Lake Murray State Park, OK
Depression-era WPA and CCC laborers were responsible for building this 12,496-acre park and lake. More than 60 years later, the recreation site is still known for its cool, clean water suitable for scuba diving. The park was created solely for recreation and features RV hook-ups, campgrounds, several boat ramps and a marina with boat rentals. Park guests have access to Murray Lodge, miniature golf, horseback riding, tennis courts and a pool. In its July 1992 edition, the magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, listed Lake Murray as one of the top 100 swimming holes in the United States. Lake Murray is also home to Tucker Tower. Much like a lighthouse, built out of rock and sitting at the top of a cliff out on a point, it seems to be watching over patrons of the lake. Inside, naturalists have brought together displays of flora and fauna to create an educational complex.
Workers in two Emergency Works Act programs established during the height of the Depression by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), converged on what had formerly been Chickasaw Nation property in 1933, to begin construction on Lake Murray State Park. It was the first state park built in Oklahoma and is still the largest. At the same time, workers began construction on Tucker Tower. During construction, almost 17,000 men worked on the park project for $1.25 a day in wages.
