One final post about murals. There were a couple of places with a large number of mural walls and I wanted to touch on these because they provided a great perspective on the history of the specific locations.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER TALES MURAL – CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI
Mississippi River Tales in Cape Girardeau, MO
This 1,100-foot-long mural wall comprises 24 panels of murals covering nearly 18,000 square feet on the 15-foot high floodwall near downtown Gape Girardeau. Though all seem similar, each panel represents a specific period in the history of the area, beginning with the Native Americans who inhabited the area in the early 900s to 1200s and then continuing on to the 1900s. It thus provides a wonderful pictorial narrative of the history. The majority of the panels also include a date at the top of the piece. The mural was painted by Chicago artist Thomas Melvin in collaboration with several other local artists and completed in 2004. The art installation was dedicated on July 7, 2005.
Native Americans in the regionSpanish Explorers – 1673Settlers – 1735Planning a City – 1793Lewis and Clark – 1803The Louisiana Purchase – 1804Missouri Statehood – 1821Pioneer Heritage – 1838General Grant and General Prentiss debate for supreme commandThe Civil War – 1861The Civil War – 1863River Commerce – 1875The Railroad – 1880President Taft’s Visit – 1909The Great Fire – 1916The Big Freeze – 1918The Three Cape Girardeaus and River Jazz – 1924/1925The Big Flood – 1927River Industry – 1958The Great WallRiver Fest – 1980
MISSOURI WALL OF FAME – CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI
Missouri Wall of Fame – Cape Girardeau, MO
As if the ginormous Mississippi River Tales Mural was not enough, a second massive mural was added. The Missouri Wall of Fame is a 500-foot-long mural with 45 panels that include 47 famous individual from Missouri. This one was painted by local artist Margaret Dement. I am not sure if I am able to identify each of the individuals shown, but I will try!
Famous Baseball Players – Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, Lou Brock and George BrettFamous Authors – Dale Carnegie, Eugene FieldWalter CronkiteHarry Truman and Marie Watkins OliverPorter Wagoner and Rush LimbaughMusicians – Josephine Baker, Burt Bacharach, Scott Joplin, Jess Stacy, Porter WagonerAugust Busch, Jr. (Anheuser-Busch) and James Cash Penney (J.C. Penney)Jack Buck, Marlin Perkins, Joe GaragiolaDon Faurot, Mannie Jackson, Thomas Hart BentonMark Twain, Seth J. McKee, Omar BradleyGinger Rogers, Jean Harlow, John Huston, Betty Grable, Vincent Price, Redd FoxxJohn J. Pershing, George Caleb BinghamRosie O’Neill (creator of Kewpie), Linda Godwin, Susan BlowLong view of the Wall of Fame – First panel includes Calamity Jane, Jesse James and Frank James
THE WALL OF HEROES MURAL – MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE
The Wall of Heroes – Maryville, TN
The small college town of Maryville has an old vintage Comic Book store at the intersection of Court and High Streets. The mural stretches nearly a half city block (28-feet-long by 4-feet-tall) in front of The Golden Age, a comic book store that has been around since 1942. The mural was painted in 2017 by Florida artist Wesley Stout and includes a number of DC Characters including some not-so-well-known characters like Sandman, The Spectre, Mary Marvel and Wesley Dodds.
Wall of Heroes superstars – The Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and RobinMore superheroesMore superheroes
OKLAHOMA HISTORY TIMELINE MURAL – BRICKTOWN, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma mural in Oklahoma City, OK
When Oklahoma celebrated the Oklahoma Centennial in 2007, they commissioned a huge set of murals through Bethany, Oklahoma Palmer Studios to be painted in the Bricktown District of the city. It covers Oklahoma history from its origins as an Indian Territory to more current themes including astronauts. Many of these were hard to get photos of, but below is a small collection of them.
Oklahoma History MuralsSome famous Oklahomans in a trainEarly OklahomaHistory of the Railroad – 1860Pioneers – 1880Pioneer Cabin – 1880Life in Oklahoma – 1940Early Schools in Oklahoma – 1960More Famous People on a Train
MISCELLANEOUS FAMOUS PEOPLE AND THINGS FOUND ON WALLS
Bob Ross on a wall in Edmond, OK by Chris CargillJames Dean on a motorcycle – Anadarko, OK. Also painted by Palmer StudiosCheech and Chong in Oklahoma City, OKBogie and Bacall famous scene on a tobacco store in Richmond, Indiana by Indiana artist Pamela BlissCharlie Patton – famous blues musician – Richmond, Indiana painted by Ivan RoqueLocal Legends mural on the Paramount Building in Oklahoma City features Charlie Christian, Joan Crawford and Woody Guthrie. Painted by Graham Hoete from New Zealand in 2016Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka – Downtown Oklahoma City by graffiti artist JEKS (aka Brian Lewis) from Greensboro, North CarolinaHaving fun with Groucho in Richmond, Indiana – Mural by Indiana Artist Pamela BlissAlbert Einstein on a wall in Oklahoma City by graffiti artist JEKS (aka Brian Lewis) from Greensboro, North CarolinaAlbert Einstein on a wall in Louisville, KY by Kacy JacksonWill Rogers – Edmond, Oklahoma by Chris CargillJoe B. Hall – former Head Coach of University of Kentucky Basketball – Cynthiana, Kentucky by famous muralist OdeithFamous Tuskegee Airman Frank D. Walker in Richmond, Kentucky by Graham Allen and SquarePegs StudioBlind Willie Johnson – Brenham, Texas by California artist Levi PonceReady for Battle on Exhibit C Building in Oklahoma City by California Comanche artist Eric Tippeconnic
Finally, a unique mural, or set of murals, can be found under the Main Street railroad bridge on N Gaylord Blvd. in the Bricktown District of Oklahoma City. This nearly 10,000 sq. ft. unique and colorful mural is titled Abstract Passages and is by Oklahoma City artist Kris Kanaly (a.k.a. Pyramid Guy). It was completed in 2017. I had to drive through three or four times to get some decent shots. Parking nearby is difficult. But it is a really cool installation.
Abstract Passages by Kris Kanaly – View 1Abstract Passages by Kris Kanaly – View 2Abstract Passages by Kris Kanaly – View 3Abstract Passages by Kris Kanaly – View 4Abstract Passages by Kris Kanaly – View 5
Did you enjoy what you saw here? My books cover so much more.
Sumoflam at Summer of 66 Mural in Oklahoma City
Enjoy the Ride With Sumoflam
LESS BEATEN PATHS OF AMERICA TRAVEL SERIES
You can get my books online! The series now has five books and I am working on books six and seven. Book Six will be all about murals from all over the country!! Watch for them in 2025.
