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
Altus Reservoir Fishing
Altus Reservoir and adjacent Quartz Mountain State Park provide a major recreation spot in southwest Oklahoma. The lake holds two state records for largest walleye (13 pounds) and hybrid bass (22
, OK FishingApache Municipal Building
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Apache, OK Historic BuildingsIndian 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 MuseumsGreat Plains State Park
Great Plains State Park is located on 6400-acre Tom Steed Lake west of the Wichita Mountains in Kiowa County near the town of Mountain Park. A drive along Hwy 183 provides a scenic route that winds its way through the mountains along the lake'
, OK State ParksWichita Mountains NWR - Hunting
Elk and Deer Hunting Opportunities The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge hosts two of Oklahoma's most popular controlled hunts, the annual elk and deer hunts. Set amidst granite mountains and prairie grasslands, the hunt is 2 1/2
Lawton, OK HuntingCarnegie 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 LibrariesQuartz Mountain Camping
Campers and picnickers will find 237 picnic tables, 5 group picnic shelters, 1 enclosed group shelter, 20 modern RV sites w/ all hookups, 101 sites w/ water & electric, and 99 regular campsites w/ no utilities. There are also 8 comfort stations (5 with showers), 2
, OK CampingQuanah Parker Star House and Eagle Park Ghost Town
Comanche Chief Quanah Parker had stars painted on the roof of his home to mimic those on the uniforms of the U.S. military officers. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cache, OK Famous HomesParker Drilling Rig
Parker Drilling Company Rig 114 is 181' tall, one of the world's tallest and one of the deepest drilling. Before drilling for natural gas, it drilled a world record nuclear test hole in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska - 10' wide and 4,500' deep.
Elk City, OK Natural AttractionsQuartz Mountain Golf Course
Breathtaking natural beauty is probably the most distinguishable feature of Quartz Mountain Golf Course. Located at the base of rocky Quartz Mountain on the western edge of the Wichita mountains range, the course is surrounded by a sea of sage and prairie grass.
Altus, OK Golf Courses