Day 169 Woodward - Duncan - Oklahoma
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
180
205
Trip End
Nov 22, 2008
Duncan,
Oklahoma,
United States
Thursday, October 23, 2008
What an interesting night! As mentioned we were in a State Park, to us it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and only 3 other RV's in the camping area, along with the grazing wildlife.
The wind kept up and was a little gusty, and would you believe, the trains were within earshot, and they appeared to be a regular occurrence, running every 30 50 mins, and certainly tooting the horns long and loud.
The wind let up, to allow the rain to begin, followed by a wonderful pyrotechnic display coupled with the loud thunder letting us know that with the lightening, there always follows the drums of thunder.
Never mind it passed and the Castle is well capable and equipped to handle this passing fun parade of nature.
We woke to see more deer and wild turkeys within the camping area, again a great thing to experience.
Onwards for our South Eastern trek with the wind not letting up and we are sure it is not far from the ice cap with the chill it is landing on our bodies when we stop to venture out for Gas or any other stops we take along the way.
Fortunately the roads were great and a good speed was able to be maintained and we arrived at Duncan in time to have lunch at the Wal Mart, before heading to the Chisholm museum.
The museum was well worth the trek South East, to capture another part of history that has been mentioned in movies and books. The first exhibit was of animated characters, one being a cowboy, talking to an animated Jesse Chisholm, after the trail was named. This gave us the history of the trail and how it came to be named.
Then we were treated to a 22 min film (we were the only ones in the audience) and this was also an "interactive film" the set was well done with a big screen and in front of the screen were props of real rocks and plants similar to those found along the trail.
It was a film of cattle being driven along parts of the trail, and the hazards and challenges faced by the cowboys along the route.
We were subjected to water splashes as the cattle in the film were forced to cross one of the many river crossings as well when the thunderstorm (yes similar to our last night experience) hit along with the rain, we had to lift the hoods on the jackets to save getting wet hair.
As well the theatre was filled with winds and smells similar to the trail riders experience while driving the cattle. A Truly interactive and well presented film.
Outside this movie the museum has an interactive section where you can try your hand at roping a long horned animal from a saddle, as well as listen about the land from the perspective of the Indians, the Calvary men, the cowboy or the town mayor of the cow towns along the way.
A section houses some of wonderful paintings and sculptures capturing the Western cowboys and the cattle trails and wagons.
Truly a well presented museum and certainly a high on the recommended list for value for money and any person interested in the colourful cowboy history of this country.
We left the museum with a brochure on the RV park in the town and found our way to the park with no problem.
As we reserved the spot, we were told we were the first Australians they had booked into the park.
We settled in and it was time to catch up with the washing(and the blog of course), while doing this and relaxing in the van, The RV park owner came over to introduce himself (Cliff) and we enjoyed having a chat with him as he gave us some directions to our next destination and some possible sites to see on the way, including Fort Sill where Geronimo was kept in prison for a while.
We are certainly appreciative of the time taken by people to give us the tips along the journey, it has certainly given us some wonderful places to visit and sections, we would most likely have never visited without the locals giving the spots to.
Thank you to all these kind people, the journey has been enriched with the exchanges we have enjoyed.
Comments
A little about Fort Sill and Geronimo
I came upon your blog as a result of a Google alert. Since you were given some incorrect info about Geronimo and Fort Sill, I thought I would attempt to set the record straight. I am the media chief for the post and have lived here since 1980. I truely love this area and hope your visit goes well. BTW, to gain access to post, all you need is a photo I.D. (passport is perfect)and appropriate vehicle papers. Enter post through Key Gate in I44.
Now to the history of Fort Sill - it is home of the United States Army Fires Center (Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery). When you visit, if you hear thunder and it is a sunny day, know that you are hearing artillery.
On January 8, 1869 Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan staked out the site that would become Fort Sill.
Sheridan was leading a campaign into Indian Territory to stop hostile tribes from raiding border settlements in Texas and Kansas. His massive winter campaign involved six cavalry regiments accompanied by frontier scouts 'Buffalo Bill' Cody, 'Wild Bill' Hickok, Ben Clark and Jack Stilwell. Troops from the 7th Cavalry, 19th Kansas Volunteers, and the 10th Cavalry, a distinguished unit of black 'Buffalo Soldiers' who constructed many of the stone buildings still surrounding the Old Post Quadrangle, camped at the new fort.
In June 1874, the Comanches, Kiowas, and Southern Cheyennes went on the warpath and the South Plains reverberated with the hoofbeats of Indian raiders. The resulting Red River Campaign, which lasted a year, was mainly a war of attrition with the military in relentless pursuit of the Indians.
Without a chance to graze their livestock, and faced with disappearance of the great buffalo herds, the hostile tribes eventually surrendered. Quanah Parker and his Quohada Comanches were the last to abandon the struggle, and their arrival at Fort Sill's Quartermaster Corral in June 1875 marked the end of hostilities on the Southern Plains.
In 1894, Geronimo, the infamous Apache warrior, and 341 of his renegade tribe were brought from the prisons in Florida and Alabama to Fort Sill, where they lived in scattered villages on the post's ranges. Contrary to popular lore, he didn't spend most of his time in the post's Guard House, only occasional visits. Although a prisoner of war and stripped of his prestige and authority, Geronimo remained a constant source of interest and awe at the fort.
Geronimo died of pneumonia at Fort Sill on February 17, 1909, and was buried in the Apache cemetery on Beef Creek, near the Apaches' first winter encampment at Fort Sill.
In July 1901, 29 thousand homesteaders registered for the land lottery at Fort Sill. On August 6, the town of Lawton sprang up and quickly grew to become the third largest city in Oklahoma.
With the disappearance of the frontier, the mission of Fort Sill gradually changed from cavalry to field artillery. The first artillery battery arrived at Fort Sill in 1902, and the last cavalry regiment departed in May 1907.
As Home of the Artillery, Fort Sill is not only at the forefront of tremendous technological advances, but it is also steeped in natural, living history. And, as the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian wars, Fort Sill is also a National Historic Landmark.