by crossing the border into the territory before it was allowed, were said to have been crossing the border sooner, leading to the term sooners, which eventually became the state's official nickname. Delegations to make the territory into a state began near the turn of the 19th century, when the Curius Act abolished all tribal jurisdiction in Indian Territory. Failed attempts to create an all-Indian state named Oklahoma, and a later attempt to create an all-Indian state named Sequoyah failed, but the Sequoyah Statehood Convention of 1905 eventually laid the groundwork for the Oklahoma Statehood Convention, which took place two years later. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was established as the 46th state in the Union.

• Its name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people," and is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State.
  
  
• With 3,579,212 residents in 2006, it is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state by land area.
  
  
• Oklahoma's state wildflower the Indian Blanket is red with yellow tips. It symbolizes the state's scenic beauty as well as the its Indian heritage.
  
  
• Formed from Indian Territory on November 16, 1907. Its people are known as Oklahomans, and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.
  
  
  
  
• In 2005, the Oklahoma state senate decided that their state fruit would be the Strawberry. The strawberry bill was proposed by a group of fifth graders when they discovered that Oklahoma did not have a state fruit.
  
  
• Most of the state lies in an area known as Tornado Alley characterized by frequent interaction between cold and warm air masses producing severe weather.
  
  
• Tulsa has been credited as the birthplace of Route 66 and the home of Western Swing music.
  
  
• Oklahoma is the fifth-largest producer of crude oil in the nation.
  
  
• Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in their metropolitan statistical areas.
  
  
• Bob Dunn a musician from Beggs invented the first electric guitar 1935.
  
  
• It is located on a confluence of three major American cultural regions and historically served as a route for cattle drives, a destination for southern settlers, and a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans.

In an attempt to scalp an enemy, Chief Pawhuska once pulled at a man's white hair. The man's wig came off in his hand. The chief kept this powerful "magic" the rest of his life and took the name meaning "white hair."

Tulsa

A small town near the banks of the Arkansas River in 1901, Tulsa's first oil well, named Sue Bland No. 1, was established that year. By 1905, the discovery of the large Glenn Pool nearby prompted a rush of entrepreneurs to the area's growing number of oil fields. Tulsa's population swelled to over 140,000 between 1901 and 1930.

For most of the 20th century, the city held the nickname "Oil Capital of the World" and played a major role as one of the most important hubs for the American oil industry.

Part of the Bible Belt, widespread beliefs in evangelical Christianity make Oklahoma one of the most politically conservative states.

Oklahoma is part of a geographical region characterized by widespread beliefs in Biblical Christianity and Evangelical Protestantism known as the "Bible Belt." Spanning the Southeast and Midwest states, the area is known for politically and socially conservative views. Tulsa, the state's second largest city, home to Oral Roberts University, is considered an apex of the region and is known as one of the "buckles of the Bible Belt."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The collections of Thomas Gilcrease are housed in the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum of Tulsa, which also holds the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West. The museum's charm, beauty and art collections draw thousands of visitors from around the world to the hills just northwest of downtown Tulsa for a glimpse into the past. The Museum also offers an unparalleled collection of Native American art and artifacts, as well as historical manuscripts, documents and maps.

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City was settled on April 22, 1889, when the area known as the "unassigned lands" was opened for settlement in an event called "The Oklahoma Land Run".

Some 10,000 homesteaders settled what is now downtown Oklahoma City, creating a tent city in a single day. Within 10 years the population had doubled in what became a permanent settlement and the future capital of Oklahoma.

The spacious lobby of Oklahoma City’s Skirvin Hotel became a place where oil tycoons met politicians after it was built in 1911. It also sat empty for nearly 20 years until February, 2007, when it reopened after a $55 million renovation as the Skirvin Hilton, complete with 29 hand-carved Bacchus busts, accented by gold-leafing, that peer from the hotel’s pillars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oklahoma City was the site of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, the largest act of terrorism on American soil prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks and the most destructive act of domestic terrorism in American history.

The Suvivor Tree on the grounds of
the Oklahoma City National Memorial

The blast, which killed 168, became international news and brought to the forefront of the world's mind a city that was little known outside of the region previously. The citizens of Oklahoma City rallied around each other, and the attack served to unite the city as it began a new era of revival.

Oklahoma! (click on title for music)

Will Rogers was first an Indian, a cowboy then a national figure. He now is a legend.

Born in 1879 on a large ranch in the Cherokee Nation near what later would become Oologah, Oklahoma, Will Rogers was taught by a freed slave how to use a lasso as a tool to work Texas Longhorn cattle on the family ranch.

His hard-earned skills won him jobs trick roping in wild west shows and on the vaudeville stages where, soon, he started telling small jokes.

Quickly, his wise cracks and folksy observations became more prized by audiences than his expert roping. He became recognized as being a very informed and smart philosopher--telling the truth in very simple words so that everyone could understand.

Will Rogers was the star of Broadway and 71 movies of the 1920s and 1930s; a popular broadcaster; besides writing more than 4,000 syndicated newspaper columns and befriending Presidents, Senators and Kings.

During his lifetime, he traveled around the globe three times-- meeting people, covering wars, talking about peace and learning everything possible.

Inside himself, Will Rogers remained a simple Oklahoma cowboy. "I never met a man I didn't like," was his credo of genuine love and respect for humanity and all people everywhere.

Below are just a few of of the tributes and places named after or for Will Rogers.

Micky Mantle, Paul Harvey & Jeane Kirkpatrick ....and of course, our favorite Oklahoman, Jim Robinson, founder and owner of FreeRepublic.com, the best conservative forum on the net.

Websites that provided graphics and information for this tribute...
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Gilcrease Museum - The Museum of the Americas
Oklahoma State History and Information
Oklahoma www.ok.gov

03-27-07 ~ Hall of Fame #19 ~ Final

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-12,13-07 MilitaryTribute

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Aquamarine]

[Aquamarine]

[luvie]

Cool! That’s where my kids are living. He’s stationed at
Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City!...and my MIL lives there, too!

[Aquamarine]

They’re among good people. I lived there the first 11 years of my life, Oklahomans are some of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

[luvie]

THE OKLAHOMA BOMBING MEMORIAL

[luvie]

Yes, they are! Very down-to-earth, patriotic and friendly!

[Aquamarine]

God Bless Our Military

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dutchess; Aquamarine; The Mayor; DollyCali; GodBlessUSA and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation's leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult day that faces each of us and our country. Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

gator girl........................husband severa............husband, brother Maigrey.........................cousin mystery-ak...........son, husband Inspectorette.......................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew Diver Dave........niece, nephew Diver Dave....................cousin ConspiracyGuy........2 nephews W.W.Smith.......................son sneakers..........................son weldgophardline.................son weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw jamaly.................brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater.......cousin WaterDragon............grandson WaterDragon...........son-in-law kimmie7......................brother LadyX (RIP)..............grandson fawn796......................nephew ValerieUSA..................2 sons Lakeside......................2 sons LakeLady....................nephew Spruce......................daughter Leofl.................................son chena...............................son Hope and Glory..................son TheMayor...............friends'son Doug from Upland.......soninlaw homeschoolmama........nephew ariamne...................2 cousins mhking.........................cousin 911angelady.................2 sons Consort.................2 daughters Consort...................son-in-law gonzo...................friend's son Jen's Mom.................daughter Meg33......................grandson cookcounty......................son JFC............................nephew visualops......................cousin auboy..........................cousin painter........................nephew Himyar.............................son jrushing.............................son LoneRedRanger...brother-in-law Ladysmith.nephew, friend's son tina07......soninlaw & his friend varina davis...............grandson weeder1.....................nephew MontanaCowgirlCop......brother nelibeli........................nephew fatima...............granddaughter Misty4jc.....................husband Colorado Slim..............nephew Tapatio....................2 nephews meanie monster ....family friend ProudAFDad......................son JulieRNR21.....friend's grandson Alouette.............................son Katydidnt...........................son Zechariah_8_13....brother-in-law Zechariah_8_13.............cousin PreviouslyA-Lurker........brother sheeza.......................husband kemathen7..................husband monkeyface...........2 grandsons redhead................grandnephew Q6-God..................twin brother Q6-God....................active duty Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne..........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells....................active duty LongCut...................active duty cjk...........................active duty Trish........................active duty ODC-GIRL................active duty AF_Blue...................active duty thumperusn..............active duty Veloxherc.................active duty Don Simmons...........active duty wingnutx...................active duty CGblue.....................active duty bigghurtt...................active duty frankiep....................active duty veeceeque................active duty JRios1968................active duty NoLongerFreeState...active duty CMS........................active duty AlaskaErik...............active duty JemiansTerror...........active duty tongue-tied ..............active duty txradioguy................active duty Hoosiersailor ...........active duty DCBryan1................active duty Col. Mike.................active duty

OhioWfan................................son ladtx..................................2 sons Its_me_K.E.T.........................son Hostel............................cousin ak_daddoo........................nephew Dubya............................nephew LBGA (RIP)..........................son katykelly..............................son Armymarinemom................3 sons american_ranger.....................son SpookBrat........................nephew SpookBrat........................cousin boxerblues........................2 sons the piper..............................son Tiffee4Bob......................boyfriend TexKat.......................son, step-son StarCMC.............................brother Darheel...............................niece Donaeus...........................nephew BeAllYouCanBe........................son Repubmommy........................brother AgThorn................................2 sons kneezles.................................son RoseinRoseBear.....cousin's hubby Atomic Conspiracy......half-brother Atomic Conspiracy...........nephew Atomic Conspiracy..............niece Sunflowergal....................grandson mrstank..............................husband MrsMike31........................husband spotbust1............................husband campfollower............................fiance LUV W........................................son SilentServiceCPOWife........husband DirtyHarryY2K......................daughter DirtyHarryY2K................son-in-law Skimask.....................................son Palladin...............................grandson MississippyMuddy...................sister MississippyMuddy........2 nephews Kramster...............................stepson Socratic.............................nephew freema.......................nephew, son Azbushgal..............................son kimmykay.................................son NavySEAL F-16........................son repubmom.............................2 sons wolfcreek..........................daughter JesseJane ...........................cousin Roses0508..............................son pmmd81..................................son SoldiersPrayingMom.................son WakeUpandVote..................brother Skyraider.................................son CyberAnt...........................nephew mrs tiggywinkle...................cousin Nadine...............................nephew U S Army EOD.................daughter thehumanlynx...........brother-in-law Earthdweller......................nephew ChairmanDec19thSociety ..brotherinlaw Anthem............................2 cousins PragmaticWarrior..........2 nephews Sageb1...........................3 cousins SuzyQue...mom,2 sons,3 brothers IndyPendance..daughter,soninlaw Lori from Long Island....soninlaw gonzo............................soninlaw Rivendell.......................daughter vigilante2.....son, adopted soldier NavySEAL F-16....................son Jaxter...........................son-in-law USMCWife6869..............husband AgThorn & Lily4Jesus.............son 2ndDivisionVet..........brotherinlaw 2ndDivVet.....former stepdaughter GrandEagle........................friend DebWisconsin.................nephew jackv....................................son prophetic.................brotherinlaw GulfWar1Vet.................2 cousins Tina Kirby...........................son Kudsman.......................nephew JarhedAirmanPatriot......brother TADSLOS............................son Athelass........2 sons, 2 nephews ItsForTheChildren......2 nephews dwhole2th.............................son skimask...............................son VARepublican.......................son Katydidnt..............................son oneolcop...............................son Edgewood Pilot...son, 2 nephews Trooprally.............................son 007girl.............................nephew arbee4bush ...................daughter PERKY2004...................husband marsh2............................nephew

[DollyCali]

Wonderful thread Aqua! thank you so much for presenting this to us. & love the color scheme you chose... great.

My favorite brother lives in Oklahoma! (well, my only brother) but I will give him & some of his friends that I know a heads up on this thread... and if I can get into my external hard drives will post some pix of my visits there.

So nice that this is a two day thread. They all should be IMHO.. showcase them well..

Timkin Air Force Base is in Oklahoma City....

[Aquamarine]

Am glad you like the color scheme since it got off to such a rough start, I drug Billie in on it and she did wonders with the graphics. Without her help there was no way it would have been done in time for the birthday which is actually on the 16th.

I've seen pictures of your brother and his beautiful family, am envious that they get to live there. I miss the people more than anything.

[Aquamarine]

Better hit the hay. :)

See everyone later in the morning.

[MEG33]

The Oklahoma State Wild Flower..Indian Blanket

Thank you for this beautiful thread, Aquamarine!

[DollyCali]

Well, my brother’s last AF duty station was at Timkin & they had been there a few years, have a lovely home, great church, good schools & liked the economy. It made sense for them to finish raising their family there once my brother retired. the schools seemed to be excellent & with the Okalhoma state school of Mathematics & Science my nephew Jason got the extra bonus of attending (and it is NOT easy to be a student). As I recall they chose 60 students per class from the entire state. It is just juniors/seniors.

I have tried to get either one of the two externals going to get some pix. NO luck yet. . I do not know why my computer wont even acknowledge they are interfaced. I open my computer &/or explorer & no listing of the hardware. I will try to check with a geek or two along the way

grrrrr. computers!

I have a couple other externals but the pix are not on them.

[Diver Dave]

Great presentation, Aqua.

Sure wish our congress-critters were of the same caliber as Oklahoma’s.

Oh, and I have a nephew who played baseball at OU.

[MEG33]

Come Celebrate Oklahoma's 100th Birthday!

Square Stem Rose Gentian~July Oklahoma Wildflower

~ Oklahoma Wildflowers~

My favorite things....Click on Month.
This is a large index of photographs. I am still exploring.

[Coldwater Creek]

I know that you meant Tinker AFB.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi Aqua This is outstanding! I enjoy reading your thread on Oklahoma. Your thread is gorgeous! I'll be singing Oklahoma song all day. :) My dad use to sing Oh What A Beautiful Morning to us as kids. ;) Happy Birthday Oklahoma!

[ConorMacNessa]

Great thread and Pledge, Aquamarine! Happy Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday! Good topic - I've got show tunes going through my head now.

[DollyCali]

yes, of course! I shouldn’t be positng at 2 AM & expect to be coherent! Timkin is in nearby (to me here in Ohio) Canton & it is a hospital.

[SnarlinCubBear]

Beautiful showpiece for Oklahoma. And yes, the people are the main asset in my opinion. Salt of the earth.

My husband was born in Woodward OK. His grandmother could tell the story of how she - as a little girl - traveled by wagon train into the west, and were attacked by Indians.

The family all sat around and said “we should document this” and of course, no one did.

She and her husband lived for a time in a dug-out. They were part of the original “sooners.”

[The Mayor]

November 14, 2007

Losing A Friend

ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download

READ: Lamentations 3:19-29

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. —Lamentations 3:22

When London’s red double-decker Routemaster buses were withdrawn from regular service in December 2005, many people felt they had lost a friend. The Routemasters had provided reliable service for 51 years, and they were popular with Londoners and tourists alike because of their easy jump-on, jump-off rear access. A few of the old buses still run on two Heritage tourist routes, but in the rest of the sprawling city, they’re gone.

Many changes in our lives represent loss, whether as small as the cherished memory of a bus or as large as a destroyed family home, a thwarted dream of success, or the death of a person we’ve deeply loved. In every loss we long for a touch of healing and hope.

The book of Lamentations has been called “the funeral of a city.” In it, Jeremiah mourned the captivity of his people and the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet in the midst of sorrow, there is a celebration of God’s faithfulness: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’” (Lam. 3:22-24).

When our hearts hurt because of loss, we can find hope in our Lord, who never changes.
 

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain. —von Schlegel

When the sunshine of God’s love meets the showers of our sorrow, the rainbow of promise appears.

Bible in One Year:   Lamentations 3-5; Hebrews 10:19-39