Southwest Oklahoma: bison, prairie and cottonfields

Sunday morning: after a severe thunderstorm at night and rain out of buckets, we were a bit concerned about the weather today, but it improved quickly. Left The Plantation Inn for the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in the morning. 

Probably, due to the weather, the road to Mount Scott, the prominent ca. 800 m high peak in the park, was closed, so we drove on to The Holy  City of the Wichita’s (pic below). This is a somehow strange attraction, a replica of Israel during Biblical times with full-sized buildings and structures, all built with locally-quarried granite in the 1930s. The site is also home to the nation's longest-running annual Easter passion play called "The Prince of Peace."Already on the way over, but as well in the Holy City, there were buffalo, not fenced in, roaming peacefully. 

 

 

Lunch at Meers Store & Restaurant. First we thought, these burgers are expensive: $ 13,95, but, then noticed, that one would be enough for two. Well, we made it and ate leftovers for dinner. Very tasty, lean patties  made from grass-fed, local longhorns, ground fresh and served on a tin plate, the "cowboy way". The place itself resembles a museum with all its old-time relicts and photos, from the old days, when Meers was a boom town in the Wichita Mountains during the turn of the century gold rush.  

 

Since we had left Wichita Mountains earlier than planned, we chose a backcountry route and got the "real authentic prairie feeling" on one hand side: wide open space, endless horizon, few population. On the other hand, it showed us a different part of Oklahoma. The Southwest has its very own history, as we got to know in the Western Prairie Museum later, and, we passed huge cotton and sorghum fields, and, in the South, spotted Llano Estacado, or "Staked Plains" - already part of NW Texas. We've visited there long time ago, when we were in Amarillo. Here, the Texas border is only about 50 mi away!

Cottonfields in the Quartz Mountains

Quartz Mountain SP (pics below) - our next stop on the shores of Lake Altus-Lugert - is the gateway to the Wichita Mountains and a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Funded by the New Deal and built under the guidance of the National Park Service Quartz Mountain was completed in 1937. Today, a brand new Lodge, accomplished in 2021, and a Yoga Retreat are welcoming guests, there is the Quartz Mountain Art Institute and a stone amphitheater.  

 

In Altus, the Museum of the Western Prairie, operated by the OK Historical Society, is the place to get more information about the specific history of SW Oklahoma. Another cattle route, the Western Trail, passed through the region in the late 1870ies and 1880ies. Also unknown to us was, that Texas claimed present-day southwest Oklahoma until 1896! Also, learned a lot about cotton. Insane fact is that the cotton is exported to China, to get the t-shirts, etc., back from there.

 

Drove on to Elk City afterwards, a pretty spread-out town on Route 66. Checked out the National Route 66 & Transportation Museum there, with its Biggest Route 66 Sign in the World, before we settled into the beautiful Bluebird Inn, a 3-room accommodation in downtown, which has moved into an old store. A long and interesting day with about 200 mi driven.

 

The Bluebird Inn

Sunset in Elk City