Great Plains Country, Oklahoma
In southwestern Oklahoma the golden shortgrass prairie extends for mile after undulating mile, mirroring the sky in its vastness. Less than a century and a half ago, the Southern Plains were the domain of the Kiowa and Comanche, who hunted buffalo on horses bridled with Spanish silver and traded with the Wichitas, farmers who lived in grass houses. To the Kiowa, the earth was sacred, and the Wichitas believed their ancestors lived on in the 650-million-year-old granite boulders of the Wichita Mountains. Travelers exploring the region today may encounter moments of similar reverence -- watching the sun set from atop Mount Scott in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, for instance, or watching an eagle soar in winter. A rowdier spirit lives endures in the area, too: Teddy Roosevelt created the wildlife refuge after he traveled to Oklahoma Territory to hunt wolves. Bison now graze on the 60,000-acre preserve, along with longhorn cattle, antelope and elk -- rugged mountain biking, hiking, camping and backpacking are permitted in some areas.
Explore Great Plains Country
Indian City, U.S.A.
- CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE - The only authentic restoration of American dwellings and way of life in America, Indian City, U.S.A. is on the site of the massacre of the Tonkawa Indians by a band of Shawnees and other mercenaries during the Civil War.
Anadarko, OK MuseumsFlorence Hospital
This photo shows the 1911-1912 Florence Hospital. The hospital, named for the wife of Cordell doctor A. H. Bungardt, was housed on the second floor of this building until the Cordell Memorial Hospital was built in 1957. Photos of the interior include one of the door to the fathers'
Cordell, OK Historic BuildingsRed Rock Canyon Rock Climbing
Red Rock Canyon is one of the most popular rappelling sites in Oklahoma. Visitors must bring their own ropes and gear and use the park's canyon walls at designated rappelling sites only to participate in this exciting activity. Rappelling is done at the visitor'
, OK RappellingFirst National Bank Building
. L. Hull, long-time president of the First National Bank, was instrumental in the construction of both the old First National Bank Building in 1909-1910 and the Carnegie Library in 1911. He is seen above in the right corner of the 1910 photo of the bank'
Cordell, OK Historic BuildingsRoute 66 - America's Main Street
It is known as the Main Street of America - The Mother Road - The Free Road - even the Will Rogers Highway. And it evokes images of roadside diner's, mom-and-pop truck stops, old-fashioned service stations, motor courts, neon signs, and classic American automobiles.
Elk City, OK LandmarksCourthouse Clock
The clock displayed on four sides of the Courthouse dome keeps track of Cordell'
Cordell, OK ArchitectureCarnegie Public Library
The Carnegie Public Library was established and built in 1912 with the donation of City lots by an individual and a Carnegie Foundation grant of $10,000. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and in 1987
Hobart, OK Carnegie LibrariesWichita Mountains - Holy City
While you're in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, be sure to visit the Holy City of the Wichitas, an interesting manmade intrusion that is historic in its own right. Built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the 1930's, the Holy City is located on 110
Lawton, OK Landmarks