Sequoyah State Park, Hulbert, Oklahoma
As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches they were frightened. Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” ~ Genesis 42:35-36 And so their father, Jacob, accuses his remaining sons of essentially destroying his life, and now, in his morose state, he also seems to be accusing God because “everything is against me!” Here’s what the ancient, but wise commentator, Matthew Henry, has to say about this: “He has very melancholy apprehensions concerning the present state of his family: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not; whereas Joseph was in honour and Simeon in the way to it. Note, we often perplex ourselves with our own mistakes, even in matters of fact. True griefs may arise from false intelligence and suppositions, 2 Sa. 13:31. Jacob gives up Joseph for gone, and Simeon and Benjamin as being in danger; and he concludes, All these things are against me. It proved otherwise, that all these were for him, were working together for his good and the good of his family: yet here he thinks them all against him. Note, through our ignorance and mistake, and the weakness of our faith, we often apprehend that to be against us which is really for us. We are afflicted in body, estate, name, and relations; and we think all these things are against us, whereas these are really working for us the weight of glory.”
Today, I’m going to let atlasobscura.com write most of my post. It’s quick and easy and they’ve already done all the research for me. 😊 Plus, it’s how we came up with our list of things to see in Tulsa today.
But we have to get started first. Blaine read about this café called Tally’s that boasts delicious cinnamon rolls “the size of your head!” We found that pretty hard to believe, but decided to try them out.
They weren’t exaggerating!
The place was extremely friendly, as I walked in asking to place a cinnamon roll takeout. When the girl at the register heard I wasn’t familiar with them, she said with a smile, “Let me show you.” I could see partway into the kitchen from where I stood at the register, and before long, she reappeared in the doorway holding up a tray packed full of about six of the yummy treats. A very large tray. And each one was at least the size of my head! “Ok. I’ll take one.” lol “Do you want forks for two?” (still smiling) “Absolutely!” I think we ate half, before forcing ourselves to stop. They’re that good!
Blaine had our day all mapped out so we’d be efficient in our search for the unusual.
Up first? The Golden Driller.
IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA, THERE STANDS a 75-foot statue of a bare-chested golden man with a belt reading “TULSA” on the buckle. Known as the Golden Driller, it is a 60-year-old monument to honor the workers of the petroleum industry in the former “oil capital of the world.”
The International Petroleum Exposition, a fair exhibiting the latest innovations in oil technology, was held in Tulsa various times throughout the mid-20th century. The massive Golden Driller statue was created for the expo’s 1953 edition, wearing a tin helmet on his head and resting his right hand on an oil derrick relocated from a depleted oil field.
The statue became so popular among oil enthusiasts that it was temporarily recreated in 1959 and permanently erected seven years later after an anatomical redesign and a boost in height. But by 1979, the Golden Driller was abandoned by its manufacturer, the Mid-Continent Supply Company, and was slated for demolition as neglect and bullet holes destroyed what visual elegance it once had. The city of Tulsa came to save the day, preserving the Golden Driller and making it the official state monument of Oklahoma.
In addition to being the Oklahoma State Monument, the Golden Driller is also the fifth tallest statue in the United States and has been named one of the top 10 “quirkiest destinations” in the U.S. And it won’t be coming down soon. It is built to withstand the state’s vicious 200 mile-per-hour tornadoes, and its mustard paint is said to last 100 years. ~ atlasobscura.com
What they didn’t mention is that he’s the tallest free-standing statue in the US and weighs in at 43,500#, or nearly 22 tons. It’s pretty daunting to stand beside a 75’ man! Strangely, it reminded me of a movie (from the 50’s I think) “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman!” Anyone else remember it? 😊
Speaking of giant men, meet Buck Atom. He’s a dwarf compared to the driller, but he’s still quite large by human standards.
STANDING OVER ROUTE 66 IN Tulsa is a 21-foot tall space cowboy roadside attraction. The giant cowboy welcomes visitors to Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66. The giant statue was constructed by Mark Cline, while the rocket was crafted by local artist, Chris Wollard. It adds to the legacy of muffler men that dot the Route 66 landscape. The shop sells a variety of souvenirs, clothing, neon signs, and other memorabilia dedicated to the mystic of Route 66. ~ atlasobscura.com
We ducked into the shop while we were there. They do carry some unusual items, including some unique postcards, but at $1.95 each, we decided to try our luck elsewhere because I have too many to buy. Not that everyone isn’t worth $2.50 (by the time you add tax & postage), but to buy and send to everyone, we’d have to give up a few meals. 😊 Although nowadays, with the price of everything skyrocketing, maybe just one . . . .
It’s where Buck Atom lives!
And then there was The Center of the Universe. There was an address, but there was no signage, making it difficult to locate, but once we did, it was waaaay cool! You have to stand on this line and face the right direction in order for it to work. What happens? Echoes of your voice in your head! No one else can hear it, just you. Very weird!
THE SO-CALLED CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE in downtown Tulsa is marked by a small concrete circle in the middle of a larger circle of bricks. It’s not much to look at, but looking isn’t really the point.
The “Center of the Universe” is a little-known mysterious acoustic phenomenon. If you stand in the middle of the circle and make a noise, the sound is echoed back several times louder than it was made. It’s your own private amplified echo chamber.
As the legend goes, a foghorn could be going off in the center of the circle and those on the outside wouldn’t hear it. This may be an exaggeration, but your voice does sound extremely distorted when heard from outside the circle. It’s an incredible effect.
Like the Lake George Mystery Spot—another acoustical vortex that seems to defy the laws of physics—the effect is thought to be caused by the sound reflecting off a circular wall, in this case a nearby planter. Still, though many people have studied the cause of the odd anomaly there’s no clear consensus. Whatever the causes of this natural sonic distortion may be, it is truly an amazing place. ~atlasobscura.com
THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!
You were expecting something more dramatic weren’t you?
So were we. lol
but it was in the same courtyard as the Center of the Universe,
(which is right about where those girls are standing).
Maybe the vortex causes planes to crash??? : )
The bike lane runs alongside the curb.
Very different!
Next, we went looking for the Boston Avenue Methodist Church. We had trouble finding this as well. Seems there are two Methodist churches (and about a ½ dozen other denominations) within the same few blocks! The Methodist ones are nearly side-by-side, so we weren’t even sure which one atlasobscura was suggesting we take a look at. (I guess we coulda pulled up the website and looked at pictures again.) Plus, not being Catholic, the doors were locked, so there was no peeking inside. Drat! Fortunately, atlasobscura was kind enough to provide a picture. I put it at the end of this section. 😊
IT’S NO WONDER THIS BEHEMOTH of a church is heralded as one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. Its green-capped tower stretches impressively toward the heavens, commanding attention even from a distance. Crowning the tower is a striking sculpture meant to symbolize two hands clasped together in prayer.
Get closer, and you’ll spot all the little details that make the building even more impressive. Scan the exterior, and you’ll find classic nature-inspired Art Deco details dotting the structure. Many of these floral designs are a nod to Oklahoma and feature flowers native to the state.
Gilded, stoic sculptures stand above its entrances like guards to a fortress. Above the north entrance, you’ll spot images of John and Charles Wesley (co-founders of Methodism) and their mother peering down at church goers. The sculptures above the south entrance are particularly intriguing. There, figures of men on horseback depict the Circuit Riders, the Methodist clergymen who once rode around a young United States to organize congregations.
The church was designed by Adah Robinson and Bruce Goff. Robinson, a high school art teacher, drew the original idea. Goff, an architect who was one of her former students, used her sketches to complete the final design. ~ atlasobscura.com
Can you believe they built something like this back then?
We went walking about town checking out the various steeples we could see within a few block radius.
We were grateful for their warning, because I don’t know if we would’ve seen them until we walked into them!
All the dots you see in the picture are bees flying around over the sidewalk!
There were too many people meditating for us to get closer or look around more.
As we were walking around looking at churches, we heard yelling up ahead and could see what appeared to be protestors yelling and shaking signs on the steps of a building. They were on the opposite side of the street from us, but looking straight ahead, we saw a blocked sidewalk. We were just about to turn around and go down a different street, when we noticed . . .
Cameras! Seems someone was filming for some reason. It was fun to watch for a minute as they kept doing take after take.
The “protestors” are just to the right, out of frame, and the director, etc. are across the street on the left.
Then there was this weird house. It’s called The Cave House.
WITH ITS CURVING STUCCO WALLS, maze of mysterious rooms, and the jagged, stalactite-like bumps jutting from the walls and ceilings, this house really does feel like a cave. But it’s certainly no ordinary grotto.
The odd abode was built in the 1920s, when it was used as a chicken restaurant. But those with an appetite for fowl foods weren’t the only ones flocking to the building.
According to local legend, the strange structure once featured tunnels that led into a secret room that transformed into a speakeasy at night. Patrons sneaked in through the concealed passageways to indulge in a bit of boozy fun, safely tucked out of sight from any policemen prowling the area. However, there’s no actual evidence of any of these tunnels or clandestine quarters.
After its restaurant days ended, the Cave House did eventually become a home. People tell odd tales of one of its residents, a woman with a penchant for collecting rags whose ghost supposedly still hangs scraps of fabric to dry from the windows. The house currently pays homage to another one of its previous tenants, a lady with a love for collecting lost keys. A “key tree” is nestled in one of its corners, its branches full of keys left behind by curious visitors.
The house’s current owner doesn’t actually live there, but she’s already earned a reputation as the “stick lady.” The inside is full of her twiggy creations, most notably a birds nest-like bed created from branches. Pop in for a visit, and the owner will guide you through rooms full of her stick and bone collections and quirky antique furniture while telling tales of the house’s storied past. ~ atlasobscura.com
That guy by the car is dressed awfully contemporary for the 1920’s.
We went off the plan to check out the SpringFest. It was advertised everywhere, so we were expecting great things. It was nice, but it wasn’t as nice as we expected. Being Spring around here, we were expecting tulips, daffodils, forsythia, flowering trees and other plants everywhere, but while we were able to find some, there wasn’t nearly what we’d expect from a big todo SpringFest. I guess we just wanted more. We can be such malcontents sometimes! Shame on us! It seemed to be more about vendors selling plants of various kinds. We tossed around the idea of purchasing a small, flowering cactus for our kitchen window, but upon discovering it would only bloom once a year, we decided against it.
There were two more items on our list before we could head home for burgers and fries.
The former Oral Roberts Abundant Life building –
ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL and fascinating buildings in Tulsa is a huge, windowless, seven-story concrete block sitting empty in south downtown. Abandoned, dark, and in a state of decay, the Abundant Life Building could not be less like its name.
Of course, it didn’t start out that way. It was designed in 1958 during the midcentury trend toward modernist, futuristic architecture. It was built as the world headquarters for the Oral Roberts Ministries, which at the time was a gigantic televangelist enterprise reaching millions of followers around the globe.
Oral Roberts, a prominent and controversial evangelist preacher, wanted an innovative building that represented the future for his HQ. He was a pioneer of “abundant life” preaching—a reference to a passage in the Bible —which teaches that God is good and wants to bless people with prosperity.
The unique exterior is covered in marble diamond-shaped facets and dotted with gold details. The odd lack of windows was intentional; they were deemed unnecessary given the exciting new technologies like central air and fluorescent lighting. In place of natural light, the walls were painted with bright colors. Inside, the building housed a television studio for Roberts’ broadcasts, an auditorium, and a banquet hall. The headquarters processed an enormous quantity of mail, containing millions of dollars in donations to the ministry.
By the middle of the 1960s, however, Oral Roberts had moved his operation to the new university he founded in his name. By the early ‘70s, Abundant Life was completely abandoned. It has sat empty for decades, boarded up and closed to the public. The lack of windows, far from their original intent of being an edgy and innovative design, now adds to the overall creepiness of the deserted, deteriorating building.
While there has been some discussion of rehabilitating this relic so that it may know a newfound abundance of life, the future remains uncertain, and the building may even be at risk of demolition.
The top is actually another road. Very pretty!
And finally, more giant stuff. This time, praying hands. We didn’t know we were going to Oral Roberts University for this one. We didn’t even know there was still an ORU. Based on what we saw today, it’s not only operating, it’s in the beginning stages of grandiose building additions.
INSTALLED AT THE ENTRANCE TO one of the country’s most controversial universities, the sculptural work known as “Praying Hands” lets any visitors know exactly what the college is all about.
The hands were originally built outside of the City of Faith Medical and Research Center, a massive modern complex established as a holistic Christian hospital by the ultra religious Oral Roberts University. The sculpture was cast in 1980 in Mexico and shipped to Tulsa in a particularly labor intensive bit of cost-cutting. At 60 feet tall and over 30 tons of pure bronze, the supplicating hands were one of the largest pure bronze statues in the world when built. One hand is from a casting of Oral’s hand and the other is from a casting of his son Richard’s hand.
In 1980, after the imposing hospital citadel was converted mostly to office space. the giant hands were then moved to the entrance of the Oral Roberts University campus where they remain today. The ultra-detailed (if over-sized) hands are forever locked in a prayer that even if it is unanswered, can certainly not be missed. They can even be seen from the airplane when touching down in Tulsa, and don’t miss taking a stroll through the equally surreal Oral Roberts University campus which is full of retrofuturistic architecture.
I must tell you. When I look at things to do on atlasobscura, I don’t always read what they have to say about, I just look for interesting things. I had no idea what these praying hands were about, and I can tell you that there was nothing there to even hint at the fact that they were cast from Oral and his son’s hands. I did, however, look up the guy while we were driving around. It’s quite a colorful and interesting story – more than we ever knew about the man. Look him up if you’re so inclined, but don’t let his story color your opinion of what Christianity is supposed to be about.
It was time to head home (about an hour away at this point), and get some dinner at Foggy Bottoms. Isn’t that an unusual name?? It’s the restaurant at the State Park Lodge – and other State Parks in Oklahoma. Blaine had read that they had the best burgers and fries, so we had to make sure it was true. 😊
Service was wonderful, food was most excellent – including the ‘critters’ they brought us as a free appetizer! Deep fried apple fritter balls with a cinnamon glaze.
The only exception to the excellent meal was that there was too much salt on the fries – even for me. Of course, we ate them anyway, because they were really good. Great way to end our day!
But wait! There’s more!
As we were prepared to walk out, we noticed a hallway with some history of the lodge adorning the walls. Very interesting stuff!
And then we walked out to their Inspiration Point to see how the geese were faring, and discovered that the Rangers had put up a barricade to keep the egg safe. We saved a life!
