Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2010
Golden Driller; Tulsa, Oklahoma
Standing confidently with one hand on his hip and the other atop a once functional oil derrick, the Golden Driller was built on the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1953 and has guarded the entrance to the Tulsa Expo Center for more than 40 years. His 22 tons of iron and concrete were built to withstand a 200-mile-per-hour tornado and Oklahoma declared him the official state monument in 1979. A plaque at the Driller's base reads, "to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind." While a popular sentiment in many regions, residents of the Gulf Coast might disagree.