Oklahoma History free essay sample

When geographers speak of location, they are using two separate definitions, each with its own useful purpose. The first of these is  Absolute Location. Absolute location refers to an exact, pinpointed location. Absolute locations involve some sort of measurement, whether it’s latitude and longitude, an address, the number of miles from an exact point, etc. Pinpointing  Oklahoma  on a map using absolute location involves locating latitude and longitude lines on the map. Looking on the map below, we can find the absolute location ofOklahoma  on the Earth. Now that we can see whereOklahoma  is located absolutely, we will move on to the next definition of location. Relative Location  refers to a location that is described by its relationship to other points. These types of locations are less specific. Most of the time, relative location doesn’t provide enough detailed information to allow you to find the exact position of something. Relative Location places  Oklahoma  in a region relative to what is around the state. However, geographers have always had a difficult time giving  Oklahoma  a standard relative location. Here’s why: * Oklahoma  is the most northern of the southern states because of its ties to the Old South’s economic and culture traditions. * Oklahoma  is the most southern of the northern states because of its air and space industry ties as well as its incorporated technology. * Oklahoma  is the most eastern of the western states because of its Wild West history. * Oklahoma  clearly can be labeled as a southwestern state due to its  climatological  nature. * Oklahoma  is a southeastern state because of its Native American inheritance. Clearly,  Oklahoma  is a border state, a buffer zone, and an area of transition. So where do geographers put  Oklahoma  when it comes to relative location? Excellent question. The answer is geographers put  Oklahoma  wherever it best fits for their particular subject they happen to be researching at the time. Oklahoma’s Dimensions Oklahoma  is bordered by six other states. Starting in the north and going clockwise -Kansas,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Texas,  New Mexico, and  Colorado. Oklahoma  has an area of about 70,000 square miles, which makes it the 18th  largest state in the  United States. Click on the start button to watch it. Oklahoma Rivers Continued The Arkansas River Navigation Project, headed by  Oklahoma  legislators  McCellan  and Kerr, established a way for ocean faring vessels, up to the size of barges, to be able to come inland as far as  Tulsa  (really the port city of  Catoosa). This means that if you have the time, the inclination, and the right canoe, a person could row their way all the way to the  Gulf of Mexico  from  Oklahoma! The â€Å"Red River War† is a reference to any conflict or competition that  Oklahoma  has with its southern border state  Texas. This can be used to denote a simple football game or it can be used to describe a time when  Oklahoma’s Governor Murray called out the National Guard to police the Red River Bridges. A major conflict in  Oklahoma  history appeared when geographers from  Texasdisagreed with geographers fromOklahoma  as to where the  Red Rivermeandered†¦Ã‚  Oklahomas geographers won. Oklahoma’s Lakes| Oklahoma  has 34 lakes of varying size around the state. The one thing they have in common is that they are all man-made. Man-made?!? Yes, the lakes in  Oklahomaneeded a little help in forming, so men got together, dammed up rivers at appropriate spots, and made lakes. There is now more lakeshore in  Oklahoma  than any other inland state in the  Union. | The largest lake is  Lake  Eufala, which is 102,500 acres in area. Lake  Texoma  is next largest at 92,000 acres and actually forms part of the border between  Texas  and  Oklahoma  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ hence the name â€Å"Texhoma. †| Oklahoma’s Climate | Generally, weather systems in Oklahoma come in from the west off the slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Eastern Oklahoma has a higher relative humidity than western because the weather systems that dry out over the Rocky Mountains mix with the humid air from the Gulf of Mexico over Oklahoma. The result of higher humidity means lower wind chills and higher heat indexes. The combination of cooler air from the mountains and warmer air from the Gulf makes the state an interesting place to be during storm season which last from late May through August. | Tornadoes are commonplace in Oklahoma which averages more of these violent storms per square mile than any other place on Earth. One of Oklahoma’s nicknames is appropriately ‘Tornado Alley. Temperature * The average temperature in the state is 60 ° Fahrenheit. * The hottest recorded temperature in the state is 120 ° F. t Hollis in 1936. The coldest recorded temperature in the state is -27  ° F. at Boise City in 1905. Rainfall * The panhandle averages 18 inches of rain per year. As a note, to be classified as a desert area, a place must receive no more than 10 inches per year. The lowest recorded rainfall is 8 1/2 inches at Boise City. * Southeastern Oklahoma averages 56 inches of rainfall per year. The greatest amount of rainfall in one year is 84 inches at Kiamich Tower in 1957. Other Images of Oklahoma | Oklahoma’s vast changes in the weather have led to some remarkable discoveries in weather prediction. Some of the best meteorologists in the country have come to learn their trade through Oklahoma’s wild weather patterns. | | | * Christian Doppler created the Doppler Radar. Gary England, a mainstream meteorologist in Oklahoma, along with help from the National Weather Service located in Norman, Oklahoma,   use the Doppler Radar frequently. This powerful radar is able to detect the direction of storms by calculating how fast radar waves are bounced back to the source. * In the picture on the left, you can tell that Oklahoma is getting walloped by a large rain storm. The next image is from one of the satellites orbiting the Earth. The National Weather Service uses these types of images to figure out weather changes coming in the next couple of days. * In which image would it be easier to spot a small tornado? * In which image would it be easier to see a hurricane coming into the Gulf Coast? * Oklahoma’s Elevation * Oklahoma’s highest point is at Black Mesa in the far northwest corner of the panhandle (the closest part of  Oklahoma  to the  Rocky Mountains). Its elevation is 4,973 feet above sea level. Tourists can park at the bottom of the mesa and make a 2 hour climb to the top where they can sign their names at the obelisk pictured below. * Pictures reprinted with permission from Brian Jones | | Black Mesa also has its own dinosaur digging site! | | | * Oklahoma’s lowest point is only 325 feet above sea level. It is located in the southeastern corner of the state as the  Red River  exits the state flowing towards the Mississippi River. | Which statement makes more sense? A. Oklahoma  is in the middle of one of the most active fault zones in  North America. B. Earthquakes in  North America  only happen to people in  California. Obviously,  California  is not the only state that can boast about their serious faults †¦ talking about the San Andreas, et al, of course. Oklahoma  has also seen its share of earthquakes over the years. The first earthquake recorded in  Oklahoma  was in 1897. Oklahoma  averages six earthquakes a year. Like any earthquake zone, most of these tremors can not be felt except by a precise seismograph, a machine whose job it is to detect and record shifting in the earth’s crust. On occasion, however,  Oklahoma  has been the victim of violent quakes. In 1952, an earthquake that had its epicenter in  Jefferson Cityregistered a magnitude of 7. 0 on the Richter  Scale. The Richter  Scale  measures how powerful earthquakes are. The Cross Timbers The Cross Timbers is a swath of dense foliage that makes its way from near the northeast corner of the state down through the center and beyond the  Red River. See the picture below. This dense layer of trees and shrubs played a big part in Oklahoma’s history, keeping Native American tribes on one side or the other, specifically the peaceful Five Civilized Tribes and the raiding southern plains tribes.