Oklahoma City – Revisited – Part 1
Oklahoma
Sunday - Monday, August 19-20, 2018
Clear, 88°
Resilience is woven deeply into the fabric of Oklahoma.
Throw us an obstacle, and we grow stronger. - Brad Henry
The drive east, from Ogallala on Interstate 80 to York and McCool Junction, was directly into the sun for the first time in a while. There was still smoke in the air from the forest fires further west that cut down on the views, but it seemed to be getting better the farther east we drove.
There was not much to look at in this part of the country other than miles and miles of corn, hay, and other crops. The towns were mostly nondescript farming communities with the occasional industrial complex off to one side of the road or the other. When there is not much to look at during the time traveling it seems like it takes forever to get from point A to point B. It is just the constant road noise or the sounds of the expansion joints in the pavement that give that ever constant varoom sound as the tires pass over them.
Several hours pass until the turn south on highway 81 which is almost a due south direction into Oklahoma City. We stopped for fuel during a thunderstorm in Salina, Kansas and there was another RV fueling ahead of me. As we talked, he shared that they were relocating for jobs in St. Louis. Highway 81 becomes Interstate 135 in Salina, and once back on the road from refueling there were only a few scattered thunder clouds off in the distance. There may be a small shower or two but for the most part it was a hot, clear day. It took a couple more hours to arrive in Wichita, Kansas where the interstate highway became I-35 into Oklahoma City.
Another few hours and it was time for Twin Fountains RV Resort. During the first part of the trip, it was such a wonderful place I wanted to come back for another visit. There were a few things left to see in Oklahoma City and it was great to be back before heading east toward home.
Twin Fountains was such a fun place and out of all the campgrounds and RV parks along the way it was absolutely the best in a number of areas. It was by far the cleanest with nice restrooms and laundry facilities along with a pool, hot tub, and mini-golf by the clubhouse. My favorite part was the full bar and café by the pool. Having afternoon and evening food and drinks available makes your stay there pleasant and enjoyable. I am going to post my trip adviser review of Twin Fountains in my next post as it is such a great place to stay.
Monday – Let me first say this is the first day in over two months that there is no forest fire smoke in the air. It was a somewhat lazy day doing chores like laundry and maintenance on the RV that are needed every now and then. Later in the afternoon, we headed for the bar and talked with the owner, Dow, and his resort goodwill ambassador, Don Gardner, whom we met and befriended on the previous visit.
Dow and I at his Semper Fi Bar @ Twin Fountains RV Resort
Dow is also a veteran of the Korean War era serving in the Marine Corp surviving the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. A really nice man, who wants to ensure everyone has a great time at his resort. On both trips, we had a few drinks and conversations which enriched me as I got to know him better with each stop.
Don gave us great ideas about places to see while in the area. One was in a small town north of Oklahoma City called Fort Reno where there was an internment camp set up and used during World War II. He also told us of a great place to eat while in El Reno and to try both the onion burger and their onion relish hot dog, both were amazing. The first thing you notice in El Reno, Oklahoma is the wind. It is the howling sort, screaming at you down the wide lanes, and making quick work of hair styles, signs not properly tied down, and open doors. It is a wind worthy of conversation, and in lesser towns, its gusts could be the sole focus of discussion for days. But in El Reno, they have onion burgers.
The place was called Sid’s Diner which has been featured on television on Man vs Food and the food network.
Sid’s Diner
Let me say, Don was right about this wonderful bit of history along the old Route 66.
Old Route 66 signs
A little history:
“But before there were burgers in El Reno, there were cows. Back in the 1860s, ranchers used the Chisholm Trail to drive cattle north to Kansas. One of the stopping points along the trail was just north of the current town. At the same time, Native American reservations were being set up in Oklahoma, and Fort Reno was built to “maintain order” after several Native American uprisings. After the Oklahoma land run opened up some of those lands to white settlers, a settlement called Reno City was built by the fort (though moved closer to a nascent rail center), but the name was changed to El Reno when the US postal service began confusing mail intended for Nevada.
In 1926, Route 66, aka the Main Street of America, aka the Mother Road, was created to give wannabe actors and potential key grips traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles a standardized route to follow west, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. A side consequence of the route was providing mom-and-pop business opportunities for people in towns along said route, and it just so happened to run right through El Reno. According to the John T. Edge’s excellent book “Hamburger & Fries: An American Story”, at this time, a man named Ross Davis ran a restaurant called the Hamburger Inn in town along Route 66.
Because this was the Depression, hamburger meat was expensive, but onions were cheap. Davis started “smashing them into the meat with the back of his spatula. He called them Depression burgers and he’d smash a half-onion’s worth of shreds into a five-cent burger.” Apparently Davis’s spot was in a prime position -- at the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 81 -- and word of his creation spread quickly. Several other eating establishments in El Reno followed suit, and began making their own versions of the fried onion burger. A burger star was born.” (www.thrillist.com)
It was interesting that Don knew of these places and shared them so we could make a drive out and experience firsthand the old Fort Reno Post and the great food in these small towns on Old Route 66.
Fort Reno began as a military camp in 1874 in the Indian Wars Era. It was established at the insistence of Agent John Miles at the Darlington Indian Agency, to pacify and protect the Cheyenne & Arapahos there. Troops from the 10th Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) were dispatched from Fort Sill, but, because of other Indian unrest, were detained at the nearby Wichita Agency at present day Anadarko.
The cavalry and infantry stationed at Fort Reno played an important role in the transition of the area from Indian Territory status to Oklahoma statehood in 1907. United States Cavalry units, including the Buffalo Soldiers (Black soldiers of the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry), and the Cheyenne & Arapaho Indian Scouts, along with the U.S. Marshal Service, maintained the peace on the central plains until the turn of the century.
German Prisoners of War and U.S. Army Guards: During World War II, an eastern portion, 94 acres, of the Fort Reno lands served as an internment work camp for German Prisoners of War. Mostly from Gen. Rommel’s Afrikakorp, captured in North Africa, over 1,300 Germans were brought to Fort Reno by rail. While imprisoned here, the German POW’s were hired as laborers for local farmers and in 1944 built the Chapel located to the north of the Parade Grounds. The west side of the historic military cemetery is where 70 German and Italian Prisoners of War are interred. Most of these men died at other POW camps in Oklahoma and Texas. Only one Fort Reno German POW died while imprisoned at the Fort Reno internment camp.
Fort Reno Cemetery
There are 62 German and 8 Italian POW’s interred at the Cemetery added to the west end of the Post Cemetery. A number of Germans and Italians have made special trips to view the resting place of their relatives or friends. Every year a special memorial wreath appears on Veterans’ Day in remembrance of those prisoners buried at the Fort Reno cemetery. A German-American Heritage Day (Volkstrauertag) is held at Fort Reno in November. (fortreno.org)
El Reno also had a small but nice veteran’s memorial park in the downtown area. It had marble stone markers depicting the Vietnam Era.
Vietnam Era Marker
Vietnam Map Marker
The World War II Era.
World War II Marker
And the Korean War Era.
Korean War Era Marker
Don had another suggestion, that we visit the 45th Infantry Division Museum located in Oklahoma City, just a few miles from the RV Park. There is a substantial collection of cartoons by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who served with the 45th during the war. It was a very interesting visit; large static display of tanks, vehicles, planes and helicopters stood on the 15 acre compound. I found the following information quite interesting during the visit:
Following World War I, the National Defense Act of 1920 created the authority to form the 45th Infantry Division from the four states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The division was organized in 1923, and Oklahoma members camped together for the first time at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1924.
The Thunderbirds trained at Fort Sill, OK; Camp Barkeley, TX; Fort Devens, MA; Pine Camp, NY; and Camp Pickett, VA. They had trained hard for their part in World War II, and on July 10, 1943 the division participated in their first of four amphibious landings. In all, the division, served 511 days in combat; fighting their way across Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. The National Guard Division of the southwest became highly regarded by both regular army forces and the enemy for their valiant efforts and fighting abilities.
The 45th Infantry Division served with General George S. Patton’s U.S. 7th Army during the Sicilian campaign, and when the fighting was done, the commander had this to say about the division, “Your division is one of the best, if not the best division in the history of American arms.”
The 45th Infantry Division Museum is proud to have in its collection more than 200 of Bill Mauldin’s original World War II cartoons. These significant drawings primarily date from 1944 and 1945 when Mauldin had reached the pinnacle of his wartime work.
The Thunderbirds made their first of four amphibious landings on July 10, 1943, hitting the beaches of Sicily in Operation Husky. The war, for the Thunderbirds, would take them from Sicily, to mainland Europe, through Italy, Southern France, and finally Germany. The World War II gallery features artifacts and photographs which tell the story of the division’s actions in the European Theater of Operations.
Also housed in the World War II gallery are artifacts owned by Adolf Hitler. These unique artifacts were taken from his apartment in Munich and his mountain retreat, The Eagle’s Nest, in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
Adolph Hitler pieces on display in the museum
Perhaps the most unique item was taken from Hitler’s Berlin Bunker. Lt. Colonel Horace Calvert of Oklahoma City took the mirror from the bedroom of the Berlin Bunker. Visitors can gaze into the mirror once belonging to the leader of Nazi Germany.
Adolph Hitler’s Mirror
On April 29, 1945 elements of the 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division liberated the concentration camp at Dachau; this action reminded all who took part in this historic liberation the reasons for being at war with Germany and left an indelible mark on the men who witnessed the atrocities of life in a concentration camp. (45th.45wp.com)
Adolph Hitler’s Personal Items are in this collection
It was an interesting day seeing all of the history in and around Oklahoma City. I never knew about the internment camp at Fort Reno which kept the German, Italian and French POW’s interred toward the end of World War II. The great food in El Reno reminded me of The Varsity in Atlanta and was great. The 50’s themed diner was crowded with people enjoying the wonderful food. The 45th Museum had so many things on display inside and on the grounds we could have spent hours before we saw it all.
There is more to come from Oklahoma City, while Traveling Life’s Highways.