Yesterday was too beautiful to stay inside, so we traveled north
to a small town that used to be the Capitol of the state.
Such a charming old place with wonderful buildings from the 1890's.
Take a look. This was the Capitol building. The Capitol now being in Oklahoma City,
this is used as a museum. Some of the buildings are brick, as are some of the streets, and some
of the buildings are sandstone. Most are in unbelievably good condition, and of course some are no
longer used.
I've attended performances at the theater.
Many people live above their places of business.
We wanted to have lunch here, but there were too many people waiting already.
The original mahogany bar was filled, as was the parlor area.
The front of the building has a new facade, but this used to be a saloon.
We didn't know until we arrived that a wine and arts festival was being held.
Several areas had live entertainment, and this girl had an incredible voice.
It was interesting to watch this artist at work. It was hard to get photos, as
in places the crowd was too packed in.
Here I am in the Saloon
I couldn't resist taking a shot of the door to nowhere in an alley.
One of the most interesting facts about the town to me, is that there are underground tunnels
all through the area that were once for horses. Somewhere under the city is a stable.
No longer is the public allowed to tour the tunnels, maybe it's no longer safe.
There are blocked off stairs in some places that used to lead down to them, from the streets.
We hadn't been to the area in quite some time, and were glad to see businesses still operating in
these old buildings. There used to be a twice daily enactment of a 'shoot-out' in the street, with cowboys
and their swooning ladies, all in full costume. They haven't done that in some time.
I'd imagine that it's difficult to keep a place like this going,,with all the fast food places and Walmart
out near the highway,,,and many for rent signs were on buildings. But they still try, and I like that.
It was a fun day, I hope you liked seeing some of our history.