In preparation for Oklahoma's 100th Anniversary of Statehood in 2007, the South Plaza, redesigned as the "Centennial Memorial Plaza of the Oklahomans" was one of nearly 200 projects of the Oklahoma Centennial Commission. A highlight of the plaza is 22 rosettes of granite that have a design based on the Oklahoma State Seal. The designs commemorate 22 events in the history of the state, beginning with 18,000 B.C., when the first Native Americans occupied the land of Oklahoma and ending with the 2002 completion of the State Capitol dome. The plaza redisign was completed in 2003.
Inscriptions on each rosette:
18,000BC • Native Americans Occupy Present-Day Oklahoma
1200 AD • Mississippian Culture Peaks At Spiro Mounds
1541 • Coronado First Europeans To Explore Oklahoma
1750s • Osages Push Wichitas & Caddos To Red River
1803 • Louisiana Purchase Includes Most Of Oklahoma
1817-1842 • Eastern Tribes Removed Over “Trail of Tears”
1821 • Santa Fe Trail & Texas Road Cross Oklahoma
1824 • Ft. Gibson First Fort Established In Oklahoma
1865-1885 • Chisholm Trail & Cattle Trails Cross Oklahoma
1869 • Fort Sill Is Established On Medicine Creek
1870 • Coal Mining Started Near City of McAlester
1870 • MK&T Rail Service Begins In Indian Territory
1921 • Broadcasts Of First Radio Stations Go On Air
1926-1937 • Route 66 Built Under National Highway System
1928 • First NY To LA Air Service Transfer At Waynoka
1934 • CCC Builds Parks And Reclaims Land Across OK
1942 • Tinker Air Field Established At Midwest City
1943 • The Play “Oklahoma” First Opens On Broadway
1949 • First Turnpike “Turner Turnpike” Started
1959 • Oklahoma Voters Repeal Alcohol Prohibition
1995 • Bombing Of The Alfred P. Murrah Fed Bldg OKC
2002 • Capitol Dome & Plaza Of Oklahomans Dedicated
ref: https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=60212