DARK DEPARTURES

BY KARLIE YBARRA

NORMALLY, IF YOU find yourself surrounded by the bones of a humpback whale, giraffe, monkey, or hundreds of other creatures, something has gone very wrong—unless you’re visiting SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology

This Oklahoma City ossuary may be a little unsettling, but it offers a one-ofa-kind glimpse of what lies beneath. » (405) 814-0006 or skeletonmuseum.com

ON A DARK May day in 1947, a massive tornado tore through the Dewey County town of Leedey, ending the lives of six people. Fifty years later, local children collaborated on a mixed-media sculpture to honor those who died, and visitors today can view the Leedey Tornado Monument in the city park. » (580) 488-3616

SINCE AS FAR back as 1866, there have been reports of mysterious illuminated orbs floating in a heavily wooded area near Peoria. The far northeastern Oklahoma Spook Lights have attracted dozens of paranormal investigations over the years—some of which attribute the phenomenon to nearby headlights— but believers maintain the area is haunted by otherworldly beings.

» Search online for directions.

THRILL SEEKERS GET double the boo for their buck at Guthrie’s historic Stone Lion Inn , a Victorian man - sion turned bed and breakfast. Visitors can stay in one of five luxurious suites—which were built in 1907—and perhaps encounter one of the ghostly residents, but they also can solve a ghastly crime during the inn’s themed murder mystery dinners. » (405) 282-0012 or stonelioninn.com

NOTHING CREATES RUMORS of hauntings like an epic tragedy, and that seems to be the case for the Sacred Heart Mission in Konawa. While attending a service at the beautiful Sacred Heart Catholic Church might be an uplifting experience, a visit to the nearby graveyard and mission, which was destroyed by fire in 1901, often leaves travelers with a sense of dread. » (580) 925-2145

A STATE AS young as Oklahoma might not seem like a paragon of paranormal activity, but there are dozens of paranormal tour operators to help you embrace the eerie. » There’s the Guthrie Ghost Walk (405/2938404 or guthrieghostwalk.com), Enid Cemetery Tombstone Tales (580/233-3643 or visitenid.org), Historic Fort Reno Historical Spirit Tours (405/262-3987 or fortreno. org), and Tulsa Spirit Tours features walks in downtown Tulsa and Broken Arrow (918/694-7488 or tulsaspirittour.com), and more, especially during October.

THE FIRST AMERICANS Museum in Oklahoma City is dedicated to telling the stories of the thirty-nine Native nations headquartered in Oklahoma with films, recordings, games, and so much more. This 175,000 squarefoot facility houses galleries, event spaces, a theater, Thirty Nine Restaurant, and an expansive gift shop. » (405) 594-2100 or famok.org

OUTSIDE THE MAIN building of the Chickasaw Cultural Center near Sulphur, visitors find sculptures, gardens, and even a traditional Chickasaw village on the grounds. Inside,

Native Soil

BY MEGAN ROSSMAN

the Chikasha Poya Exhibit Center guides visitors from the tribe’s origins through modern times. Stop by the Aaimpa’ Café for venison stew, Indian tacos, grape dumplings, and other treats. » (580) 622-7130 or chickasawculturalcenter.com

EXHIBITS TELLING THE story of the Choctaw Nation wind visitors through more than twenty-two acres of indoor and outdoor spaces at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Calera. The living village, Luksi Activity Center, Champuli Café, and Hvshi Gift Store are just a few highlights on this cultural expedition. » (833) 7089582 or choctawculturalcenter.com

HISTORY, MILITARY, AND religion are front and center at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton. Guests can learn about World War II Code Talkers, go on an interactive bison hunt, and see art by Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Cynthia Clay, Quanah Parker Burgess, Woogie Watchetaker, and others. » (580) 353-0404 or comanchemuseum.com tage Center in Shawnee showcase thousands of artifacts, art pieces, and exhibits that tell the story of the Potawatomi people. Don’t miss the aviary, which houses injured eagles that are being rehabilitated or homed permanently. » (405) 8785830 or potawatomiheritage.com

Learning more about the state’s Indigenous histories and cultures is as easy as hopping in the car. Here are eight stops to get you started.

ALONG WITH SEVEN thousand square feet of cultural exhibits, the Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah offers classes on making moccasins, basket weaving, and other crafts. Visitors also can learn more about the Cherokee Syllabary introduced by Sequoyah in the nineteenth century. » (877) 779-6977 or visitcherokeenation.com

THE GALLERIES AT the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heri-

A TWENTY-TWO-FOOT BRONZE figure of the namesake Ponca chief greets visitors at the Standing Bear Park, Museum, and Education Center in Ponca City, with viewing courts dedicated to six tribes situated throughout the grounds. » (580) 762-1514 or standingbearpark.com

THE PLAINS INDIANS & Pioneers Museum in Woodward covers the history and culture of northwest Oklahoma, including Kiowa buffalo hunters and the lives of Kiowa and Cheyenne tribes. A beaded cane made by a wife of Geronimo and given to prominent local lawyer Temple Houston also is on display. » (580) 256-6136 or nwok-pipm.org

BY BEN LUSCHEN

1. The Love County Courthouse in Marietta sits a few miles from the banks of the Red River and was one of the first courthouses built in Oklahoma following statehood. Its grand white columns and clock-tower dome earned the building a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. » 405 West Main Street in Marietta, (580) 276-3059

2. The story of Native and settler cohabitation in the area is etched into the details of the Pawnee County District Court. Brush past the façade of this courthouse in Pawnee and you’ll miss the intricate particulars of bas relief paneling and stone lintels that give the art deco edifice a distinct Western feel. » 500 Harrison Street in Pawnee, (918) 762-2547 or

3. For more than a hundred years, visitors to Sayre have been impressed by the tall, domed Beckham County Courthouse. The structure was built in 1911, and its distinguished stature was enough to earn the building a cameo in the 1940 film version of The Grapes of Wrath » 104 South Third Street in Sayre. (580) 928-2457 or facebook.com/beckhamcounty

4. The first thing visitors to the Noble County Courthouse in Perry notice is the bronze Hopes and Dreams, erected in 1993 to commemorate the Cherokee Strip Land Run centennial. Little else has changed on the site of the white stone building with fluted Corinthian pillars since its opening

Perry. (580) 336-2141 or noblecountyok.com/county-clerk

5. Originally McAlester’s post office and federal courthouse,the Carl Albert Federal Building was renamed in 1985 for Carl Albert, speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to ’77. Built in the neo-classical revival style, it now is home to the McAlester Police Department, municipal court, and local emergency call center. » 301 East Carl Albert Parkway in McAlester, (918) 423-9300

6. If you're coming from or going to the Panhandle’s remote Black Mesa summit, Boise City’s Cimarron County Courthouse will be one of you’ll see on the way. The red brick edifice, originally opened in 1926, looks good considering it was accidentally bombed during an Army training mishap in 1943.

» 1 Courthouse Square in Boise City, (580) 544-2221

7. Even Rocky Balboa would have trouble ascending the interminable stairs leading to Pawhuska’s Osage County Courthouse, perched above town on a hill. When guests finally do make it to the top, they’ll be standing at the site of the infamous murder trial of Ernest Burkhart—the 1926 “trial of the century” depicted in the book and upcoming feature film Killers of the Flower Moon.

» 600 Grandview Avenue in