Postcard-Geography: Oklahoma, “The Sooner State”

The two postcards on the left are (top) Eskimo Joe's and (bottom) Tulsa Zoo.
(The other four postcards are talked about below.)

(UL)

Leonardo's: After opening Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse, a hands-on art and science museum for children of all ages, in 1995, Enid Arts and Sciences foundation broke ground on what would become Adventure Quest, the world's largest community-built outdoor playground. Built by 12,000 volunteers donating more than 150,000 hours to the construction of this unique outdoor science park, Adventure Quest has become a symbol of the generosity and spirit of the Enid community. 

 

Jen writes,

"This is a really fun kids' museum we like to go to in Enid."

(ML) Tulsa Zoo; Jen writes,

"We're bigger fans of the OKC zoo, but the Tulsa zoo has been making some improvements lately. We're looking forward to the new sea lion exhibit in the spring!"

(Bottom)

The Philbrook Museum of Art: Villa Philbrook is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The grandeur of the 1927 home has been restored and preserved with hand-painted ceilings, wrought-iron grillwork and murals. The Italian Renaissance revival villa now  houses Philbrook's 10,000-piece art collection and adjoins a new wing featuring a gallery for special traveling exhibitions, restaurant, museum shop, auditorium and education center.

 

Jen writes,

"Philbrook is one of my favorite places. I have been going there since I was a little girl and now I take my kids there! When I was young, the door on the right side of the picture was the main entrance, but later they added on the space at the left- for a long time I didn't like it, but now I am used to it!"

(UR) Eskimo Joe's; Jen writes,

" At one time, Eskimo Joe's t-shirts were the second most popular shirts in the world! This restaurant is close to the OSU campus in Stillwater -about an hour from Tulsa."

Our postcards this week come from two different people! Jen in Oklahoma sent us six cards!
I absolutely love her blog, Little Things and all the activities she does with her little ones. You must go over and visit there.

(left) Oklahoma: Red Earth Tornado: The Heart of "Tornado Alley"

Tornadoes develop in the Central Plains region along weather fronts at the intersection of hot, dry air and warm, moist air. The majority of these springtime storms occur along what is known as "Tornado Alley" -a pathway crossing through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

(right)

Oklahoma State Flag: 

The flag is symbolic. The tan center is an Osage warrior's buckskin shield, representing defensive or protective warfare. Across the shield runs the man's Calumet (Peace Pipe) crossed with the white man's peace symbol, the olive branch. The small crosses are Indian stars and represent lofty ideals. The blue field represents the blue skies of Oklahoma.

We also received two wonderful postcards from the Duffy family from Rural Women Rock.

When we colored the map of Oklahoma, (above) we noticed that it is bordered by six states: New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

We talked about tornadoes and looked at where "Tornado Alley" is on the US map, tracing through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 

moved Indians to the Indian Territory, modern day Oklahoma.

In 1831 the Choctaw were the first to be removed, and they became the model for all other removals. After the Choctaw, the Seminole were removed in 1832, the Creek in 1834, then the Chickasaw in 1837, and finally the Cherokee in 1838.  The Spanish Empire's decline enabled the Seminole to settle more deeply into Florida until 1842, when the US forced the majority of Seminoles to move from Florida to the Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma) after the Second Seminole War.

We learned that Oklahoma is called the Sooner State because I-in 1889, the Indian Territory was opened to settlers and thousands of people lined up on the border and, when the signal was given, they raced into the territory to claim their land. Some people went in early to claim their land, and they became known as Sooners. The Oklahoma Land Run is a good book for young students about this, and S is for Sooner is a great overall book about Oklahoma.

The wide-open spaces of Oklahoma are brought alive for readers with charming rhymes about rodeos, land runs, and yes, even the musical "Oklahoma!" The people, places, and landmarks of the Sooner state are thoroughly explored through the popular two-tiered format for the Discover America State by State series, with simple rhymes for younger children and expository text for older children.

Oklahoma Cheese Grits

We also learned that Oklahoma has a lot of official state foods: Barbecued pork, chicken fried steak, sausages and gravy, biscuits, fried okra, squash, grits, corn, black-eyed peas, cornbread, pecan pie, strawberries, watermelon.

We have "visited" 34 states with our postcard-geography album.
We still need postcards for these states:
 Mississippi, New Jersey, Vermont and Wyoming.
If you live in any of these states and would like to help us with this project, please leave a comment on how I can get in touch with you. Thank you!