Red Carpet Country, Oklahoma
A vast prehistoric sea that covered what's now northwestern Oklahoma colored the soil a deep red-brown -- and left a few other surprised as well. Like the cedar-flecked canyons in Roman Nose State Park, carved by receding water, or the Alabaster Caverns, the world's largest gypsum-lined cave. Shifting sand dunes tower 40 feet high at Little Sahara State Park and the 4,973-foot-high, lava topped Black Mesa near Kenton was created by an ancient volcano. The mesa, the state's highest point, has long been a have for wildlife and for hikers -- some of them bigger than others, as nearby dinosaur footprints testify. The prairies were once dotted with tipis; northwest Oklahoma were the winter campgrounds for the Cheyenne-- the last great herd of buffalo on the Oklahoma plains was spotted near Fort Supply in the 1870s. Two decades later, the largest of all the land runs took place when the Cherokee Outlet was opened in1893 to settlement. In a single afternoon, 100,000 men and women raced to claim 160-acre quarter-sections; some of their great-grandchildren still live on original homesteads. In Aline, the Sod House Museum shelters the only remaining sod house in the state, built in 1849.
Explore Red Carpet Country
Electric Park Pavilion
The Electric Park Pavilion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has always been the centerpiece of civic and social life in the community. This magnificent structure was constructed in 1912-1913
Blackwell, OK Historic BuildingsHumphrey Heritage Village
The Humphrey Heritage Village includes an elaborate old Victorian style home that has been refurbished. It is known as the "Glidewell Home." Also included is the original land office where pioneers lined up to file their claims after the great land rush of 1893
Enid, OK MuseumsNo Man's Land Museum
Since its establishment in 1934 by surviving pre-Territorial pioneers from all parts of the Oklahoma Panhandle, the No Man's Land Museum has served as a comprehensive museum of the Oklahoma Panhandle and adjacent regions. The 11 room, 10,000
Goodwell, OK MuseumsThe Famous Store
James Lobsitz founded the Famous Store in October of 1893 in a modest frame building a half a block east of the present building. His general merchandise business prospered and he erected the 50 by 90 foot two-story brick building in 1908
Perry, OK Historic Buildings"Cimmy", the Apatasaurus
Bones of prehistoric dinosaurs were discovered in 1931 about eight miles east of Kenton which included an almost complete skeleton of an apatasaurus, thought to be the largest specimen of its kind in existence. "Cimmy"
Boise City, OK ArtsSanta Fe Depot at Waynoka
The Santa Fe Depot at Waynoka was built in 1910, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The BNSF main line from Chicago to the West Coast which passes the depot is Oklahoma's busiest rail line. Next to the depot, is it'
Waynoka, OK Railroad HistoryThe Powder Monkey's House
Like the Teamster's Cabin, the powder monkey's house dates to about 1870 and is typical of the picket-style construction at early Fort Supply. Many of the picket buildings were later used for fire wood, but this and the Teamster's Cabin survived that fate.
Woodward, OK Historic BuildingsCentennial Plaza
The Centennial Plaza, with its backdrop of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, was started as a project for the Centennial year of the 1893
Ponca City, OK ArtsCCC Ranch Headquarters
The CCC Ranch Headquarters was built in the 1880s of native stone, cut and laid up in a running bond. The rough-faced stone bunkhouse stands nearby. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 3C ranch was owned by Vickers, Wells, and Gates out of Tombstone, Arizona.
Texhoma, OK Historic Homes
Roman Nose Lodge
Roman Nose Resort Lodge preserves the natural scenic wonders of the canyon, while hosting guests with all the luxuries of home and conveniences of a fine hotel. Forty-seven guest rooms make up one of the seven Oklahoma resorts owned and operated by the Okahoma Tourism and Recreation Department
, OK ResortsFirst United Methodist/Episcopal Church
The beautiful United Methodist Church of Cherokee was built in 1918
Cherokee, OK Historic Churches