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
Time-line Murals
Six murals, depicting the History of Shattuck, are dedicated to the early pioneer families whose courage and hard work sculpted a bustling, thriving town out of an arid prairie inhabited by buffalo and coyotes.
Shattuck, OK ArtsAlfalfa County Courthouse and War Memorial
The Alfalfa County Courthouse was built in 1921
Cherokee, OK Historic CourthousesPioneer Telephone Building
This building was constructed in 1900 by the Anheuser Busch Brewing Association of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1922, the building was restored similar to its original appearance by Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Kingfisher, OK Historic BuildingsBoise City Bombed
JULY 5, 1943 12:30 A.M. Boise City, Oklahoma was the only city in the United States to be bombed during World War II. On Monday night, July 5, 1943, at approximately 12:30 a.m., a B-17 Bomber based at Dalhart Army Air Base (50 miles to the south of Boise City)
Boise City, OK Historical MarkersBeaver Dunes Hiking & Wildlife
The self-guided Pioneer Interpretive Trail, a one mile hike through the dune area, is an excellent way to view the wildlife, plant species, and geology of Beaver Dunes State Park.
, OK TrailsCentennial 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 ArtsSalt Flats and Selenite Crystals
The salt plains are a unique geological area. Visitors may enjoy viewing the near perfectly flat 11,000-acre barren area with the wafer thin salt crust or dig for the Famous Salt Plains selenite crystals with the hour-glass sand inclusion.
Cherokee, OK Natural AttractionsSunset Hills Golf Course
With more great golfing days than even Arizona, Guymon is the home of Sunset Hills Golf Course, one of the premier 18 hole facilities in Oklahoma. With a USGA Course Rating of 69.0, this 6236 yard, par 71 / slope 117
Guymon, OK Golf CoursesTexhoma Museum
The Texhoma Museum is maintained and operated by the Texhoma Genealogical and Historical Society, Editors and Publishers of the Panhandle Pioneers, a Local Historical Series.
Texhoma, OK MuseumsKaw City Museum
The Kaw City Museum was established in the railroad station of "old" Kaw City when the depot was moved from the old town site to the new location on the hill overlooking the Arkansas River valley. The depot was finished in 1903 by the Eastern Oklahoma Railway Co. It was the "
Kaw City, 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