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paces to Outer Space: lains Country Great Plains Country By Elaine Warner O


klahoma is divided into six “countries” to designate tourism regions. South- west Oklahoma is called Great Plains


Country. As the name indicates, much of the re- gion is fl at. The area is, however, cut by a swath of gypsum hills and the Wichita Mountains. Great Plains Country guests will fi nd a wide range of activities and attractions. Attractions include scenic and historic drives, Native Ameri- can heritage, museums and wineries. Sports and recreational opportunities abound—from wild- life watching and hiking to horseback riding and some of the best rock climbing in the state. Jessica Coody, executive director of the Great Plains Country Association, touts all the tourist attractions across the region. She does, however, have a sentimental favorite.


“Most of my childhood was spent hiking in the Wichita Mountains, so I’ve always loved that area. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is amazing and I really feel like Medicine Park is a hidden gem. It’s a unique community with a lot of history—a very eclectic area made up of very eclectic people who have come together to rebuild their community. With music festivals and local artists, it makes a great getaway. I think they have a special thing there.”


Luckily for visitors to the area, there are lots of “special things” throughout the region. Many visitors from overseas come just to drive Route 66. Along the way, they enjoy the Roger Miller Museum in Erick, the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton and often stop at the Stafford Air and Space Mu-


seum in Weatherford.


History buffs are attracted to the museums at Ft. Sill, the Museum of the Great Plains in Law- ton, and the Washita Battlefi eld National Historic Site. Several Indian Nations have headquarters with small museums. Anadarko not only has the Southern Plains Indian Museum and the Nation- al Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, but annually hosts the American Indian Exposition, one of the country’s oldest and largest gatherings of Native American people.


The Mohawk Lodge Indian Store on Old 66 east of Clinton is as much a museum as emporium. This more-than-a-century-old business still car- ries hides, beads and feathers used by Indians in their craftwork and the walls are lined with not- for-sale items that have been taken in trade over the decades.


Art lovers trek to Durham to learn more about Oklahoma’s own “Sagebrush Artist,” Augusta Metcalfe, while Quartz Mountain Resort, Arts and Conference Center displays beautiful artwork year-round. During the Quartz Mountain Sum- mer Arts Institute, the hills are alive not only with the sound of music but with actors acting, danc- ers dancing, photographers snapping, writers and poets penning and painters painting. Photographers love late summer in Great Plains Country. The fi elds at the Horn Canna Farm near Carnegie create a Peter Max-style landscape with the vibrant red, yellow orange and pink blossoms. In the fall, the area features colorful pumpkin patches and corn mazes.


An absolute necessity for wildlife lovers is the map of the Great Plains Trail of Oklahoma. West- ern Oklahoma is featured in 13 different drives, four of which are in Great Plains Country—the Black Kettle Loop, the Caddo Canyons Loop, the Quartz Mountain Loop and the Hackberry Flat


Loop. The Oklahoma Visitor Centers usually carry the entire map (though they do run out occasion- ally) and loops maps are available for download at www.wildlifedepartment.com/greatplains/wild- lifetrails.htm.


Perhaps the best-known wildlife-watching spot is the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge where the bison rule the range. For a close-up experience, Caddo Electric Cooperative member, Captain Jack Parker with OK Buffalo Tours near Mountain View takes groups by tractor-drawn trailer right up to his buffalo herd. “They’re big and they’re wild but they’re condi-


tioned to know that when they see people, they’re going to get fed; so you can get a good, but safe, look at them,” Captain Jack said. The tours are followed by a meal featuring buffalo and dancing by local Native Americans. Captain Jack prefers groups of 30 to 55, but will negotiate with smaller groups or individuals. Parker, who helped establish the Wichita Mountains Scenic Byway, is a fount of informa- tion about little-known local sites like the Rainy Mountain Indian Baptist Church and Cemetery. Parker said of the old cemetery, “Walk through that cemetery and read the names of Kiowa, Co- manche and Apache tribal fi gures. Gotebo, a Kio- wa sub-chief, is buried there. The town of Gotebo was originally named Harrison but Chief Gotebo saved a man and his son from a fl ooded creek so the town renamed itself after him.” Parker also talked about the nearly century-old Mountain View Free Fair that takes place each Au- gust. One of the star attractions is a 1920s C.W. Parker Ferris wheel, thought to be one of only four remaining.


Who knew? Great Plains Country is full of sur- prises. Do yourself a favor and start exploring. OL


FEBRUARY 2012 27


Wichita fuge


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