May 2 – 4 , 2021
Leaving the Fort Smith area, we set our sights on Oklahoma City – about 3 hours away. We had stopped for an overnight near Oklahoma City on several of our prior travels but had never visited the city. This time we decided to check it out.
Twin Fountains RV Resort
For our stay here we selected Twin Fountains RV Resort, a highly rated resort with amenities including a bar and grill, free limo to nearby attractions, pool and hot tub, mini-golf, and a clubhouse. Even with these amenities, we were a bit disappointed as many of the sites were not level or were positioned on a hillside that made parking and unhooking difficult. We also found the noise from the nearby highway disturbing. Although a nice park, I’m not sure we would stay here again.
Cattlemen’s Cafe
After parking the RV on our site we took off for Stockyards City and Cattlemen’s Cafe, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Oklahoma City.
Cattlemen’s Cafe opened its doors to hungry cowboys, ranchers, cattle haulers and the like in 1910. The Stockyards City area was a beehive of activity back then, as herds of cattle were driven to Oklahoma City in an unending stream to satisfy the East’s growing demand for beef. By 1926, Stockyards City was the home of two major meat processors and the area became known as “Packing Town.” It was in 1926 that H.V. ‘Homer” Paul took over Cattlemen’s, already a well-known establishment among the area’s thousands of workers. Cattlemen’s was one of the few places that stayed open after sundown. Because of this, it also attracted a very colorful clientele. During Prohibition, it was known for its home-brewed ‘liquid delights.’
In 1945, Cattlemen’s was owned by Hank Frey, a gambler of sorts. In a smoke-filled room at the old Biltmore Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, Frey was running out of luck and money in a dice game attended by a local rancher, Mr. Gene Wade. Frey put up Cattlemen’s as the pot if Wade could roll a ‘hard six,’ otherwise known as two 3s. Wade put up his life savings, which was a sizable amount of money. With one roll of the dice, Gene Wade was in the restaurant business. The ’33’ brand on the wall of Cattlemen’s Hereford Room became a well-known symbol of Wade’s good fortune.
A look at the ceiling beams shows the growth of Cattlemen’s. Starting out with cafe on the north side, which remains virtually unchanged after 50 years, Gene expanded southward a few feet at a time until he ran out of building. The South Dining Room and the Hereford Room are a bit fancier – a perfect place for a fellow to take his best girl (or his wife) for a steak dinner. Two backlit murals cover the southern and western wall of the dining rooms, photos of Gene and his father, two gentlemen ranchers rounding up cattle, both sporting jackets and ties.
Since 1945, Cattlemen’s Steakhouse has become a gathering place for all kinds of folks – from movie stars to rodeo greats, politicians to potentates! Check the walls of the dining rooms and view the drawings of all the well-knowns who have sampled Cattlemen’s fare. Gene Autry, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan (before he was President), and more recently, Reba McEntire. In the early ’90s, George Bush (the elder, while he was President) stopped in for a good meal and a stiff drink.
Cattlemens Restaurant
Bill enjoyed a T-bone while I had the filet mignon. Both were broiled to perfection and served with Cattleman’s salad, baked potato, and homemade yeast rolls. We both agreed that these were some of the best steaks we had ever had.
Oklahoma City National Memorial
The next day we drove into downtown Oklahoma City to visit the Memorial.
On a bright beautiful spring morning downtown Oklahoma City was rocked by a massive explosion. On Wednesday, April 19,1995 at 9:02 a.m. a bomb was detonated outside the nine story Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The building housed 14 federal agencies, including the DEA, ATF, Social Security Administration, recruiting offices for the Army and Marine Corps, and a daycare center. The explosion originated in a rented Ryder truck parked in the drop-off zone under the daycare center. The truck contained over 4,800 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, nitromethane, and diesel fuel mixture. The blast which created a 30-foot-wide, 8-foot-deep crater on NW 5th Street next to the building destroyed more than 1/3 of the Federal Building and destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16 block radius. 168 people were killed and more than 680 were injured.
The perpetrators of the attack – Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols – were quickly identified by forensic evidence. Both were arrested and within days charged. On June 2, 1997 McVeigh was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. Terry Nichols stood trial twice and was eventually found guilty and sentenced to serve 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
For two years after the bombing the only memorials to the victims were plush toys, crucifixes, letters, and other personal items left by thousands of people at a security fence surrounding the site of the building. In early 1996, an official memorial committee was finally convened. On July 1, 1997, a 15 member panel selected a design from more than 620 submissions. The resulting memorial was dedicated by President Clinton on April 19, 2000, exactly five years after the bombing.
Outdoor Symbolic Memorial
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was designed to be a place of remembrance and healing. Two gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. The East 9:01 Gate represents the innocence that came before the event while the West 9:03 Gate represents the healing that began immediately after.
The Reflecting Pool stands between the East and West Gates. The gently flowing waters with no visible moving source are intended to soothe and inspire visitors to look into the pool and see the face of someone forever changed.
The Survivor Tree is a century old American Elm that survived the blast and still bears the burn marks on the trunk. It stands at the highest point of the Memorial as a symbol of strength and resilience.
The Field of Empty Chairs occupies the field where the Murrah Federal Building once stood. The 168 chairs are etched with the name of the person killed. The 19 smaller chairs represent the children. The chairs are arranged in nine rows reflecting the floor where the victims were located.
Rescue and recovery efforts concluded at 12:01 May 5, 1995. Over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue efforts. Along the front side of the Memorial is the Rescuer’s Orchard – an army of trees standing guard over the Survivor Tree. One of the rescue teams left a message on the wall.
Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum
The Memorial Museum allows you to experience the events of April 19 minute by minute. To lay the foundation of the story, the history of the Murrah Federal Building and surrounding neighborhood along with the rise of extremism in the United States are presented. In the next room you hear the actual audio of the blast as recorded during an Oklahoma Water Resources Board meeting. You then move on to descriptions of the ensuing chaos and early survivor experiences. Next you witness media coverage as news of the attack circulates around the world. As more and more rescue teams join in the search for survivors, the community responds with food, water, boots and shoes, booties for the search dogs, and anything else needed. The recovery efforts continued for 16 days. A total of 168 people were confirmed dead with an age range of 3 months to 73 years. The victims are honored in the Gallery of Honor with photos, artifacts, and videos from family members and friends. The final section presents the investigation, evidence, and search for justice. Included in this section are crime scene evidence, the getaway car, and parts of the rental truck. It also presents the trials, sentencing and the team that sought justice.
We found the Memorial and Museum very well done and thought-provoking. It was sobering to be reminded of one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism.
A New Beginning
In the aftermath of the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the General Services Administration immediately sought to replace the facility. It was imperative that the new building be able to withstand the type of terrorist attack that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building. Even more importantly, the new building needed to convey to the world that the community indeed intended to go on.
The 185,000 square foot building was constructed on a 2 city block site, one block north and west of the former Murrah Federal Building. The new structure was dedicated in May, 2004.
The years have passed. Our journey done.
The road wound back to where we’d begun.
Where hope and courage would not fall,
we plant our feet. Survivors all.
Poem written on occasion of moving into the new Oklahoma City Federal Building on March 15, 2004 by Robert Roddy – HUD Employee Survivor
We leave Oklahoma City with a better understanding of the resolve and resilience of this community after enduring unspeakable tragedy.
