Thunder, Brisket and a Trail of Truth: Oklahoma Like You’ve Never Seen It

Oklahoma is a whirlwind of smoked meats, outlaw hideouts, neon nostalgia, and a powerful lesson in First Nations resilience that Australia could take a few cues from.

I’m sitting in a stadium that barely holds 20,000 people and the screams are deafening. Oklahoma City Thunder is in a playoff with Dallas Mavericks – an NBA rivalry for the ages.

Up until this point, I’d never seen a live basketball game, let alone one at the legendary Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The atmosphere is electric.

Between the bass music that amplifies the emotions of the game and the MC egging on the crowd I’m wondering how the players can even hear themselves think let alone make shots.

Next to me is Angel Green, one of five tour guides I had the pleasure of meeting during my travels with Travel Oklahoma – and the loudest supporter in the stadium by far. It was a whirlwind week but this particular night I’ll never forget. We win 118-104. I say we because I immediately become a lifelong Thunder fan.

Oklahoma Thunder home game.

Oklahoma, aka the Sooner State, is charming and rich in history.

My journey began in a city a little to the west called Duncan. It’s here I meet Terri Knox, who helps me discover that long before European contact, Oklahoma was inhabited by diverse Native American cultures, including the ancestors of the Wichita, Caddo, and Osage peoples.

In the 1800s Native American tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in south-eastern US and sent to “Indian Territory” in what is now Oklahoma.

Chickasaw Cultural Centre Oklahoma.

Thousands died and the journey across the country is known as the Trail of Tears.

Fast forward to today, there are 39 recognised tribes in Oklahoma including the Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation and Chickasaw Nation.

The recognised tribes operate as sovereign nations within Oklahoma, governing themselves, running businesses to generate revenue for their communities.

First Nations tribes are still trying to strike the balance between sharing culture and keeping sacred things private, regaining ownership of their lands and most importantly, reclaiming their identity and cultural history.

In 2020, the McGirt v. Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling reaffirmed that much of eastern Oklahoma is still legally Native land.

It’s a huge turnaround from the “Land Run” in 1889, where thousands of settlers, called “Boomers”, set off in a race to claim indigenous land with stakes. Some people snuck in before the legal start time to stake out the best plots of land – these illegal early birds were nicknamed Sooners.

Travel Oklahoma Quartz Mountains New Horizon trail

Even though it started as a kind of insult or accusation of cheating, the term “Sooner” is now embraced as a symbol of pioneering spirit, boldness and ambition, and it stuck as a nickname for Oklahoma as the Sooner State.

Okay, back to the tour.

Duncan, I will say, also has the best barbecue I’ve ever tasted. And it wasn’t from a fancy restaurant. I was at a gas station. We pulled up to a place called the Camel Back and poured the most delectable meats into styrofoam boxes, filled those humungous cups at the self-serve soda station and chowed down. I’ll never eat brisket or smoked sausage the same way again.

Our next stop was the Kochendoerfer brewery – an absolute must-see in Duncan with unrivalled hospitality.

After far too many taste tests the rest of the night (apart from an awesome ride home in a ute the size of a Monster truck) was a bit of a blur.

An early start took me through the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, a breathtaking landscape of rugged terrain and roaming bison.

I found myself at Medicine Park, known for its cobblestone streets and quirky charm.

Bison in Oklahoma for travel

We ate at the historic Old Plantation restaurant, which started out as an Inn in 1908 and during the Roaring 20s was a famous hangout for outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde and Al Capone. In the 1940s new owner Senator Elmer Thomas dug tunnels underneath, which were used as escape routes during prohibition.

I took a special tour to the not-yet-renovated second floor to learn that during prohibition the place used to double as a secret brothel and speak-easy, complete with porn theatre in the attic.

Amazing that some 85 years later I’m sitting here eating fried catfish. Before heading to Oklahoma City, Terri Knox was insistent we visit Chickasha for a quick photo op with the iconic Leg Lamp, a nod to the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. Why the lamp you may ask? Weirdly the local folk crafted this 15m high statue as an homage to Chickasha legend Nolan James, the original designer of the famous movie prop. It makes an awesome novelty tourist spot.

The history tour continued in Oklahoma City at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, an expansive tribute to the spirit of the American West.

Travel Oklahoma Little Joes Boots Stockyards City

Frida Southwest in the artsy Paseo District was a culinary highlight for me, it pains me to say this as an Aussie but I’ve truly never had a better steak (sorry Rockhampton) although the Cattlemen’s Steakhouse was up there too.

For those of you who might think you know nothing about Oklahoma, I’m sure you know of Route 66. About 685km passes through northeast-southeast Oklahoma and a lot of travellers end up in the state for that very reason.

I ended up in Tulsa, which is the neon sign, art deco part of the famous highway, complete with heritage gas stations and too many souvenir shops for my already overflowing suitcase.

If that’s not enough culture to fill your boots, there’s the Woody Guthrie Center, celebrating the legendary folk musician’s life and legacy, the Bob Dylan Center, an engaging exploration of Dylan’s enduring influence and the Church Studio where Leon Russell built Shelter Records.

For my final leg of the tour I was lucky enough to immerse myself in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and its stunning natural (but smelly) mineral springs, bison herds, and sweeping vistas from Bromide Hill Overlook.

And after chowing down the best ribs ever (again, sorry Australia) at Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch, I embarked on a history tour at the Chickasaw Cultural Center.

RT 66 Oklahoma Route 66 Museum

It was an awe-inspiring place that included a library where people can come and research their family heritage, something that seems so simple but is profoundly important for those whose lineage became untraceable generations ago. Lunch at the Aaimpa’ Cafe also introduced me to First Nations foods like fry bread and grape dumplings – although I’m told this kind of cultural representation is debatable by some who argue their people were so poor after forced removal that it was all they could afford to eat and should not be classed a “traditional” food.

But if there’s one thing I learned from visiting the First Nations land, it is that despite each tribe’s unique differences, they have worked together to surpass the “us and them” approach in favour of looking at the “we”.

Oklahoma was and is a living narrative about survival, pride and identity.

The writer was a guest of Travel Oklahoma and American Airlines

For Oklahoma travel see travelok.com

Originally published as Thunder, Brisket and a Trail of Truth: Oklahoma Like You’ve Never Seen It