WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.600 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. We have a really 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:05.519 comprehensive stack of sources, articles and 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:08.380 historical accounts today, and they all detail 00:00:08.380 --> 00:00:10.900 the journey of a state that is, I mean, you could 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:13.980 argue it's the most contradictory and legally 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:17.000 complex landmass in the American Union. We're 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.640 talking about Oklahoma. We are. And if your mental 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:22.440 image of Oklahoma is just, you know. wide open 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.140 cattle ranges, oil derricks, and maybe the Dust 00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:28.280 Bowl, you should prepare for a complete structural 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.600 rewrite of that narrative. This deep dive is 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.119 going to show that Oklahoma sits at a geographic, 00:00:34.299 --> 00:00:37.840 cultural, and legal confluence that gives it 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:40.659 this This identity crisis that's both painful 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.200 and really deeply defining. Right. And that core 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:45.100 tension, it's right there in its official nickname 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:47.219 versus its original name. You've got the Sooner 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:49.380 State, which immediately brings to mind, you 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:52.020 know, speed, frontier hustle, maybe a willingness 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:54.200 to bend the rules a bit. A bit, yeah, to seize 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.320 an opportunity. But then the name Oklahoma itself, 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.159 the word actually chosen for the state, it's 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:01.259 one of profound historical intent. It's the ultimate 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:03.679 contradiction. The state name comes directly 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:08.709 from two Choctaw words, Okla and Huma. Okla means 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:12.069 people and Huma means red. So the literal direct 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:16.030 translation is land of the red man. Wow. I find 00:01:16.030 --> 00:01:18.650 that so powerful. A place defined by one of the 00:01:18.650 --> 00:01:20.650 most fraught periods of indigenous displacement 00:01:20.650 --> 00:01:23.370 in American history, the Trail of Tears, has 00:01:23.370 --> 00:01:25.709 a name that explicitly roots its identity in 00:01:25.709 --> 00:01:28.019 its first peoples. And it was not an accident. 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.280 Not at all. It wasn't a concession either. The 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:32.480 name was actually proposed by Choctaw Nation 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:36.340 Chief Alan Wright way back in 1865. This was 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:38.519 during some really critical treaty negotiations 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:40.560 with the federal government right after the Civil 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.900 War. OK, so what was the political play there? 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.099 What was the Choctaw Nation hoping to achieve 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:48.140 by suggesting a name that so overtly staked a 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.700 claim to sovereignty, especially right after 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:52.799 a devastating war? They were trying to create 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.099 a legal and political firewall. Wright's vision 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:57.760 was to use that name for an all -exclusive American 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.560 Indian state. The idea was it would be controlled 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:02.799 entirely by the U .S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:04.519 I mean, it was a really sophisticated vision 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.040 of self -determination, a protected, guaranteed 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:09.719 sovereign space for relocated tribes. A vision 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:11.680 that ultimately didn't happen. It was thwarted, 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:14.620 yeah. But the idea is still incredibly potent. 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:17.719 And it's why a painting of that 1865 council 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:21.520 now hangs almost like a historical ghost in the 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:23.699 Oklahoma Senate today. And that right there. 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:26.500 That frames our mission for this deep dive. We're 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:29.490 digging into sources that show a state... defined 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:33.030 by this fundamental tension, the historical promise 00:02:33.030 --> 00:02:36.629 of the land of the red man versus the, I guess, 00:02:36.710 --> 00:02:39.270 triumphant, aggressive identity of the sooner 00:02:39.270 --> 00:02:42.569 settler. Exactly. And our material today is going 00:02:42.569 --> 00:02:45.349 to challenge the flatness of that popular stereotype. 00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:48.370 Geographically, as we'll get into, Oklahoma is 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:50.710 just a powerhouse of diversity. It sits at a 00:02:50.710 --> 00:02:53.509 confluence of three major American cultural regions, 00:02:53.830 --> 00:02:57.250 Southern, Western, and Midwestern. And critically, 00:02:57.430 --> 00:03:00.340 it has 11... distinct ecological regions within 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.139 its borders. 11. 11. And here's the statistic 00:03:03.139 --> 00:03:05.280 that should really grab you. It contains more 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:07.879 ecological diversity per square mile than any 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:09.900 other state in the nation. That's a staggering 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:11.780 claim. I mean, you think of states like California 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:13.800 or Florida. It's true. It's really astounding. 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:15.900 So that brings us to our core question for you, 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:18.969 the listener. How did this land? intended for 00:03:18.969 --> 00:03:21.669 exclusive indigenous control, become the volatile 00:03:21.669 --> 00:03:25.050 modern place it is today. Right. How did a territory 00:03:25.050 --> 00:03:27.530 carved out for forced removal, intended as an 00:03:27.530 --> 00:03:30.629 Indian state, become the Oklahoma we know? The 00:03:30.629 --> 00:03:33.090 state of land rushes, extreme weather, the oil 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:36.460 capital of the world. And yet, even today, it 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:38.360 contains the highest percentage of land that 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:41.000 is legally designated as Indian country after 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:43.819 that massive 2020 Supreme Court ruling. It's 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:46.379 a history of constant and often violent conflict 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:48.979 over what the land is and who owns it. So let's 00:03:48.979 --> 00:03:50.819 start there. Let's begin the deep dive into that 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:53.599 history. Before the removal era, before Indian 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:56.599 territory, this land wasn't empty. It has an 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.520 unbelievably deep indigenous past. That's such 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:01.689 a crucial starting point. Archaeological evidence 00:04:01.689 --> 00:04:03.750 confirms indigenous peoples were in this area 00:04:03.750 --> 00:04:05.789 stretching back to the last ice age. I mean, 00:04:05.789 --> 00:04:07.990 thousands of years before any European settlement. 00:04:08.169 --> 00:04:10.150 Our sources specifically named the ancestral 00:04:10.150 --> 00:04:12.490 homes of the Wichita, the Tonkawa, and the Caddo 00:04:12.490 --> 00:04:14.810 tribes as being historical inhabitants of the 00:04:14.810 --> 00:04:17.430 region. And it's often missed in that frontier 00:04:17.430 --> 00:04:19.930 narrative that these weren't just transient groups. 00:04:20.069 --> 00:04:22.189 There were highly advanced, complex cultures 00:04:22.189 --> 00:04:24.850 thriving here, especially in eastern Oklahoma. 00:04:25.189 --> 00:04:27.449 Absolutely. The most compelling example has to 00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:30.879 be the Spiro Mounds. This was a... major organized 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.759 Mississippian mound complex. It was located near 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:36.139 the Arkansas River in what's now eastern Oklahoma. 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:38.800 And it wasn't just a village. It was a sophisticated 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:42.040 trade, political, and ceremonial center. How 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.339 sophisticated are we talking? What kind of evidence 00:04:44.339 --> 00:04:46.160 do we have? Well, it's flourished between about 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:51.019 8850 and 1450. And excavations have turned up 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:53.920 incredible artifacts. We're talking copper, shell 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:56.319 bees from the Gulf Coast, even obsidian from 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:59.079 the Rockies. This tells us that Spiro was at 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.259 the nexus of a vast, continent -spanning trade 00:05:01.259 --> 00:05:04.500 network long before Europeans arrived. This site 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:07.040 proves that large -scale human settlement and 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.339 complex societies were deeply rooted in this 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:11.120 landscape, centuries before the U .S. government 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:14.120 decided to use it as a dumping ground for displaced 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:16.610 peoples. That context makes the 19th century 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:19.209 policy of forced removal, the Trail of Tears, 00:05:19.250 --> 00:05:22.350 even more tragic. This ancient, established indigenous 00:05:22.350 --> 00:05:25.029 landscape was suddenly declared Indian territory 00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:27.870 and became the destination for tens of thousands 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:30.170 of people being forcibly deported. Yeah, the 00:05:30.170 --> 00:05:32.990 sources confirmed the U .S. government forcibly 00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:35.649 moved members of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, 00:05:35.810 --> 00:05:39.490 Muskogee, or Creek, and Seminole Nations, the 00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:41.990 so -called five civilized tribes, moved them 00:05:41.990 --> 00:05:43.750 from their homes east of the Mississippi and 00:05:43.750 --> 00:05:46.180 resettled them here. And here's a crucial historical 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:48.899 nuance we really need to emphasize. While the 00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:51.519 Trail of Tears is almost universally associated 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.560 with the Cherokee, that phrase actually originated 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:57.000 earlier. That is a detail of historical accuracy 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:59.620 we have to hold on to. You're right. While the 00:05:59.620 --> 00:06:02.439 Cherokee removal was absolutely devastating and 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:05.199 highly publicized, the phrase Trail of Tears 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:07.519 actually originated from a description of the 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.579 suffering during the 1831 removal of the Choctaw 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:13.779 Nation, recognizing that distinction. It reminds 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:16.399 us that this entire policy was a multi -tribal 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.360 tragedy that spanned decades. Can we even grasp 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.060 the sheer scale of the population shock that 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:24.180 was imposed on this territory? It was immense. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:26.939 I mean, just consider the Cherokee deportation 00:06:26.939 --> 00:06:30.300 alone. The sources note that 17 ,000 Cherokees 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.319 were deported. But critically, they were accompanied 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.800 by 2 ,000 of the black people they held in slavery. 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.740 This mass migration brought entirely new and 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:42.579 very diverse social structures into the territory. 00:06:42.970 --> 00:06:45.870 So by 1890, after all these waves of removal, 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.290 this new Indian territory was home to concentrated 00:06:49.290 --> 00:06:52.550 populations of over 30 distinct Native American 00:06:52.550 --> 00:06:54.970 nations and tribes. We should probably pause 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:57.670 here to underscore the complexity of that social 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:00.779 structure you just mentioned. Slavery. The institution 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:03.000 of slavery was fully integrated into the economic 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:05.220 systems of the five tribes who were removed. 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:07.779 Exactly. It's not a commonly taught fact, but 00:07:07.779 --> 00:07:10.259 it's essential context. Slavery in Indian territory 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:13.600 wasn't abolished until 1866 after the Civil War 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:15.319 and through specific treaties with the U .S. 00:07:15.339 --> 00:07:17.139 government and the descendants of those enslaved 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:19.379 individuals, the freedmen of the five tribes. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.040 They later became the foundation for Oklahoma's 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:24.339 extremely rich African -American history and 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:26.240 the unique black towns we'll explore later on. 00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:29.470 Okay, so moving into the late 19th century, the 00:07:29.470 --> 00:07:32.449 pressure for white settlement, fueled by agricultural 00:07:32.449 --> 00:07:36.269 expansion, railroad interests. It just increased 00:07:36.269 --> 00:07:39.389 to an impossible degree. And this pressure translated 00:07:39.389 --> 00:07:41.750 directly into laws designed to dismantle the 00:07:41.750 --> 00:07:44.649 very foundation of Indian territory, communal 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:46.910 tribal land ownership. Right. We're talking about 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:49.569 the legislative twin hammers of assimilation 00:07:49.569 --> 00:07:52.790 and dispossession. The Dawes Act of 1887 and 00:07:52.790 --> 00:07:55.889 the Curtis Act of 1898. These acts were explicitly 00:07:55.889 --> 00:07:58.850 designed to abolish tribal governments and tribal 00:07:58.850 --> 00:08:02.740 ownership of land. force assimilation. And the 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:05.259 mechanism of the Dawes Act, it often sounds deceptively 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:07.500 simple allotment, but the consequences were just 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:09.980 immediate land theft. How did that process actually 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:12.620 work to strip away tribal land so quickly? The 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:14.639 process was insidious. The U .S. government took 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:17.120 these vast swaths of communally held land and 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.019 just parceled it out. They assigned individual 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:21.699 plots, usually 160 acres, to each head of an 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:23.899 Indian family. The land that was left over after 00:08:23.899 --> 00:08:25.540 allotment, which was often the most fertile or 00:08:25.540 --> 00:08:28.420 desirable land, was then declared surplus and 00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.490 opened up for white settlement and sale. But 00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:32.730 even for the land that was allotted to individuals, 00:08:32.889 --> 00:08:35.009 it must have been incredible. That's right. The 00:08:35.009 --> 00:08:37.470 most famous was the land rush of 1889. But the 00:08:37.470 --> 00:08:39.889 rush has continued for years, between 1887 and 00:08:39.889 --> 00:08:43.269 1895. Millions of acres of former tribal lands 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:46.269 were open to settler competition. And this desperate 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:49.409 race to the finish mentality created the term 00:08:49.409 --> 00:08:51.710 that gives the state its nickname. The tension 00:08:51.710 --> 00:08:54.169 between the land of the red man and the Sooner 00:08:54.169 --> 00:08:57.370 is now, well, it's personified in that very word. 00:08:57.730 --> 00:09:00.330 Precisely. The term Sooners came from those settlers 00:09:00.330 --> 00:09:02.669 who refused to wait for the legal designated 00:09:02.669 --> 00:09:05.330 start time. They illegally crossed the border 00:09:05.330 --> 00:09:07.330 into the territory before the official opening 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:09.779 to stake their claim. They cheated. And that 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:12.159 historically complex derogatory term representing 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:14.419 that rule breaking, aggressive spirit of acquisition 00:09:14.419 --> 00:09:17.139 became the state's official nickname. And of 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:19.139 course, the moniker for its most famous university 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:22.059 teams. Before Oklahoma formally joined the union 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:24.980 in 1907, there was one last really serious political 00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:27.679 attempt by the tribes to retain autonomy and 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:29.539 create a state defined by indigenous governance. 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:32.159 That attempt was the proposed state of Sequoia 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:36.299 in 1905. Representatives of the five tribes met, 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.179 and they drew up a whole constitution for an 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:42.379 all -Indian state in eastern Oklahoma. They named 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:44.659 it after Sequoia, the creator of the Cherokee 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:48.299 syllabary. It was a final, unified effort to 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:50.620 counter the political momentum of the Dawes Act 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:52.480 and all those settlers. And why did it fail? 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:55.720 Congress rejected the petition. It was largely 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:58.080 due to the overwhelming political power of the 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.100 white settlers in the western half of the territory. 00:10:00.730 --> 00:10:02.929 They were pushing for a unified state that would 00:10:02.929 --> 00:10:05.490 dissolve tribal governments entirely. But that 00:10:05.490 --> 00:10:07.490 Sequoia statehood convention wasn't meaningless. 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:10.509 Far from it. It provided the organizational blueprint 00:10:10.509 --> 00:10:12.730 and many of the political leaders who ended up 00:10:12.730 --> 00:10:14.850 participating in the actual Oklahoma statehood 00:10:14.850 --> 00:10:17.830 convention two years later. So it laid the foundation 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:20.389 for the state's eventual admission as the 46th 00:10:20.389 --> 00:10:24.049 state on November 16, 1907, but only after guaranteeing 00:10:24.049 --> 00:10:25.789 the tribe's political structures were significantly 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:28.750 diminished. And now we have to jump forward. 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:32.679 Way forward to the most stunning modern twist 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:35.080 in this entire land struggle, which completely 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.399 redefined the jurisdictional map of Oklahoma 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:40.980 in 2020, McGirt v. Oklahoma. This Supreme Court 00:10:40.980 --> 00:10:44.740 decision is, it's monumental, and its implications 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:47.879 are still being fully digested today. The court 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:50.220 was asked to determine whether Congress had ever 00:10:50.220 --> 00:10:52.860 legally disestablished the reservations of the 00:10:52.860 --> 00:10:56.000 five tribes, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.039 Muskogee, and Seminole. And the court's finding 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.399 was. They found that Congress had never officially 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.639 disestablished them. The original reservation 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.139 boundaries set in the 19th century were still 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:08.340 legally intact under federal law, despite a century 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:10.659 of statehood, allotment, and aggressive settlement. 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.360 So if they were never disestablished, what's 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:16.059 the immediate practical day -to -day consequence 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:18.759 for a state that has operated for over 100 years, 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.379 just assuming it had full jurisdiction? The consequence 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:23.950 is a seismic jurisdictional shift. The ruling 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:26.389 determined that this huge area, comprising much 00:11:26.389 --> 00:11:28.929 of eastern Oklahoma, including the city of Tulsa, 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:31.669 remains Indian country for the purposes of the 00:11:31.669 --> 00:11:34.669 Major Crimes Act. It means that crimes where 00:11:34.669 --> 00:11:37.889 the defendant or the victim is a member of one 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:40.690 of these federally recognized tribes, they have 00:11:40.690 --> 00:11:43.029 to be prosecuted in federal or tribal court, 00:11:43.190 --> 00:11:46.190 not in state court. It created instant administrative 00:11:46.190 --> 00:11:49.049 chaos. Chaos is an understatement. I mean, how 00:11:49.049 --> 00:11:51.490 did this affect the criminal justice system overnight? 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:54.039 State authorities suddenly lost jurisdiction 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:56.899 over thousands of cases. The ruling initially 00:11:56.899 --> 00:11:59.360 threatened retroactivity for years of convictions. 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:02.659 The state courts had to release or transfer hundreds 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:04.419 of individuals who had been wrongfully tried 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:07.159 in state court. State police had to be hastily 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:09.019 retrained to coordinate with federal and tribal 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:11.879 agencies. And the tribes themselves, some of 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:13.860 whom hadn't exercised felony jurisdiction for 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:16.980 decades, had to rapidly expand their police forces, 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:20.149 their courts, their legal resources. all to handle 00:12:20.149 --> 00:12:22.450 this massive influx of cases. And this legal 00:12:22.450 --> 00:12:25.450 landscape is still evolving, right? It is. Since 00:12:25.450 --> 00:12:27.370 McGirt, subsequent decisions by the Oklahoma 00:12:27.370 --> 00:12:29.690 Court of Criminal Appeals have confirmed that 00:12:29.690 --> 00:12:31.750 the reservations of the Quapaw Nation, the Ottawa 00:12:31.750 --> 00:12:34.230 Tribe, the Peoria Tribe, and the Miami Tribe 00:12:34.230 --> 00:12:37.629 are also still legally existing. The scale of 00:12:37.629 --> 00:12:39.850 this ruling is just breathtaking. It confirms 00:12:39.850 --> 00:12:42.129 that the tension between sooner settlement and 00:12:42.129 --> 00:12:45.289 indigenous sovereignty, it isn't historical baggage. 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:48.549 It is the defining legal reality of modern Oklahoma. 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:51.500 The immense jurisdictional headache from McGirt 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:54.240 just underscores how unique and challenged this 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.919 land is. And that challenge is often born from 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:59.360 its incredible and sometimes volatile geography. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:02.679 So let's pivot now to the physical state itself. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:04.799 We have to challenge that popular perception 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:07.759 of Oklahoma as flat. Geographically, it's the 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:10.299 20th largest state, and it's situated at a major 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:12.950 nexus point. Part of it lies in the Great Plains, 00:13:12.950 --> 00:13:15.370 which defines the West, part in the cross timbers, 00:13:15.409 --> 00:13:17.610 which is a unique north -south ecological belt, 00:13:17.730 --> 00:13:20.129 and part in the U .S. interior highlands, which 00:13:20.129 --> 00:13:23.129 defines the East. This mixing bowl of geology 00:13:23.129 --> 00:13:25.490 and ecology is really what dictates its identity. 00:13:25.789 --> 00:13:28.950 And that convergence leads directly to that startling 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:32.029 claim you made earlier, 11 distinct ecological 00:13:32.029 --> 00:13:35.470 regions. That's more ecological diversity per 00:13:35.470 --> 00:13:37.909 square mile than any other state. How do those 00:13:37.909 --> 00:13:40.639 regions break down? It's truly astonishing. You 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.440 have everything from the semi -arid high plains 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.299 and the rolling redbed plains, which is what 00:13:45.299 --> 00:13:47.879 most people picture, to the dense oak forests 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:50.399 of the cross timbers. Then you move east and 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:53.220 south, and you find the Waquita Mountains and 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:55.919 even small remnants of humid subtropical cypress 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:58.320 swamps near the state's lowest points. In the 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.500 central region, you've got the unique Saline 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:03.120 Gypsum Hills. It's a state that transitions from 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.799 near -desert conditions to dense, almost Appalachian 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:09.330 -style forests. That geographical gradient must 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:12.049 be enormous. It's extreme. The state slopes pretty 00:14:12.049 --> 00:14:14.070 drastically from west to east and north to south. 00:14:14.210 --> 00:14:16.429 You start in the far western panhandle at Black 00:14:16.429 --> 00:14:18.769 Mesa, which is the state's highest point at 4 00:14:18.769 --> 00:14:22.769 ,973. Travel all the way southeast, and the land 00:14:22.769 --> 00:14:25.710 dips down to a mere 289 feet above sea level 00:14:25.710 --> 00:14:28.129 at the Little River. This huge elevation change 00:14:28.129 --> 00:14:30.590 over relatively short distance is one of the 00:14:30.590 --> 00:14:32.769 drivers of its climate volatility. You mentioned 00:14:32.769 --> 00:14:35.269 mountainous terrain. People rarely associate 00:14:35.269 --> 00:14:37.809 Oklahoma with mountains, but there are four major 00:14:37.809 --> 00:14:40.870 ranges. Why haven't they become more defining 00:14:40.870 --> 00:14:43.429 of the state's identity? Probably because they 00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:45.950 often lack the dramatic, you know, snow -capped 00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:47.850 height of the Rockies or the expensive length 00:14:47.850 --> 00:14:50.509 of the Appalachians. But geologically, they're 00:14:50.509 --> 00:14:52.929 crucial. You have the Wachita, Arbuckle, Wichita, 00:14:52.990 --> 00:14:55.730 and Ozark Mountains. And the sheer density and 00:14:55.730 --> 00:14:58.269 antiquity of the Ozark and Wachita ranges are... 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:01.139 Globally significant. They form the only major 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:03.019 mountainous region between the Rockies and the 00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:05.679 Appalachians. These are ancient formations, remnants 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.860 of a far older continental collision. A unique 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:11.940 land formation. That must mean water management 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:14.320 is central to its identity, especially with its 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:16.980 history of drought. Water is life, and in Oklahoma, 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:20.100 it is mostly engineered life. The state has over 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:22.940 500 named creeks and rivers, but the critical 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.039 statistic is about human intervention. The state 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:29.500 contains 200 dam -created lakes. This gives Oklahoma 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.279 the nation's highest number of artificial reservoirs. 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:34.399 And this infrastructure wasn't built for recreation. 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:36.879 It was built out of desperation after the Dust 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.120 Bowl to manage floods, secure drinking water 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.679 and stabilize agriculture. Now let's talk about 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.820 the fragility of the territory's borders again. 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:46.240 We covered McGirt, but there's a fascinating 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:50.179 tiny border anomaly involving Arkansas. This 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:52.100 is one of those deep dive nuggets you just can't 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:54.600 overlook. The Oklahoma -Arkansas border was established 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.659 using the irregular boundaries of the Cherokee 00:15:56.659 --> 00:15:59.059 and Choctaw reservations. This configuration 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:03.139 left one peculiar slice of land, a small 57 -acre 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:05.379 piece of Choctaw reservation territory called 00:16:05.379 --> 00:16:07.919 Coke Hill that was totally cut off, bordered 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:10.539 by Arkansas and two rivers. And this isolation 00:16:10.539 --> 00:16:13.659 led to its infamous reputation, right? It did. 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:16.379 Coke Hill was basically an exclave and island 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:19.559 of Oklahoma jurisdiction inside Arkansas. It 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:21.720 quickly became notorious in the late 19th and 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:25.360 early 20th centuries as a lawless area, a smuggling 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.860 camp, a sanctuary for people trying to evade 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:30.419 Arkansas and federal law enforcement by leveraging 00:16:30.419 --> 00:16:33.580 its jurisdictional ambiguity. So how did this 00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:36.360 tiny piece of legal confusion get resolved? The 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.480 locals eventually had enough after a petition 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:41.679 in Congress. Jurisdiction over the 57 acres was 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.000 ceded to Arkansas in 1905, right before statehood. 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:48.240 But critically, the Choctaw Nation, who legally 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.860 owned the land, was not formally consulted or 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:53.419 asked about this transfer at the time. The issue 00:16:53.419 --> 00:16:55.759 was finally formalized in the 1985 U .S. Supreme 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:58.700 Court case Oklahoma v. Arkansas, which confirmed 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:00.679 the land belonged to Arkansas, solidifying the 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.100 border but reducing the Choctaw Reservation Territory. 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:05.460 It's a microcosm of the entire state's history. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:07.680 Small pieces of land constantly being fought 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.119 over and redefined. From border disputes, we 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.359 transition, I guess inevitably, to the defining 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:15.339 geographical force in Oklahoma. Extreme, chaotic 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:17.980 weather. Why is Oklahoma such a lightning rod 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:20.279 for global weather patterns? The physical location 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.720 is a perfect meteorological trap. It's at Squarely 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:26.680 and Tornado Alley. The state gets such severe 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.539 weather because of the frequent, intense interaction 00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:33.059 between three highly contrasting, powerful air 00:17:33.059 --> 00:17:35.579 masses that converge directly over this region. 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.660 Can you break down those three air masses for 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:40.119 us? Sure. You have the cold, dry air sweeping 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:42.279 aggressively down from the high latitudes of 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:45.480 Canada. Second, you have the warm, dry air pushing 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:47.559 in from the desert plateau of the southwestern 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:50.500 U .S. and Mexico. And third... and this is the 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.400 most critical, is the warm, moist, extremely 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.000 buoyant air streaming up from the Gulf of Mexico. 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:58.619 And when those three collide, you create maximum 00:17:58.619 --> 00:18:01.180 instability. The dry line, that's the boundary 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.460 between the warm, dry air and the warm, moist 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:06.849 air, often stalls right over Oklahoma. When the 00:18:06.849 --> 00:18:09.269 cold Canadian air dips down and undercuts that 00:18:09.269 --> 00:18:12.349 moisture -laden Gulf air, it creates the supercells 00:18:12.349 --> 00:18:14.950 and the rotation necessary for these world -class 00:18:14.950 --> 00:18:17.450 violent tornadoes. What's the statistical reality 00:18:17.450 --> 00:18:19.990 of living in that convergence zone? The state 00:18:19.990 --> 00:18:22.950 averages an incredible 62 tornadoes per year. 00:18:23.069 --> 00:18:25.470 That is statistically one of the highest rates 00:18:25.470 --> 00:18:27.769 of severe weather in the world. It makes weather 00:18:27.769 --> 00:18:30.130 vigilance just a part of daily life. To illustrate 00:18:30.130 --> 00:18:33.630 just how dynamic this weather can be, the historical 00:18:33.630 --> 00:18:35.410 anecdote you shared about the temperature swing 00:18:35.410 --> 00:18:38.430 is just unbelievable. It's a perfect illustration 00:18:38.430 --> 00:18:42.029 of this collision. On November 11, 1911, Oklahoma 00:18:42.029 --> 00:18:44.750 City hit a record high of 83 degrees Fahrenheit. 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:48.710 Then, an unprecedented cold front, fueled by 00:18:48.710 --> 00:18:51.430 that Canadian air mass, slammed across the state. 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:54.710 The temperature plummeted by a massive 66 degrees, 00:18:55.049 --> 00:18:57.509 hitting a record low of 17 degrees Fahrenheit 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:00.930 by midnight. That kind of rapid chaotic thermal 00:19:00.930 --> 00:19:03.369 shift defines the Oklahoman climate experience. 00:19:03.769 --> 00:19:05.710 Given this constant environmental warfare, it 00:19:05.710 --> 00:19:07.750 makes perfect sense that Oklahoma became the 00:19:07.750 --> 00:19:09.589 nerve center for American weather prediction. 00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:12.809 It had to. The battle is constant, so the infrastructure 00:19:12.809 --> 00:19:15.740 grew to meet the threat. The city of Norman, 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:18.400 Oklahoma, is the global epicenter for forecasting 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.880 and research. It's home to the Storm Prediction 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.160 Center, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:26.160 the Warning Decision Training Division, and the 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.960 Radar Operations Center. If you hear a severe 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:31.299 weather warning anywhere in the United States, 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:34.119 it likely originated from... or was supported 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:37.299 by technology and personnel located in Norman. 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:39.900 The extreme landscape of Oklahoma became the 00:19:39.900 --> 00:19:42.559 arena for some extreme human drama in the 20th 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:44.920 century. When Oklahoma achieved statehood in 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:47.660 1907, it was immediately thrust into the global 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:50.019 spotlight, but not for its indigenous history. 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:52.880 It was for its subterranean riches. Right. Statehood 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.740 coincided almost perfectly with the emergence 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:57.059 of the modern oil industry. Major discoveries 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:59.799 like Glenn Poole propelled the state into an 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:02.369 era of massive... rapid wealth creation. And 00:20:02.369 --> 00:20:04.750 one city capitalized on this more than any other, 00:20:04.869 --> 00:20:07.349 earning a generation -defining title. That would 00:20:07.349 --> 00:20:10.950 be Tulsa. For much of the 20th century, thanks 00:20:10.950 --> 00:20:13.569 to the vast oil reserves in the region and the 00:20:13.569 --> 00:20:16.950 influx of wildcatters and financiers, Tulsa was 00:20:16.950 --> 00:20:19.390 known globally as the oil capital of the world. 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:21.990 This industry was the primary engine for the 00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:25.420 state's entire economic structure. for 50 years. 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:28.240 And this immense wealth fueled development across 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.759 the state, particularly in connecting Oklahoma 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:33.460 to the rest of the growing nation through transportation. 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:36.940 Absolutely. One Oklahoman, Cyrus Avery, played 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.140 a foundational role in establishing the first 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:41.559 major coast to coast highway. He's known widely 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:44.519 as the father of Route 66. Route 66 is legendary, 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:47.809 but Avery did more than just propose it. He was 00:20:47.809 --> 00:20:50.509 instrumental in its actual creation. He chaired 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:52.410 the committee responsible for the highway system 00:20:52.410 --> 00:20:54.829 and successfully campaigned to route the road 00:20:54.829 --> 00:20:57.529 through Tulsa. In fact, the very first recognizable 00:20:57.529 --> 00:21:00.329 stretch of the Mother Road was between Amarillo, 00:21:00.490 --> 00:21:04.200 Texas, and Tulsa. That rose symbolized the state's 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:07.119 central modern connection to American prosperity. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:09.859 But the immense wealth from the oil boom, it 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:12.059 wasn't distributed evenly, particularly along 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.319 racial lines, though it did lead to some unique 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:17.079 forms of success for African Americans. Oklahoma 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:19.799 has a uniquely rich African American history, 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:22.279 dating all the way back to the freedmen of the 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:26.240 five tribes. After Reconstruction, many all -black 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:29.079 towns were founded, places like Bowley, Langston, 00:21:29.140 --> 00:21:31.700 and Redbird. This movement was even encouraged 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:34.079 by figures like politician Edward P. McCabe, 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:36.200 who discussed with President Theodore Roosevelt 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:39.880 the radical, ambitious idea of making Oklahoma 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:42.640 a majority black state controlled by African 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:45.680 -Americans. That context makes the story of Tulsa's 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.559 Greenwood district even more remarkable. It wasn't 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:50.839 an anomaly. It was part of a broader intentional 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:53.420 tradition of black self -governance and economic 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:56.200 power. Greenwood, famously known as Black Wall 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.279 Street, became the pinnacle of this achievement. 00:21:58.890 --> 00:22:01.069 Despite the suffocating restrictions of Jim Crow, 00:22:01.250 --> 00:22:03.650 this community, founded by black entrepreneurs, 00:22:03.849 --> 00:22:06.369 just flourished in the early 20th century. It 00:22:06.369 --> 00:22:08.529 was self -contained, black -owned banks, hospitals, 00:22:08.710 --> 00:22:11.210 grocery stores, law firms, circulating wealth 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:13.529 internally and becoming one of the most prosperous 00:22:13.529 --> 00:22:15.809 African -American communities in the entire United 00:22:15.809 --> 00:22:18.509 States. A true testament to self -determination. 00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:21.690 And tragically, that success was perceived as 00:22:21.690 --> 00:22:23.869 a threat in the racially charged context of the 00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:26.410 1920s, which led to catastrophic violence. The 00:22:26.410 --> 00:22:29.900 Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Fueled by a combination 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.819 of economic resentment, white supremacy, and 00:22:32.819 --> 00:22:36.079 racial paranoia that was intensifying with the 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:40.140 revival of the KKK, white mobs attacked the Greenwood 00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:43.180 community. This was essentially a pogrom. using 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:45.259 aerial attacks and coordinated ground assaults. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:47.619 The statistics on the destruction are still shocking 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.220 today. They're heartbreaking. The sources confirmed 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:52.299 the physical toll included the total destruction 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:55.259 of 35 city blocks of Greenwood. That resulted 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:57.960 in $1 .8 million in property damage, which is 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:00.480 tens of millions in today's dollars. And the 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.740 human cost is still debated, but estimates range 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:06.339 widely between 75 and 300 deaths. It remains 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:08.599 a foundational moment of horrific tragedy that 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:10.180 puts the tension between the Sooner identity 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:12.549 and the resilience of Oklahoma's block. community 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:15.450 into sharp, tragic perspective. Just a decade 00:23:15.450 --> 00:23:17.609 after the horrors of the massacre, Oklahoma faced 00:23:17.609 --> 00:23:19.710 a slow -motion existential crisis that defined 00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:22.730 its global reputation for decades, the Dust Bowl. 00:23:22.910 --> 00:23:25.849 The 1930s Dust Bowl was an unprecedented period 00:23:25.849 --> 00:23:29.690 of ecological and economic collapse. It wasn't 00:23:29.690 --> 00:23:32.069 just bad luck. It was a perfect storm created 00:23:32.069 --> 00:23:34.569 by long periods of devastating drought combined 00:23:34.569 --> 00:23:37.349 with poor, intensive industrial farming practices. 00:23:37.930 --> 00:23:40.210 Farmers had removed the natural prairie grasses 00:23:40.210 --> 00:23:42.579 that held the soil in place. So when the drought 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:44.539 hit and the winds came, there was nothing to 00:23:44.539 --> 00:23:47.940 anger the topsoil. Exactly. The loose, stripped 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:50.599 topsoil was picked up by high winds, creating 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:52.839 these massive dark dust storms, they called them 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:55.200 black blizzards, that engulfed entire towns. 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:57.579 This forced thousands of desperate farmers and 00:23:57.579 --> 00:23:59.900 their families into poverty and triggered a monumental 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:03.200 exodus. Which created the lasting and often derogatory 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:06.319 stereotype of the Okie that John Steinbeck popularized 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:08.640 in The Grapes of Wrath. What were the demographic 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:11.480 consequences of this devastation? The state experienced 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:14.599 a truly unique demographic shift. Over the 20 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:17.480 years ending in 1950, Oklahoma registered its 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.920 only historical population decline, dropping 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:23.740 by 6 .9%. This forced migration of hundreds of 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:25.680 thousands of people westward is a fundamental, 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:28.740 defining element of the Oklahoma story, impacting 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.319 politics and culture far beyond the state's borders. 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.119 And as the 20th century closed, Oklahoma suffered 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:36.960 another profound tragedy, this time an act of 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.650 domestic terrorism that shocked the nation. The 00:24:39.650 --> 00:24:42.609 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrow 00:24:42.609 --> 00:24:45.170 Federal Building. This act, carried out by American 00:24:45.170 --> 00:24:47.210 domestic terrorists, is still noted as the most 00:24:47.210 --> 00:24:49.609 destructive single act of domestic terrorism 00:24:49.609 --> 00:24:53.190 in American history. It resulted in 168 fatalities, 00:24:53.250 --> 00:24:55.210 including 19 children who were in the building's 00:24:55.210 --> 00:24:58.049 daycare center. These two tragedies, the environmental 00:24:58.049 --> 00:25:00.190 devastation of the Dust Bowl and the intentional 00:25:00.190 --> 00:25:03.109 malice of the OKC bombing, they really bracket 00:25:03.109 --> 00:25:06.170 the state's modern era, forcing a painful resilience 00:25:06.170 --> 00:25:08.890 and continually redefining the Oklahoman character 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:12.089 in the face of immense adversity. Oklahoma's 00:25:12.089 --> 00:25:15.109 history is so tied to oil wealth, but our sources 00:25:15.109 --> 00:25:17.569 indicate the economy was forced into a crucial 00:25:17.569 --> 00:25:20.549 pivot after a major energy collapse in the 1980s. 00:25:20.569 --> 00:25:23.410 That collapse was a brutal but necessary lesson 00:25:23.410 --> 00:25:26.740 in diversification. When oil prices crashed and 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:29.099 the industry contracted, Oklahoma lost nearly 00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:32.259 90 ,000 energy -related jobs between 1980 and 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:35.240 2000. It proved that relying on a single commodity, 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:38.119 even one as massive as oil, was economically 00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:40.980 unsustainable. So what were the economic anchors 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:43.099 that the state cultivated to replace that lost 00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:45.180 petroleum dominance? The modern economy is far 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:47.460 more complex and resilient. Today, the key anchors 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:50.079 include aviation, a modernized energy sector, 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:53.259 telecommunications, and biotechnology. The aerospace 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:55.539 and defense sector in particular has emerged 00:25:55.539 --> 00:25:58.180 as a massive component. The aerospace sector 00:25:58.180 --> 00:26:01.140 now generates about $11 billion annually for 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:03.799 the state. This is anchored by a really significant 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:07.279 world -class facility in Tulsa and major military 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.720 maintenance operations. Tell us about the Tulsa 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:12.059 facility. Tulsa is home to the largest airline 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:14.460 maintenance base in the world. This facility 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:17.559 is the global maintenance, repair, and overhaul, 00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:20.839 or MRO, headquarters for American Airlines. This 00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:22.900 work requires extremely high -tech manufacturing, 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:26.420 advanced logistics, a highly skilled labor force, 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:29.259 and it cements the state's importance in global 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:32.200 commercial aviation. It's a vital stable economic 00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:35.319 engine. And that skilled manufacturing base extends 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:37.980 to other areas, too. It does. A lesser known 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:40.180 fact is that Oklahoma has become the top manufacturer 00:26:40.180 --> 00:26:42.599 of tires in North America, with major facilities 00:26:42.599 --> 00:26:44.680 contributing significantly to its manufacturing 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.299 GDP. Despite the diversification, energy still 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:49.660 plays a central role. What are the modern rankings 00:26:49.660 --> 00:26:51.740 for oil and gas, and how is the industry approaching 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:54.759 extraction today? Oklahoma is still a titan in 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:57.180 resource extraction. It ranks as the fifth largest 00:26:57.180 --> 00:27:00.059 producer of crude oil and the third largest producer 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:02.829 of natural gas in the nation. Overall, the industry 00:27:02.829 --> 00:27:05.829 still contributes a massive $35 billion to the 00:27:05.829 --> 00:27:08.750 state's GDP, so oil hasn't disappeared. It's 00:27:08.750 --> 00:27:11.289 just less dominant. And within the industry, 00:27:11.450 --> 00:27:13.369 modern drilling is concentrated in a specific 00:27:13.369 --> 00:27:16.829 area known by its acronym, the STACK play. The 00:27:16.829 --> 00:27:19.650 Oklahoma STACK play is critical. STACK stands 00:27:19.650 --> 00:27:22.609 for Sooner Trend, Anadarko Basin, and the counties 00:27:22.609 --> 00:27:24.970 of Kingfisher and Canadian. It's a focus area 00:27:24.970 --> 00:27:27.390 for modern drilling. What makes that particular 00:27:27.390 --> 00:27:30.490 geographic area such a priority? The stack play 00:27:30.490 --> 00:27:32.950 is geologically advantageous because it contains 00:27:32.950 --> 00:27:35.990 highly desired multi -stacked pay zones. This 00:27:35.990 --> 00:27:37.950 means that drillers can use advanced horizontal 00:27:37.950 --> 00:27:40.829 drilling and hydraulic fracturing to access multiple 00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:43.289 layers of oil and gas reserves from a single 00:27:43.289 --> 00:27:45.990 drilling pad. It dramatically increases efficiency 00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.609 and resource recovery. It really represents the 00:27:48.609 --> 00:27:50.589 high -tech future of oil and gas extraction in 00:27:50.589 --> 00:27:52.809 the state. What's truly fascinating is how Oklahoma's 00:27:52.809 --> 00:27:55.430 energy mix is diversifying internally, especially 00:27:55.430 --> 00:27:57.730 compared to its reputation as a fossil fuel state. 00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:59.980 The renewable energy pivot has been aggressive. 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:02.960 While natural gas is still the primary source, 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:06.579 accounting for about 53 .5 % of electricity generation 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:11.019 in 2019, a full 34 .6 % of Oklahoma's electricity 00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:14.200 came from wind power. This places Oklahoma among 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:16.180 the leading states for wind generation in the 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:19.640 country. It shows a strategic shift toward capitalizing 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:22.480 on that geography we discussed, the vast, windy 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:25.390 Great Plains for sustainable power. But the path 00:28:25.390 --> 00:28:27.650 to power diversification hasn't been smooth, 00:28:27.789 --> 00:28:29.569 especially when you look back at nuclear power. 00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:32.329 No, it hasn't. The sources note the significant 00:28:32.329 --> 00:28:34.750 conflict over the Black Fox nuclear power plant 00:28:34.750 --> 00:28:38.130 near Enola. It was proposed in 1973, but it was 00:28:38.130 --> 00:28:40.750 ultimately canceled in 1982 after nearly a decade 00:28:40.750 --> 00:28:43.450 of intense legal challenges and public opposition. 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:46.259 This decision was largely spurred by widespread 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:48.599 public concern following the Three Mile Island 00:28:48.599 --> 00:28:50.940 accident in Pennsylvania, which really reveals 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:53.240 a moment where public sentiment decisively halted 00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:55.839 a major nuclear infrastructure project. Beyond 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:57.799 production and manufacturing, Oklahoma's central 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:59.799 location makes it a vital national logistics 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:02.480 and transportation hub. It is the ultimate North 00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:05.880 American crossroads. Oklahoma City sits strategically 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:08.700 at the intersection of three major interstates, 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:12.599 I -35, I -40, and I -44, making it an indispensable 00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:15.420 artery for continental shipping. And of course, 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:18.079 the state proudly hosts the longest drivable 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:20.279 continuous stretch of the historic Route 66, 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:22.720 which attracts tourists from all over the world. 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:24.740 And what's surprising for a landlocked state 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:27.380 is how vital its water transport network is. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:29.599 That's thanks to the McClellan -Kerr Arkansas 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:32.500 River Navigation System. This federal project 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:35.059 allows for barge traffic, connecting the state's 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:37.740 two inland ports Muskogee and the Tulsa port 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:40.400 of Catoosa to the Mississippi River system and 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:43.420 eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Critically, the 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:45.559 Tulsa port of Catoosa is designated as one of 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:47.519 the most inland international ports in the United 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:50.299 States. This infrastructure gives Oklahoma global 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:52.579 reach despite being hundreds of miles from the 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:55.450 ocean. Finally, what does the future look like 00:29:55.450 --> 00:29:58.289 for passenger rail connections? Amtrak's Heartland 00:29:58.289 --> 00:30:00.809 Flyer currently runs between Oklahoma City and 00:30:00.809 --> 00:30:03.829 Fort Worth, Texas. State officials in both Oklahoma 00:30:03.829 --> 00:30:06.569 and Kansas are actively seeking federal funding 00:30:06.569 --> 00:30:08.829 to extend that service north to Newton, Kansas. 00:30:09.269 --> 00:30:11.950 If it's approved, the extension could potentially 00:30:11.950 --> 00:30:15.170 begin service in 2029, which would enhance connectivity 00:30:15.170 --> 00:30:18.029 and further cement OKC's role as a national hub. 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:20.339 As we move into culture, we return to this idea 00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:22.579 that Oklahoma is a state of fundamental confluence. 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:25.299 The U .S. Census Bureau might officially place 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:28.240 it in the South, but its cultural DNA is so much 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:30.980 more complex. It's this blend of the South, Southwest, 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:33.920 Midwest, and the Great Plains. This cultural 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:36.660 blending creates its distinct profile. The population 00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:39.400 has a high rate of English, Scotch -Irish, and 00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:42.200 German ancestry, layered upon that immense indigenous 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:44.400 foundation. It's a place where you get Southern 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:47.220 hospitality meeting Western ruggedness and Midwestern 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:49.609 pragmatism. And that deep indigenous foundation 00:30:49.609 --> 00:30:52.549 manifests in a stunning level of linguistic diversity 00:30:52.549 --> 00:30:55.269 that puts a lot of coastal states to shame. It's 00:30:55.269 --> 00:30:57.809 a truly powerful distinction. Oklahoma ranks 00:30:57.809 --> 00:31:00.309 second only to California in terms of linguistic 00:31:00.309 --> 00:31:03.349 diversity, with 25 different indigenous languages 00:31:03.349 --> 00:31:06.309 still spoken in the state. Cherokee and Choctaw 00:31:06.309 --> 00:31:08.529 are the most commonly spoken North American languages 00:31:08.529 --> 00:31:11.349 here. The Cherokee Nation has even gone so far 00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:13.650 as to recognize Cherokee as an official language 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:16.230 within its tribal jurisdiction, which shows an 00:31:16.230 --> 00:31:18.589 active commitment to preservation. One of the 00:31:18.589 --> 00:31:21.589 most beautiful and I think unexpected cultural 00:31:21.589 --> 00:31:24.880 legacies involves world -class art. Oklahoma's 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:28.019 history in ballet. Why did classical ballet flourish 00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:31.259 so prominently in a place known for oil and cowboys? 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.140 This is a story of cultural migration and resilience. 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:37.380 The deep dive sources spotlight the Five Moons, 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:40.299 a group of five Native American ballerinas who 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:42.240 attained worldwide fame in the 20th century. 00:31:42.789 --> 00:31:45.650 Yvonne Chateau, the Tall Chief Sisters, Marjorie 00:31:45.650 --> 00:31:48.630 and Maria, Rosella Hightower, and Marceline Larkin. 00:31:48.769 --> 00:31:50.990 They were all members of the Five Tribes. That's 00:31:50.990 --> 00:31:53.190 a huge concentration of talent from one specific 00:31:53.190 --> 00:31:55.210 region. What was their significance beyond just 00:31:55.210 --> 00:31:57.309 being famous dancers? They brought indigenous 00:31:57.309 --> 00:31:59.829 American heritage directly to the global stage 00:31:59.829 --> 00:32:02.970 of classical European art. Their success was 00:32:02.970 --> 00:32:05.470 groundbreaking, not just artistically, but culturally. 00:32:05.769 --> 00:32:08.750 They shattered stereotypes and highlighted the 00:32:08.750 --> 00:32:11.450 artistic contributions of Native Americans. And 00:32:11.450 --> 00:32:13.869 this tradition continues today, with institutions 00:32:13.869 --> 00:32:16.470 like the Tulsa Ballet being highly ranked by 00:32:16.470 --> 00:32:18.890 the New York Times among the top ballet companies 00:32:18.890 --> 00:32:21.509 in the U .S. On the musical front, the state 00:32:21.509 --> 00:32:24.009 has also carved out its own unique regional styles. 00:32:24.470 --> 00:32:27.240 Absolutely. There's the famous Tulsa Sound, a 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:29.140 regional blend that incorporates rockabilly, 00:32:29.220 --> 00:32:32.039 country, blues, and jazz. And then you have the 00:32:32.039 --> 00:32:35.180 crucial history of Western Swing, which was headquartered 00:32:35.180 --> 00:32:37.819 and popularized at Kane's Ballroom in Tulsa. 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:40.720 Kane's Ballroom has a legendary status. It does. 00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:43.259 It was nicknamed the Carnegie Hall of Western 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:46.119 Swing, most famously because Bob Wills and the 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:48.839 Texas Playboys used it as their base of operations 00:32:48.839 --> 00:32:52.210 during the 30s and 40s. More recently, Stillwater, 00:32:52.289 --> 00:32:54.829 Oklahoma, is recognized as the epicenter of the 00:32:54.829 --> 00:32:57.509 contemporary red dirt music scene, which is an 00:32:57.509 --> 00:32:59.930 independent folk and country influence style 00:32:59.930 --> 00:33:02.809 unique to the state. Pivoting to sports, Oklahoma 00:33:02.809 --> 00:33:05.369 doesn't have a long list of professional franchises 00:33:05.369 --> 00:33:08.210 like older states do, but their collegiate loyalty 00:33:08.210 --> 00:33:11.109 is second to none. The state's only major league 00:33:11.109 --> 00:33:13.849 franchise is the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, 00:33:14.029 --> 00:33:17.759 which relocated from Seattle in 2008. But the 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:19.880 cultural heart of sports here beats entirely 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:22.480 around the universities. The Bedlam series rivalry 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:24.960 is legendary. It often dominates the cultural 00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:27.640 calendar. It's a massive institutional rivalry 00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:30.559 between the Oklahoma Sooners, who are now moving 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:33.539 to the hyper -competitive SEC, and the Oklahoma 00:33:33.539 --> 00:33:37.170 State Cowboys in the Big 12. These rivalry games, 00:33:37.329 --> 00:33:39.410 especially in football, are enormous sporting 00:33:39.410 --> 00:33:42.609 draws, averaging well over 50 ,000 fans per game 00:33:42.609 --> 00:33:45.130 and showing an intensity of loyalty that mirrors 00:33:45.130 --> 00:33:47.730 the deep historical tensions within the state 00:33:47.730 --> 00:33:50.390 itself. And beyond football and basketball, Oklahoma 00:33:50.390 --> 00:33:52.849 City has solidified itself as the undisputed 00:33:52.849 --> 00:33:55.410 world leader in a specialized sport. Softball. 00:33:55.869 --> 00:33:59.430 ESPN dubbed Oklahoma City the center of the softball 00:33:59.430 --> 00:34:02.009 universe. It's home to USA Softball's national 00:34:02.009 --> 00:34:04.529 headquarters and annually hosts the Women's College 00:34:04.529 --> 00:34:07.630 World Series at Devon Park. And this prominence 00:34:07.630 --> 00:34:10.889 is recognized globally. The OKC Riversport Complex 00:34:10.889 --> 00:34:13.570 will host Canoe Slalom, and Devon Park will host 00:34:13.570 --> 00:34:15.909 softball for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los 00:34:15.909 --> 00:34:18.469 Angeles. And we can't overlook college wrestling, 00:34:18.590 --> 00:34:20.849 where one state university has historic national 00:34:20.849 --> 00:34:23.369 dominance. Oklahoma State University holds the 00:34:23.369 --> 00:34:26.530 most NCAA national championships of any collegiate 00:34:26.530 --> 00:34:29.389 wrestling team, with an astonishing 34 titles. 00:34:29.789 --> 00:34:31.750 It's fitting, then, that the National Wrestling 00:34:31.750 --> 00:34:34.730 Hall of Fame and Museum is headquartered in Stillwater. 00:34:34.909 --> 00:34:37.590 Finally, we turn to the unique legal and political 00:34:37.590 --> 00:34:39.989 landscape of the state, which holds some truly 00:34:39.989 --> 00:34:41.929 concerning and highly distinctive characteristics. 00:34:42.369 --> 00:34:44.849 We have to address the incarceration rate first. 00:34:45.309 --> 00:34:47.329 This is a challenging and often cited statistic. 00:34:47.730 --> 00:34:50.570 For a period, Oklahoma was frequently described 00:34:50.570 --> 00:34:54.750 as the world's prison capital. In 2018, the state 00:34:54.750 --> 00:34:57.630 imprisoned 1 ,079 of every 100 ,000 residents. 00:34:58.090 --> 00:35:00.710 This figure was the fourth highest rate of any 00:35:00.710 --> 00:35:03.530 American state and critically higher than the 00:35:03.530 --> 00:35:05.710 incarceration rates of virtually any country 00:35:05.710 --> 00:35:07.900 in the world. And contributing to this system 00:35:07.900 --> 00:35:10.820 is a governmental structure that is nearly unique 00:35:10.820 --> 00:35:13.900 nationally, a bifurcated judicial system. That's 00:35:13.900 --> 00:35:16.460 right. Oklahoma operates a split system that 00:35:16.460 --> 00:35:18.480 is only shared with Texas. It has two separate 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:21.019 courts of last resort. The Oklahoma Supreme Court 00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:23.500 is responsible for hearing all civil cases, while 00:35:23.500 --> 00:35:25.639 the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals hears 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:28.320 all criminal cases. That seems incredibly inefficient. 00:35:28.659 --> 00:35:30.679 Why does this system exist? What's the historical 00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:33.429 reason for this legal split? It stems from the 00:35:33.429 --> 00:35:35.750 complex history of the territorial and early 00:35:35.750 --> 00:35:38.550 statehood period. The goal during the transition 00:35:38.550 --> 00:35:40.610 to statehood was often to limit the scope of 00:35:40.610 --> 00:35:43.730 power of any single judicial body, perhaps a 00:35:43.730 --> 00:35:45.889 reaction to the chaotic legal environment of 00:35:45.889 --> 00:35:49.239 the prior decades. By explicitly carving out 00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:51.619 criminal jurisdiction and assigning it to a separate, 00:35:51.699 --> 00:35:54.659 specialized court, the framers effectively created 00:35:54.659 --> 00:35:57.559 two distinct legal paths that operate independently, 00:35:57.860 --> 00:36:00.880 which leads to unique jurisprudence in both fields. 00:36:01.139 --> 00:36:03.400 Within the state's criminal law framework, there's 00:36:03.400 --> 00:36:05.440 also a specific law that has been highlighted 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:07.800 for its disproportionate and destructive effect 00:36:07.800 --> 00:36:10.519 on women. That is the failure to protect law. 00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:13.239 The statute is intended to punish parents who 00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:15.739 fail to stop child abuse or neglect. However, 00:36:15.940 --> 00:36:18.199 reports indicate this law has been used primarily 00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:20.500 against mothers and has had devastating results. 00:36:20.980 --> 00:36:23.300 Survivors of domestic abuse have sometimes received 00:36:23.300 --> 00:36:25.860 longer prison sentences for allegedly failing 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:28.079 to protect their children than the abusers themselves. 00:36:28.699 --> 00:36:30.920 Can you provide some context on the human scale 00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:33.159 of this issue? The sources highlight that since 00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:36.679 2009, 139 women have been imprisoned solely on 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:39.440 failure to protect charges, often in cases where 00:36:39.440 --> 00:36:41.960 they were also victims of the primary abuser. 00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:44.960 This demonstrates a deep flaw in how the legal 00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:47.340 system addresses the intersection of child protection 00:36:47.340 --> 00:36:50.699 and domestic violence, often penalizing the vulnerable 00:36:50.699 --> 00:36:52.980 parent who is trapped in an abusive situation. 00:36:53.670 --> 00:36:55.769 Finally, looking at recent political trends, 00:36:56.050 --> 00:36:58.889 the state exhibits strong political conservatism, 00:36:58.889 --> 00:37:01.510 yet surprising flexibility on some key policy 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:03.670 issues. It is unequivocally a strongly conservative 00:37:03.670 --> 00:37:06.389 state. That's evidenced by actions like the recent 00:37:06.389 --> 00:37:08.769 non -binding resolution passed by the legislature 00:37:08.769 --> 00:37:11.210 proclaiming Christ the King, scheduled for April 00:37:11.210 --> 00:37:14.340 2025. It also pioneered the anti -gun control 00:37:14.340 --> 00:37:16.480 movement, being the first state to enact an anti 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:19.960 -red flag gun law in May 2020. This law explicitly 00:37:19.960 --> 00:37:22.460 prohibits the use of red flag orders that temporarily 00:37:22.460 --> 00:37:25.000 remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:27.639 to themselves or others. However, this hardline 00:37:27.639 --> 00:37:30.079 conservatism is balanced by policy shifts that 00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:32.460 seem to buck the national Republican trend. That 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:35.059 policy flexibility is seen most clearly in medical 00:37:35.059 --> 00:37:38.280 marijuana. Despite its political leanings, Oklahoma 00:37:38.280 --> 00:37:41.219 legalized medical marijuana back in 2018 through 00:37:41.219 --> 00:37:43.900 a popular referendum. This move made it one of 00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:45.860 the most conservative states in the nation to 00:37:45.860 --> 00:37:48.440 approve such a measure and has created an enormous, 00:37:48.679 --> 00:37:51.619 largely unregulated cannabis industry that continues 00:37:51.619 --> 00:37:54.760 to generate significant state revenue. It shows 00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:57.380 a powerful dichotomy between cultural conservatism 00:37:57.380 --> 00:38:00.480 and economic libertarianism. This deep dive has 00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:02.559 shown us that Oklahoma is less a single state 00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:05.579 and more a constant negotiation. We've traveled 00:38:05.579 --> 00:38:07.460 from the ancient Mississippian trade hub of Spiro 00:38:07.460 --> 00:38:09.840 Mounds to the immediate administrative chaos 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:12.719 caused by the 2020 McGirt ruling. It was the 00:38:12.719 --> 00:38:15.300 designated land of the red man, only to be settled 00:38:15.300 --> 00:38:17.940 by rule -breaking Sooners, fueled by oil wealth, 00:38:18.119 --> 00:38:20.480 devastated by the Dust Bowl, and now diversified 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:22.940 into high -tech aviation, wind energy, and world 00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:25.539 -class softball. The entire state's history is 00:38:25.539 --> 00:38:28.239 a story of disputed and shifting borders, legal 00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:31.300 and physical. From the original concept of Indian 00:38:31.300 --> 00:38:34.960 territory, to that tiny 57 -acre smuggling exclave 00:38:34.960 --> 00:38:38.079 dispute with Arkansas, to the current sprawling 00:38:38.079 --> 00:38:41.179 jurisdictional map of McGirt. The tension over 00:38:41.179 --> 00:38:43.860 who owns the land and who writes the rules has 00:38:43.860 --> 00:38:46.340 never truly been settled. That brings us to our 00:38:46.340 --> 00:38:48.559 final provocative thought for you, the listener. 00:38:48.760 --> 00:38:51.280 We've seen the state legally forced to reaffirm 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:53.539 the vast boundaries of tribal reservations across 00:38:53.539 --> 00:38:56.820 eastern Oklahoma. How will the state manage this 00:38:56.820 --> 00:38:58.920 dual jurisdictional reality, this fundamental 00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:01.380 tension between the identity of the sooner settler 00:39:01.380 --> 00:39:03.460 and the historical promise of the land of the 00:39:03.460 --> 00:39:06.079 red man, as its population rapidly diversifies 00:39:06.079 --> 00:39:07.820 and grows beyond four million residents for the 00:39:07.820 --> 00:39:09.800 first time? The future of Oklahoma will be... 00:39:09.869 --> 00:39:12.570 find by which of these threads wins out. The 00:39:12.570 --> 00:39:15.010 resilience of its 38 federally recognized tribes, 00:39:15.250 --> 00:39:18.730 the legacy of oil extraction, the new dominance 00:39:18.730 --> 00:39:21.530 of collegiate sports and aviation, or the hard 00:39:21.530 --> 00:39:23.670 -won character born from extreme climate and 00:39:23.670 --> 00:39:26.929 historical tragedy. To truly understand the state, 00:39:27.010 --> 00:39:29.130 you have to watch the ongoing political and legal 00:39:29.130 --> 00:39:31.530 negotiations happening right now, which are constantly 00:39:31.530 --> 00:39:33.730 redefining who an Oklahoman is and where their 00:39:33.730 --> 00:39:34.349 sovereignty begins.