The Romantic Oklahoma

I may live in the Windy City, but I was born in Tornado Alley. I just came from a trip to see the family (all of which still live there), and it always brings up within me a variety of emotions.

I essentially know two Oklahomas. The first is the one you read about in the news: the one with a backwards, intolerant culture where people don’t value outside opinions, outside cultures, or outsiders. The Oklahoma where only 30% of my high school class went on to college. The Oklahoma where my grandfather makes racists jokes and the entire room laughs. This is the state I grew up in and ran from the first chance I got.

The other Oklahoma is a more romanticized version that I’ve constructed in my head. It’s the Oklahoma that has a unique history, filled with land rushes and Native American tragedies. The one that is filled with rattlesnakes, tarantulas, prairie dogs and other creatures of the West. It’s the Great Plains Oklahoma where the bison still roam free–where the cowboys still ride and the farmer still toils to work his land. It’s the Oklahoma where family still lives close by, sometimes within walking distance, and people are genuinely nice. It’s the state I never appreciated growing up, because it was overshadowed by its evil twin.

In fact, for a long time the first Oklahoma was all I could see, even after I’d left it for the “big city”, as my family calls it. But over time, either because it was there all along, or because I desperately needed something to be proud of about my origins, the Romantic Oklahoma began to emerge, and a distinct desire began to grow within me to connect with it. Although Chicago has filled my need for opportunity, activity, and culture, there’s a wildness about Oklahoma. And I’m beginning to think that wildness became a part of me, whether I realized it or not.

I’d like to continue that relationship with the historical Oklahoma, but it requires overlooking major parts of the modern one. That I’m still wrestling with, one racist joke at a time. But if there’s an Oklahoma I want my son to be acquainted with, it’s the one that inspires him to want to ride horses, not join the Tea Party.

Below are some photos from my trip, interspersed with actual photos from my family history. Enjoy.

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Tagged as: Family, Oklahoma, Personal