the wandering chick
...the Oklahoma City bombing
Gate of Time
April 19, 1995
Gate of Time

On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah federal government building in Oklahoma City was destroyed by a terrorist bombing. One hundred sixty-eight people lost their lives, 19 of whom were children under the age of 6. There were 680 people injured, and 324 buildings within a 16-block radius were damaged.

The memorial outside which encompasses the area that was once Fifth Street and the Murrah building itself is extremely well-done, created by the Butzer Design Partnership. Its quality is surpassed only by the exhibits and museum inside the Journal Record Building as it recaptures the minute the bomb exploded through the day the last body was recovered.

The Gates of Time are twin monuments that mark the moment of destruction. The East Gate marks the time 9:01 when the building was filled with unsuspecting people, and the day was as ordinary as the one before. The time of innocence.
The West Gate marks the time 9:03 when the lives of the people and the heart of the nation were swiftly changed. The two gates act as the formal entrances to the outside memorial.
The Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool stretches soothingly from one gate to the other and replaces what was once Fifth Street, the street that faced the front of the Murrah building and the one where the explosive-laden truck was parked.
The Journal Record Building, now museum
The Journal Record Building stood across Fifth Street from the Murrah building. The side facing the street was heavily damaged in the attack. Other than a few various safety measures, it was left in the state of destruction as a reminder of the attack. The interior now holds the museum and exhibits of the attack.
the Field of Empty Chairs
This is the Field of Empty Chairs. Its perimeter is the exact footprint of the Murrah building. There are 168 chairs, and they are placed in 9 rows, symbolizing the 9 floors of the building. The chairs are placed according to the floor on which each victim was located at the time of the bombing. Each chair rests on a glass base which holds the name of a victim. The smaller chairs represent the children.
The Field of Empty Chairs
The Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree is a 90-year-old American Elm that stood as a witness to the attack.

Please visit some of my other travel locations. Feel free to email me if you have questions or comments.

BY CITY: Boston | Coeur d'Alene, ID | Fort Benton, MT | Galveston, TX | Independence, MO | Juliette, GA | Leadville, CO | New York City | Savannah | Seattle | Sedona, AZ | Tombstone | Tucson | Washington, D.C.

BY STATE: Alaska | Arizona | California | Colorado | Georgia | Idaho | Maine| Michigan | Minnesota |Montana | Nevada | New Mexico | North Carolina | South Dakota | Texas | Utah | Washington | Wyoming

BY REGIONS, LANDMARKS AND NATL PARKS, FORESTS AND MONUMENTS: Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake | Arches NP | the Badlands | Bighorn Canyon | the Biltmore Estate | the Black Hills | Blue Ridge Parkway | Bridges of Madison County | Bryce Canyon | Canyon de Chelly | Canyonlands NP | Death Valley | Devils Tower| Glacier NP | the Grand Canyon | the Grand Tetons | Gulf Shores, AL | Hoover Dam | Hovenweep NM | Kure Beach | Little Bighorn Battlefield | Mackinac Island | Martha's Vineyard | Medicine Bow NF | Monument Valley | Mount Rainier | Mount Rushmore | Mount St. Helens | Natural Bridges NM | Niagara Falls | OK City (bombing) NM | the Olympic Peninsula |Organ Pipe Cactus NM | the Outer Banks | Pictured Rocks NL | Saguaro NP | Shenandoah Valley | Sleeping Bear Dunes NL | Sunset Crater NM | Texas Hill Country | Tybee Island | White Mountains NF | Yellowstone NP | Zion NP

OUTSIDE THE U.S.: Austria | Budapest, Hungary | Canada | East Africa | Europe, here and there | France | Germany | Greece | Italy | Morocco | the Netherlands | Portugal | Russia | Scotland | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Turkey

OTHER: HOME | My Favorites | the Andreas family, Moab | Vilseck DoDDS teachers' reunions

 

 

 

All images within 'The Wandering Chick' Web site are copyright protected. They may not be downloaded or otherwise copied.