Touring Great Plains Country

Unit 5

Great Plains Country

Internet Resource Guide

http://okcimc.com/titles/tourism/GreatPlains.htm

Counties, Questions, Tribal Jurisdictions, Transportation Routes

14 counties {Beckham, Roger Mills, Custer, Washita, Caddo, Harmon, Greer, Kiowa, Comanche, Jackson, Tillman, Cotton, Jefferson,Stephens}

Tribal jurisdictions-Apache, Arapaho, Caddo, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Comanche, Delaware, Kiowa, & Wichita

Route 66, I-40, U.S. 81, I-44

Agricultural Destinations & Events

Horn Canna Farm-one of the world’s largest exclusive canna growers, 130 acres, loc. Carnegie, Includes festival {https://www.cannas.net/}

McLemore Pumpkin Farm – features Pumpkin Festival

Lavender Valley Acres Festival – loc. Apache {http://www.lavendervalleyacres.com/}

Fort Cobb Peanut Festival Ranching Life-Duncan Lake, 20 miles of trails Wineries, Frederick’s Fantastic Oyster Fry, County

Fairs

Aviation & Aerospace

Stafford Air and Space Center-Weatherford, collection or air and space exhibits, an interactive aviation gallery spanning the history of flight, one of the most comprehensive histories of rocketry in the world

Flying Aces Fly-in-annual model airplane fly-in and exhibition features vintages & present day replicas

Nature based Destinations & Events

Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge-50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile, 36 fish, 806 plant species

American bison-American Bison Society donated 15 bison to Wichita National Forest

Texas Longhorn Black Kettle National Grassland-Cheyenne, 30,000 acres of

natural grasslands Parks and Refuge-Washita National Wildlife Refuge, Great

Plains State Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Foss Lake State Park, Quartz Mountain Resort, Fort Cobb State Park, , etc.

Culture & Heritage in the Great Plains

Washita Battlefield Nat’l Historic Site-loc. Cheyenne, early morning attack in 1868

Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum –largest U.S. Army museum, home to the “Cannon Walk”

Chisholm Trail-name after trader Jesse Chisholm, route traveled by Black Beaver, a Delaware frontiersman and scout

Museums-Museum of the Great Plains, Museum of the Western Prairie

Culture & Heritage in the Great Plains Cont’d

Local Heritage Events – Old Settlers Reunion, Crossroads Ranch Cattle Drive, Wild West Days, Chisholm Trail Stampede

Indian City USA- loc. Anadarko, outdoor museum provides insight into the beliefs, social lives, and routines of Native Americans

National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians-displays sculptures of America’s greatest Native Americans, i.e. Chief Joseph, Sequoyah, Pocahontas, Pontiac, and many others

Culture & Heritage in the Great Plains Cont’d

Towns of Great Plains– Medicine Park-Oklahoma’s first planned resort

town, buildings include cottages/stores built of red granite cobblestone

– Ghost Towns-Brinkman, Cornish, Meers; “ghost town” a town that has suffered a drastic drop in population {http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ok/ok.html}

Arts & Entertainment

The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery-one of the oldest building in downtown Lawton, hosts lunchbag lectures, book signings, poetry readings

Metcalfe Museum-artwork of Oklahoma pioneer artist Augusta Corson Metcalfe

Arts Festivals-Downtown Lawton, Arts for All Festival 30,000 visitors; ”Children’s Art Area” gives children a chance to work in a variety of art

Western Writers Round-up-published authors who discuss their works

Percussive Arts Society Museum and Library, SWOSU Jazz Festival

Sports Destinations & Events

Rock Climbing-climbers practice for climbs in places like Yosemite by climbing in Great Plains Country; Wichita Mountains climbers can choose from among more than 300 routes in more than a dozen areas

Rodeo-Sayre Championship Rodeo, Lion’s Club Rodeo in Duncan, Walters Roundup (brings 20,000 people to Cotton County)

Bicycles and motor sports-challenging terrain of Duncan and Elk City, Altus speedway and Clinton Motorsports Park features for motor vehicle sports