Oklahoma City National Memorial

Our second trip to Oklahoma City was much more pleasant than the first.  This time there was no rain, and we were in and parked by mid-afternoon.  It was a good thing, too.  By late afternoon the clouds were building; the wind shifted and local weather said we were under a tornado watch, as was the Kaw Lake area where we had spent the previous several days.  We kept close watch on the local weather, and were texting back and forth with Bill and Cec, who were staying a couple more days at Coon Creek Cove.  For a time it appeared that both areas would see significant winds, but fortunately the storms dissipated before they reached us, or them.

Twin Fountains RV Resort is a nice park located close to the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and convenient to downtown.  Our site was close to NE 63rd Street, a major thoroughfare, so we had more traffic noise than usual.  It was also, however, just across the street from a beautiful county park.  There we found lovely walking trails, and plenty of room for the dogs to explore and chase balls.  

Our reason for spending time in Oklahoma City was to see some of its museums and memorials.  We especially wanted to see the National Memorial and Museum.  At 9:02 on the morning of April 19, 1995, a rented truck filled with fertilizer bombs was detonated in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, completely destroying approximately one-third of the building as the floors “pancaked” into a pile of debris. 

The explosion damaged 312 other buildings in the downtown area, 14 of them so badly that they had to be torn down.

The museum features not only a recording of the blast, made during a meeting of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board being held across the street, but interviews with survivors and other exhibits.

The blast killed 168 people and injured some 680 more.  Two anti-government militants were responsible for the bombing.  One was convicted and in 2001 was executed. The other was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Two accomplices gave evidence in the case, and after serving time in prison were placed in the Federal witness protection program.  

The memorial, on the site of the former Murrah Building, features this lovely reflecting pool.  At the far end are the only remaining walls of the building.  

168 empty chairs have been placed beside the pool in memory of those whose lives were lost.  Nineteen of the chairs are small, placed there to memorialize children who died in the day care center for children of employees, which was located on the second floor of the building.  Beside the street is a portion of chain-link fence.  It was originally installed to protect the site, but itself became a memorial.

The museum is extremely well-done, and should be on your itinerary if you are here.  Never forget.