Road Trip 2018 - Day 29, A Capitol Day In OKC

It is our last day of touring. We rearranged the last part of our trip so we could hit yet another state capitol building, this time Oklahoma's.

With each state capitol we visit we learn of the specific historical aspects that make this particular state so different from all the others. I think after this trip we will never look at the United States the same way. We always kind of thought of our country as this giant homogenized culture compared to countries in the rest of the world. And it is true if one looks at the gigantic retail oriented culture that covers the country. But we've found now that we would never think of Mississippi and Alabama as being the same even thought they be in the 'Deep South'. Or Arkansas and Oklahoma. Though young historically, they are each colored by their particular path of development.

In the case of Oklahoma it is this odd combination of having been the last land the Native Americans had been pushed on to, and then how it was taken away by this massive land boom accompanied by the discovery of oil. As with Captain Spouses cousins, there seems to be many with deep connections to the Native American presence. There is reference to the wrongness of taking of the land. But that is overlaid by the boom town culture that seems to dominate. Sort of a we're dominate but guilty about it attitude. Anyway that is a very unscientific view based on a minute data set so don't take it too seriously.

So since in know you are in complete withdrawal because I haven't shown you a state capitol picture in over 48 hours AND I am so incredibly empathetic, I will assuage your pain.

Welcome to the Oklahoma State Capital

Stolen from Guthrie

Therefore filled with original sin

Very clean and heroic, No?

And look at those capitals on the top of the columns. They are....

....YES! Corinthian! You are so good!

But of course this is a whitewashed version of the capitol for in reality it looks like this

For indeed this Capitol is undergoing a MASSIVE renovation

And to understand how ironic it is that this renovation is you have to understand that only 14 years ago there was no dome on the Capitol!

We were fortunate enough to find a guide who told us the whole story

When the capitol was originally built, it was designed in an orgy of extravagance that matched the oil/land boom times. It was supposed to have a dome

But they ran out of money. Then WWI, the Dust Bowl, the Depression, all thoughts of domes were put aside.

After many years there were a lot of people who said, 'Hey, we are one of only few states with a capitol without a dome. That's cool.' 

But there were others who did not agree and finally under the direction of Governor Kerr, money was raised and a massive renovation project led to erection of a dome.

But there were a few problems

First they build a dome that was much larger and heavier than the one originally designed.

The building could not take it and began to fall apart from the stress

Further they didn't remove old wiring and water conduits, just added to them, leading to other problems

And the new dome had windows that let in light...lots and lots of light...light that seriously damaged much valuable artwork, a lot of it on loan that had to be restored...at a very high price

The result is that the state is now having to renovate the entire building yet again to ensure that it remains standing

Well enough about that let's go inside

Those gigantic frescoes are basically stories of how the Native Americans got removed time and again

The Mandatory 'Dome Interior' shots

Other states have paintings of past governors. Oklahoma makes busts

This is not a governor

And I got photo bombed on this one

Scenes throughout the Capitol

The State has an art museum

What is on display is part of a larger collection that gets rotated in and out

I liked this picture because it had elements of people with different attitudes that reminded me of the Italian Renaissance painting I loved

A couple of others I enjoyed

Oil Wells and Foliage

Not sure what this is

A teachers demonstration was scheduled for Noon

This lady was clearly preparing for her speech

We got to talk to them

 They wanted us to stay, said it would be a good time

But we needed to get on the road

We told them we believed in supporting teachers more and that is the truth!