Published: July 14, 2009 10:26 pm         

Oklahoma landscape has changed with time

Have you noticed a change in Oklahoma’s landscape? Think about it.

Nealy 60 years ago when Jim and I were going back and fourth from Pawnee to Enid, and the following years when Jim and I were dating and he came to Pawnee nearly every weekend, and then following our marriage when we would return to Pawnee to see relatives, we noticed a huge difference in Oklahoma’s landscape.

It has not been that long Otoe Country was rolling hills of pasture with few trees to break the landscape. On every trip through this vast pasture we saw coyotes, badgers and other wildlife. It never failed we saw prairie chickens by the side of the highway. We have not seen those for some time and seldom see coyotes and no badgers. We can certainly tell the countryside is changing.

I am sure my grandparents saw numerous changes from the sod they first saw to the plowed fields that dotted the hillsides in Pawnee County. It must have been difficult to plow through the Bermuda grass and buffalo grass, saying nothing of the rocks, to be able to plant corn, wheat and even their gardens. The orchards they planted along with every plot of land had to be plowed with a team of mules.

Their wells were hand dug and hand fortified with rocks so the wells did not cave in. Some of those wells are still in existence, although they have been fitted with windmills and in later years with electric pumps. For years those wells served homes and livestock with a huge tank filled with water by the windmills that were powered by the winds sweeping down the plains. We can still see many old windmills, but few are in working order and operational.

There was a time when every homestead had a cellar, wash house, chicken houses, barns and other outbuildings. Now most of those homesteads have little resemblance to the layouts of yesteryear. What remains in many cases are a few old cedar trees planted many years ago in their front yards. Sometimes one can still see purple or yellow irises blooming in the springtime. Most of the cellars have caved in, and unless one looks real closely, there are little traces to be found. Sometimes one can see a faint wall of rocks where a house once stood .

The landscapes are changing. Where once was seen only pasture is now dotted with red cedar trees that are almost taking the country over. However, the landscape is not all bad. Along with the brush and undesirable trees are deer, wild turkey, quail and other wildlife. It is a joy to see them and share a ranch with them.

For Father’s Day, our kids took us to Waynoka to see the Harvey House Museum and eat wonderful Mexican food. Then we went on a drive west of Waynoka to Curtis Hill and saw absolutely beautiful native scenery. We went through “towns” with only two or three houses that, unless we were told, we didn’t even know were once communities. Our son-in-law is an engineer with Burlington Northern Railroad, so he is quite familiar with the terrain there and it was great to see it all. I had no idea the Harvey House was such an interesting place.

I love Oklahoma with it’s variation of landscapes. In one hour, one can drive from flat planes to hills and valleys. We have lakes, rivers, large trees and miles of prairie, and it is never boring to drive through our state. We have acres and acres of cultivated fields and lots of irrigation that keeps crops growing. I cannot think of any place in the world I would rather live than Oklahoma.

I attended a luncheon a few days ago that had a delightful menu. I get in such a rut with the old-time cooking that it was a nice change for me. I asked if I could share the recipes and was granted permission, so I hope you enjoy them, too.



Cantaloupe Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted

few mint springs

1 medium cantaloupe, chilled

2 cups seedless green grapes



Peel, seed and cut cantaloupe into large bite size pieces. Cut grapes in half. Toss with mixture of mayonnaise, orange juice and mint springs. Serve on lettuce leaf.



Chicken/Artichoke Salad

or Sandwiches

4 chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon each, salt, garlic powder and pepper.



Combine in medium bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve on bread or lettuce leaves.



Send your comments to: Peggy Goodrich, Food For Thought, P.O. Box 1192, Enid, OK 73702.