Symbols of Oklahoma: Appreciating Oklahoma's Identity Cortney ...

Symbols of Oklahoma: Appreciating Oklahoma's Identity

Cortney Stone

Curator of Education

What is a symbol?

A symbol is a short and simple way to suggest another person, place, or

thing. Even people who cannot read can look at a symbol and understand

what it means. Symbols can represent something small, like an idea, a

business, or a club, or they can represent something as large as an entire

state or country. Symbols are often what people associate with something.

For example, when someone says "summer," you may think of ice cream,

the sun, and swimming. Those can be symbols of summer.

Every state in the United States has its own set of official symbols: a flag, a

state seal, and a motto. These official symbols represent the identity of the

state. Many states have chosen animals, plants, and other things from the

state as symbols. There are different categories, including state bird, state

flower, and state rock. Oklahoma has over 40 state symbols!

To choose an official state symbol, people can suggest different ideas and

then decide which one best represents the state. Sometimes people choose

symbols by voting. The state legislature establishes symbols by passing

resolutions, which only express intent or sentiment, and some of those

resolutions become codified in the Oklahoma statutes. The symbols in this

guide are official symbols recognized by the Oklahoma state legislature and

codified into state statutes.

Teaching Students about Oklahoma Symbols

The study of Oklahoma symbols plays an important role in meeting the new

academic standards established by the State Board of Education in 2012.

Several of the symbols, such as the state flag and the state seal, are

mandatory components of the C3 Standards for Social Studies. Other

symbols fit in with science and art. Studying Oklahoma's plant and animal

symbols can help students understand biology and the state's ecology, and

studying the different cultural symbols can help students appreciate music,

poetry, and artwork. Overall, studying the symbols gives students a

comprehensive view of Oklahoma's culture, ecology, and history. This can

help students appreciate the unique identity of Oklahoma. Such sentiment

can make an impact on the future of our state. When students understand

what makes Oklahoma such a colorful place that is rich with life and culture,

they can begin to become informed citizens who take pride in their state and

want to contribute to its progress.

Problems with Teaching Oklahoma Symbols

Every subject in history has controversy, and Oklahoma symbols are no

exception. As an educator, you will encounter two major sources of

confusion and complexity among Oklahoma symbols: replacement and

redundancy. The Oklahoma legislature has changed three of the symbols

due to controversy: the flag, the flower/floral emblem, and the state song.

Several symbols seem to be redundant; for example, there are many

subcategories for plants, animals, and songs. It is almost as if someone was

afraid of leaving something out!

State Seal

The state seal is Oklahoma's first

state symbol. The Oklahoma

Constitutional Convention wrote a

specific description of it into the

state Constitution because it was

one of the first things the new state

needed. Seals are essential for any

government because officials have

to use them to validate government

documents. Because it was for

making impressions into important

government papers, the original seal did not have colors. Some artists have

added blue, gold, and green to it to brighten it up.

The state seal is a tribute to the different cultures in our state and it has a

tremendous amount of detail and symbolism. The seal consists of a large

star surrounded by 45 small stars

that represent the 45 states in the

United States prior to Oklahoma's

entry into the union. The five arms of

the large star have the seals of the

Five Tribes. Clockwise from the top,

they are the Chickasaw Nation, the

Choctaw Nation, the Seminole Nation,

the Muskogee Creek Nation, and the

Cherokee Nation. The seal in the

center of the star is the original seal

of the Territory of Oklahoma. This seal within a seal shows an American

farmer shaking hands with a Native American, symbolizing peace and unity

between the two cultures. Columbia, a symbol of the United States, stands

behind them holding scales that represent justice, and the background has

scenes of Native American life and American modernization. Olive branches

representing peace surround the image. The words above them – Labor

Omnia Vincit – are the state motto, which means, "Labor conquers all." The

line comes from Georgics by Virgil, a Roman poet. Virgil wrote Georgics as

propaganda encouraging Roman citizens to take up farming in spite of its

challenges.

State Flag

Oklahoma's first state flag was a simple

red field with a white star in the center.

The white star had the number 46

inside it, representing Oklahoma as the

46th state in the union. The Oklahoma

legislature adopted it in 1911. However,

during the 1910s and 1920s, many

Oklahomans began to associate the red flag with Communism and labeled it

the "red rag of sedition." Oklahoma soldiers did not want to carry the flag

because it looked like an enemy's flag. Others felt that the design lacked

significance or positive meaning. It reminded them of the red flags people

would hang on a house to warn visitors that a resident had a contagious

disease.

In the mid-1920s, Joseph Thoburn, the executive secretary of the Oklahoma

Historical Society, worked with the local chapter of the Daughters of the

American Revolution and held a contest where artists could submit designs

for a new flag.

The winner was Louise Funk Fluke, an Oklahoma artist who had attended

Columbia University and the Chicago Art Institute. Fluke had consulted with

Thoburn about Native American lore and she drew inspiration from Native

American artifacts at the Historical Society. One of the items, an Osage

shield, is on exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center today.

The official description from the Oklahoma Statutes describes the flag as

such:

A sky-blue field with a circular rawhide shield of an American Indian

Warrior, decorated with six painted crosses on the face thereof, the lower

half of the shield to be fringed with seven pendant eagle feathers and

superinduced upon the face of the shield a calumet or peace pipe, crossed

at right angles by an olive branch as illustrated by the design

accompanying this resolution.

According to Fluke, almost every

aspect of the flag has an important

meaning. The blue field represents

devotion. The shield represents

engaging in warfare only when it is

necessary for defense, and the

crosses on the shield are a

traditional Osage motif that

represents stars. The feathers do not have any meaning; Fluke merely

copied them from the original shield. The peace pipe and olive branch

crossed over the shield show that peace is above all. Fluke said that the

entire flag represents Oklahomans united in peace.

The Oklahoma legislature adopted the new flag on April 2, 1925, and they

added the word "Oklahoma" to it in 1941.

State Colors

Oklahoma's official state colors are green and white. In 1915, the

Ohoyohoma Circle, which consisted of the wives of members of the state

legislature, petitioned the legislature to adopt the colors. The legislature

codified them that same year.

State Bird

Oklahoma's official state bird is the

scissor-tailed flycatcher. This small

bird has a very distinctive long tail

that consists of two long feathers that

open and close like a pair of scissors.

As the name implies, scissor-tailed

flycatchers eat insects, including

grasshoppers that are harmful to

crops, so the bird plays an important role in Oklahoma's agriculture. These

birds live on the prairie near trees and bushes where they nest. Scissor-

tailed flycatchers will aggressively defend these nests, even against bigger

birds. Oklahomans can find scissor-tailed flycatchers perched on barbed wire

fences during spring, summer, and fall when the birds migrate here. They

migrate to Central and South America during the winter.

According to the Oklahoma Ornithological Society, the scissor-tailed

flycatcher was not the first bird chosen. During the 1920s, the Oklahoma

chapter of the Federation of Women's Clubs wanted the Northern Bobwhite

(quail) to be the state bird, but they did not ask the state legislature to take

action. In 1951, the Tulsa Audubon Society asked the state legislature to

make the scissor-tailed flycatcher the state bird, and the legislature made it

official via a statute.

State Game Bird

Oklahoma's official game bird is the

wild turkey. Wild turkeys live

throughout Oklahoma and nest under

bushes and logs. They eat insects,

berries, and acorns, and occasionally

they will feed on crops. They have

shiny copper-colored feathers and

brown and black tail feathers with

cream-colored tips, heads are bald with blue skin and red or purple wattles.

Male turkeys have tufts called "beards" in the middle of their chests.

The Oklahoma legislature made the wild turkey the official state game bird

in 2006 and codified it in a statute.

State Flying Mammal

The official state flying mammal

of Oklahoma is the Mexican free-

tailed bat. These nocturnal

animals hunt insects by using

echolocation, and many people

appreciate the fact that these

bats help control the mosquito

population. Mexican free-tailed

bats live in gypsum caves in

western Oklahoma, and people can observe them leaving their caves in large

groups in the evenings. The bats migrate to South America during the

winter.

Humans are a threat to Mexican free-tailed bat populations. Some people

use pesticides that are harmful to the bats, and they destroy or reduce the

bats' natural habitats. After noting a decline in bat populations, the

Oklahoma Wildlife Department purchased the Selman Bat Cave and the area

around it in 1997. This cave is important to Mexican free-tailed bats because

it is where they prefer to raise their young. The Wildlife Department can now

protect the cave and keep people from building roads, homes, and

businesses nearby. They can also stop people from wandering too close and

disturbing the bats. In fact, even researchers never enter the caves.

Instead, they use infrared video cameras to observe the bats as they leave

and enter the caves at night.

University of Central Oklahoma professor William Caire proposed making the

Mexican free-tailed bat the state flying mammal, and the legislature

established the designation as a statute in 2006.

State Fish

Oklahoma's official state fish is the white

bass, also known as the sand bass.

White bass are silver with narrow

horizontal black stripes on their sides.

The Oklahoma legislature established it

as the state fish in 1974, and it represents the importance of lakes and sport

fishing in Oklahoma.

State Butterfly

The state butterfly of Oklahoma is the black

swallowtail. Like all butterflies, black swallowtails go

through metamorphosis. Black swallowtails start out

as yellow and black caterpillars that hatch from eggs

and like to eat dill weed. Then, they become pupa and

eventually emerge as adult butterflies with black wings

with yellow spots. Females have blue patches on their

lower wings, while males do not. They feed on nectar

from brightly colored flowers.

The Oklahoma legislature established the black swallowtail as the state

butterfly in 1996.

State Dinosaur

Oklahoma even has its own official state

dinosaur: the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. The

Oklahoma legislature adopted and codified this

symbol in 2006. Paleontologists discovered the

first evidence of this dinosaur in the 1940s in

Atoka County, hence the atokensis in its

name. They also found part of a skeleton in

McCurtain County in the 1980s. Fossil evidence indicates that the

Acrocanthosaurus atokensis is similar to the Tyrannosaurus rex, but it is

millions of years older. It has spines on its back and three six-inch claws on

each forearm.

State Flower and Floral Emblem

For decades, Oklahoma's state flower

has been a source of controversy

and confusion. One can trace this

back to a resident who lived during

Oklahoma's territorial days: Mrs. O.

Beeson. She was the biggest

supporter of mistletoe as the official

flower of the territory and as

Oklahoma's floral exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In 1893, she

persuaded territorial Representative J. A. Wimberly to help establish

mistletoe as the official territorial flower. Though others lobbied for the

passionflower, mistletoe won out.

After Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Senator John Golobie, who came to

Oklahoma in the 1889 land run, filed a bill to retain mistletoe as the state

flower. He argued that during the harsh winter of 1889, it was the only flora

available to place on the graves of those who had died. This argument

convinced the legislature that mistletoe had a special meaning for

Oklahoma. Golobie's bill became law in 1910.

Unfortunately, this was quite controversial. Many people pointed out that

mistletoe was not a good representative of Oklahoma because it is a parasite

that lacks showy flowers. The plant is actually hemiparasitic, which means

that it produces its own chlorophyll but takes vital nutrients from the trees

on which it grows. Eventually, an increasing number of Oklahomans began

calling for a new state flower.

In 1964, Herbert Swim, a horticulturist

and master hybridizer at Oklahoma

State University, developed the

Oklahoma rose. This type of hybrid rose

has enormous red blooms and a

pleasant sweet scent. An Oklahoma City

florist named Dottie Weissenberger took

notice and started campaigning for the

legislature to make this new Oklahoma-

grown rose the new state flower. The first legislative proposal failed to pass

in 1967, but it succeeded in 2003. The state legislature codified it as a law in

2004. Some people still mistakenly believe that the mistletoe is still the state

flower, but the legislature merely changed it to the state floral emblem.

State Wildflower

In the middle of the mistletoe controversy, the Oklahoma legislature

established the Indian Blanket as the official state wildflower in 1986. This

led to some believing that the Indian Blanket was the new state flower.

Indian Blanket is a distinctive wildflower that is

tolerant of Oklahoma's hot and dry weather. It has

a central root system, and the petals are yellow at

the tips and red toward the center of the flower,

which blooms in early summer. The Indian Blanket

represents Oklahoma's natural beauty and Native

American heritage.

State Tree

Oklahoma's official state tree is the

redbud, a medium-sized tree that is

native to Oklahoma. The tree has heart-

shaped leaves and purple-pink flowers

that bloom in April. The flowers are edible

and some people use them in salads and

baked goods.

The redbud's journey to becoming a state

symbol began in the 1930s. Maimee Lee

Robinson Browne, chairperson of the Oklahoma City Beautification

Committee, petitioned the state legislature to make the redbud the state

tree. The legislature responded by passing a Senate Joint Resolution in 1937

that made the redbud an emblem. In 1971, the redbud officially became the

state tree.

State Fruit

Oklahoma's official state fruit is the strawberry,

an important crop in the state's agriculture

industry. In 2005, elementary students from

Skiatook had their school vote to choose the state

fruit. The strawberry won, narrowly defeating the

watermelon. The students used the results to

petition the legislature, which then established the

strawberry as the state fruit that same year.

State Vegetable

In 2005, the Oklahoma legislature established watermelon as the official

state vegetable. Like with the state flower, this too became a source of

confusion. Many people say that the watermelon is actually a fruit so it can't

be the state vegetable.

To understand how a fruit became the state

vegetable, you must first understand the

definitions of "fruit" and "vegetable." Fruit grows

from flowers, and vegetables are plants that

people grow as food. For example, carrots are

vegetables, but they are not fruit because they

are the roots of the plant. Strawberries and

watermelons are fruit because they come from the flowers of the plant.

However, because people grow watermelons as food, they can count as

vegetables. That is how the watermelon became our state vegetable. Many

students (and some adults) will be baffled by all this, so offer this

explanation only if you feel it is appropriate for your class.

State Drink

Oklahoma's official state beverage is milk, which represents the importance

of the dairy industry and agricultural life in Oklahoma. The state legislature

established this designation in 2002.

State Rock

The official state rock is the rose rock, also known as

the barite rose. One can find rose rocks throughout

central Oklahoma and the Wichita and Ouachita

mountains. They are made of barite and sand that

forms a particular pattern that looks like a rose. The

distinctive red color comes from red sandstone. Rose

rocks formed millions of years ago when the ocean covered Oklahoma. Many

rose rocks are small enough to fit in your hand, but the biggest specimen

was 17 inches in diameter and weighed 125 pounds.

In the 1960s, rock collectors petitioned the state government to make the

rose rock the official state rock. The state legislature agreed and established

the designation in 1968.

State Crystal

Oklahoma's state crystal is the hourglass selenite. Selenite crystals occur

throughout the world, but ones with the distinctive inner hourglass shape

form only at the Great Salt Plains in Oklahoma. The shape comes from iron

oxide in the soil.

In 2005, elementary school students from Bryant and Red

Oak Schools petitioned the legislature to make the

hourglass selenite the state gem. The legislature modified

the title to "state crystal" and codified it as an official

symbol.

State Fossil

Oklahoma's official state fossil is the

Saurophaganax Maximus, a dinosaur whose

name means "king of the reptile eaters." The

Oklahoma legislature established it in 2000 as

a representative of the state's contributions to

paleontology.

This is a separate distinction from the official state dinosaur. The official

state fossil celebrates paleontology, which studies all prehistoric life, not just

dinosaurs. Fossils can come from other types of animals or even plants.

State Cartoon Character

GUSTY is Oklahoma's official state cartoon

character, thanks to a statute established in 2005.

Don Woods, a weatherman from Tulsa, created the

character in 1954 as a way to illustrate the weather

forecast. Sometimes he drew GUSTY enjoying the

warm sunshine or diving for cover in a "Frady Hole" during a tornado.

State Song

Oklahoma's state song is another symbol that has changed due to

controversy. In 1935, the state legislature established "Oklahoma, A Toast"

as the state song. For the next two decades, some Oklahomans were quite

dissatisfied with the song. They claimed that it was too slow and too much

like a funeral dirge.

In 1953, State Senator George Nigh proposed changing the state song to

"Oklahoma!," a fresh new tune from a musical and a movie of the same

name. Some legislators and their constituents complained that it would be a

poor choice. They worried that it would be too difficult for children to learn

how to sing this song – an argument that many children have since

disproved – and they did not like the "slangy lyrics." Others pointed out that

the composers, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, were not from

Oklahoma. However, Rodgers and Hammerstein had based the musical on

Green Grow the Lilacs, a play written by Oklahoman Lynn Riggs. Supporters

of the song felt that the musical had improved Oklahoma's national image

after the devastation of the Dust Bowl years.

In spite of the dissention, "Oklahoma!" became the new state song in 1953.

Oscar Hammerstein responded to the news with a letter that said,

So tell your readers, and all the people of Oklahoma that not only may

they play it and sing it anywhere and everywhere to their heart's content

but that we want them and urge them to do so. Songwriters write songs

for people to sing and nothing makes them happier than to know that

their song is being sung. Mr. Rodgers and I are very proud that our song

has been adopted by your State. Play it and sing it loud and long and

often!

State Folk Song

Oklahoma's official state folk song is "Oklahoma

Hills" by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie. Woody

Guthrie, who was born and raised in Okemah,

wrote over a thousand songs and poems and he

influenced many singers and songwriters

throughout the United States and beyond. Jack

Guthrie was Woody's cousin. The lyrics of

"Oklahoma Hills" are Woody Guthrie's tribute to growing up in Oklahoma.

State Children's Song

In 1994, Martha Kemm Barrett, an elementary school teacher from Broken

Arrow, wrote a song entitled "Oklahoma, My Native Land." It became the

official state children's song in 1996. The lyrics contain many references to

Oklahoma's symbols and heritage.

State Gospel Song

Oklahoma's official state gospel song is "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The

song's author is Wallace Willis, an African-American man who used to be a

slave in the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. The Red River, which made

Willis think of the Jordan River in the Bible, inspired some of the lyrics of

"Swing Low Sweet Chariot." Willis used to write songs to sing in the fields

while he worked and his wife Minerva would sing with him. Their songs

became very famous thanks to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, who

performed the songs throughout the United States and abroad. The state

legislature made "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" the official state gospel song in

2011.

State Percussive Instrument

In 1993, the state legislature added a statute establishing

the drum as the official state instrument. Drums are a vital

part of many types of music in Oklahoma, ranging from

Native American ceremonial rhythms to country, folk, jazz,

and rock music.

State Symbols Established by House or Senate Resolutions

Emblem Name Year Established

Amphibian Bullfrog 1997

Animal American bison 1972

Country song "Faded Love" by Bob Wills 1988

Dance Waltz 1982

Folk Dance Square Dance 1988

Furbearer Raccoon 1990

Game Animal Whitetail deer 1990

Grass Indian grass 1972

Insect European honeybee 1992

Meal Fried okra, squash, cornbread,

barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage

and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries,

chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and

black-eyed peas

1988

Monument Golden Driller 1979

Musical Instrument Fiddle 1984

Pin "OK" Pin 1982

Poem "Howdy Folks" 1941

Reptile Eastern Collared Lizard 1969

Soil Port Silt Loam (red dirt) 1987

Tartan Red, white, black, and gold on blue 1999

Theater group Lynn Riggs Players of Oklahoma,

Inc.

1961

Waltz song "Oklahoma Wind" 1982

Western Band Sounds of the Southwest 1997

Classroom Activities

There are several classroom activities that will help teach your students

about the symbols of Oklahoma. Some of the activities satisfy state

academic skills standards.

Choosing a New Symbol

This activity will help students learn about the process for choosing symbols.

First, announce to the class that they will get to choose a new symbol for

Oklahoma or for the class. Ask them to brainstorm ideas while you write

them on the board. Next, have the class discuss the ideas and narrow them

down to the best ones. Encourage students to explain why they feel a

certain symbol is the best choice, and you may hold a vote to determine

which symbol will become "official." Once the class has selected its ideal

symbol, have students use various media to create artistic representations

of the symbol to decorate the classroom.

If the students have chosen a new type of symbol for Oklahoma and they

are feeling ambitious, please contact the state legislators for your district

and see if they would like to bring the proposal to the legislature. Students

have been the catalyst for some of our state symbols in the past, so perhaps

your class could make history too!

Writing about Symbols

For this activity, students will write essays or give oral reports about a

particular state symbol. You may assign a symbol to each student or let him

or her choose from a list. This will help students learn about basic research

and writing methods.

For a creative writing approach, have students write song lyrics or a poem

about Oklahoma that includes references to as many state symbols as

possible. For an example, please see "Oklahoma, My Native Land" by Martha

Kemm Barrett. This will help students learn about the characteristics of

poetry, such as rhyme and rhythm.

Sorting Symbols

Give each student a card with the name and picture of a state symbol. Tell

the class they will work together and classify the symbols. You will be asking

questions about the different properties of symbols, such as color, shape,

size, whether the symbol is living or non-living, and so forth. You may have

the students hold their symbols up or stand with them. If you have enough

room, you can have them form groups for each category.

For example, you may ask, "Who has a symbol that is red or pink?" Students

who have red symbols, such as the strawberry, the watermelon, and the

Oklahoma Rose, will stand up or form a group.

Here is a list of sample questions you may use. Feel free to make up

additional questions for your class. You can make this activity as simple or

as complex as you like.

Who has a symbol that is...

Red or pink?

Blue?

Green?

Yellow?

Eaten as food?

A living organism?

Non-living?

An animal?

A plant?

A nocturnal animal?

Related to music?

Oklahoma Symbols Educational Trunk

For an in-depth study of Oklahoma's symbols, you may check out the

Symbols of Oklahoma educational trunk from the Oklahoma History Center.

The trunk has a curriculum guide, hands-on objects, and other activities

available for classroom use. Please contact the education department at

(405) 522-3602 or [email protected] to schedule a trunk check-out

date.

State Song Lyrics

The following pages have the lyrics for the four official state songs. The

songs are on separate pages so that you may print them out and give them

to your students for analysis and discussion. For official copies of the sheet

music for these songs, please contact the Oklahoma Department of

Libraries.

Oklahoma!

Brand new state! Brand new state, gonna treat you great!

Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,

Pasture fer the cattle, Spinach and Termayters!

Flowers on the prairie where the June bugs zoom,

Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,

Plen'y of room to swing a rope!

Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope!

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain,

And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet

When the wind comes right behind the rain.

Oklahoma, ev'ry night my honey lamb and I

Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand!

And when we say – Yeeow! A-yip-i-o-ee ay!

We're only sayin' you're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma - O.K.

Oklahoma Hills

Many a month has come and gone

Since I've wandered from my home

In those Oklahoma Hills

Where I was born

Many a page of my life has turned

Many lessons I have learned

And I feel like in those hills

Where I belong

CHORUS:

Way down yonder in the Indian nation

Ridin' my pony on the reservation

In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born

Way down yonder in the Indian nation

A cowboy's life is my occupation

In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born

But as I sit here today

Many miles I am away

From the place I rode my pony

Through the draw

Where the oak and black-jack trees

Kiss the playful prairie breeze

And I feel back in those hills

Where I belong

CHORUS

Now as I turn life a page

To the land of the great Osage

In those Oklahoma hills

Where I was born

Where the black oil rolls and flows

And the snow white cotton grows

And I feel like in those hills

Where I belong

CHORUS

Oklahoma, My Native Land

As I travel the roads of America, such wonderful sights I can see.

But nothing compares to the place I love;

The perfect home for you and for me.

Yes, Oklahoma, my native land.

I am proud to say your future's looking grand.

Yes, Oklahoma, such history.

Ev'ry day you give a gift just for me.

I see a Scissortail Flycatcher cut through the clean air

as mistletoe kisses the branches ev'rywhere.

Redbuds open ev'ry single spring.

I hear a Pow Wow beat the rhythm of the old ways

as oil wells pump back mem'ries of the boom days.

Only Oklahoma has these things.

Yes, Oklahoma, my native land.

I am proud to say your future's looking grand.

Yes, Oklahoma, such history.

Ev'ry day you give a gift just for me.

Perfect home for you.

The perfect home for me.

It's only Oklahoma for me.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Comin' for to carry me home,


Comin' for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see,


A band of angels comin' after me,






If you get there before I do,


Tell all my friends I'm comin' too,






I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,


But still my soul feels heavenly bound,






The brightest day that I can say,


When Jesus washed my sins away,






Bibliography

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/ (9 August 2012).

"Fruit or Vegetable?" Oklahoma 4H,

http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/aitc/lessons/upper/fruitveg.pdf (9 August

2012).

Hickman, Mrs. Andrew R. "The State Flag of Oklahoma." Chronicles of

Oklahoma 9, no. 1 (March 1931): 10-11.

Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov (9 August 2012).

"McCurtain County's Dinosaur." Museum of the Red River,

http://www.museumoftheredriver.org/dino.html (9 August 2012).

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation,

https://www.wildlifedepartment.com (9 August 2012).

Oklahoma Senate, http://www.oksenate.gov (9 August 2012).

"Oklahoma Statutes." Oklahoma Legislature,

http://www.oklegislature.gov/osstatuestitle.html (9 August 2012).

"Oklahoma Symbols." OHS Kids!,

http://www.okhistory.org/kids/symbols?full (9 August 2012).

Otley, Shea, Rose rock, photograph, Oklahoma City.

"The Great Seal of Oklahoma." Chronicles of Oklahoma 35, no. 3 (Fall

1957): 250-254.

Tomer, John S. "A history of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, the state bird of

Oklahoma." Bulletin of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society 33, no. 1 (March

2000): 1-6.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://www.fws.gov (9 August 2012).

U.S. Department of Agriculture, http://www.usda.gov (9 August 2012).

Wikimedia, http://www.wikimedia.org (9 August 2012).

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