3.
{
LITTLE NIAGARA | Sulphur
} T
ravertine Creek widens and the clear spring waters spill over rocks in several areas in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The most well-known of these spots is Little Niagara. Archaeologists believe the area has been inhabited for thousands of years. Native Americans called it the “Peaceful Valley of Rippling Waters,” an area with both fresh and mineral water springs. In 1855, the lands became part of the Chickasaw Nation.
Native Americans had long considered the mineral waters to have healing properties and feared loss of access as more settlers moved into the area. A 1-square-mile plot was sold to the United States government as public land in 1902. In 1906, it became Platt National Park. The park merged with the Arbuckle Recreation Area in 1976 and was renamed the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
Under the guidance of the National Park Service, natural features of the park were enhanced. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps added bridges and dams over and on the creeks. Little Niagara, a natural falls area, was one of these. Made of the native travertine stone, the man-made dam blends into the surrounding rocks and provides a popular jumping-off spot into the pool below. The depth of the pool varies depending on the flow of the springs, which
feed Travertine Creek. In dry years, the creek is reduced to a trickle but in good years, the pool may be 7 or 8 feet deep.
Little Niagara, Sulphur, Okla. Photo by Elaine Warner
Picnic tables, a parking lot and restrooms make it easy for visitors to enjoy this beautiful area. The water attracts waders and swimmers while the shady trees along the creek provide comfort for spectators. There are no lifeguards so visitors swim at their own risk. Downstream, Garfield Falls, Bear Falls and Panther Falls offer more in-the- water opportunities. Lake of the Arbuckles, part of the Chickasaw NRA also has swimming beaches at the Point and Buckhorn campgrounds. But for old-fashioned fun, Little Niagara is the winner. The park is open year-round and there is no admission charge to visit. The main entrance to the park is at Broadway and Highway 177 in Sulphur, Okla.
4. M { BATH LAKE | Medicine Park }
edicine Park, Okla., was designed as a resort community in the early 1900s. At one time it bustled with politically prominent, fashionable and even notorious visitors from Oklahoma and Texas. The swimming hole—Bath Lake—has always been the heart of the community even during years when
Medicine Park was on life support. Candace Davis McCoy, who lived here with her family in the ‘50s, explains what Bath Lake was like then. “They had a lifeguard stand with a big umbrella, a swinging bridge and a floating raft
anchored in the middle. You climbed to the top of a slide, took a sled with metal wheels and slid down rails. The sled started slow then got faster until you splashed into the water,” she says. “There were penny arcades, hot dogs stands, bathhouses and burro rides around Bath Lake. There was even a monkey house with monkeys in it.” Things were very different when McCoy and her husband David, Cotton Electric
Cooperative members, moved back to Medicine Park in the ‘90s. They immediately got involved, spearheading many of the renovation efforts that have turned the town back into a destination.
Bath Lake is still a centerpiece. The swinging bridge has been replaced with an attrac- tive, handicap-accessible bridge. There are sidewalks around the lake and old-fashioned street lamps. For $2, visitors can swim in the lake. It’s open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to dark.
APRIL 2016 17
Bath Lake, Medicine Park, Okla. Photo by Elaine Warner
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