James F. KasermanSarah J. Kaserman

Oklahoma

I Save A TreeElectronic Books

"Labor omnia vincit"

Oklahoma City

C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc.

(Labor conquers all things)

The United States of America

ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X

Table of Contents

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Location 5

History before statehood 7

History since statehood 9

State government 11

State flag 13

Current facts 15

Industry today 17

State landmarks 19

Weather and land 21

Animals in Oklahoma 23

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State bird 25

State tree 27

State flower 29

Famous people from Oklahoma 31

Things to do in Oklahoma 33

Popular sports in Oklahoma 35

Fast facts 37

Glossary 39

Web sites / books for information 41

Index 43

Credits 45

Location

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Oklahoma City

Oklahoma is a southwestern state.Kansas forms the northern border withOklahoma. To the east are the statesof Arkansas and Missouri. Texas is tothe south and west, forming thesouthern and western border. Colorado,New Mexico and Kansas surround thepanhandle.

Oklahoma City is the capital city. It is located in the middle of the state.

HistoryBefore Statehood

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Indian reservation

Coronado

In 1541, Spanish explorerCoronado searched for gold in theregion.. Oklahoma became part of theUnited States with the Louisiana

Purchase of 1803.In 1819, the Okla-homa regionbecame part of theU.S. The panhandlefollowed in 1845.

Oklahoma wasgiven to displacedIndians in 1834.Tribes from theEast made thelong journey butmany died. The U.S. opened thewestern region to homesteading in1889.. Congress established theOklahoma Territory in 1890.

HistorySince Statehood

Oil pipeline

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Dust bowl

On November 16, 1907, Oklahomabecame the 46th state.. Until WorldWar I, the low price of farm productsmade it hard for farmers to make

money. War-timedemand helped,but after the warprices were lowagain.

The discoveryof oil and gashelped tostabilize theeconomy. Whenthe Great Depression hit so did asevere drought.. Oklahoma was calledthe "Dust Bowl." Many people left.Prosperity returned with World War II.

Government

Governor Brad Henry

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Capitol building

The state government of Oklahomais divided into three branches. GovernorBrad Henry is head of the executive

branch. This branchis in charge ofcarrying out thelaws.

The legislaturehas two parts,the Senate andHouse of Rep-resentatives. The third branch is thejudicial branch. This branch interpretsthe laws.

Oklahoma has 77 counties. Eachhas a local government.

State Flag

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The stateflag wasadopted in1925. The flaghonors groups of Native Americans. Theblue field comes from a flag carried byChoctaw soldiers during the Civil War.The center shield is the battle shield ofan Osage warrior made of buffalo hide.

It is decorated with eagle feathers. Two symbols of peace on the flag are the peace pipe and an olive branch.. Crosses on the shield are NativeAmerican signsfor stars thatstand for highideals.

Current Facts

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Oklahoma farmland

Tulsa music festival

Over 3,400,000people live inOklahoma. Thestate is ranked the27th largest state

for the number of people living in it.Oklahoma covers 68,679 square miles.It is ranked the 19th largest state in totalarea in the United States.

Oklahoma is called the "SoonerState." The nickname comes fromsettlers eagerto claim freefarmland. Thosewho went inbefore the gun-shot and claimedland were called"sooners."

IndustryToday

Oil tanks

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Family of hogs

Oklahoma is an oil state, and thereare many pipelines to carry the oil andnatural gas to market. Other mineral

products includegypsum, lead andzinc.. Foodprocessing andthe manufac-ture of transport-ation equipment,machinery and

electric products are importantindustries in Oklahoma.. Rubber andplastic are also manufactured.. Richfarmlandsproduce bumpercrops of wheat.Beef cattle, hogsand chicken areimportantlivestock.

Landmarks

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Turner Falls Park

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Turner FallsPark is the oldest park in Oklahoma.Honey Creek runsthrough the parkand tumbles down a 77-foot waterfallto a natural swimming pool. The nearbyChickasaw National Recreation Area hasmany mineral springs. Native Indians andearly settlers believed these springs had healing powers.

Fort Sill is an U.S. Army base established in 1869. It is an activeartillery training area. Three historicalsites are locatedon the base:Stone Corral,Old GuardHouse and the Artillerymuseum.

Artillery

Weather & Land

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Thunderstorm

River valley

Most of Okla-homa has a warm,dry climate.Weather variesbetween the north-west and southeast.

The average winter temperature is 39°Fahrenheit. During the summer, theaverage temperature is 83°. The average yearly precipitation ranges from 15 inchesin the panhandle to 50 inches in the

The terrain varies from high plains inthe west, hills in the central part,mountains in the east and the Red Riverplains in the south.. Forests of pine,oak and hickorytrees cover theeastern andcentral hills andmountains.

southeast.

AnimalsIn Oklahoma

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Bison

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Prairie dog

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The bison was named the stateanimal in 1972. Its large shoulder humpmakes it different from a buffalo. It isestimated that 60 million bison roamed

the continent at one time. The fewhundred that areremaining wereraised fromsurvivors.

Today, animalsseen on theplains are coyotes,prairie dogs andrabbits.. Deer,mink, opossums,otters, raccoons and squirrels inhabitthe forest.. Common birds in the stateinclude blue jays, crows, doves,meadowlarks, mockingbirds, robinsand swallows.

State Bird

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Flycatcher

Flycatcher

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The scissor-tailed flycatcher(Muscivoraforficata) wasnamed the statebird in 1951. The

flycatcher is easily identified by its long,scissor-like tail, which may be twice thelength of its body.. During flight, the

bird opens and shuts its tail like a pairof scissors. The flycatcher is famousfor its "sky dance," when, to get theattention of afuture mate, itsoars high in theair and makes aseries ofV-shaped flightmaneuvers.

State Tree

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Redbud

Redbud

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The redbud(Cercis canadensis)was named thestate tree in 1937.The small tree

grows in forests, field edges and onhillsides. In the spring, blossoms usuallyappear, before the leaves.

The brightpurplish-red,pea-shapedflowers grow inclusters along the twigs and smallbranches.. Redbud leaves are heart-shaped and turn a bright, clear yellowin the fall.

State Flower

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Mistletoe

Mistletoe on a branch

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Mistletoe(Phoradendronserotinum) wasnamed the stateflower in 1893.

The mistletoe is a plant that grows onthe trunks and branches of various trees.The plant is an evergreen with thickly

clustered leaves and tiny yellowflowers.. Birds eat the berries whichare poisonous to humans. The seedsfrom theseberries cling tothe bills of thebirds. Where theseed falls a newplant starts.

Famous People

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Will Rogers

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Garth Brooks

Will Rogers was a cowboy born in1879 on a ranch in Oklahoma.. Rogerswas a humorist, circus performer, writerand radio and movie star.

Belle Starrwas one of the mostfamous womenoutlaws in the OldWest.. James Thorpe,

an Indian anda famousathlete, wasfrom Oklahoma.AstronautsGordon Cooper,Owen Garriott and Shannon Lucidare from Oklahoma.. Singers GarthBrooks, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire,Jeremy Castle and Patti Page alsocame from the state.

Things to Do

In Oklahoma

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Alabaster Caverns

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Cowboy Hall of Fame

Oklahoma hasmany state parkswith beautifulnatural settings.Alabaster Caverns

State Park is where a gaint natural bridge of stone is located. Indian City has replicas of several Indian villages from the early 1800s.

The National Cowboy Museum islocated in Oklahoma City. The WillRogers Memorial in Claremore includesa stone ranchhouse built asa museum toshowcase thelife of Rogers,Indians andpioneers.

SportsIn Oklahoma

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Camping

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Rodeo

Popular sports in Oklahoma includehunting, hiking, camping, horsebackriding, horse racing and rodeos.The

Amateur SoftballAssociation ofAmerica is basedin Oklahoma.

Its headquartersare in OklahomaCity. Oklahoma hassports teams at both the high-schooland the college level.The University ofOklahoma Sooners college footballteam is among the best in the UnitedStates.

Fast Facts

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Governor: Brad HenryCapital: Oklahoma CitySize: 68,679 square miles, 19th in the U.S.Population: 3,450,654 people, 27th inthe U.S.Major cities: Oklahoma City,Tulsa,Lawton, Midwest City, Norman, EnidNickname: "Sooner State"State animal: bisonState bird: scissor-tailed flycatcherState flower: mistletoeState tree: redbudState song: "Oklahoma"State motto: "Labor omnia vincit"(Labor conquers all things)

Horse monument, Cowboy hall of fame

Coyote pups

Glossary

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displaced, forced to leave one's homeor country.flight, the course taken by a flyingobject.homesteading, the act of settling onland, especially under a Homestead Act,which made land available to settlerswithout payment.humorist, a person with a good sense ofhumor, a performer.livestock, horses, cattle, sheep and otheruseful animals kept or raised on a farmor ranch.

panhandle, a long, narrow, projectingstrip of territory that is not a peninsula.poisonous, having the capability ofharming or killing with a poison ortoxin.stabilize, to make or hold stable, firm orsteadfast; to maintain at a given orunfluctuating level or quantity.survivor, a person or thing that outlivesanother.symbol, something that representssomething else by association.

Links & BooksFor more information

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Link1Link2Link3

Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com

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Title: The World Book EncyclopediaPublisher: World Book, Inc.Copyright: 2002

Title: The Kid's World Almanac of the UnitedStatesAuthor: Dr.Thomas G. AylesworthPublisher: World AlmanacCopyright: 1990

Title: Exploring the 50 StatesAuthor: Marcie AndersonPublisher: Willowisp Press, Inc.Copyright: 1983

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Index _______________________

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bison, 23

cattle, 18

Civil War, 13

drought, 10

flycatcher, 25, 26

H enry, Brad, 11

mistletoe, 29

oil, 10, 17

Oklahoma City, 34, 36

plains, 22, 24

redbud, 27, 28

Rogers, Will, 31, 34

CreditsWritten by

James F. Kaserman

Sarah J. Kaserman

Produced by

Robert Rance

Technologies

Doug Meyers

Design

Dan Mader

Photo creditsOklahoma Department of NaturalResourceswww.arttoday.com

_______________________46I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any

photo/illustration at any time without notice.

Edited by

Linda Coyner