Little Rock, Arkansas

            The sun set quickly as I drove east from Oklahoma City. The interstate was lined with billboard after billboard proclaiming the name of some business or cause. Although I usually find constant advertisement a bit tiresome, it helped break the monotony of this long drive. Once darkness had swallowed the land, the stupor of the road began to set in.

            I stopped just over the Arkansas border for dinner in Fort Smith. When I rolled through town the streets were deserted. It was 8pm on a Tuesday, and there wasn’t a person to be seen. I passed countless establishments of one type or another, but the restaurants had few patrons and the stores were dark. I was beginning to get discouraged as I journeyed on into the strip-mall ridden suburbs, wondering if I should forgo the restaurant I found on Yelp an hour or so before. I made a right near a complex of super stores, and as I climbed the hill, I noticed an enormous neon sign that seemed to be the sole beacon of life in the empty night. As I approached, I realized that it belonged to my destination, Joe’s Cantina and Grill, and beneath the name it read, “The zombie aTACOlypse has begun.” I was definitely in the right place. The parking lot was almost full, but a spot opened up directly in front of the entrance as soon as I turned in.

            I entered to the sound of a busy restaurant and live music. It was a Tuesday in October and they had a special for 75-cent tacos. The bar was crowded and the hostess motioned for me to follow her. I was seated right next to the musician who was squashed into the corner with barely enough room to play. Before I could even open the menu the waitress came over with chips and salsa. It wasn’t long after I ordered that my dinner arrived hot and steaming. After the subdued environment of my car it was a little overwhelming to be surrounded by such jubilations, but it made my meal much more enjoyable. I savored every bite of the delicious burrito, pausing only to clap when the musician played a particularly treasured classic. Less than an hour later I left feeling refreshed and revived, grateful that my selection had been a good one. Two hours later I finally arrived at my hotel in North Little Rock, checked in, and settled down for the evening.

            The next morning I woke up, made some breakfast and coffee, and went downtown to visit the Capitol. It was situated in one of the most complex mazes of one-way roads and parking lots I had ever seen. I finally found a shady spot down the hill from the visitor’s entrance. As I stepped out of the car, an older woman came up and asked me how I liked my Subaru. I told her that it was very dependable, especially since I’d driven it to 20 states in the past two months without incident. I asked her what her business was at the Capitol Complex, and she replied that she helps process mail and paper work for folk’s social security. As the conversation came to a close, I tried to give her my blog address, but she smiled and said, “Oh thank you, but I’m not really one for computers. I’m a people person; I’d rather talk to you.” I wished her a good day and began the hike up the hill to the Capitol.  

           

I entered on the ground floor to discover that they were renovating and painting the rotunda. The enormous Mitchell-Vance brass chandelier hand been lowered all the way down to the ground floor, hovering no more than six inches above the marble. It measures twelve feet wide, fourteen feet tall, and weighs two tons. The opening above, which would normally have given me a spectacular view of the rotunda, was covered with sheets of plastic. Although it was unfortunate that I was not able to see the rotunda, it was a wonderful opportunity to get a good look at the incredible light fixture up close.

            Before heading upstairs I went to the ladies room on the ground floor. It was a very large room complete with sitting area. There was a vanity with an upholstered bench with “Arkansas” stitched into it along with an apple blossom, which is the state flower. Although these features in a restroom are somewhat old-fashioned, it was sort of comforting that these original pieces were included and maintained all this time.

            I began all the way on the fourth floor, visiting both the House and Senate galleries. The chambers’ main entrances were on the third floor, but they were blocked with large glass barriers that were as tall as the grand doors. It was disappointing that I couldn’t even get a good picture from the main floor due to the lack of sufficient lighting and the glare of the glass, so I went upstairs to see if I could get into the gallery. Once inside, I was able to see the subtle grandeur of the large stained-glass skylight that commanded the ceiling. In between each section of stained glass were pale pink draperies or curtains that flowed downward creating a soft, feminine glow. The Senate chamber was very similar to the House chamber with little or no difference other than size.

            As I passed by the rotunda to check out the Senate chamber, I peeked through the sheets of plastic to get a look at what they were doing inside. I got a glimpse of a complex system of scaffolding and various men lying on their sides, painting meticulously. None of them seemed  perturbed that they were balanced precariously so many feet above the cold marble floor. Surrounding the rotunda were various hallways and corridors. There the windows and pale stone allowed much natural light to illuminate the hallways. The building as a whole was extremely pleasant.

            After taking a look in the rotunda, I ventured downstairs to the second floor, which contained the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the famous solid-bronze Tiffany doors, and the State Treasurer’s Office. First I visited the Old Supreme Court Chamber. According to the pamphlet, Through These Doors: A Self-Guided Tour of the Arkansas State Capitol, “The Arkansas Supreme Court met in this chamber from 1912 to 1958. Because of increased case loads and other considerations, the Supreme Court moved to the Justice Building on the southwest corner of the Capitol complex. The chamber is now used for legislative committee meetings and lectures. The public uses the chairs that surround the outside of the rail, while the seats inside of the rail are used for committee members, staff, and the press.” The room was very light and airy, with dramatic curtains adding a sense of grandeur to the proceedings. It was one of my favorite rooms in the whole building, except that it was very cold. As soon as I stepped through the doors, I drew my cardigan around me and began to shiver.

            The famous solid bronze doors located on the eastern side of the building are ten feet tall and four inches thick. They were purchased from Tiffany’s in New York in 1910 for $10,000. If there was a decorative element of the Capitol that is most unique, the doors would definitely be that element. Now that the main entrance is only used for ceremonial purposes, such as the inauguration of a governor, they have been roped off to prevent people from smearing them. Even still, they are cleaned of smudges every two weeks.

Across the rotunda is the Treasurer’s Office, which contains a large vault with four separate doors and three time locks. Its main door weighs 11 tons so getting the vault installed was rather difficult. The original plan was to send it by train and then have a wagon deliver it, but the wagon sunk into the mud under the immense weight, forcing the workers to lay down tracks to finish moving it. As I walked in to the State Treasurer’s Office, a young man behind the front desk greeted me and asked if I would like to come into the vault.

            “Uh, sure!” I said, a little taken aback.

            As I circled around the desk, an older woman stood up and said, “We’ll take a picture of you holding a bunch of money!”

            I stepped inside the vault, which was definitely well fortified, and they handed me an enormous brick of $100 bills. It was a little startling to see that much money in one place, let alone be the one holding it. As they snapped the picture, they told me that if I went to their website, I’d be able to see it along side all of the other visitors they’ve had recently.

            I left the building and took a few pictures of the outside before climbing back into my car and driving to the Historic Arkansas Museum. I parked about a block away, and as I approached I noticed a metal statue in the front of the museum. It was a surreal depiction of a bunch of men and woman dancing in a circle to music of violins. The “Historic Grounds” included a neighborhood of houses and other buildings dating back to before the Civil War. Although the tours were about the close for the day, the staff was dressed up in period clothing, and they gave me a short tour free of charge. The first building was both a house and a tavern. On the ground level, I learned that a counter at which alcohol is served is called a bar because at the old taverns they actually had wooden bars erected from counter top to ceiling to protect the bartender from flying objects during fights that would erupt rather frequently. The bartender was usually armed to protect the establishment, and there was a little door in the bars that could be opened to sell drinks no matter what was going on. That guide sent me to the next building, which was where the slave slept in the neighbor’s house as well as a reproduction of the kitchen. The third building was a rich man’s dwelling, complete with antique furniture.

            After looking at the historic buildings, I walked inside and paid admission to explore the galleries. There were several different galleries that held a wide-variety of displays. One of the galleries was a tribute to firemen, “Heeding the Call,” which displayed a private collection of antique firefighting equipment. Out of all of the objects, the gas mask gave me a particularly eerie feeling, as they always do. Perhaps it is because of the gruesome nature of the events that they are used to protect someone from, but I cannot see one without my stomach turning over.

            The next exhibit was even more eclectic than the last; it was a knife collection. Each display showed increasingly sinister blades, but each was more beautiful than the last. It was easy to appreciate the collectable nature of such things, especially when so much care was taken to make them ascetically pleasing.  Some had ornate engravings covering their entire surface, while others bore complicated hilts of one material or another. All together, it made for a delightfully interesting museum exhibit, and it definitely stood out as one of the best museums exhibits I’d seen so far.

            Next, I went upstairs to see the exhibit dedicated to Native Americans in the region. This one was particularly heartbreaking, and it ignited my sense of sympathy for the plight of indigenous peoples as a whole. I consider the issue with a strong sense of turmoil. Although it was not uncommon for native peoples to be invaded by Europeans several hundred years ago, the Native Americans were treated horribly and still are. I left the museum feeling sick to my stomach and angry about the choices of my ancestors.

            I left the museum mulling over the things that I had discovered. The Capitol was traditionally styled and contained many different details that set it apart. The bronze Tiffany doors and the enormous chandelier were by far the most beautiful accents in the building. The Senate and House chambers weren’t decorated extensively, but the stained glass skylights give the somewhat confining rooms a very open feeling. My experience in the vault was fun and much more hands-on than anything else I’ve experienced in a Capitol so far. The museum was delightfully different. No other museum had a historic neighborhood to accompany the exhibits, and furthermore, the galleries in the Historic Arkansas Museum were strikingly unique. They were all very distinctive, but they tied together the history of Arkansas in one way or another. Their composition illustrated that the curator wanted them to be interesting and different from other exhibits at most other museums.

As a whole, I enjoyed Arkansas quite a bit. All of the people that I met were very friendly - so friendly in fact that not a single interaction left me with even slightest bit of displeasure. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Joe’s Grill and Cantina, which was arguably one of the best meals that I’ve had on the road. I headed back to the hotel with the rest of the five o’clock traffic and made myself a simple dinner at the hotel. I packed up my belongings, anticipating the nine-hour drive I would have from Little Rock to Austin the next day. I rose early, gathered my belongings, and headed toward the Lone Star state.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

        I was a stage crew member for the school play, Oklahoma, in my seventh grade year. I went to a very small charter school in suburban New Jersey, and we didn’t have an auditorium or anything like that. Instead we had the lunchroom, so every official event was inevitably cramped. I don’t remember much from the production except that one of my friends fumbled a line, and a classmate who was on stage with him improvised seamlessly, earning endless praise from the director of the play. It was a small, hasty, and chaotic production, but it was fun and I loved it.

Now, driving to Oklahoma through a ridiculous thunderstorm, I could only think of the name in that show-tunes rhythm. As the hours rolled on, the rain subsided and the plain stretched out empty, dusty, and flat before me with few moments of excitement. One thing was a little puzzling: The highway toll system in Oklahoma. They offer refunds for certain exits, and in some cases leaving the highway and then rejoining it is cheaper than just staying your course. It was very confusing, but the toll takers calmly explained to me what to do each time I came to a tollbooth, clearly a clueless and bewildered traveler. I chose Shiki Japanese Restaurant in Oklahoma City for dinner, where I was thankful to enjoy a hot meal and be able to unwind after the journey. After a delicious and satisfying meal, I checked in to the hotel and settled down for the evening.

The next day was Sunday, and there was little to do. I relaxed, watched some TV, and kicked back for the first time since Nebraska. Having traversed more than a thousand miles since my last day off, it was wonderful to take in the last weekend of this part of the trip. On Tuesday, I was driving to Arkansas, and then on Thursday I was driving to Texas. There I would leave my car with my dad at his house in Austin, and fly home to New Jersey to spend some time with family and relax for about ten days. By the time I flew home, I would have visited 21 states in the past two months. It was exhausting, but a tremendous feeling of accomplishment offset my weariness. It was definitely "about time" to rest.

Many museums are closed on Mondays, but the Oklahoma History Center was open. Situated very close to the Capitol, the History Center was a beautiful, large building with lots of windows. It was by far the largest museum that I had been to so far on the trip. I walked inside to discover a soaring ceiling and wonderfully bright and airy lobby. Workers were setting up tables and chairs for an event, and when I asked the woman at the front desk, she told me the space was rented for one of the local oil companies. I collected a map of the exhibits and began exploring. The building has 3 large exhibits along with a few smaller displays set up in the hallways.

The first one I explored was dedicated to Oklahoma in the movies. The displays named actors, directors, illustrators, plays, and movies that were all related to Oklahoma. To name a few unexpected people, Brad Pitt and Chuck Norris are both from Oklahoma. Not only was there a display about Oklahoma the play, but also The Outsiders, which was filmed in Oklahoma, and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. A car was positioned in the middle of the whole room set up like it was a drive-in movie, with a large screen playing clips of Oklahoma movies and speakers standing by the front of the car. The whole exhibit was interesting and well done, and it was a refreshing to see something with a different flavor.  

Across the lobby there was a display dedicated to Native Americans and their influence on Oklahoma. As I walked toward the door, I overheard a man telling a group of senior women about a time capsule. The “Century Chest” was buried in April of 1913 at the First English Lutheran Church in downtown Oklahoma City. It was originally planned as a fundraiser by the church’s Ladies Aid Society to pay for a new pipe organ, but excitement grew and it eventually became a statewide event in honor of the Oklahoma Land Rush. This year, 100 years after it was buried, they opened it to discover what previous generations placed inside. The contents included old photographs, letters, books and other items.

             After learning about the Century Chest, I walked across to the exhibit dedicated to the Native Americans in Oklahoma. The exhibit focused on the different tribes in the region, including their culture and lifestyle as well as their relationship with European settlers. After the Land Rush of 1889 when the Oklahoma Territory officially opened for settlement, the population of the region rapidly approached the number of inhabitants required to qualify for statehood. The tribes that lived in Oklahoma wished to create their own state separate from the Oklahoma Territory. The “Five Civilized Tribes,” named due to their early conversion to European ideals, included the Cherokees, the Chickasaws, the Choctaws, the Seminoles, and the Creeks. Representatives of each tribe met at the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention in Muskogee in 1905. They drafted a constitution and proposal for statehood, and had it succeeded the Sequoyah state would have been the only state with a Native American majority. However, the federal government did not respond well to the idea due to partisan politics, and President Theodore Roosevelt and Congress refused their request. In response the Native American tribes worked with the Oklahoma Territorial government to incorporate some of their constitution into the new state’s constitution. It included some progressive elements such as an eight-hour workday for mines and public works projects, no child labor, and a prohibition on the sale of alcohol.

          Upstairs there was the last of the large exhibits. Similar to ones in other state history museums, this exhibit detailed the settlement and social history of what is now Oklahoma. There were a few displays that set this museum a part from the others I have visited. In one area, there was a fully equipped 1950s kitchen complete with pink appliances that detailed how new technology changed the life of women by greatly lightening their burden of housework. Right next to that was a display entitled “The Little Black Dress” which included examples of the fashion icon from a hundred years ago to present. There was also a large portion dedicated to the Dust Bowl in 1930s and another mention of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Of all of the individual items, the iron lung stuck out to me the most. In its peak of use, the iron lung was used primarily for polio patients that could no longer breathe on their own. There is something about antique medical equipment that is incredibly eerie, but also remarkably fascinating. I found myself unable to look elsewhere, but simultaneously filled with the nagging urge to move away from it.

          I departed from the museum, but not without a quick stop in the store to purchase a few souvenirs. After exiting the front doors, I took a gander at some of the items outside of the building. On the side were a few statues of buffalo, honoring the iconic animal of the Great Plains. Across the mostly empty parking lot from the building was a fenced in area with antique, inactive oilrigs on display, but the gate was closed so I had to observe from a distance. As I left the museum I made a wrong turn and took a short detour through the local neighborhood. I was dismayed to see the obvious signs of adversity: metal bars on doors and windows, no children or families playing outdoors, and few cars in the driveways. A young man was walking down the street with a cold look of solemn resolution on his face. As I reached the end of the block I was surprised to see what looked like a wealthy apartment complex across the street, complete with a ten-foot high fence, a gatehouse, and more luxury cars than I could count. The stark contrast was mildly nauseating.

On Tuesday, I went to the Oklahoma’s State Capitol, which is the only Capitol built on an oil reserve and surrounded by active oilrigs. Sure enough the bobbing structures were pumping away as I approached, reminding me of how important the oil industry has been for our economy throughout the years. If it hadn’t been for the bountiful oil reserves across the middle of our nation, many very rural states would be in far worse shape throughout the recent economic recession. In many ways, oil remains a consistent foundation of a rapidly changing world, and it will continue to be until the pressures of climate change become too great, or until we just run out of it.

I parked somewhere in the expansive parking lot, mildly disappointed that I was unable to find shade to escape from the beating sun. I entered the building and complied with the security measures before stopping at the front desk to get my bearings. I just missed the last tour by a few minutes, and the next one wasn’t for almost another hour, so I grabbed a self-guided tour book and began exploring on my own. The first thing that I noticed walking up the grand staircase was a statue of a Native American that stands at the top. It is a replica of The Guardian, which is the figure that stands on top of the dome so many feet above. I didn’t know exactly why, but it was one of my favorite statues that I had seen so far. As I was waiting by the elevator, its silhouette caught the corner of my eye as some people walked behind it, and I looked swiftly back at it as though I was surprised that it was still there. There was something about the statue’s position at the top of the stairs and its defiant stance that made it seem so lifelike from farther away.

I took the elevator to the third floor, and I leaned over the railing to get a first glimpse of the rotunda. It was bright, colorful, and expansive with several murals of notable Oklahomans as well as scenes from Oklahoma history. There were also decorative moldings above the murals that were painted to complement the space. The inside of the dome incorporated blue, pale purple, and green to enhance the effect of the daylight pouring in from the windows around the dome and to represent the Oklahoma sky. Above that, there were red squared details that represent Oklahoma’s wildflowers. As I gazed up into the dome, I noticed that there were the names of various corporations carved into the bottom of it including General Motors, Hobby Lobby Stores, and Conoco, Inc., as well as “The People of Oklahoma.” Later on in my trip I learned that the $1.5 million set aside by the legislature for the construction of the Capitol failed to cover all of its costs. Although the dome was a part of the original plans, they no longer had the resources or money necessary to finish it, and although many attempts were made to complete it over the years, a cap stayed over the top of the rotunda. In the last twenty years, the State Capitol Complex and Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission began a private fundraising campaign to add to public funds. In 2002, 85 years after the Capitol was finished, the $21-million dome was completed, and the taxpayers of Oklahoma were not burdened with the entire cost.

I continued along the third floor balcony, taking in every perspective of the rotunda and the rest of the building. Different murals and paintings representing the Oklahoma lifestyle and values frame the Senate chamber’s entrance, but the gallery is the only way the public can view its splendor. Although the House of Representatives decided to allow the public on the main floor of its chamber, the Senate chose to leave only the gallery open. When I walked in, I was surprised to see two young men and a young woman sitting just inside the door. I don’t know if they were security or just taking an inconspicuous break away from the hustle and bustle, but their conversation immediately halted as soon as I entered. I blushed, apologized, and feeling unwelcome, I took my pictures quickly. Stained glass skylights were the most beautiful aspect of the room’s decoration. The room’s gallery went all the way around the room, allowing many people to view the proceedings at once. The part of the gallery directly opposite the President of the Senate’s chair was sectioned off with glass, allowing reporters or even teachers to speak to their audiences without disturbing the proceedings.

I left the Senate gallery and continued around the rotunda. From there I could see that the back of the Capitol was being renovated. Although I was unsure of its original purpose, I learned that it was being converted to offices for legislators and their staff. After a quick look in the House gallery, I went downstairs to take a look at the House chamber floor. There I got into a long conversation with the two sergeants at arms that were positioned in the atrium. For almost an hour we spoke about the 50 Capitals Project as well as their journeys throughout the country. Several minutes later they took me onto the floor and pointed out a few things of interest. The electric fans that line the walls are original; they have been keeping the representatives cool for almost 100 years. They also took me back to the reception room where legislators can go to relax after a particularly draining day. Directly in front of the entrance is a piano, a fixture one seems to find somewhere in every Capitol. One of the guards told me that a particular legislator would play it to wind down after a long, hard day of work. Something about that knowledge reminded me that our although nation’s politicians take a lot of criticism, they have some of the most complicated jobs in the country and are human just like the rest of us.

I thanked both of the kind gentlemen for their time, but I needed to move on if I was going to make it to my final stop of the day. Just as I was leaving, one of them ran after me through the rotunda to give me his business card, and told me to come back to the Capitol to visit during my journey west to New Mexico in the spring. I smiled and thanked him again, thrilled to have made a new friend so far from home.

I clambered back into my vehicle, sighed and sat back in the driver’s seat as I thought about the remaining stop that I had to make in Oklahoma City. When I looked on Trip Advisor to find interesting things to do, I discovered the Museum of Osteology in the southeastern part of town. Curious to visit “America’s Only Skeleton Museum,” I decided to stop by before leaving to drive to Little Rock that evening. As I drove there I noticed that it was fairly out of the way of everything downtown, but there were many billboards giving directions along the way. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a rather small building with an unassuming sign. I entered and bought tickets promptly, but I was warned that they would be closing in ½ hour. That gave me just enough time. Right in the lobby, there is a whale skull that had the room built around it because of its terrific mass. It was about 2 ½ times my height, and I couldn’t believe what it must have taken to move it. To the left of the double doors that went to the main room, there was a small aquarium that sat on a pedestal. Inside there were beetles cleaning off a skull to be displayed. Nature is their way to get the bones 100% clean and ready for assembly.

I walked through to discover a wide array of skeletons. Complete with camels, canines, apes, horses, snakes, and much more, the Museum of Osteology did not disappoint. I could have spent twice the time inside had I not arrived so late in the afternoon. The variety and craftsmanship were impressive, and each skeleton was meticulously assembled. In front of a little raccoon skeleton a mischievous soul had placed an empty box of Milk Duds. It was about as cool as any museum can get, and I was extremely happy that I had paid a visit.

On the way out I chatted with some of the people who assembled the skeletons for the parent company of the museum. The young man I spoke to was extremely confident about their skill, informing me that they assemble skeletons for museums all around the country, and if I had been to a museum with a really neat, quality skeleton it was most likely their handiwork. It was impressive that they were so successful in what would definitely be called a niche market. The gentleman with whom I was speaking also bore an uncanny resemblance to Billy Joe Armstrong, the leader singer of Green Day, which provided an added dimension of intrigue. Overall, the Museum of Osteology was definitely a one of a kind experience.

            Leaving at the stroke of 5, I was eager to get on the road. I had several hours of driving ahead of me, and the sun was beginning to set. Oklahoma had been a very interesting stop on my journey. Not only do Oklahomans have the sensibility and sociability associated with the middle of the country, but they also have many things that set them apart. In the Oklahoma History Center, I enjoyed learning about Oklahoma in the movies, one of the only truly unique museum exhibits that I have been to so far. In a way, the exhibit demonstrates Oklahoma’s dedication to enjoyment and entertainment as well as the good old-fashioned hard work of the Great Plains. Although one may describe the Oklahoma landscape as dusty and unfertile, the state Capitol itself has taken advantage of the oil the land has dutifully provided. The Museum of Osteology was different and somewhat unexpected, but it was a particularly cherished stop on my trip because of it. All in all, I was thrilled with my experience in Oklahoma, and I had a feeling I would return.

Jefferson City, Missouri

         Missouri would be the 18th state capital of the 50 Capitals Project.  By my calculations I have now traveled about 5,000 miles seeing America. 

When I was a young girl, and my parents both had full time careers, we had a nanny from Missouri who lived with us. Judy was an older woman who was looking for work after raising her kids. She moved east and lived with us for a few years, and boy, was that a culture shock for her. At the time I was too young to understand the situation, but I remember my parents talking about it later.  When Harry Potter came out, and she refused to watch it with my brother and me because she believed that witches do the devil’s work. Now, my parents were never the type to hold someone’s beliefs against them, but in this case it was much more of a logistical issue than anything else.  Harry Potter was the most popular children’s series ever published, and everyone in my age group was really excited about and involved in it, so it must have been awkward for her to think that it was an evil influence and refuse to read it or put on the videos.   Judy did spend a lot of one on one time with me though. She taught me how to play many different card games, most of which I’ve now forgotten. She played board games with me when I was sick, and made me a snack when I came home from school. She was a part of my childhood, and as different as her beliefs were, she is forever a part of me. Now that I was traveling to Missouri, I remembered her with fondness.  She also used many sayings that had a folksy flavor, for instance, “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time,” which I can still apply to things I am doing today - like this trip!

             I had to pick a hotel room in the nearby town of Columbia because all of the hotels in Jefferson City had sold out. The next day, I learned that they were booked because of a homecoming football game. Although the distance meant that I had to travel a half-hour in the morning, I realized that now I would gladly drive that far to get a decent breakfast. Distances seemed so small after all of the driving I had done in the past few months, and the inconvenience was minimal. I cooked my dinner that night in the hotel room, and went to sleep early. It had been a long day of travel, and I needed the rest before all of the walking I had to do the next day.

            I woke up and left without breakfast. It was early, and I wanted to get to the Capitol as quickly as possible. When I arrived at the Capitol after a very scenic drive through the hills of central Missouri, I found a very convenient parking place right outside the Capitol. It was enormous, perhaps the grandest I’d seen yet. It seemed inescapable, and the huge columns only added to that impression. The light reflecting off of the white marble on the outside was blinding, and I had to squint just to get a few pictures of it. The grandeur of the exterior heightened my anticipation for the inside of the building.  As I took my photos, the doors opened on the ground floor under the main staircase in the front, and legislators began pouring out of them. Men and women dressed in suits, talking animatedly rushed past me as if school had just adjourned. I asked a passerby what was going on, and he responded that there was a swearing in for lawyers at the Capitol today, and it had just ended. Interested, I made my way inside and went to the tours and information desk.

I learned from the kind women there that the museum on the first floor of the Capitol is legally designated as a state park, making Missouri’s the only Capitol to have a state park inside of it. It was only a few more minutes before the next tour, so I waited and took some pictures of the rotunda from the ground floor perspective. Two women and a young child ended up accompanying me on the tour. 

We learned right away that the building came in 1 million dollars under budget, so the state used to money to finance paintings and works of art throughout the Capitol.  Our first stop was outside the Governor’s office, which was both his working office and his ceremonial office, so we were not permitted to look inside, but the enormous doors gave the impression that it would have been grand. Next, we took a look at some of the paintings that brightened the hallways, and saw the rotunda from the first floor. Its main feature was an enormous chandelier that hung dozens of feet from the crest of the dome. All around the rotunda, there were busts of famous Missourians. The ones that stood out to me were the busts of Harry Truman, George Washington Carver, Mark Twain [born Samuel Clemens], Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dred Scott, and Walter Elias Disney.

Next we went upstairs to the House Reception Room. This room was my favorite by far. It was empty except for chairs lining the back of the room that bore the windows and an enormous mural that stretched across every wall. Thomas Hart Benson painted A Social History of the State of Missouri in 1936. He designed it to be a timeline of Missouri history, from the arrival of the first European settlers to the Great Depression. It was incredibly vivid and honest in its portrayal, including depictions of European settlers banishing Native Americans from the land as well as slavery, the Civil War, and the shadow of a lynched slave. In another section, a farmer lives out a simple, yet fulfilling life. Thomas Benson’s son, T.P., is seen eating an apple. The industrial revolution was shown as the dirty, coal-coated era that it was. A court case was depicted in which Nat Benson, Thomas Benson’s brother and the prosecuting attorney for Greene County, is presenting his case while the judge nods off.

The famous Missouri outlaws, The James Boys, were shown committing robberies. Jesse James and his brother Frank were two of the most famous bandits in American History. In cahoots with the Younger brothers, they formed the James-Younger Gang. During its existence the gang robbed banks, trains, and stagecoaches throughout the middle of the country in Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, and West Virginia. Jesse James was famously shot in the back while hanging a picture on April 3, 1882 by Robert Ford who was a fellow gang member hoping to cash in on a state bounty for James’ head.

The end of the painting showed the strife of the Great Depression. It was a beautiful work of art, but I also can understand why it wasn’t received very well when it was first completed. The artist created an honest, rather than ideal, description of Missouri history through the eyes of the average person; Benson traveled four days a week prior to painting the mural in order to get an honest perspective of Missouri culture. He drew portraits of people throughout his travels, and those are the faces seen in the mural, creating a masterpiece that was true to Missouri’s history and a testament to its tenacity. It was my favorite mural that I had seen so far on this trip.  

The next stops were the House and Senate rooms themselves, but we were only permitted in the House gallery because the Senate gallery presents safety concerns. A funny and unexpected highlight was a small garden gnome that someone mischievous had placed on one of the ledges above the House gallery. Our guide told us that she believed it was a group of kids that had visited a few months ago. Luckily, their harmless prank survived long enough to give our tour group a good laugh.

After the tour was over, we returned to the main floor to take a look at the museum. Although it was fairly informative, its collection was less extensive than others I have visited, and the displays were a little dry. The only exhibit that stood out to me was the model of the USS Missouri that they had protected in a glass case. It reminded me of seeing the USS Iowa model in the Iowa State Capitol, and how long ago that seemed. It was just a few weeks, but I had traveled thousands of miles since then.

I left the building in search of food. I drove a short distance down the street and stopped to take a picture or two of the Governor’s mansion with the Capitol dome in the background. It was a glorious house, but I could only imagine what it looked like on the inside because tours were over for the day. I found a restaurant called the Ecco Restaurant and Lounge, and stopped by for an appetizer. I ordered mushroom and zucchini fries along with some chicken wings. They were hot, delicious, and satisfying. I left a little while later with a warm, full tummy and a smile.

On the way back to Columbia I thought about my visit to the Capitol and what I had learned about Missouri’s history. I loved the murals by Thomas Hart Benson because it encompassed every aspect of Missouri; it showed the beautiful and the ugly. I felt that it broadened my perspective. The people of this state have been through every kind of conflict and upheaval the country has experienced, but still the society has persisted and grown. Missouri progresses through each trial, and evolves because of it, just like the rest of the United States. In this way, it is a wonderful example of the spirit of mankind.

I drove the half-hour minutes back to Columbia for the night as the sun set behind the hills. The next morning, I checked out of my hotel. I stopped to get some gas before a long day of driving just as the rain really began. A massive thunderstorm was blasting across Missouri that day; luckily, I was driving west to Oklahoma, out of the storm. Still for a good four hours in the beginning of my journey I was engulfed in a downpour. Until this trip, it would have been hard for me to imagine the lifestyle of truckers, or others who are always on the road, whatever the weather.   I looked forward to reaching my next “home for the night”!