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Okmulgee State Park Courtesy Photos


Plains region is in the northwest and includes the prairies and plains of Pawhuska and Bartlesville; and the Great Lakes region is in the northeast section of the area and includes all the “Great Lakes“ of the northeast including Oologah Lake, Lake Hudson and Grand Lake of the Cherokees.


Great Lakes


“There weren’t always so many lakes in the area,” said Air Force Veteran Rick Hart, who lives on a farm with his wife Lily just minutes from Oologah Lake. The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, named for Sen. Robert S. Kerr and Sen. John L. McClellan, opened in the area in 1968. The Port of Catoosa serves as the hub of the system. “This is one of the best pieces of legislation passed in the history of our government,” said Northeast Oklahoma Electric member, Ted Foster. “As far as its impact on people and communication in the area, there are 5,500 jobs between Tulsa and Musk- ogee because of it.” Foster, a retired history teacher, is active with the Cherokee Nation and the Chelsea Chamber of Com- merce. He remembers the area flooding before the system was put in place.


“There were times the Verdigris River would flood and all you could see was the bridge,” he said. “It was pretty scary. They created the Navigation Sys- tem about the same time as they created the Turner Turnpike. They built the large lakes to hold the water for the system. There’s now a tremendous amount of employment and recreation because of it. It’s been an asset to the area.”


The Great Lakes area of Green Country stretches from Collinsville to the Arkansas border and in- cludes Grand Lake, Oologah Lake, Lake Spavinaw and Lake Eucha.


“In the Great Lakes region, lakes abound,” Swin- dell said. “The ‘Daddy of all Lakes,’ Grand Lake of the Cherokees offers more than 45,000 surface acres of water and 1,300 miles of shoreline. Travel- ers come from near and far to partake of all the area near Grove offers. Miami boasts the longest stretch of Historic Route 66, and is home to the Coleman Theatre, a must-see venue built in 1929 whose stage


held Will Rogers, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx and others. Additionally, grapes thrive in Vinita, and so do its wineries including Summerside Vineyard & Meadery.”


Foothills


The Foothills region is a forested area in the southeast section of Green Country. The area cov- ers 23 cities including Muskogee, Wagoner and Tahlequah. Lakes and waterways in the area include Dripping Springs, Lake Tenkiller, Ft. Gibson Lake, Illinois River, Lake Eufaula, Robert S. Kerr Waterway and the McClellan-Kerr Waterway. “In this area, historical figures left their mark, from Civil War soldiers to Native Americans, to out- law gangs and pioneers,” Swindell said. “Tahlequah is home to Lake Tenkiller and the Cherokee Heri- tage Center, a must-see in understanding the Trail of Tears,” Swindell continued. “Here, visitors enjoy a variety of lake activities including scuba diving in the clear lake waters. Float trips are popular on the Illinois River.”


High Plains


The High Plains region of Green Country cov- ers 36 cities including Tulsa, Bartlesville, Pawnee, Pawhuska and Drumright. The area stretches from Pawnee and Osage Counties past Oologah Lake and South of Bristow.


Swindell says there are many must-sees in the High Plains area.


“A visit to Bartlesville reveals a small town with big city amenities,” she said. “Travelers flock to the Price Tower Arts Center, and the Community Center hosts the OK Mozart Festival each June. Woolaroc Ranch, Museum and Wildlife Preserve is outside of town about 15 miles.”


The aquarium in Jenks, Philbrook Museum and gardens in Tulsa, bathhouse in Pawnee and the 37,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Pawhuska are also must-sees in the High Plains area. “Media mogul Ted Turner recently purchased the Tallgrass Prairie,“ Hart said. “He’s been working hard to preserve the area and has been introducing free-range buffalo to the area.”


Historical Highlights


Green Country is a smorgasbord for history buffs. Here, tourists can take their pick of historical sites including museums, restored homes and historical societies.


“I’ve been to a lot of museums and old homes in


the area,“ Buchanan said. “Visiting the area gives you a new respect for the sites being preserved.” History can even be found in some of the more modern venues in the area. Hart remembers visiting the Brady Theater and Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa as a teen, which were both built in the early 1900s. “We used to hang out at the Admiral Twin too,” Hart said. “They just rebuilt it since it burned down a couple years ago. Vinita still has a cool little the- ater—the Center Theater, which is one of the oldest theaters in the state. It used to only have one screen, but now it has three.”


Pivotal historical points in Green Country include the Trail of Tears and development of Indian Terri- tory starting in the 1830s; the first railroad in Vinita in 1877; the first intentional oil well drilled in Chel- sea in 1889; the first commercial oil well in Bartles- ville in 1897; the first oil boom that started just af- ter statehood in 1907; the founding of the Green Country Association in 1965; and the Arkansas River Navigation program of 1968.


“Several towns grew or sprung up as a result of the oil boom,” Foster said. “Nowata is a big boom town. There are lots of mansions and old money in Nowata as a result. Other ‘boom towns’ include Bartlesville, Chelsea and Drumright. Then there are towns like Centralia which are basically ghost towns now, be- cause the oil boom played out.”


Just a few historical must-sees in the area include the Frank Phillips Home, La Quinta Foster Man- sion, the Battle of Honey Springs site in Checotah, the Fort Gibson Historic Site, the Dog Iron Ranch and Will Rogers Birthplace in Oologah, Cabin Creek Battlefield in Vinita and Johnstone Park in Bartles- ville.


Continued on Page 36 OCTOBER 2012 35


Pawnee Dancer


Pawnee Bill Mansion


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