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Oklahoma, Land of Many Cultures
Originates: Oklahoma City, OK
General Description
This tour is available for groups of 10 or more.
Oklahoma is a land of many cultures and this tour will trace those cultures, showing you the diversity of our state and its people. From the Trail of Tears came some of our earlier citizens, and the great Land Runs brought more people searching for homes and farms on Oklahoma's vast prairie lands. Italians came to mine the coal, Amish to work the land and immigrants from Ireland, Russia, Germany to escape hunger and religious and political persecution. The "Okies" fled during the terrible depression and the dust bowl, but many returned to their homes because Oklahoma is a kind and hospitable land to its people. This 9-day tour begins in Oklahoma City.
Day 1 - Oklahoma City
We’ll have breakfast at Cattlemen’s Café in the heart of Stockyards City, the site of the world’s largest stocker-feeder auction. This cafe was won on the roll of the dice more than 60 years ago. There will be some free time to enjoy shopping in this historic area. Next you will tour Oklahoma City -- the city that was built in a single day thanks to the famous land run of 1889, On the morning of April 22, 1889, Oklahoma City was a township for the Santa Fe Railroad and by nightfall, it was a tent city of 10,000. When the guns and cannons went off as a signal for the race to begin, people tore across the prairie to get a piece of the “Promised Land."
Our city tour includes the stockyards, downtown, Myriad Gardens, Oklahoma City National Memorial, and the only state capitol in the nation located in an oil patch. Historic homes of Heritage Hills, Remington Land, Church Row and a tour of the 45th Infantry Museum, which boasts all the original "Willie & Joe" cartoons done by Bill Mauldin.
Lunch will be dutch-treat at your choice of many restaurants located in historic Bricktown.
Day 2 - Guthrie
Breakfast at your hotel before departure for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Western Heritage Center for a guided tour of this registry of treasured western art.
We will drive a short distance to historic Guthrie for a visit that's like taking a step back in time. The Territorial and State Capital sank into a deep sleep alter the capital was moved to Oklahoma City, but today, 90 years later the town has awakened. Guthrie, like Oklahoma City, was founded on the day of the 1889 Land Run. It was the territorial capital and the "Queen of the Plains,” with visions of becoming the state capital. A state election in 1910 changed all that. Immediately after the election, the governor sent someone to remove the state seal from Guthrie, perhaps even before all the votes were counted. It is rumored that the thief who stole it crept in during the dark of night and smuggled the state seal out of town wrapped in his dirty laundry. Thus, the controversy continues about the rightful site of the state capital. Guthrie is often referred to as the ”Williamsburg of the West” because of the lovely Victorian-era buildings. Lunch will be at Granny Had One, an unusual cafe and antique shop.
See the State Capital Publishing Museum, the first newspaper in the territory where all the printing was done until statehood. Enjoy a walking tour of the commercial area. Visit the unique boutiques located in Miss Lizzie’s Bordello of Reputable Shops, upstairs over the Blue Belle Saloon where Tom Mix once tended bar.
Stroll through a guided tour of the Scottish Rite Temple, the largest Masonic Complex in the world, followed by a driving tour of Guthrie's historic homes, There will be dinner with live entertainment before returning to Oklahoma City for the night.
Day 3 - Pawhuska
Breakfast at the hotel before we take the trail to Pawhuska. Pawhuska is the capital of the great Osage Nation. The word Pawhuska means "White Hair' in the Osage language. Tradition says that Chief Paw-Hu Scah received his name while a youth in battle. Learn how he acquired this name and how it affected the rest of his life. The tour includes the Osage Tribal Museum, the Million Dollar Elm Tree, the Osage Tribal Building, and the Immaculate Conception Church or Cathedral of the Osage which features 22 Bavarian art glass windows created in Munich, Germany. The Constantine Theater is also included as well as the Osage County Museum, featuring a bronze sculpture of the First Boy Scout. The first troop of Boy Scouts in America was established in Pawhuska in 1909. Lunch will be at Bad Brad's.
In the evening there will be a tour of Prairie Song, I.T, a replica of a small prairie town located on the banks of Hogshooter Creek. Dinner and entertainment will be at Naughty Nelle's Saloon. Overnight in Bartlesville.
Day 4 - Bartlesville and Claremore
Breakfast before departing on a tour of Bartlesville. The tour includes the Nellie Johnstone, a replica of the first commercial oil well, Cherokee Street and the Frank Phillips mansion.
After a box lunch, depart for Woolaroc, the wildlife refuge that the founder of Phillips Petroleum built for his personal recreation and that of his employees. Today the magnificent Woolaroc Museum features a great collection of art both Native American and western.
The tour winds its way to Claremore and the Will Rogers Memorial. It is a shrine to the man whose ideals sprouted in the soil of his old home ranch. Will Rogers was born on November 4, 1879, the eighth child of Mary and Clem Rogers. See Will's personal collection of saddles and other western items along with items he collected during his Vaudeville days in Hollywood.
Another culture is visited when we have dinner with an Amish family in Chouteau. After dinner we depart for a short drive to Tulsa where we will overnight.
Day 5 - Tulsa
Breakfast before we tour Tulsa, once known as " The Oil Capital of the World.” Tulsa, settled by the Creek Indians, is a Creek word meaning "Old Town.” Today, Tulsa is a modern city with many interesting and cultural attractions.
Black heritage is the focus in the heart of the Greenwood District. This was the location of one of the largest race riots in the U.S. It took place in Greenwood, which was a prosperous area known as the "Black Wall Street. " Many blacks were killed and their homes burned. The Greenwood Cultural Center tells this story. The Jazz Hall of Fame is also located in the center. Lunch will consist of Soul food.
Our Tulsa tour begins where Tulsa began, under the Council Oak Tree. Located on a hill overlooking the Arkansas River, the tree is where the Creek Indians gathered after their journey across the Trail of Tears. The tour will include Oral Roberts University, Black Gold Row featuring homes of the early day influential oil barons who built the city of Tulsa, the downtown with its beautiful art deco, Woodland Park and Gilcrease Museum.
After checking into our hotel and allowing some time for rest, we will leave for Discoveryland! and a live outdoor musical production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Oklahoma!" Western style barbecue and all the "fixins" are a prelude to the toe-tappin' musical. Overnight in Tulsa.
Day 6 - Muskogee and Krebs
Depart for Muskogee and the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, then travel on to Krebs, near McAlester. The Italians settled Krebs in the early 1900’s. They came to mine coal and when the coal played out, they built restaurants like Pete’s Place which also brews its own brand of “Choc” beer. This Italian community is known for its great food as well as its history.
Tour the small Russian Orthodox Church in Hartshorne and visit with its bread-baking priest.
Travel to Oklahoma City, The evening will be free to sample some of the many ethnic foods and nightlife of the Bricktown entertainment district. Overnight in Oklahoma City.
Day 7 - Clinton and Cheyenne
Depart for Clinton via Route 66 and explore the vivid history of the "Okies." Oklahoma has more remaining miles of historic road than any other state. See the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum there, but also take the opportunity to visit the Cheyenne Cultural Center to learn and experience some of the Plains Indians culture.
Travel on to Cheyenne and the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. The so called battle will be interpreted by the National Park Service on a short trail tour, and it will give you some insight into the conflict between Lt. Col. Custer's army and the Cheyennes.
A short drive back to Elk City for overnight.
Day 8 - Old Town Park, Meers and Holy City
After breakfast we will visit Old Town Park for a glimpse of western life and agriculture in the old west. While there you will also see the National Route 66 Museum which is quite different from the Route 66 museum you saw in Clinton.
Today as we travel south we will learn more about the Plains Indians. The culture of other Plains Indians was very different from that of the Five Civilized Tribes in the eastern part of the state, as the Plains Indians were nomadic. A major part of their lives was spent following great buffalo herds.
Lunch will be at Meers, an old gold mining town. A visit to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will introduce you to the area and the natural vegetation and wildlife. As you drive through the refuge, buffalo, elk and longhorn are usually plentiful and easy to spot from the road.
Visit Holy City where a spectacular Easter pageant is held, and enjoy seeing the entire Lawton and Ft. Sill area from atop Mount Scott.
Overnight in Lawton.
Day 9 - Ft. Sill, Medicine Park and Oklahoma City
In Ft. Sill we’ll visit the historic quadrangle of military post built in 1869 by African Americans, Buffalo Soldiers. We’ll see many prairie dogs and their villages; Medicine Bluff, a sacred place of the Indians, and we’ll visit Geronimo’s gravesite. Geronimo was a great warrior, detained at Ft. Sill in his last years as a prisoner of war.
Lunch will be at Medicine Park, a recently revived community that was a popular resort of the Wichitas in the early 1900s.
Return to Oklahoma City. Spend some time resting in the afternoon before having dinner in Little Saigon. This area of Oklahoma City was deteriorating before the Vietnamese community began its revival, and now it boasts fine Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food. Return to your hotel.
Day 10 - Depart for Home
Departure from Oklahoma, Land of Many Cultures.
Contact:
Territorial Tours Limited
Carol Jordan
1636 SW 79th Terrace, Oklahoma City, OK
73159
Phone: (405) 681-6432
Fax: (405) 681-6442
Email: territorialtoursltd@EarthLink.net
