Game Birds at Glass Mountain

by Harold T. Holden

The Glass Mountains (sometimes called Gloss Mountains) are located 6 miles west of Orienta, Oklahoma. The mountains have a high selenite content, making them appear as if they were covered with pieces of glass. This beautiful scenic area, currently defined as a conservation area, boasts rugged high-topped mesas springing up from a relatively flat land area.

Game birds indigenous to northwest Oklahoma, such as wild turkeys, quail and pheasant abound in the area. The land run of 1889 brought increasing levels of subsistence hunting and land use changes that made the wild turkey so rare that by 1925, most people thought they were extinct. In the late 1940's, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation embarked on a stocking program to reestablish the wild turkey to its former range. This program was so successful that today we have huntable populations in every county.

Game Birds at Glass Mountain by Harold T. Holden was dedicated on February 19, 2003 the commission was managed by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc.

Game Birds at Glass Mountain by Harold T. Holden is located near the Northwest stairwell on the fifth floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol and can be viewed daily from 8:30-5:30.

The Artist

Affectionately referred to simply as “H”, Harold Holden was born in Enid, Oklahoma to a family of avid inventors and engineers.  Holden earned his degree from the Texas Academy of Art in Houston after first attending Oklahoma State University.  He began his career in the commercial art field as the art director of Horseman Magazine.  While holding the position Holden would begin to dabble in painting and sculpture, most often documenting the American West.  After serving in Vietnam with the Navy, Holden decided to stake out a career as a full time artist in 1973.  He received numerous commissions from the National Cattlemen’s Association in the mid 1980s, and soon regard for his work grew to the point that private art collectors began to take stock of Holden’s art.  In 1987, Holden was chosen to sculpt the first of his nine to-date monuments that are currently scattered around the state of Oklahoma.  His work has since graced numerous publications, and has even been featured as a U.S. postal stamp – 92,000,000 of which were released in 1993.  Holden’s work is included in various collections throughout the country, including the Oklahoma Arts Council collection.  He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Sculpture Society as well as the Oklahoma Governor’s Art Award.