Just about every year we make a trip to my home state of Oklahoma. Our favorite place to make memories is the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, which includes a visit to… The Holy City of the Wichitas, a very special site for all of us, as it is where our family started… […]
Historic Medicine Park, Oklahoma’s First Resort
At the main entrance to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge lies Medicine Park, a unique cobblestone community founded in 1908 as Oklahoma’s first tourism resort. Because this is only a 15-minute drive to my hometown of Lawton, Oklahoma, and we prefer to stay in unique places rather than hotels, it’s natural for us to rent a […]
Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, the oldest managed wildlife preserve in the United States, is a 59,020-acre preserve located about 20 miles northwest of Lawton in southwestern Oklahoma. It has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901, when it was designated as a Forest Reserve by President William McKinley. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt renamed it as a game preserve, and […]
Holy City of the Wichitas in Oklahoma
We have made it back from our incredibly hectic trip to visit our family in Southwest Oklahoma! Once upon a time, my husband thought there was nothing in Oklahoma except wind and flat land (and maybe some tepees), so I thought I’d spotlight our adventures in Oklahoma to show that, yes, there are things to do in […]
Geronimo!
Another Southwest Oklahoma claim to fame is the notorious legend Geronimo. Rich with history, Ft. Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum includes the Apache Indian Cemeteries where Geronimo’s grave is located, as well as the Post Guardhouse, which was also nicknamed “Geronimo Hotel.” For many years Goyathlay (meaning “One Who Yawns”), better known as Geronimo, led his band of Apaches […]
Comanche Code Talkers of WWII
After a quick stop at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, we discovered a little-known fact about the contribution that members of this tribe made to the success of the ally efforts during World War II. The Native Americans of Oklahoma were the first American Indian code talkers during both World Wars. Needing a more secure form […]