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OKLAHOMA...
IT'S WHERE THE "WIND COMES SWEEPIN' DOWN THE PLAIN."
A LAND OF GREAT TALLGRASS PRAIRIE
WHERE HERDS OF BUFFALO ROAM FREE,
AND WILDCAT OIL RIGS GUSH BLACK GOLD!
BUT OKLAHOMA IS MUCH MORE THAN THIS.
IT'S A STATE THAT'S ENDURED GREAT SUFFERING.
IT'S HERE WHERE THOUSANDS FLED DUST BOWL DEVASTATION
DURING THE LARGEST MIGRATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY,
WHERE DEADLY TWISTERS RIP THROUGH TOWNS
IN THE DARK OF NIGHT,
AND WHERE FAMILIES STILL GATHER EVERY YEAR
TO REMEMBER AN ACT OF TERRORISM THAT SHOOK THE WORLD.
BUT IT WAS ALSO IN OKLAHOMA THAT THOUSANDS OF HOPEFUL SETTLERS
LINED UP ON A RIVER FOR A SHOT AT THE AMERICAN DREAM,
INCLUDING THE ANCESTORS
OF OKLAHOMA-BORN MEGASTAR BRAD PITT.
ON AN OKLAHOMA RANCH, AMERICA'S FAVORITE COWBOY, WILL ROGERS,
LEARNED HIS SKILLS.
AND IT WAS HERE THAT AN EARLY EXPLORER
DISCOVERED A GIANT LAKE OF SALT.
IN OKLAHOMA, OIL WORKERS HAVE BEEN THE STATE'S HEROES
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.
AND CHEROKEE BLOOD RUNS DEEP.
PEOPLE HERE KNOW THEY BELONG TO THE LAND.
AND THAT THE LAND THEY BELONG TO IS GRAND, INDEED.
OKLAHOMA!
A DUSTY RIBBON REACHES TO THE HORIZON.
IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH,
BUT IT'S ONE OF THE MOST LEGENDARY ROADS IN AMERICA--
ROUTE 66.
JOHN STEINBECK WAS THE FIRST TO DUB THIS ROUTE
"THE MOTHER ROAD"
IN HIS FAMOUS NOVEL "THE GRAPES OF WRATH."
COMMISSIONED IN 1926, IT RAN FROM THE MIDWEST,
ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS TO CALIFORNIA,
CUTTING THE DRIVE FROM CHICAGO TO LOS ANGELES BY 200 MILES.
IN OKLAHOMA, THE NEW HIGHWAY USED EXISTING PRIMITIVE ROADS
LIKE THIS ONE, CALLED THE RIBBON ROAD.
A 9-FOOT WIDE STRETCH
JUST BIG ENOUGH FOR PASSING MODEL Ts
THAT PLIED THE NEW ROUTE 66 IN THE 1920s AND '30s.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH CALIFORNIA
WITHOUT BRIDGES LIKE THIS ONE.
THE NOW HISTORIC PONY BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED IN 1933.
NAMED FOR THE STEEL "PONY" TRUSSES
THAT WERE USED TO BUILD IT,
FOR OKLAHOMANS, IT WAS FINISHED JUST IN TIME.
WITHIN JUST FIVE YEARS,
THOUSANDS OF DEPRESSION-ERA MIGRANTS
PACKED ALL THEIR BELONGINGS INTO WHATEVER VEHICLES THEY HAD
AND CROSSED THE PONY BRIDGE,
FLEEING OKLAHOMA AND ITS DUST BOWL DEVASTATION
TO SEARCH FOR JOBS AND A BETTER LIFE.
FOR THOSE EARLY TRAVELERS AND OTHERS,
ROADHOUSES AND GAS STATIONS WERE THEIR LIFELINE.
AND THERE MAY BE NO FUEL STOP ON ROUTE 66
MORE FAMOUS THAN THIS ONE--
LUCILLE'S PLACE.
LUCILLE HAMONS AND HER HUSBAND CARL
OPENED THIS REST STOP IN 1941.
WHEN TIMES GOT HARD, AS THEY OFTEN DID,
LUCILLE WOULD TRADE GAS
FOR WHATEVER WEARY TRAVELERS HAD TO OFFER.
THAT'S HOW SHE EARNED THE NICKNAME
"MOTHER OF THE MOTHER ROAD."
BUT AS AMERICA'S INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
SNAKED ACROSS THE LAND,
LUCILLE'S PLACE AND ROUTE 66 WERE RENDERED OBSOLETE.
THOUGH, THAT HASN'T PUT AN END TO NOSTALGIA
FOR THIS HISTORIC HIGHWAY,
OR NEW REST STOPS ALONG THE WAY.
LIKE THIS STRANGE OBJECT IN ARCADIA,
ABOUT 90 MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM LUCILLE'S.
A GIANT SCULPTURE IN THE SHAPE OF A SODA POP BOTTLE AND STRAW.
IT TOWERS OVER POP'S, A MECCA FOR SODA POP LOVERS.
INSIDE THIS GAS STATION,
TRAVELERS CAN REFUEL WITH 600 KINDS OF POP
FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE GIANT SODA BOTTLE OUTSIDE STANDS A SYMBOLIC 66 FEET HIGH
AND BECKONS TRAVELERS TO STOP FOR A SIP
AND POSE FOR A PICTURE.
TODAY, CROSSING OKLAHOMA IS AS EASY
AS DRIVING FROM ONE QUIRKY LANDMARK TO ANOTHER.
BUT LONG BEFORE ROADS TRAVERSED THIS STATE,
IT WAS A VERY DIFFERENT STORY.
WHEN EARLY EXPLORERS AND SETTLERS HEADING WEST
REACHED OKLAHOMA,
THEY HIT A NEARLY IMPENETRABLE BARRIER--
THICK FORESTS CALLED THE CROSS TIMBERS
THAT CUT NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION.
WASHINGTON IRVING, AUTHOR OF "RIP VAN WINKLE,"
TRIED TO GET THROUGH THE CROSS TIMBERS IN THE 1830s.
HE LATER WROTE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE IN HIS BOOK,
"A TOUR ON THE PRAIRIES."
"I SHALL NOT EASILY FORGET THE MORTAL TOIL,
AND THE VEXATIONS OF FLESH AND SPIRIT
IN OUR WANDERINGS THROUGH THE CROSS TIMBER.
IT WAS LIKE STRUGGLING THROUGH FORESTS OF CAST IRON."
BUT IRVING FINALLY MANAGED TO GET THROUGH,
AND THE REWARD WAS MAGNIFICENT.
A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS FLAT LANDSCAPE
CALLED THE TALLGRASS PRAIRIE THAT TEEMED WITH LIFE.
AT THE TIME, HERDS OF BUFFALO VIRTUALLY COVERED THE PRAIRIE.
THEY WERE SOME OF THE MORE THAN 30 MILLION BISON
THAT ONCE ROAMED THE GREAT PLAINS,
UNTIL EAGER SETTLERS HUNTED THEM
ALMOST TO EXTINCTION.
IN 1993, A LOCAL RANCHER DONATED 300 BISON TO THE PRESERVE.
SINCE THEN, THE HERD HAS GROWN TO 2,500.
BUT IT'S STILL JUST A FRACTION OF THE NUMBER OF BISON
THAT ONCE CALLED THIS TALLGRASS PRAIRIE HOME.
LIKE THE BUFFALO,
THE PRAIRIE ITSELF HAS SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF MAN.
THIS INLAND SEA OF GRASS ONCE SPANNED PORTIONS OF 14 STATES,
STRETCHING FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO TO CANADA.
TODAY, LESS THAN 4% OF IT REMAINS,
AND MUCH OF THAT LIES HERE IN OKLAHOMA'S OSAGE COUNTY.
THIS IS THE LAND OF THE OSAGE NATION,
THE ONLY NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATION LEFT IN OKLAHOMA.
IN 1870,
AFTER THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FORCED THE TRIBE
OFF ITS LAND IN KANSAS,
THE OSAGE DID SOMETHING NO OTHER TRIBE HAD DONE BEFORE--
IT BOUGHT ITS OWN RESERVATION IN OKLAHOMA FOR A MILLION DOLLARS.
BUT WHEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATED THE DEAL,
IT HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS SELLING.
SOON AFTER THE OSAGE BOUGHT THE LAND,
THE TRIBE DISCOVERED IT WAS SITTING ON
ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST FORTUNES--
A 33-SQUARE-MILE UNDERGROUND LAKE OF OIL!
THE TRIBE BEGAN LEASING AND AUCTIONING OFF
RIGHTS TO THIS BOUNTY FOR MILLIONS.
AND SINCE ALL OF THE TRIBE'S MINERAL RIGHTS WERE COMMUNAL,
IT BECAME THE RICHEST NATION ON EARTH AT THE TIME,
VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT.
BUT THIS WAS STILL THE WILD WEST,
AND AS OIL MONEY FLOWED,
VIOLENCE AND DEATH QUICKLY FOLLOWED
AS WHITE SETTLERS TRIED TO GET THEIR HANDS
ON TRIBE MEMBERS' SHARES OF INCOME FROM THE OIL.
DOZENS OF OSAGE WERE MURDERED.
THEY WERE SHOT, POISONED, AND KILLED BY A NITROGLYCERINE BOMB
THAT HAD BEEN PLANTED IN A HOUSE.
ONE NEWSPAPER DESCRIBED THESE EVENTS AS A "REIGN OF TERROR."
SOME OF THE KILLINGS HAVE GONE UNSOLVED TO THIS DAY.
BY 1940,
THE OSAGE HAD MADE MORE THAN $250 MILLION
FROM THEIR $1 MILLION PARCEL.
THOSE BOOM TIMES ARE GONE,
BUT OIL IS STILL BIG BUSINESS HERE.
RISING LIKE ANCIENT SHIPS ON THE HORIZON,
HUNDREDS OF PUMPS STILL WORK 24/7,
AND OIL TANKERS LIKE THESE CRISSCROSS THE PRAIRIE
TO COLLECT OIL FROM WELLS
AND FERRY IT TO PIPELINES AND REFINERIES.
BUT BACK WHEN OIL WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN OKLAHOMA,
THINGS WERE VERY DIFFERENT.
THERE WERE NO TRUCKS OR ROADS TO GET IT TO MARKET.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE
ON THE BANKS OF THE CANEY RIVER
NEAR WHAT WAS THEN THE TINY TOWN OF BARTLESVILLE.
IN 1897, AFTER SEEING OIL SEEPING FROM THE GROUND,
GEORGE KEELER, THE OWNER OF A SMALL TRADING POST,
DRILLED OKLAHOMA'S FIRST COMMERCIAL OIL WELL,
ALONG WITH HIS PARTNER WILLIAM JOHNSTONE.
TODAY, A REDWOOD REPLICA OF THEIR ORIGINAL DERRICK
STANDS AT THE SITE.
JOHNSTONE NAMED IT AFTER HIS DAUGHTER,
CALLING IT THE NELLIE JOHNSTONE NUMBER ONE.
THE TWO MEN HAD STRUCK BLACK GOLD.
BUT THE PROBLEM WAS,
THEY COULDN'T CASH IN ON THEIR FIND.
THEY HAD NO WAY TO GET THE OIL OUT OF TOWN.
ALL THEY COULD DO WAS CAP THE WELL AND WAIT.
THEY WAITED FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR,
AND THEN ANOTHER.
FINALLY, IN 1899,
A SOLUTION STEAMED INTO TOWN.
THE RAILWAY ARRIVED IN BARTLESVILLE.
JOHNSTONE AND KEELER UNCAPPED THEIR WELL
AND BARTLESVILLE WAS TRANSFORMED OVERNIGHT INTO AN OIL BOOMTOWN,
A BOOMTOWN THAT WOULD PRODUCE SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES
IN AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
ONE OF THOSE WAS J. PAUL GETTY.
HE GOT HIS START HERE,
WORKING SUMMERS NEAR BARTLESVILLE
IN HIS FATHER'S OIL FIELDS
BEFORE GOING ON TO BECOME A GLOBAL OIL TYCOON
AND AMERICA'S RICHEST MAN.
AS GETTY WOULD LATER REMARK,
"THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH,
BUT NOT ITS MINERAL RIGHTS."
GETTY WASN'T THE ONLY ONE IN BARTLESVILLE
FIGHTING FOR A PIECE OF THE REGION'S RICHES.
THIS NEOCLASSICAL MANSION WAS BUILT IN 1909 BY FRANK PHILLIPS,
WHO FOUNDED THE PHILLIPS PETROLEUM COMPANY
WITH HIS BROTHER L.E.
A FEW YEARS EARLIER,
THE PHILLIPS BROTHERS HAD DUG THEIR FIRST WELL,
ANNA ANDERSON NUMBER ONE,
AND AN AMAZING 80 PRODUCTIVE WELLS FOLLOWED.
TODAY, THEIR COMPANY HAS BECOME CONOCOPHILLIPS
AND IS KNOWN ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS
FOR ITS PHILLIPS 66 SERVICE STATIONS,
NAMED AFTER ROUTE 66.
ANOTHER OIL PIPELINE FORTUNE
FUNDED ONE OF THE STATE'S MOST FAMOUS SKYSCRAPERS,
THE PRICE TOWER,
BUILT HERE IN BARTLESVILLE IN 1956.
THE LEGENDARY AMERICAN ARCHITECT FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
DESIGNED A NUMBER OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS DURING HIS LIFETIME,
BUT THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO THAT WERE EVER BUILT.
THE MAGAZINE "ARCHITECTURAL FORUM" CALLED THE BUILDING
"SOMEWHAT SMALL IN SIZE BUT VAST IN REACH."
WRIGHT CALLED THE TOWER
"THE TREE THAT ESCAPED THE CROWDED FOREST."
THAT'S BECAUSE WRIGHT DESIGNED THE BUILDING
AROUND A CENTRAL "TRUNK" OF FOUR ELEVATOR SHAFTS,
OFF OF WHICH HE WANTED THE FLOORS TO EXTEND LIKE BRANCHES.
HE THEN CLAD THE FACADE WITH WHAT HE CALLED COPPER "LEAVES."
TODAY, THE 19-STORY PRICE TOWER IS A MAJOR ART CENTER
AND STILL TOWERS OVER THE PRAIRIE AROUND BARTLESVILLE.
AND THESE DAYS, NEW ENERGY COMPANIES IN OKLAHOMA
ARE MAKING THEIR OWN MARK ON THE HORIZON.
122 MILES AWAY, IN THE STATE CAPITAL OF OKLAHOMA CITY,
A NEW STRUCTURE IS REACHING FOR THE SKIES.
TOWERING 50 STORIES OVER THE STATE CAPITOL,
THE DEVON TOWER IS THE TALLEST BUILDING IN OKLAHOMA,
FUNDED BY A BOOM IN NATURAL GAS.
DEVON ENERGY, WHICH BUILT THE BUILDING,
PRODUCES ABOUT 2.5 BILLION CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS EACH DAY.
AT ITS BASE, ANOTHER GAS GIANT, CHESAPEAKE ENERGY,
PAYS MORE THAN $3 MILLION A YEAR
FOR NAMING RIGHTS TO THE HOME ARENA
OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER BASKETBALL TEAM,
FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE SEATTLE SUPERSONICS.
THE TEAM'S RECENT SUCCESS
HAS BEEN IN PART DUE TO ITS LONG-TERM DEAL
WITH SUPERSTAR KEVIN DURANT.
ENERGY COMPANIES MAY BE MAKING THE BIGGEST MARK
ON OKLAHOMA CITY'S SKYLINE,
BUT IT'S WHAT LIES BELOW GROUND
THAT MAKES THIS STATE CAPITAL TRULY UNIQUE.
OKLAHOMA CLAIMS TO HAVE THE ONLY STATE HOUSE IN THE WORLD
THAT SITS ON TOP OF AN OIL FIELD.
THIS WELL, ON THE CAPITOL GROUNDS,
WAS FIRST DRILLED IN 1941 IN A BED OF PETUNIAS,
WHICH IS WHY IT'S CALLED PETUNIA NUMBER ONE.
SINCE THEN, IT PRODUCED 1.5 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL
UNTIL THE WELL DRIED UP IN 1986.
OKLAHOMA CITY'S THRIVING OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES
HAVE HELPED GIVE THE CITY ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING JOB MARKETS
IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT MANY HERE STILL LIVE
WITH THE SCARS OF AN ACT OF VIOLENCE SO TERRIFYING,
IT BORDERS ON THE UNIMAGINABLE.
EVERY APRIL IN OKLAHOMA CITY
A GROUP GATHERS IN REMEMBRANCE OF LOVED ONES--
THOSE KILLED IN THE MOST HORRIFYING ACT
OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
THIS IS THE SITE OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING.
THE ALFRED P. MURRAH FEDERAL BUILDING ONCE STOOD HERE.
BUT NOW A MEMORIAL COVERS THE SITE.
EACH YEAR, ON APRIL 19th, THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOMBING,
THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO DIED
COME FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND GATHER IN FRONT OF THE MEMORIAL'S REFLECTING POOL.
AT 9:02 AM, THE EXACT TIME OF THE BOMBING,
THEY STAND FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE,
AND THEN READ, ONE BY ONE, THE NAMES OF THEIR LOVED ONES
TO REMEMBER THE INNOCENT LIVES LOST ON THAT SPRING DAY.
A DAY THAT STARTED OFF LIKE ANY OTHER IN OKLAHOMA CITY,
UNTIL A MAN PARKED A TRUCK IN FRONT OF THE FEDERAL BUILDING
AND WALKED AWAY.
MINUTES LATER,
A HOMEMADE FERTILIZER BOMB IN THE TRUCK EXPLODED.
THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION RIPPED THE FACE OFF THE FEDERAL BUILDING,
BLASTED A 30-FOOT-WIDE CRATER IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY,
DAMAGED STRUCTURES OVER A 60-BLOCK AREA,
AND KILLED 168 PEOPLE,
19 OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN.
HERE IN THE MEMORIAL,
THOSE WHO DIED ARE REMEMBERED BY A FIELD OF CHAIRS,
LAID OUT IN NINE ROWS
REPRESENTING THE BUILDING'S NINE FLOORS.
EACH CHAIR BEARS THE NAME OF SOMEONE
WHO PERISHED ON THAT FLOOR.
AMONG THEM, SMALLER CHAIRS FOR THE CHILDREN WHO DIED.
STANDING AT EITHER END OF THE MEMORIAL ARE THE GATES OF TIME
THAT FRAME THE EXACT MOMENT OF THE BOMBING.
THE EAST GATE IS INSCRIBED 9:01 A.M.,
JUST BEFORE THE BOMB DETONATED.
ON THE WEST GATE, 9:03 A.M.,
THE FIRST FULL MINUTE AFTER THE EXPLOSION.
DESPITE THE DEVASTATION,
AN AMERICAN ELM SURVIVED THE BLAST.
IT'S HERE, UNDER THE BRANCHES OF THIS "SURVIVOR TREE"
THAT FAMILIES GATHER EACH YEAR
TO OFFER EACH OTHER SOLACE AND HEALING FOR ALL THAT WAS LOST.
LESS THAN TWO HOURS AFTER THE ATTACK,
THE BOMBER, TIMOTHY McVEIGH, WAS APPREHENDED BY CHANCE
DURING A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP.
WITHIN TWO DAYS, HIS ACCOMPLICE TERRY NICHOLS
WAS ALSO IN CUSTODY.
AND AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WERE SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY McVEIGH AND NICHOLS
CARRIED OUT THIS HORRIFYING CRIME.
SIX MONTHS TO THE DAY AFTER THE BOMBING,
PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED EXECUTIVE ORDER 12977,
WHICH OUTLINED NEW SECURITY STANDARDS
FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES.
THOSE STANDARDS WERE PUT INTO ACTION
HERE AT THE NEW OKLAHOMA CITY FEDERAL BUILDING,
JUST A BLOCK AWAY FROM THE MEMORIAL.
BLAST-RESISTANT CONCRETE WALLS FACE THE STREET.
THERE'S NOW JUST A SINGLE LOBBY FOR VISITORS,
GUARDED 24/7.
TO KEEP THE NEW OKLAHOMA CITY FEDERAL BUILDING
FROM BECOMING A GIANT BUNKER,
ITS ARCHITECTS DESIGNED AN ELLIPTICAL COURTYARD
WITH WALLS OF HIGH-TECH SHATTERPROOF GLASS
THAT BATHE WORKERS INSIDE WITH NATURAL LIGHT
AND ENSURE THIS FEDERAL FACILITY REMAINS INVITING
TO THE PUBLIC IT SERVES.
WITH THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING,
THIS GREAT PLAINS STATE FOUND ITSELF, SUDDENLY,
ON THE FRONTLINE OF A WAR AGAINST DOMESTIC TERRORISTS.
BUT PREPARING FOR THREATS TO THE NATION
HAS A LONG HISTORY IN OKLAHOMA.
JUST 79 MILES SOUTH OF THE CAPITAL LIES FORT SILL,
ONE OF JUST FIVE U.S. ARMY BASIC COMBAT TRAINING SITES
IN THE COUNTRY.
HERE, SOLDIERS PREPARE FOR DEPLOYMENT OVERSEAS.
DURING LIVE FIRE TRAINING,
MARINES LEARN HOW TO FIRE HOWITZERS
ARMED WITH 155-MILLIMETER ROUNDS.
AND NEARBY IS A U.S. ARMY URBAN COMBAT FACILITY.
WELCOME TO LIBERTY CITY.
MADE FROM OLD SHIPPING CONTAINERS,
THIS TRAINING SITE,
COMPLETE WITH A BUILDING DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A MOSQUE,
HELPS PREPARE SOLDIERS
FOR SITUATIONS THEY MIGHT FACE OVERSEAS.
HERE, SOLDIERS DRESSED AS MIDDLE EASTERN MEN
TAKE PART IN DRILLS
WHERE TROOPS PRACTICE SEARCHING FOR TERRORISTS AND INSURGENTS
HIDING IN A VILLAGE.
WHEN FORT SILL WAS ESTABLISHED HERE IN 1869,
ITS PURPOSE WASN'T TO TRAIN TROOPS TO FIGHT FOREIGN WARS.
IT WAS A U.S. ARMY OUTPOST
BUILT TO PROTECT SETTLEMENTS ON THE FRONTIER,
AND TO CONTROL THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES
THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CONSIDERED A THREAT
TO WHITE SETTLERS.
OVER THE YEARS,
MANY FAMOUS FRONTIER SCOUTS PASSED THROUGH THE FORT,
INCLUDING "BUFFALO BILL" CODY.
BUT THE MOST FAMOUS FIGURE TO ARRIVE HERE
WAS THE GREAT APACHE CHIEF AND WARRIOR, GERONIMO.
AFTER ELUDING THE U.S. ARMY FOR CLOSE TO A DECADE,
HE FINALLY SURRENDERED IN 1886,
AND WAS EVENTUALLY BROUGHT HERE TO FORT SILL
AND LOCKED UP IN THE OLD GUARDHOUSE.
AS SETTLERS HAD MOVED ON TO NATIVE AMERICAN LAND
IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO,
GERONIMO AND HIS APACHE WARRIORS HAD ATTACKED AND RAIDED
THE NEW SETTLEMENTS,
WHICH MADE THEM ENEMY NUMBER ONE OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
LEGENDS ABOUND OF GERONIMO'S CUNNING AND BRAVERY.
PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEGEND OF ALL
IS SAID TO HAVE HAPPENED HERE AT FORT SILL.
THE STORY GOES THAT GERONIMO WAS LEADING THE U.S. CAVALRY
ON A WILD CHASE ACROSS SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA
WHEN HE RACED TO THE TOP OF THESE HILLS,
KNOWN AS MEDICINE BLUFFS,
AND THEN DARINGLY LEAPT ON HORSEBACK
TO THE RIVER BELOW,
LEAVING HIS PURSUERS IN THE DUST,
AND SHOUTING, "GERONIMO!" AS HE PLUNGED.
IT'S A TALE THAT STILL PROMPTS SOME U.S. ARMY PARATROOPERS
TO CRY GERONIMO'S NAME
WHEN THEY LEAP FROM GREAT HEIGHTS TODAY.
AFTER HE WAS BROUGHT TO FORT SILL,
GERONIMO WAS FORCED TO BECOME A PUMPKIN FARMER
HERE ON THE GROUNDS OF THE FORT.
AND HE DIED HERE, TOO,
ON FEBRUARY 17, 1909,
NEARLY 90 YEARS OLD,
REPORTEDLY FROM PNEUMONIA.
DURING HIS LIFETIME,
GERONIMO WITNESSED THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION OF OKLAHOMA
FROM A LAND WITH MILES OF OPEN EXPANSE
THAT BELONGED TO THE KIOWA AND OTHER NATIVE TRIBES
TO A TERRITORY WHERE OIL CITIES BOOMED OVERNIGHT,
AND FINALLY TO A U.S. STATE,
JUST TWO YEARS BEFORE GERONIMO'S DEATH.
IT WAS A JOURNEY THAT STARTED IN 1830,
WHEN OKLAHOMA WAS CHOSEN TO PLAY A LEADING ROLE
IN A PAINFUL CHAPTER OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
A CHAPTER THAT LED HERE,
TO FORT GIBSON,
THE END OF THE LINE OF WHAT WOULD FAMOUSLY BE CALLED
THE TRAIL OF TEARS.
IN 1830, PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON SIGNED
THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT INTO LAW.
IT ALLOWED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO TAKE NATIVE AMERICANS
OUT OF THEIR HOMES IN ALABAMA, TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA
AND OTHER SOUTHERN STATES
AND RELOCATE THEM TO THE WEST IN OKLAHOMA.
FOR MANY IT WAS A BRUTAL JOURNEY.
ROUGHLY A QUARTER OF THE 16,000 RELOCATED CHEROKEE
DIED EN ROUTE.
ONE GEORGIA SOLDIER WHO TOOK PART IN THE REMOVAL
LATER STATED, "I FOUGHT THROUGH THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES,
AND I HAVE SEEN MANY MEN SHOT,
BUT THE CHEROKEE REMOVAL WAS THE CRUELEST WORK I EVER KNEW."
THE TRAIL OF TEARS LED HERE TO FORT GIBSON.
AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL,
THE CHEROKEE AND OTHER TRIBES WERE GIVEN LAND
TO CALL THEIR NEW HOME.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD DIVIDED MOST OF PRESENT-DAY OKLAHOMA
INTO MORE THAN TWO DOZEN PARCELS CALLED THE ASSIGNED LANDS,
WHICH THE GOVERNMENT THEN GAVE
TO VARIOUS NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES.
ONE OF THOSE, IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA,
BECAME THE NEW HOME OF THE CHEROKEE NATION.
OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS,
THE CHEROKEE AND OTHER RELOCATED TRIBES
WORKED HARD TO ESTABLISH ROOTS
ON THE NEW LAND THEY'D BEEN GIVEN.
AND CHEROKEE BLOOD HAS RUN DEEP IN OKLAHOMA EVER SINCE.
SO DEEP THAT ONE OF THE STATE'S FAVORITE SONS
WAS FAMOUSLY AND PROUDLY PART CHEROKEE.
IN 1879, WILL ROGERS,
COWBOY, VAUDEVILLE PERFORMER, HUMORIST, AND MOVIE ACTOR,
WAS BORN JUST OUTSIDE THE TOWN OF OOLOGAH
HERE ON DOG IRON RANCH.
"MY FATHER WAS ONE-EIGHTH CHEROKEE INDIAN,"
ROGERS ONCE SAID.
"AND MY MOTHER WAS QUARTER-BLOOD CHEROKEE.
I NEVER GOT FAR ENOUGH IN ARITHMETIC
TO FIGURE OUT JUST HOW MUCH "***" THAT MAKES ME,
BUT THERE'S NOTHING OF WHICH I AM MORE PROUD
THAN MY CHEROKEE BLOOD."
IT WAS ON THIS RANCH THAT ROGERS LEARNED THE SKILLS
THAT WOULD MAKE HIM AMERICA'S MOST LOVED COWBOY.
CATTLE STILL GRAZE ON THE RANCH TODAY,
JUST AS THEY DID IN THE 1920s AND '30s,
BY WHICH TIME ROGERS HAD BECOME
ONE OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST CELEBRITIES,
APPEARING IN DOZENS OF MOVIES AND STAGE SHOWS.
HAVING TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD THREE TIMES,
HE WAS ALSO A GREAT PROMOTER OF AVIATION,
BUT DIED IN A PLANE CRASH IN ALASKA IN 1935.
TODAY, ROGERS' LEGACY HERE STILL LOOMS LARGE,
AND THE WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL IN CLAREMORE
HOLDS THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION
OF MEMORABILIA AND MANUSCRIPTS
DOCUMENTING THE LIFE OF THIS BELOVED OKLAHOMAN,
WHO FAMOUSLY SAID, "I NEVER MET A MAN I DIDN'T LIKE."
LESS THAN 30 YEARS AFTER WILL ROGERS' DEATH,
ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD MEGASTAR WAS BORN IN A SMALL OKLAHOMA TOWN.
AS CLEVER FANS OF "BRANGELINA" ALREADY KNOW,
THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
THAT ANGELINA JOLIE HAS TATTOOED ON HER ARM
WILL LEAD YOU RIGHT HERE,
TO SHAWNEE, OKLAHOMA.
POPULATION LESS THAN 30,000,
BUT KNOWN BY MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD AS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST STARS.
ON DECEMBER 18, 1963,
IN A ROOM ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF SHAWNEE'S SMALL A.C.H. HOSPITAL,
JANE PITT GAVE BIRTH TO A SON, WILLIAM BRADLEY PITT.
ACTOR BRAD PITT IS MORE OFTEN ASSOCIATED
WITH SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI,
WHERE THE FAMILY MOVED AFTER HE WAS BORN.
BUT WHAT BROUGHT BRAD PITT'S ANCESTORS HERE TO SHAWNEE
TO BEGIN WITH IS A PURE OKLAHOMA STORY.
LIKE MANY OTHERS, BRAD PITT'S GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER
WILLIAM H. BROWN AND HIS WIFE MINNIE
FIRST CAME TO OKLAHOMA
TO TAKE PART IN A SINGLE HISTORIC MOMENT.
A MOMENT WHEN THE DREAMS OF THOUSANDS OF HOPEFUL SETTLERS
WERE FULFILLED,
AND MILLIONS OF ACRES OF NATIVE AMERICAN LAND
WERE GIVEN AWAY FOR NOTHING.
IT ALL STARTED IN 1889.
BY THEN MOST OF OKLAHOMA HAD BEEN "ASSIGNED"
BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES.
BUT NEARLY TWO MILLION ACRES OF "UNASSIGNED" LAND
LAY IN THE CENTER OF THE STATE.
THAT YEAR, PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON
ISSUED A PROCLAMATION
THAT ON APRIL 22, 1889, AT NOON,
THESE UNASSIGNED LANDS COULD BE HAD BY ANY SETTLER
WHO WAS FAST ENOUGH TO GRAB A 160-ACRE PARCEL.
50,000 PEOPLE FLOODED INTO THE REGION.
MANY LINED UP HERE ON THE BANKS OF THE CANADIAN RIVER,
ON THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE LAND TO BE GIVEN AWAY.
UNDER THE TERMS OF THE PROCLAMATION,
NO ONE COULD CROSS THE RIVER TO CLAIM LAND
UNTIL EXACTLY 12:00 NOON.
ONE PIONEER NAMED EMMA CHILDERS WAS THERE
AND DESCRIBED THE SCENE...
"ALL OF THE MEN ALONG THE SOUTH CANADIAN RIVER
GOT AS FAR IN THE RIVER AS THEY POSSIBLY COULD
WITHOUT SINKING IN THE QUICKSAND.
AND THERE WAITED FOR THE HOUR OF NOON TO COME."
WHEN THE CLOCK STRUCK 12:00,
THE CANNONS FIRED,
AND THE RACE TO CLAIM HOMESTEADS AND TOWN SITES WAS ON.
TODAY, THE CENTENNIAL LAND RUN MONUMENT,
IN OKLAHOMA CITY, CAPTURES THAT EXACT MOMENT
IN LARGE SCULPTURES OF BRONZE.
ALL LARGER THAN LIFE,
THE SETTLERS RACE WILDLY ACROSS THE RIVER
IN A FRENETIC FIGHT FOR THE OFFERED PRIZES.
IN THE NORTH, THOUSANDS MORE RUSHERS ARRIVED.
HERE, BY NIGHTFALL, 10,000 PEOPLE SETTLED
IN A TINY FLY SPECK OF A TOWN CALLED GUTHRIE.
AND THOUSANDS MORE SOON ARRIVED BY TRAIN--
TRAINS THAT WERE SO FULL OF RUSHERS
THEY WERE SAID TO LOOK LIKE CENTIPEDES
AS THEY PULLED IN TO GUTHRIE'S STATION.
WITHIN MONTHS, THIS ONCE SLEEPY SETTLEMENT
BECAME A BUSTLING METROPOLIS,
A MODERN BRICK AND STONE CITY,
KNOWN AS THE "QUEEN OF THE PRAIRIE."
ONE YEAR AFTER THAT FIRST LAND RUN,
GUTHRIE WAS MADE THE CAPITAL OF THE NEW TERRITORY OF OKLAHOMA.
BUT AT THE TIME,
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PRESENT-DAY OKLAHOMA
WAS STILL NATIVE AMERICAN LAND.
FROM THE MISTY ARKANSAS RIVER IN THE NORTH
TO IRON-RICH COTTONWOOD CREEK,
FROM VAST LAKES AND DENSE FORESTS IN THE EAST,
TO THE MAJESTIC GLASS MOUNTAINS IN THE WEST,
NATIVE CULTURES HAD FLOURISHED HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THE WICHITA AND KIOWA STILL CALLED THIS LAND HOME--
LAND THAT WAS WILD, BEAUTIFUL AND FREE.
BUT THAT WAS NOT TO LAST.
EVEN THOUGH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD ASSIGNED
MOST OF OKLAHOMA TO NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES,
IT WOULD SOON TAKE THAT LAND AWAY.
STARTING IN 1891,
MORE LAND RUNS WERE HELD,
AND STEADILY, OKLAHOMA'S ASSIGNED LANDS WERE OPENED UP
TO WHITE SETTLERS.
WITHIN TWO DECADES,
OKLAHOMA AND ALL OF ITS INDIAN TERRITORY
BECAME AMERICA'S 46th STATE.
STATEHOOD CEREMONIES WERE HELD HERE IN 1907
ON THE STEPS OF GUTHRIE'S CARNEGIE LIBRARY.
DURING THIS PERIOD, THE TRAIN HELPED SPEED SETTLEMENT
THROUGHOUT WESTERN OKLAHOMA.
AND WHEREVER THE NEW SETTLERS MADE HOMES FOR THEMSELVES,
THEY BEGAN TO FARM THE LAND.
WHEAT FIELDS SPRANG UP, REACHING TO THE HORIZON.
FOR THESE FARMERS,
IT WAS A TIME OF DREAMS AND HOPES FOR A BETTER LIFE.
BUT THAT WAS NOT TO BE.
SOON THE LAND WOULD TURN ON THEM
AND TRANSFORM THEIR DREAMS TO DUST.
TRAVEL DOWN ANY TRAIN TRACK IN OKLAHOMA,
AND YOU'RE BOUND TO PASS ONE OF THE CATHEDRALS
OF THE GREAT PLAINS--
GRAIN ELEVATORS THAT TOWER OVER THE PLAINS.
AND NONE COMPARE TO THESE RISING OVER THE TOWN OF ENID,
NORTH OF OKLAHOMA CITY.
WITH A COMBINED CAPACITY OF ROUGHLY 65 MILLION BUSHELS,
THESE ARE THE LARGEST GRAIN ELEVATORS IN THE STATE,
AND SOME OF THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.
BUILT IN THE 1920s,
ENID ONCE CLAIMED TO BE THE WHEAT CAPITAL
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
WHICH HELPS EXPLAIN WHY THESE SOARING SILOS
ARE LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
WHEAT IS STILL THE NUMBER ONE CROP IN OKLAHOMA.
AND IT'S HERE WHERE THE RICH BOUNTY OF THE GREAT PLAINS
IS SAFELY STORED FOR MARKET.
BUT GROWING WHEAT AND OTHER CROPS
HAS NOT PROVEN TO BE AS EASY IN OKLAHOMA
AS THE STATE'S FIRST HOMESTEADERS IMAGINED.
WHEN THE RAINS ARE GOOD IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA,
GREEN FIELDS LIKE THESE BLANKET THE PLAINS.
FOR THE SETTLERS WHO ARRIVED HERE IN THE LATE 1800s,
THIS REGION APPEARED TO BE THE PROMISED LAND,
STRETCHING TO THE HORIZON.
BUT OKLAHOMANS HAVE HAD TO LEARN THE HARD WAY
THAT SURVIVAL HERE REQUIRES A DELICATE DANCE
WITH THE FORCES OF NATURE.
FLYING LOW OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA TODAY,
IT'S EASY TO SEE WHY.
MUCH OF IT IS ACTUALLY BONE DRY,
THANKS TO A RECENT DROUGHT.
WHEN IT GETS THIS DRY,
PLANTS AND GRASSES ARE ALL THAT KEEP THE TOPSOIL
FROM BLOWING AWAY.
IT WAS EASY TO FORGET THAT IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,
BECAUSE THE RAINS KEPT COMING,
AND SO FARMERS KEPT TILLING THE LAND
AND PLANTING CROP AFTER CROP,
ENJOYING YEAR AFTER YEAR OF BOUNTIFUL HARVESTS.
WHAT THOSE FARMERS DIDN'T KNOW
WAS THAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING A SMALL MOMENT
IN A LONG CYCLE OF RAIN AND DROUGHT.
AND BY CLEARING MORE AND MORE GRASSES
THAT HAD HELD THE TOP SOIL IN PLACE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
THEY WERE PUTTING THEMSELVES AT GREATER AND GREATER RISK.
BY THE 1930s, THE RAIN STOPPED FALLING.
THE LAND WAS DRYING OUT.
AND THEN THE WIND STARTED TO BLOW.
HERE IN THE FAR WEST OF THE STATE,
THE TOWN OF GUYMON, OKLAHOMA,
HAD ALREADY SUFFERED YEARS OF DROUGHT.
RESIDENTS PRAYED FOR RAIN AT THE TOWN'S METHODIST CHURCH.
BUT THE CLOUDS THAT ARRIVED BROUGHT DUST INSTEAD--
STORMS OF DUST THAT THEY CALLED BLACK BLIZZARDS.
AT THE TIME, DUST STORMS WERE FREQUENT
ACROSS A VAST SWATH OF THE GREAT PLAINS.
BUT IN 1935,
THE WORST OF THEM ALL HIT THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE.
A TOWERING WAVE OF DUST RACED SOUTH
TOWARDS THE CITIES OF GUYMON AND BOISE CITY.
ON SUNDAY, APRIL 14th,
JUST BEFORE THE BLACK CLOUD ARRIVED,
A REPORTER NAMED ROBERT GEIGER SET OUT FROM GUYMON
FOR BOISE CITY ON THIS ROAD.
BUT HE SOON FOUND HIMSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE "SUNDAY STORM."
"IT BECAME ABSOLUTELY BLACK AS NIGHT," HE LATER REPORTED.
"WE SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND TURNED ON THE CAR LIGHTS.
EXPLORING BY TOUCH, WE FOUND THE CAR TO BE IN A DUST DRIFT."
IT WAS GEIGER WHO COINED THE TERM "DUST BOWL"
THE NEXT DAY IN HIS ARTICLE
FOR THE WASHINGTON, D.C., EVENING STAR.
THE STORM RACED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST--
A STORM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LATER DESCRIBED AS
"A MASSIVE WALL OF BLOWING DUST
THAT RESEMBLED A LAND-BASED TSUNAMI."
RESIDENTS WAITED AS THE BLACK WALL APPROACHED
DOWNTOWN BOISE CITY.
IT WOULD BE THE FIRST OF MANY SUCH BLACK BLIZZARDS
TO HIT THE REGION'S FARMS AND RANCHES HARD.
CARS AND TRUCKS STOPPED WORKING.
NO ONE HAS CAPTURED THE EXPERIENCE OF THIS TIME
BETTER THAN OKLAHOMA NATIVE *** GUTHRIE.
"A DUST STORM HIT,
AND IT HIT LIKE THUNDER.
IT DUSTED US OVER, AND IT COVERED US UNDER.
BLOCKED OUT THE TRAFFIC AND BLOCKED OUT THE SUN,
STRAIGHT FOR HOME ALL THE PEOPLE DID RUN."
WITH NO CROPS LEFT IN THE FIELD AND NO MONEY IN THE BANK,
DESPERATION SET IN.
OKLAHOMANS, FOR WHOM THIS LAND WAS ALL THEY'D EVER KNOWN,
PACKED UP WHAT THEY COULD AND FLED.
SOON, A MASS EXODUS HAD BEGUN.
2.5 MILLION PEOPLE FROM OKLAHOMA AND OTHER PLAINS STATES
FLEEING THE DUST BOWL,
PART OF THE LARGEST MIGRATION IN U.S. HISTORY.
OVERLOADED CARS, TRUCKS AND EVEN WAGONS
STREAMED DOWN OKLAHOMA'S COUNTRY ROADS
AS MIGRANTS MADE THEIR WAY TO THE MOTHER ROAD,
ROUTE 66, TO GET OUT OF THE STATE
AND START THEIR SEARCH FOR A NEW LIFE.
SOME WOULD NOT SURVIVE THE JOURNEY.
FLYING OVER THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE TODAY,
IT'S STILL POSSIBLE TO DISCOVER
TRACES OF THIS HISTORIC MIGRATION.
ABANDONED FARMS STILL STAND ON THE LAND,
CARS STILL LIE SWALLOWED BY SAND,
AND EVIDENCE OF FORMER COMMUNITIES
CAN STILL BE SEEN ON THE PLAINS.
HERE, OUTSIDE BOISE CITY, THE POPULATION DROPPED BY 40%,
AS CHILDREN WERE PULLED OUT OF SCHOOL.
BUT IN THE END, MOST OKLAHOMANS ACTUALLY STUCK IT OUT,
HOLDING ON TO ALL THEY HAD
AND HOPING THAT ANOTHER CYCLE OF RAIN WOULD COME THEIR WAY.
TODAY, MANY OF THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
OF THOSE HEARTY SOULS ARE STILL HERE, TOO.
RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO ABANDONED HOMES ARE NEW ONES.
AND PEOPLE HERE ON THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE
STILL FARM THE LAND
JUST AS THEIR ANCESTORS HAVE FOR GENERATIONS,
DESPITE THE CONTINUED CYCLES OF RAIN AND DROUGHT.
RECENTLY, THIS PART OF OKLAHOMA HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A DROUGHT
EVEN WORSE THAN THE ONE THAT STRUCK BACK IN THE 1930s.
THE EFFECTS ARE VISIBLE FROM THE AIR.
THE ONLY GREEN TO BE SEEN
IS WHERE IRRIGATION KEEPS THE CROPS WATERED.
THANKS TO GENERATIONS OF TRIAL AND ERROR
AND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY,
OKLAHOMANS HAVE LEARNED TO SURVIVE
IN THE DRY AND DUSTY GREAT PLAINS.
SOME HAVE EVEN FOUND WAYS TO HAVE A BIT OF FUN WITH IT.
THIS IS LITTLE SAHARA STATE PARK--
MORE THAN 1,600 ACRES OF SAND DUNES.
THEY TOWER UP TO 75 FEET OVER THE PLAINS.
THIS VAST DESERT LANDSCAPE FORMED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
THANKS TO OKLAHOMA'S HOWLING WIND.
IT BECAME A POPULAR OKLAHOMA ATTRACTION IN THE 1950s
AFTER A NEARBY TOWN PLACED
A COUPLE OF OLD CIRCUS CAMELS HERE
TO LURE TOURISTS TO THE DUNES.
THESE DAYS, THIS LITTLE SAHARA IS AN OFF-ROADER'S PARADISE.
WHEN EARLY TRAVELERS CROSSED OKLAHOMA,
IT WASN'T THE SIGHT OF SAND THAT SURPRISED THEM THE MOST.
IT WAS WHAT APPEARED TO BE A GIANT FIELD OF SNOW.
IN 1811, A GROUP OF OSAGE INDIANS
GUIDED U.S. ARMY MAJOR GEORGE C. SIBLEY HERE
TO NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.
WHEN THEY ARRIVED,
ALL THEY COULD SEE WAS A VAST, WHITE EXPANSE
THAT SEEMED TO STRETCH ON FOREVER.
A SIGHT THAT STILL INSPIRES AWE TODAY FROM HIGH ABOVE.
BUT SKIM THE SURFACE,
AND YOU QUICKLY REALIZE IT'S ACTUALLY A VAST DEPOSIT OF SALT.
WHEN SIBLEY SAW IT, HE CALLED IT THE GRAND SALINE.
BUT IT'S KNOWN TODAY AS OKLAHOMA'S GREAT SALT PLAINS.
ONCE THIS WAS AN ANCIENT INLAND SEA.
WHEN THAT SEA EVAPORATED,
IT LEFT BEHIND THIS STUNNING RESOURCE
THAT COVERS MORE THAN 10,000 ACRES.
WILD ANIMALS USED IT AS A GIANT SALT LICK,
WHICH MADE IT A POPULAR HUNTING SPOT FOR NATIVE AMERICANS.
BUT AFTER NEWS OF SIBLEY'S DISCOVERY SPREAD,
ENTREPRENEURS RACED HERE
TO CARRY OFF WAGONLOADS OF THIS WHITE GOLD.
THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA,
STORIES ABOUND OF THE SEARCH FOR BURIED TREASURE,
OIL, GOLD, AND SALT.
BUT ONE SUCH SEARCH ENDED WITH HORRIFIC CONSEQUENCES
ON OKLAHOMA'S NORTHERN BORDER WITH KANSAS.
THIS IS THE FORMER TOWN OF PICHER.
WHEN LEAD AND ZINC WERE DISCOVERED
UNDER THE TOWN IN 1912,
THE RACE WAS ON TO GET IT OUT OF THE GROUND.
AS MINERS DUG OUT THE ORE,
THEY LEFT THE WASTE ROCK PILED UP RIGHT HERE IN TOWN.
OVER DECADES, HEAVY METALS AND OTHER HIGHLY TOXIC SUBSTANCES
LEACHED OUT OF THE WASTE INTO THE GROUNDWATER
AND LOCAL TAR CREEK.
IN 2008, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFERED TO BUY OUT PEOPLE'S HOMES.
14,000 PEOPLE ONCE LIVED HERE.
NOW MOUNDS OF WASTE SOIL ARE ALMOST ALL THAT REMAIN.
NEARLY ALL OF PICHER'S STORES, CHURCHES, HOUSES, AND PEOPLE
ARE GONE.
ONE OF THE MEN WHO WORKED IN PICHER'S MINES
WAS THE FATHER OF ONE OF BASEBALL'S GREATEST LEGENDS.
JUST DOWN THE DOWN THE ROAD IN COMMERCE
STANDS THE HOUSE OF THAT MINER
AND SIDE YARD WHERE HIS SON MICKEY MANTLE,
FAMOUS NEW YORK YANKEE,
AND THE BEST SWITCH-HITTER OF ALL TIME,
LEARNED HOW TO SWING A BAT.
HE'S SAID TO HAVE USED THE METAL SHED IN THE YARD
AS A BACKSTOP.
NEARBY, YOUNG BALLPLAYERS KEEP THEIR TOWN HERO'S LEGACY ALIVE
AT MICKEY MANTLE FIELD.
THESE DAYS, OKLAHOMANS ARE TAPPING
A CLEANER KIND OF RESOURCE--
THE POWER OF PRAIRIE WINDS.
JUST SOUTHWEST OF OKLAHOMA CITY, STANDS THE MINCO II WIND FARM,
BUILT BY ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST WIND DEVELOPERS.
MINCO II BOASTS 63 WIND TURBINES,
EACH OF WHICH GENERATE 1.6 MEGAWATTS OF POWER,
ENOUGH TO RUN 450 HOMES.
BUT THE POWER FROM THESE WINDMILLS
ISN'T HEADED FOR TELEVISION SETS AND POWER TOOLS.
IN FACT, EVERY SINGLE WATT OF POWER FROM HERE
IS BEING GENERATED FOR JUST ONE CUSTOMER--
GOOGLE.
JUST OUTSIDE THE TINY TOWN OF PRYOR, OKLAHOMA,
IS A LITTLE PIECE OF SILICON VALLEY--
THE GOOGLE DATA CENTER,
ONE OF SIX SUCH FACILITIES THE COMPANY OWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THIS SERVER FARM NEEDS LOTS OF POWER
TO KEEP GOOGLE SERVICES,
LIKE THE GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE, GMAIL AND GOOGLE MAPS
ALL RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
SO, THE NEXT TIME YOU LAUNCH A SEARCH FOR "BRAD PITT,"
"WILL ROGERS," OR SIMPLY "OKLAHOMA,"
THE RESULTS MIGHT JUST BE POPPING OUT
OF THIS UNMARKED BUILDING.
OKLAHOMA'S WINDS MAY BE HELPING KEEP INTERNET USERS HAPPY,
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A MUCH DARKER SIDE,
AND CAN DEVASTATE ENTIRE TOWNS IN JUST MINUTES.
IT'S A PHRASE THAT STRIKES FEAR
IN THE HEARTS OF MANY AMERICANS--
TORNADO ALLEY.
STRETCHING FROM NORTHERN IOWA TO CENTRAL TEXAS,
TORNADO ALLEY COVERS MOST OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA.
DURING THE SPRING,
THE NORTH AMERICAN JET STREAM CONVERGES
WITH WARM, MOIST AIR FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO
AND WARM, DRY AIR FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS--
A COCKTAIL THAT TRIGGERS MORE TORNADOES
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
WHICH MEANS THERE'S MORE RISK
OF A DEADLY TWISTER HITTING OKLAHOMA
THAN JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER U.S. STATE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TOWN OF WOODWARD
ON APRIL 15, 2012,
WHEN A DEADLY TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN HERE IN THE DARK OF NIGHT.
IT RIPPED A PATH RIGHT THROUGH TOWN
AND DEMOLISHED HOMES, BUSINESSES AND A TRAILER PARK,
KILLING SIX PEOPLE.
THE PATH OF WOODWARD'S TWISTER IS CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM THE AIR.
89 HOUSES HERE WERE DESTROYED.
DURING THIS STORM,
A SWARM OF 17 TORNADOES HIT NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA.
BUT AMAZINGLY, THERE WERE NO OTHER DEATHS.
MANY CREDIT THAT TO OKLAHOMA'S SEVERE STORM WARNING SYSTEM--
A SYSTEM THAT WARNS RESIDENTS IN ADVANCE
OF A TWISTER'S POTENTIAL PATH.
IT'S BASED HERE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER CENTER
IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA.
THE CENTER IS HOME
TO THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY,
HOME OF THE NATION'S TORNADO EXPERTS.
NEARBY STANDS A LITTLE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY
THAT CAN SAVE THOUSANDS OF LIVES.
IT'S CALLED THE OU-PRIME
AND IS THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION DOPPLER RADAR SYSTEM
IN THE WORLD--
TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN ACTUALLY PEER INSIDE STORM CLOUDS
TO PREDICT TORNADO ACTIVITY.
FOR ANY COLLEGE STUDENTS
WANTING TO BECOME AN EDUCATED STORM CHASER,
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, MIGHT JUST BE THE PLACE.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY
IS LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF THE STATE'S OLDEST SCHOOL,
THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA.
IT WAS FOUNDED SOON AFTER THE FIRST OKLAHOMA LAND RUN IN 1890.
BUT WHEN MOST PEOPLE HEAR "UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA,"
THEY DON'T IMAGINE LOOKING INSIDE STORM CLOUDS.
THEY THINK, "FOOTBALL!"
THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS ARE THE STUFF OF LEGENDS.
THE TEAM HOLDS THE NCAA RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS
BY A MAJOR COLLEGE PROGRAM-- 47 STRAIGHT.
IT'S ALSO TURNED OUT SOME OF THE BEST RUNNING BACKS
IN THE GAME--
HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER BILLY SIMS
AND ALL-AMERICAN ADRIAN PETERSON.
WITH SUCH A REMARKABLE LEGACY, IT'S EASY TO HAVE FAITH
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FOOTBALL TEAM.
BUT 100 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST,
ONE MAN'S FAITH WAS PUT TO THE TEST
WHEN GOD TOLD HIM TO RAISE $8 MILLION
TO START A UNIVERSITY.
OR SO THE STORY GOES.
ACCORDING TO TELEVANGELIST ORAL ROBERTS,
HE WAS READING A SPY NOVEL WHEN GOD GAVE HIM HIS ORDERS.
ROBERTS DID AS HE WAS TOLD, AND BY 1965,
THE ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY WAS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
TULSA IS WHERE HE BUILT IT.
A 30-TON SCULPTURE OF PRAYING HANDS
IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS MANICURED CAMPUS.
BUT THE UNIVERSITY'S ARCHITECTURE
IS DECIDEDLY MORE FUTURISTIC.
IN THE CENTER OF CAMPUS STANDS THE PRAYER TOWER,
WHICH LOOKS AS IF IT'S BEEN RIPPED
FROM AN EPISODE OF "THE JETSONS."
BUT TULSA IS NO STRANGER TO ARCHITECTURAL RISK,
OR ARCHITECTURAL WONDER.
NESTLED AT A BEND IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER,
TULSA IS THE STATE'S SECOND BIGGEST CITY.
IT'S ALSO AN OIL TOWN THAT HAD A BOOM OF ITS OWN
WHEN THE GLENN POOL OIL FIELD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1905.
THE CITY'S SUCCESS IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
PROMPTED A HUGE CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN THE EARLY 1900s,
AND ART DECO WAS THE STYLE OF THE DAY.
THE RESULTS OF THAT BOOM STILL POPULATE THE CITY SKYLINE.
BUT MANY KNOW TULSA AS THE HOME OF THE GOLDEN DRILLER,
A 76-FOOT-TALL STATUE OF AN OIL WORKER,
THAT WAS NAMED OKLAHOMA'S OFFICIAL STATE MONUMENT IN 1979.
TODAY, MANY OIL WORKERS IN OKLAHOMA
HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT JOB DESCRIPTION THAN IN DAYS PAST.
THESE DAYS, MANY MAY NEVER EVEN SEE OIL.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT COURSES BENEATH THEIR FEET,
BENEATH THE PRAIRIE, FROM BORDER TO BORDER,
NORTH TO SOUTH, IN A VAST WEB OF OIL AND GAS PIPELINES
THAT CARRY RAW MATERIALS
STRAIGHT FROM PRODUCERS TO REFINERS.
AND THE BIGGEST OF THOSE PIPELINES END UP HERE,
CUSHING, OKLAHOMA,
THE LARGEST CRUDE STORAGE FACILITY
AND TRADING HUB FOR CRUDE OIL ON THE CONTINENT.
IT'S BEEN CALLED THE PIPELINE CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD.
FROM CUSHING,
AT LEAST SEVEN MAJOR PIPELINES FAN OUT ACROSS THE NATION
AND TIE IN TO A VAST NETWORK OF PIPELINES AND OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
THAT STRETCHES FROM TEXAS TO MAINE TO WESTERN CANADA.
EACH TANK IN THESE FARMS HOLDS NEARLY 250,000 BARRELS OF CRUDE.
AND COUNTED TOGETHER,
CUSHING HOUSES ABOUT 10% OF AMERICA'S TOTAL OIL INVENTORY.
TO CART ALL THIS OIL AWAY,
YOU'D NEED MORE THAN 33 MILLION BARRELS.
MAINTAINING THIS FACILITY IS A GARGANTUAN JOB.
TO KEEP THE TANKS SAFE, THEY'RE SPACED APART,
SO A FIRE ON ONE TANK CAN'T JUMP TO THE NEXT.
A *** SURROUNDS EACH TANK TO CONTAIN THE OIL
IN THE EVENT OF A LEAK.
BUT TODAY, CUSHING'S BIGGEST PROBLEM
CAN'T BE SEEN FROM THE AIR.
MORE OIL IS FLOWING INTO THIS TANK FARM
THAN FLOWING OUT.
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PIPELINE CAPACITY TO KEEP THE OIL MOVING
DOWN TO TEXAS PORTS AND GULF COAST REFINERIES
FAST ENOUGH.
THAT'S WHY COMPANIES HERE ARE RACING TO BUILD NEW TANKS
THAT CAN HOLD FOUR MILLION BARRELS OF CRUDE
UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED.
NEARBY, MILES OF PIPE HAVE BEEN STOCKPILED,
READY TO BE LAID IN THE GROUND AND WELDED TOGETHER
TO CARRY THE CRUDE SOUTHWARD.
IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME IN OKLAHOMA HISTORY
THAT IT'S PROVEN HARDER TO TRANSPORT BLACK GOLD
THAN GET IT OUT OF THE GROUND.
SOME THINGS IN OKLAHOMA JUST SEEM TO STAY THE SAME.
TAKE THE STATE'S BACK ROADS,
WHICH HAVE BEEN CALLING PIONEERS, ADVENTURERS
AND COWBOYS FOR NEARLY 200 YEARS.
A CALL THAT OKLAHOMA COUNTRY SINGER GARTH BROOKS
KNOWS ALL TOO WELL.
BROOKS HAS SOLD MORE THAN 128 MILLION ALBUMS,
WHICH HAS MADE HIM THE SECOND HIGHEST SELLING SOLO ARTIST
IN U.S. HISTORY, AFTER ELVIS.
HE GOT HIS MUSICAL START PERFORMING HERE
AT THE TUMBLEWEED BALLROOM IN STILLWATER,
ABOUT 70 MILES FROM TULSA, WHERE BROOKS WAS BORN,
THE SON OF A COUNTRY SINGER MOM.
BROOKS PAID HIS COUNTRY MUSIC DUES AT THE TUMBLEWEED,
AND HE'S COME A LONG WAY SINCE THEN.
BIGGER VENUES AND BIGGER HOUSES.
HIS MANSION AND RANCH IN CLAREMORE STAND ON 9,000 ACRES.
BUT FANS WILL TELL YOU HE'S STAYED TRUE TO HIS HUMBLE ROOTS.
JUST LISTEN TO THE LYRICS OF SONGS
LIKE "FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES," AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND.
ROOTS ARE IMPORTANT TO OKLAHOMANS.
THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING IN OKLAHOMA CITY
IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE.
THE STATUE ON TOP OF THE DOME
SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS STATE.
A 17-FOOT-TALL BRONZE NATIVE AMERICAN WARRIOR
CALLED "THE GUARDIAN."
IT WAS SCULPTED BY STATE SENATOR ENOCH KELLY HANEY,
AN AMERICAN INDIAN WHOSE FAMILY ARRIVED IN OKLAHOMA
ON THE TRAIL OF TEARS SEVEN GENERATIONS AGO.
RIFE WITH NATIVE SYMBOLISM,
THE DIGNIFIED, MUSCULAR FIGURE CARRIES A SPEAR,
SHOWING HIS COMMITMENT TO STAND HIS GROUND IN A FIGHT.
THE CIRCULAR SHIELD REPRESENTS THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.
INSIDE THE CIRCLE IS A CROSS AND FOUR DANGLING FEATHERS,
SYMBOLIZING THE FOUR SEASONS AND DIRECTIONS.
FITTINGLY, "THE GUARDIAN" IS THE FIRST STATUE
REPRESENTING NATIVE AMERICANS
TO BE PLACED ON TOP OF ANY STATE CAPITOL.
OKLAHOMA IS A STATE OF COLOR AND CONTRAST,
A LAND WHERE OPPOSITES EMBRACE AND OLD CULTURES MEET NEW.
FROM THE GREAT INLAND SEA OF TALLGRASS AND BISON,
TO THE RED BLUFFS OF THE GLASS MOUNTAINS,
OKLAHOMA HAS SEEN THE DUSTY TEARS OF GREAT HUMAN MIGRATIONS.
AND IT'S BORNE WITNESS TO THE DISCOVERY
OF UNIMAGINABLE EARTHLY RICHES.
IT IS A LAND STEEPED IN WONDER AND HIDDEN STORIES.
GLIDE DOWN ANY DUSTY BACK ROAD,
AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL SEE.
BUT THERE IS ONE THING YOU'RE SURE TO FIND--
THE TRUE SOUL OF AMERICA'S HEARTLAND.