PLSO Oregon Surveyor January/February 2019

23 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org The Lost Surveyor Further north and in the heart of down- town is the “Pioneers of 1889” statue which depicts a man and his young companion driving a stake to make their claim. This small monument sandwiched among mod- ern buildings and oil company sky scrapers is simple and contrasted by all around it. It is amazing to think that in slightly more than 100 years we moved from land rush- es on horses to skyscrapers and concrete jungles on the same piece of dirt. That is the tale of much of America as well, but Oklahoma is surely one of the most sto- ried places of the chaos that led to where we are today. (Photo 6) Unfortunately, the one thing missing from both of these monuments is our story; the story of the surveyors that facilitated and set the stage for all of it to be possible. Except for one small mention of unautho- rized groups laying out townsites that led to overlapping claims and court cases, the surveyor escapes mention. Just a few blocks northwest of the “Pio- neers of 1889” is a memorial to a horrific day of American history where 168 Amer- icans lost their lives. On April 19, 1995 we first learned the meaning of domestic ter- rorism through the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building. The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is a beautiful remem- brance to those who died or were injured on that terrible day. Also located on this site is the National Memorial Museum which contains a great deal of information about the history of this site and that tragic day. If you visit, make sure to plan some time to take in all the information available to understand the memorial’s composition and meaning. I recommend taking time to visit the museum and also see the memo- rial during both day and night. (Photo 7) References Oklahoma Historical Society Website 6 (top right): Pioneers of 1889 statue downtown Oklahoma City 7 (bottom right): Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial reflecting pool at sunset