HONORABLE GEORGE NIGH Country Enters The 1980s ...... 4 Governor By Sue Carter VOLUME 30 NUMBER 2 SPRING 1980 Climbers' Paradise: Wichita Wildlife Refuge. ... 8 By Paul McCl~ng SUE CARTER PAUL E. LEFEBVRE Editor Art and Production BlLL BUSCH Dauntless Gold Seekers of the Wichitas ...... 11 C~rculat~on and Promotion By Steve Wilson Published hy the Tourism and Recreauon Deparln~enl Delores Buffalo Takes Us To Indian City...... BvJoye R. Boulton COMMISSION MEMBERS LT. GOV. SPENCER BERNARD BOB HODDER JIM PATE Wedding at Holy City...... Chalrman Oklahoma C~tyV~ce Chalrman Mad111 Secretary By Sheila Samples JAKE J SIMMONS. JR LARRY FIELD Muskogee Guymon Pageantry, Tradition Follow The Artillery Hunt .... BOB HINTON CELlA ROSENBERGER WR DICK STUBBS By Sheila Samples Altus Tulsa Henryetta BILL KELLOW. Dlr ABE L HESSER RON ACREE. Dlr Red Rock Canyon Family Reunion...... Tour~smPromollon Plannlng & Development Execut~veD~rector By Judith Wall W D JOHNSON. Dlr ROBERT A PIKE Dlr KEN FLAMING Dlr Adm~n~strat~on State Parks State Lodges Mountain Resort Fascinates Hikers ...... 25 11 1s Ihe purvose 01 Oklahoma Today lo dovole llself lo Ihe enule stale 01 Oklaho~naand 11s evay poslllve aspecl the scenery culture recreallonal and vls~lorallracllny evenls 11s lndustly nalural and By John Davis man made wonders 11s achievements 11s herrlage 11s presenl and 11s tulure Quartz Visitors Discover The World of Jeff Briley, Naturalist...... 27 502 WILL ROGERS BUILDING .Oklahoma C~ty73105 .(405) 521-2496 By Gary Lantz $5 00 Pel Year In U S S9 00 Elsewhere SI 25 Srnyle Copy Copyr~ghl1980 by Oklahoma Today Mayazrne L~lho111 Oklaho~na Restaurant Diners Enjoy Tales Of Oklahoma's First Resort ...... 30 By Junetta Davis In The Spring, Go Hunting For Fish...... 31 By Bob Bledsoe Covers: The buffalo still roam alono with Texas Lonohorn cattle. elk. deer and other A Tour Of Southwestern Museums. ... w~ldlifein the eildlife Refuge. AWherdof about 6b0 buffalo is maintained through an annual auction in Novembe~Photo by Paul E. Lefebvre. By Sue Carter Left: Sailing on Fort Cobb Resetvoi~The state park, also has a golf course, fishin Books In Review...... 35 camp~ngand sw~mmingfac,lis plus a public huntin0 area. Photo by h red ~arvef Today In Oklahoma...... 36 COMING IN THE SUMMER ISSUE It will be fun for all when Oklahoma Today gives a sneak preview of some of this summer? Spvial Events. Blueorass music, fruit Entertainment Mushrooms In Southwest Oklahoma...... 37 and ethnic festivals. rodeos and countv fa~rs.o~oneer celebrations. boat races and By Bill Crawford Indian pow wows -'just in time to plai your'family vacation. Oklahoma is famous for its festivals and good times, and our readers can get set for where the action is. Entertainment Calendar ...... 39

elcome to the Shortgrass Country of Southwestern Oklahoma. Through the years, residents have bragged about their 'Shortgrass country,"so-called wbecause of the native shortgrass that survived drouth, hot summers and cold winters to support buffalo and other animals. Man-made lakes and extensive irrigation have modified its original harshness, but the area remains a favorite for tourists who know it as Great Plains Country. This is the first in a series Oklahoma Today plans on different regions of the state. Only a few of the attractions found in Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Gree~Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Stephens and Tillman counties are included. We leave the rest for you to discovex Northeastern Oklahoma will be the focus of the Spring 1981 issue.

SPRING 1980 THREE The next few years 7 - should be exciting as During the paet few yeara, vieitam And chamber of commerce offidaIs to Ii~'@dawntown bueineee area from other statee as well aa other have emmmbd an eerie eight. Oklahoma t2cmmldtie€J have been Twdw~bloeiretheahe~loqkhg at the air-conditioned and triot had bmm wiW darn of'Md- heated mall aa a pouaible answer bo hgl5Inur~raaerwalpm1~am.thaJr downtown urban renewal prob- Itlvdad@dsl~eayddtiwe*tsd lezna, in WaaZd WIP XI M g dds. Lawton offivim the re-dwel- Vicd- MMt j&ed that frtwkm omtof the dawntown area as their dxd ap& fsr. a wheat allotmmt &#le most important accnomplirfh- ~~~b~m~-uwiorccllsmerit during the 1970s and erpect it rppWiprtm*~laaa to have the moet impact on Lawtan's 4 But wbl fbrsre mule vi$tom re- httuFsbthenextdsrmds. tura kda~.bO Qkhhds third larg- They are equally edted about the sst e&@ &my met in for another sur- @tartof production in hwton'e firat Idm. tbwMcnm "pastam" L m~nutacturing induetry, the mae W r &mpping ma-with a Wyear Tire & Rubber Co. Ap- aiEta'wm btdxtmtely 1,400 persom~will be ern- -=&wamoa~AararIcrm ~loyedby the $206 million plant [email protected]~sacld~&& it reaches fuII productim-dur- ~~*ibskatrcal~dis-ing 1980. *-*-pino- A stable military mmmuuity at ~ ~ ~ I p $ y ~ ~ eFortm gill,o a mffiaiente t water supply Jaroe d&?g am have such malls in for the next 20 yegm and a $1.2 mil- tb era)nrrbe, ahnost none have re- lion development plan for the Wichita ~0'~dawntownareeinthfrMountah Wildlife Refuge aleo m- kibute to a bright outlook for thie THE mo5 Ard said. Of course, the major industry in Great Plains Country is , the artillery center of the free world. As a military post, it has had a stable past and is expected to have a stable future. Current military pop- ulation is about 22,000. Commanding the post is a "local boy who made good." Major General Jack Merritt and his wife, Rosemary, grew up in Lawton, attended Lawton schools and the University of Okla- homa. Gen. Merritt enlisted in the army as a private, attended Officer Candidate School, and came up through the ranks. The beautiful, well-maintained post Comanche County Courthouse have is a tourist attraction as well, and been constructed along with other Fort Sill welcomes visitors. private businesses. "The military has had a reputation Many may remember Lawton as a of being a closed society," Lt. Col. wide-open Army town with the down- A. T. Brainerd, public affairs officer, town area lined with 65 bars. Mili- said. "But we encourage people to tarv ~oliceonce uatroled the streets. visit and to know Fort Sill is here. e&xkly on pay day night. We are proud of our heritage and THE lBO5 All of this has changed now, and our museum complex. a large Sears store ateeast end "This post has the class that the of the mall has replaced what was rest wish they had. It has the best section of Great Plains Country. probably the most bawdy area. Pen- on-post quarters, the best office space. City manager Bob Metzinger says ney's and Dillard's are other anchor It is kind of an ideal army post." the Central Mall is important for department stores along with 70 small- The recently completed Waurika improving not only Lawton's image er shops in the 645,000 square foot Reservoir, some 53 miles southeast 4 in Oklahoma and across the United mall. of Lawton, will take care of the city's States, but its self-image as well. The revitalization of downtown anticipated water needs into the next "I just can't over-emphasize the Lawton has forced other businesses century. Lawton's other water sup- importance of the Central Mall in throughout the city to remodel and plies come from and changing downtown Lawton," Met- to compete, making Lawton truly a Lake Ellsworth. zinger said. "People in this communi- regional retail center, according to Lake Waurika also will supply wa- ty are proud of this downtown mall." Sam Ard, executive director of the ter for Duncan, Waurika, Comanche Lawton has grown rapidly to an Lawton Chamber of Commerce. and Temple. When full, the 10,000- estimated population of 90,000 since The city has also broadened and acre lake will be almost two miles it began as a tent city on Aug. 6, increased the number of its arterial wide and 11 miles long. 1901. Most of Great Plains Country streets, so that traffic moves effici- The 1980s should see the lake and was opened to settlement in this last ently. its surrounding area develop into a great land opening in the United The Goodyear plant, which will major recreational area for Southwest 1 States when an area the size of Con- contribute heavily to the Lawton Oklahoma. Cabins, boating, fishing / necticut was opened by lottery on economy, is located on a 500acre site and other water activities are already , that date. in west Lawton with a marvelous view available. The central business district, how- of the Wichita Mountains. The plant Of course, the splendid Wichita ever, lagged behind' the population will produce radial tires for the na- Mountains Wildlife Refuge will con- growth and the revitalization of down- tion's new car market. The company tinue to be a favorite recreational town began in 1969. Since then, a will expand its facilities during the area for many. More than $1.2 mil- new post office, public library, and 1980s if the plant proves profitable, lion will be spent in developing the

SIX OKLAHOMA TODAY refuge over the next three years. dents, a swimming pool, lighted ten- sides and street curbs of small towns The road to the top of nis courts, a bass-stocked fishing lake, throughout this region are lined with with its magnificent view is being re- a jogging trail and a nine-hole golf puffs of cotton in the fall. In the built and will open this spring. Over- course. spring, the land turns green with new night camping is now allowed for The Halliburton employee me- wheat. backpackers in the Charons Garden ation area has picnic sites, an activi- Irrigation has helped the area de- Wilderness Area. The refuge also al- ties building, four lighted softball dia- velop as ant agricultural center. And lows oar-powered boats at Jed John- monds, tennis cats, outdoor volley- Altus, with an estimated population son, Rush, Quanah Parker and French ball-basketball courts, a jogging track, of 26,000, is the largest city in the lakes. four lighted racquetball courts, a chil- largest irrigation district in the state. Duncan, with a population of about dren's playground, and a small lake. Nine cotton gins are located there, 20,000 on the eastern edge of Great Tours of the Manufacturing Cen- and bales of cotton are shipped all Plains Country, is the home of Halli- ter, one of the largest privately op- over the world. burton Services, the world's largest erated manufacturing plants in the About 5,000 are assigned to Altus supplier of technical oil field services. state, may be arranged by appoint- Air Force Base, home of the C-5A Westran Corp., a foundry, has built ment. Galaxy, the world's largest airplane. a new plant and began production in A new shopping mall also has open- Tours are scheduled each Thursday. 1979. Sun Oil Co. has had an oil re- ed recently in Duncan. Four lakes The entire base is within Altus city finery in Duncan for many years, and provide an ample water supply and limits. other oil-related businesses continue plenty of good fishing, swimming and A large, in-door and out-door, pub- to grow. water skiing. lic swimming facility will open this Halliburton is doubling the size of Agriculture and Altus Air Force fall in the city park. Cost of the two its Research Center in a $30 million Base account for the steady growth pools is being jointly financed by the construction project. When complete, of AlW and Jackson County. Road- public schools and the city. the new facility will house the chemi- cal, electrical and mechanical research and development departments, the tools research and engineering depart- ment, offices and allied facilities. Halliburton plans to ultimately re- locate all of its operations on a 650- acre tract at the southeast edge of Duncan. The new Research Center ie being built there, and the Manufac- turing Center and Energy Research Institute are already on the site. A 160-acre recreation area for employees is almost complete. The Research Center, the largest of its type in the world, will include a series of one-story, modular strue tures, each 10,000 square feet in size and conndby proteded walkways. The center also will include a library, auditorium and lunchmom. The Energy Institute, a college campus-like facility, trains oilmen from around the world as well as Halliburton employees. Situated on 270 landscaped acres, the institute in- cludes classmom buildings with the An aerial view of the Halliburton Energy Institute shows the main latest audio-visual equipment, a large ClaSSr00m building, left center; and classrooms-instructoroffices in two-wing building at far right. Other buildings are student liviy dining room and kitchen, living quar- quarters. The nine-hole golf course, swimming pool and two tennis ters for the oil and gas industry stu- courts are close by for student use.

SPRING 1980 SEVEN If you like to hike, or merely stroll in the wilds, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge northwest of Lawton is paradise. The creme de la creme of Wichita hikes is a trip through the eerie, bat- filled Rock Rooms under Elk Moun- tain. The awesome Rock Rooms, which we will enter in this story, are for the hardy. But young or old, hardy or handi- capped, you can fiqd your trail in this 59,020-acre national preserve. The well-marked Indian Tongue8 Hiking Trail is a seven-mile course. A shorter nature trail near French Lake includes inscriptions explaining the ecology. Refuge guides conduct a wildflower tour in May, wildlife and wildlands photograph tour and roek and min- eral tour in June, a creek bottom hike and wade in July, and wilder- ness hikes into the Charons Garden Wilderness Area in November. There is a 50cent for adults, 25-cent for children,, fee for them and other guided tours, and schedules can be obtained by writing to the refuge, Route 2, Box 448, Indiahoma, Ok 73552. If you prefer to strike out on your own. trails lead off from all picnic andFcamPsites. Forty Foot Hole and the Narrows, near the Boulder camp- Rock Rooms of Elk Mmntain ground, and Elk Mountain and Mount are the creme de la cveme Lincoln are perennial favorites. Charons Garden Wilderness Area, some 5,000 acres in the southwestern I corner of the refuge, is open for hik- ing. Here are Charo~wGarden Moun- Paul McClung is managing editor of The Lawton Constitution.

EIGHT OKLAHOMA TODAY I Mountain Climbers' Paradise

Seeking the entrance to the Rock Rooms, the explorers descend the steep boulders filling a canyon on Elk Mountain. More people get trapped on the cliff at ri ht than anywhere else in the Refuge. % t~ background are Charons Garden and Southwest Oklahoma. photos by Ben Herrington.

tain, Twin Rock Mountain, Sunset from the Rock Rooms, and an hour with boulders, a king-sized version of Peak, Elk Mountain, Mount Lincoln, to hike back to your car-a total of the smaller slide or "river of bould- Styx Canyon, numerous glens and five hours. ers" on the southwest side of Mount hidden springs, a natural waterfall Everyone in the family can make Scott. and mountaintops paved by nature it to the top and back on the Elk The Rock Rooms are under these with solid blocks of . Mountain Trail that begins at thi? great boulders, piled story on story. The wilderness designation, made dam at Sunset Campground and pool. To reach the entrance, you pick your in 1970, guarantees that Charons Gar- The walk up the mountain will take way along the north side of the can- den will be preserved in its natural about 45 minutes, and views of the yon. The south wall is too rugged. state and that man-made structures land as it appeared to our forefathers Look ahead, down the canyon, for a such as roads, large artificial lakes are panoramic. slender boulder thrusting upward like and public campgrounds will not be A herd of buffalo grazing far be- a frozen seal forever lunging for a permitted. low near Caddo Lake looks like brown fish. Directly below the stone seal is The area is open to the public 'and sugar sprinkled over a golden table- the entrance, at the far west end of since May, 1979, overnight backpack- cloth. Refuge lakes sparkle in the sun- the canyon, near the south wall. ing has been permitted on a limited light. In spring, buzzards return to Do's and don'ts: basis. Permits are required, at $1 the Wichitas and soar, a sure sign of Do consult Manager Bob Karges each, available at the headquarters. the changing season. As you climb, or other refuge officials before you gr Now for the creme de la creme. the sky gets bluer, the air cleaner, to the rooms. ( Elk Mountain towers near the the senses more acute. Elk Mountain Go with someone who has been refuge headquarters, its tabletop out- is pungent with the sweet dampness there before. line dominating this section of the of oak, characteristic of the Wichitas, Wear long-sleeved shirt and long Wichitas. In altitude, it is 2,280 feet, and the fresh cedar-chest odor of trousers. the eighth highest in the refuge. Its Eastern Junipers. Take some rope, and powerful plateau can be seen from many miles If you are lucky, you will see a flashlights. , away. The top, which appeam flat deer or an elk. At the top, you will Wear good climbing shoes, prefer- from a distance, is actually rugged, hear the haunting notes of the canyon ably rubber soled, and wear gloves. approximately a half-mile long and wren, like droplets of falling water. Don't go during icy winter months, 1,000 feet wide. The top of Elk Mountain is lit- when falling is easier. I We have to go to the top of Elk tered with stone about 600 million From the big entrance, the rooms Mountain before we can enter the years old. The mountains, once much begin as a deep, steep passageway Rock Rooms "under" it. Some people higher, have eroded. The granite descending under the boulders. It is call the rooms "caves," but they are boulders are solidified hot rock that fairly light for approximately 50 not. They are passageways eroded once formed the middle of the moun- yards, and you can see daylight be- under boulders larger than houses tains. They became rounded through tween the stones above you. and shaped like prehistoric monsters erosion. Erosion created valleys, and Water gurgles in streams running , littering the canyon. the granite boulders through the cen- under the stone beneath your feet. Give yourself an hour to climb the turies wedged into and filled these You keep descending. It gets darker. mountain and reach the entrance, myons. Your footsteps echo. Disturbed bats two hours to climb through, an hour The southwest canyon on top of chatter. TJis is also home of the small, to climb off the mountain after exit the mountain is a great gash filled reddish pine vole mouse, although I Mountain Climbers' Paradise

have never seen one in the Rock ing, which is the underside of a gi- Rooms. gantic boulder. These eerie passageways are al- The big-eared western bats peel ways cool, even on the hottest sum- away from their cluster and boil up mer day. Biologists say bears prob- and down in panicked flight. They ably hibernated here. Black bears don't hit any solid object, however. were last reported in the Wichitas They have a natural sonar system. in the mid-1930s. They make a sound that bounces off Out of the caves again, the group finds Your flashlight beam reveals doz- solid objects, so they can fly in the it's still a long way down to Post Oak Lake. The bottom entrance to the Rock ens of clustered bats hanging upside dark. They have gaping mouths and Rooms is near the top of the mountain. down above you, roosting on the ceil- catch insects on the wing. At one point, in the bottom of the Rock Rooms and the bottom of the narrow canyon, you can reach out and touch a canyon wall with each hand. It is dark and you realize mountains of boulders are wedged above you and you may wonder what might happen if an earth tremor dis- lodged a boulder. This is no hike for claustrophobics. You come to a drop of approxi- mately 20 feet. You can see a tiny patch of sky between the boulders high above. To reach the mom 20 feet below, you will need to crawl under a boulder and drop five feet I into a dark room whose floor is a , pool of water. Drop in, exclaiming at the cold, and wade across. In rainy weather, i the pool may be waist deep. The 1 bottom is gravel and the water crystal clear. 1 Elk Mountain would have provided privacy and plenty of acorns for bears. The moms would have given water and shelter from northers through the long winter's sleep. After two hours of descending in the semi-darkness, you will feel that you are coming out at the bottom of , the mountain. Not so. Instead, you emerge only part way down, still high I above the mountains and plains stretching westward. Post Oak and Treasure Lakes glitter far below. You carefully climb down the mountain. Take this trip, and you will under- stand why the Plains Indians call j this mountainous island in a prairie j sea The Sacred Mountains.

OKLAHOMA TODAY "I thought my fortune made," John Maley scrawled in his journal a late Hikers today can find tailings summer day in 1812 after he and two and old mine shafts, companions panned 50 pennyweights mute testimony to the dreams of the of gold and one nugget weighing sev- en. An adventurer seeking to explore Red River's uncharted hinterlands, Maley learned of precious metal found on the headwaters while in Natchitoches, La., where he began his journey six months before. He was now in the Wichita Moun- tains where he discovered former Spanish workings as revealed in the obscure journal he kept. In a can- yon stream he found piles of gravel and sand, the re-

- cent diggings of a party 601D SEEKERS OF THE WICHITAS who left a flat wooden dish and shovel. When Maley combed the mountain above. Gold fever ran hioh he wrote he "found old diggings in when it sold for $20 an ounce abundance where the Spaniards had during Oklahoma 3 great gold rush. dug Might he have been near Devil's Canyon on the North Fork of Red River where ancient adobe and stone ruins would be found and Indian legends tell of lost Spanish mines? No one can now say, but John Mal- ey set the stage for gold seekers in Many of the 2,500mine shafts the Wichitas for the remainder of the century when he returned to the low- er Red River settlements and win- tered in Natchez. His return expe- dition the spring of 1813 ended 600 miles out when Osages took every- thing. The first gold rush in the Wichitas was contemporary with California's of '49. Texas newspapers first re- ported it in May that year. Thomas Carmack was one who joined a com- pany of 80 gold seekers that sum- mer. As late as August the Fort Smith Herald reported a company of men leaving foi the Wichita gold placer. The Treaty of Medicine Lodge of 1867 set aside what is now southwest- ern Oklahoma for the Plains Indians, forbidding white intruders. But In- dian treaty or not, gold seekers kept eyeing the Wichitas, an oasis on the plains, an unexplored range which spawned tales of riches. In July 1881 Fort Sill experienced its silver rush when a Colorado miner appeared with a chunk assaying al- most pure, and officers and enlisted men alike stampeded to stake their

ELEVEN The Gold Bells Mining & Milling Company of Lawton, Anadarko, and Hobart constructed its massive 50-ton ore-reduction were surveyed for the August land cyanide plant a mile south of Wildman. lottery. The miners would need a post off- ice, and E. A. Williams sent in the name Otter Creek, but that was re- jected since one by that name already existed. Williams' daughter Lieuella was soon to marry Frank Wildman, and as a promoter of the mines, his name was a natural. The name Wildman was accepted, and the miners went to work even q)i though the Kiowa, Comanche, and

were about. Wildman was the first It appeared the miners were pre- town in the new land. paring to invade in force. Guthrie's The Wichita Mountains, forbidden State Capital predicted warfare in to the gold seeker for so long, spawned September 1895 and estimated 500 its own great gold rush with the open- claims between Medicine Bluffs and to 1,000 prospectors in the mountains. ing of the reservation in August 1901. Mount Scott. When the post com- Indian Agent Frank Baldwin ordered Miners' camps and tent cities mush- mander urged opening the reservation Fort Sill troops and Indian police to secretary of war roomed from one end to the other. to miners, the order- bodily remove the gold seekers, among Estimates of 2,000, then 3,000 hard- ed the intruders out. whom was A. J. Meers, sinking a shaft rock miners were made as veterans West of the North Fork of Red at the foot of Mount Scott. from western mining camps flocked in. River was Greer County, then a part Texas surveyor E. A. Williams was The camps were many. Between of Texas, which included the western a staunch believer in the Wichita gold 1901 and 1904, more than 2,500 end of the Wichitas. California miner fields. In 1900 he moved his family mine shafts were dug over the sank A. L. Yeckley three shafts on to Mountain View where he met Wichita Mountains. Today only Elm Mountain in 1886. About that Frank R. Wildman. Together they foundation ruins and shallow mine time another prospector began stak- formed the Wichita Mining Company shafts remain, piquing the curiosi- ing claims and did so for the next and began operations on Glen Creek 20 years. He was Andrew Jackson in the shadow of Nest Egg Mountain Meers, ex-confederate captain and four miles southeast of present Rwse- Gold SeekdS erected a 25-ton water- surveyor of Greer County. velt. jacket smelter next to the Lyon Lode In early 1892 more silver strikes In June the Otter Creek mining on the edge of Wildman, four miles in Greer County gave rise to the min- district was organized in nearby Post southeast of Roosevelt. Today only a ing camp of Silverton near Quartz Oak Canyon with 152 miners present. caved-in shaft and chunks of slag remain. Mountain, and the Fort Worth Gaz- The Indian agent sent an investigator ette reported several carloads of ore who reported 200 claims staked and shipped to Denver. Midway between a five-ton smelter being erected. E. A. present Snyder and Altus, Navajoe Williams believed the agent had no became the center of mining activity jurisdiction over the miners, declar- in the '90s. Shafts were sunk on Nav- ing that "in the event you destroy ajoe Mountain in 1893 and by '97, our works, we shall sue." "six shafts were running at full blast," In October Fort Sill cavalry de- stated the El Reno News. stroyed the camp and smelter and By early 1895 the Daily Oklahoman escorted the miners to the reservation reported "hundreds of prospectors are line. A few days later Williams and swarming into the Wichita Mountains 26 associates sued in Judge C. F. and troops have been ordered from Irwin's El Reno court. The judge Fort Reno to eject them." The Mar- ruled the Indian agent failed to obey low Magnet added fuel saying, "One the court and the miners had legally thing is certain, there are immense staked their claims. and rich deposits of gold in the Wich- By the spring of 1901 mining re- itas. When the rush begins, the Black ports were rampant. What was to be Hills and Cripple Creek excitement the last great land opening in the will be completely overshadowed." West was imminent. The townsites

TWELVE ty of hikers in the area. smith shop, livery stable, and seven Golden Pass nestled at the base of Windlasses and shaft houses dotted doctors. The Women's Christian Tem- Cross Mountain north of Craterville. the craggy landscape. Wagons loaded perance Union accounted for there It sprouted a grocery store, two-story with supplies rumbled over the rugged being no saloons. lodging house, school, and the Tank mountain trails. Writing for the New Of all the Wichita gold camps, only Up Saloon. York Times, reporter W. R. Draper the lone store of Meers survives, a Camp Doris lay three miles west exclaimed that "fully 20,000 persons half-mile northeast of its original lo- of Golden Pass on Quanah Creek. have been into the mountains since cation. Now famous for its harnburg- Founder John Patterson, a veteran the opening; 6,000 claims are staked; ers and home-made pies, the store of Cripple Creek, his wife, Elizabeth, ' the Wichita Mountains have begun also serves as a post office. and daughter, Doris, made their home to draw like the Klondike." A mile east of Mount Sheridan, a favorite spot for Wednesday and Most of Wildman's businesses lined Dr. S. J. Hardin built a saw mill to Saturday night entertainment with an I Main Street a half-mile south of Nest cut timbers for his 13 mines, the organ imported from Illinois. Presi- Egg Mountain. Next door to the hotel deepest being the Lost Lead where dent Roosevelt visited them while on was A. J. Meers' Mining Exchange he sunk $19,500 in a 108-foot shaft. his celebrated wolf hunt in 1905. office. Town founder E. A. Williams It took a carload of machinery to Today a barren mound of tailings was secretary of the Wildman Min- equip his extensive operation. and gaping shaft remain from Patter- ing & Milling Company. Nearby was Nearby was Hale's wpper mine. son's Lucky Strike mine on Panther his famous Lyon Me, sunk years James Hale was a seasoned Colorado Creek, just west of Osage Lake. before by parties unknown. miner and as early as 1884 he and Everywhere talk was of the latest Today only a caved-in shaft and his wife, Bessie, staked their claims strikes. The Galena Mine near Panth- chunks of slag remain from the 25-ton in the Wichitas. In '89 he discovered er Creek reportedly sold for $25,000. smelter erected next to the Lyon copper so pure he wdd whittle it The Cold Lode Mine north of Cache Lode. with a knife and estimated its value was purchased for $10,000 in late 1903 In the heart of the mountains at $100,000. By the opening the team and eight men were at work on day Meers bustled at the base of Mount had located 27 claims. and night shifts at a depth of 90 Sheridan, then in late 1902 was forced Craterville nestled three miles feet. out of the Forest Reserve and re- northeast of Cache. With 300 miners, Plans were optimistic. The Lawton planted just north of Medicine Creek. optimism ran high when the Florence & Craterville Electric Railway was It boasted two hotels, butcher shop Mine assayed 61% zinc, 8% lead, chartered to lay tracks into the moun- and meat market, grocery store, the and $58 per ton in gold. A mile away tains. The Lawton & Wichita Moun- Mt. Sheridan Drug Company with the sprang up West Craterville. Among tains Electric Railway followed as Mt. Sheridan Miner press in the rear, them was assayer Kit Carson, who did the Wildman Central & Wichita clothing store, saw mill, Miners' Sup- claimed to be a grandson of the Mountain Railway. ply House, City Restaurant, black- famous scout. Gold fever ran high. In late 1903 Wildman miners shipped 25 tons of ore to the Denver smelter from the Oaks, Gold Coin, and Peach Blossom mines with gold values running $9 to $14.20 per ton when gold was $20 per ounce. Every new strike echoed through the mountains. "Dutch Bill" made his in early 1904. William Lame was his real name, but the sobriquet seemed to fit the gangling German who had mined over the West and Mexico. When the dynamite fumes cleared his mine, the Elizabeth, a pocket of gold gleamed and he hurried it to an as- sayer. It tested at $850 per ton and "Dutch Bill" thought his fortune made. He constructed a crude arrastra or ore-grinder in the fashion of its Span- ish inventors, with circular stone trough and grinding stones hung from a horizontal pole hitched to burros. At six to 10 revolutions per minute, the arrastra could crush one to three tons of ore in 24 hours in preparation

THIRTEEN for separating the gold and silver identification: S. S. REMER, REM- of tailings today lie southeast of with mercury. It was one of three in ER'S CAMP cut into the molding Ketch Lake. the mountains. face. His mine was down 86 feet. The The Bonanza Mining Company at The circular stone trough can still outside of the smelter was made from the head of Fawn Creek Canyon be seen on the south bank of Cedar mountain rock with a base 6% by erected its smelter below the Bonanza Creek, a half-milesroutheast of Mount 8Jh feet, while the inside was lined Mine on the north side of Mount Sheridan. 12 feet high with firebrick, equipped Lincoln and connected the two by a In 1904 Cripple Creek miners sold with steam and gasoline engines and tramway. With a new Redfield hand their Tunnel Site Mine to the Pen- blower. drill, two men averaged one foot a nington brothers for $5,000. Driven Crumbled ruins and chunks of coke day at a cost of $4.75 per foot. Today into solid granite on the east bank and slag remain today. a huge mine dump clings to the of West Cache Creek, the miners The Mineral Kingdom reported that aanyonside just south of Wildlife struck a pocket assaying $2,760 to under adverse conditions, the furnace Refuge headquarters. the ton in gold and $60 a ton in pla- ran 40 tons of ore in 41 hours. Some In 1910 the Gold Bell Mine near tinum. The tunnel was driven 110 1,200 pounds of bullion were gathered Wildman's massive cyanide mill was feet into the mountainside, a mile using nine tons of fluxing and seven abandoned. The Wichita bonanzas below present Camp Boulder in the tons of coke. Tests showed $400 per never materialized and although Wildlife Refuge. ton in gold and nice showings of grizzled sourdoughs guarded their Later E. A. Williams and banker silver, copper, and platinum. claims as if worth fortunes for years Frank Wildman announced plans for John Pearson dreamed of yet a to come, the Wichita mines joined the erecting a $17,000 reduction plant, a larger smelter. He founded Camp legion of other forlorn gold camps in 50-ton cyanide mill with roaster. A Homestead southeast of Golden Pass the West. low-lying hill a mile south of Wild- on a ridge of Mount Sherman where Today only dim memories remain man was chosen for the construction he sunk a shaft 50 feet deep with a of the dauntless gold seekers and the of the massive concrete steps down 25-foot drift. In September 1905 the towns they founded. Crumbling ruins the mountainside with its deep, towering brick furnace was completed yet speak of the massive ore mills and circular trough atop. A tramway at a cost of $10,000. Denver firebrick smelters they erected, and caved-in spanned from it a quarter-mile east lined the inside, then St. Louis fire- shafts yawn from one end of the to the Gold Bell Mine being sunk brick, and ordinary brick on the out- Wichitas to the other in mute testi- beyond 100 feet. side forming walls two feet thick and mony of that golden era. Several camps constructed smelters 20 feet high with steam-powered blow- At the spry age of 95, Mrs. Frank to more cheaply process their ore. er. The furnace loomed on the moun- Wildrnan summed up her husband Sam Remer erected the first large tainside and could be seen for miles and father and the kind of Inen they smelter near his Snake Mine south- around. were. Frank was a gambler, she said. west of Mount Sheridan. One fall The smelter was readied to handle He always took a chance on tomor- Sunday afternoon in 1904, 500 miners 25 tons of ore daily. With two car- row. E. A. Williams was a dreamer. gathered at his camp on Blue Beaver loads of coke and fluxing on hand, His pot of gold lay at the end of Creek to view the new smelter going the furnace was heated for 24 hours, every rainbow. up, and speech making was highlight- then ore fed into it from the mine Gamblers and dreamers. It took ed with a brass band. above. When the bullion tap was their vision, their daring, and men By October Remer received six opened, two molds were filled with like them, to carve out a piece of the large bullion pots which would hold 187 pounds of alloy testing out at last frontier in what was Oklahoma's 50 pounds each. Each pot bore the $287.50 per ton in gold and silver. great gold rush. One bar was exhibited in the window of the City National Bank in Lawton. Pearson sent the bullion to Phila- The ninth smelter erected in the Wichitas was a firebrick furnace at the head of dephia to be refined and on New Fawn Creek Canyon, south of Wildlife Refuge Year's Day of 1906, the results ar- Headquarters. Ore car on tramway fed smelter rived. Two bars of copper weighing from Bonanza Mine above (upper left and lower 35 pounds, one silver ingot of 17 right). The stark concrete ruins of the Gold Bells ounces, and one gold button with a ore mill lie just west of U.S. 183 nine miles total value of $20.44 from less than north of Snyder (upper right). B.E Collier built a ton of ore. Pearson estimated it a crude oregrinder for amalgamating gold and cost $5 a ton to mine the ore, run it silver from his mines near Panther Creek, 1-1/2 miles southwest of Osage Lake in the Wildlife through the smelter, and have it re- Refuge. Note drag stone in trough (lower left). fined, and they had 275 tons piled at Ore bucket, now on display at the Photos by Steve Wilson. the smelter. Ruins and a huge mound Great Plains Museum, Lawton.

SPRING 1980 FIFTEEN i.~. r@$%? .,

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CIXTEEN OKLAHOMA TODAY

------Time: Almost any time, any day. her tribe, the Otoe-Missouri, tradi- nerd site with its two typical Plains Place: Indian City, Anadarko, Okla- tionally lived in log cabins, like many Indian elevated scaffolds. The bodies homa. other tribes they now have adopted are wrapped in buffalo hides with the Black eyes alert, Delores Buffalo the tipi as a temporary camp shelter. fur next to the body. Material pos- picks up her brightly decorated walk- Mrs. Buffalo learned how to construct sessions of the dead person, such as a ing stick and waves forward the group a tipi as a young girl from Mary brave's horse and bow and arrows, are gathered about the door of Indian Buffalo, the Kiowa woman who was tied to poles to accompany the body City's combination store/museum. later to become her mother-in-law. in death. "Okay, let's go!" she commands, For years, Mrs. Buffalo and her "The world of today is no different striding purposefully towards a clus- husband, Homer, kept a tipi in their than the world of yesterday," Mrs. ter of tipis a hundred yards away. yard near their house, where it pro- Buffalo observes, pointing out that Leather Indian ties hold a thick vided cool comfort in the summers eventually each body will return to lock of her neatly parted graying hair before air conditioning. Homer even the earth. on either side of her wrinkled face. retreated to its privacy in winter, She also explains that not all In- An everyday working outfitbrown building a fire inside and spending dians placed bodies on scaffolds. The blouse, pink skirt and vest appliqued long hours in craft work or medi- fanning tribes, for example, buried with brown patternsattests to her tation. their dead. skill as a seamstress and her love of Mrs. Buffalo and her husband made Again, the tours moves on . . . to Indian design. Calf-high brown moc- the original Indian City tipis. Mrs. the Pawnee earth lodge, built around casins cover leg muscles taut as those Buffalo did the canvas covers, while eight poles set in a circle . . . the of an athlete. Homer helped put up the poles and wickiup of the Chiricahua Apaches, Thus begins another tour of 1ndian raise the tipis. an igloo-like structure framed of wil- City's 160-acre tract, led at the same About 20 years ago, they also built low branches . . . the Navajo hogan proud and steady pace as always by the last buffalo-hide tipi constructed . . . the great, domed Wichita grass the attraction's most experienced in Oklahoma. It took about 15 buffalo house . . . the Caddo mud lodge, guide, the woman who's served longer skins and close to a month to make. framed in cane .. . the Kiowa winter than any other member of the staff. Mrs. Buffalo sewed it entirely by camp, a tipi surrounded by a wall Mrs. Buffalo long ago adopted a hand with buffalo sinew. to protect it from chilling winds . . . no-nonsense approach where her tours Mrs. Buffalo has also made tipis the memorial to the famous Kiowa, are concerned. Quick to put down any for the American Indian Exposition Hunting Horse . . . the Pueblo adobe tourist who shows disrespect for In- and the Southern Plains Indian Mu- house, cool in summer, warm in dian ways, she's equally quick with seum at Anadarko. winter. the clever insight, the understanding The tour moves on . . . to the fu- For each, Mrs. Buffalo has a proper word to a child, the helping hand to story and sometimes a joke or two. an older visitor - though that visi- Like the one about the trio of swag- tor, very often, may be younger than gering braggarts who made them- she is. selves particularly obnoxious, yet The twr dmits first stog beside were obviously nervous at the thought the tipis. of snakes. Mrs. Buffalo knows a great deal Joye R. Boulton is a Norman free-lance writer "I told them this land was full of about tipis. She made these. Although and translato/: snakes," she recounts, eyes dancing.

SPRING 1980 SEVENTEEN show the houses in actual use in the That's the way it was before her traditional way of the past. husband's death in 1968. Now she still In 1958 she became a guide. She's enjoys festivities, but goes less fre- been at it ever since, walking 30 to quently out of respect for Homer's 40 miles a day as she makes seven, memory. eight, or more 45-minute tours through At the tour's end, visitors gather the summer heat. In the winter, even around the Indian dancers and mu- when it's bitter cold, she leads three sicians who perform each day from or four groups of hardy tourists. It June to Labor Day, wander over to helps keep her healthy, she says. get soft drinks or hamburgers or In- 'There's nothing wrong with me. I dian bread, examine articles on dis- ion't take pills, and I don't get colds." play-many contributed by Mrs. Buf- It's plain that Mrs. Buffalo enjoys falo-in the museum, or buy souve- "Maybe they thought that meant being a guide. nirs from the shop. Many visitors will poison snakes. Anyhow, when we went "I've had lots of other offers," she purchase necklaces, watchbands, lad- into the Navajo hogan, I saw a big, otserves, "but they're inside. I like ies' bags, or other items beaded by harmless bull snake up in the roof this because it's outside, and I meet Mrs. Buffalo in her own unique pat- rafters, sunning itself just over those nice people and in the winter when terns. loudmouths' heads. But those big there's not too many coming, I have Mrs. Buffalo has noticed a change talkers, they didn't notice it right time to do crafts. Besides I don't get in non-Indian attitudes lately. More away. I sort of figured maybe I better bored because there's always some- and more, they reveal a positive get out before they did, so I didn't thing different every day." outlook where Indians are concerned. wait on 'em, just walked out the Crafts are important to her. Born Many come looking not just for souv- Jan. 1, 1912, in Noble County, seven entry. enirs, but for ideas they can use to "About that time, one of those fel- miles east of Red Rock, she learned survive in the modern world. For ex- lows spotted the snake. It was a good beading from her mother. ample, they're interested in the un- the thing I'd gotten out first, because all "I had three brothers and two sis- derground construction of Pawnee three of those great big men ran for ters--one sister died young-but I earth lodges or the passive solar heat- the door at the same time and they was the only one interested besides ing of the Pueblo adobe dwellings. knocked each other down into a heap my mother and grandma." But now another tour group is Later, she attended Chilocco Indian right across the doorway." forming. Paul Paddlety, a Kiowa There's Indian lore in her com- School at Chilocco, Ok. But in crafts who's been at Indian City for the past ments, too. How buffalo hide was she continued self-taught, learning by eight years, may take it out. Or Rudy observation and trial-and-error. scraped to make buckskin-and the Oheltoint, another Kiowa and a war "I guess I've made over 400 tipis in fur kept to stuff pillows. The way the dance champion with five years off- my life," she says. and-on service, or Joe Pewo, a Co- Wichita made birds out of corncobs tan and feathers and hung them above In addition, she knows how to manche-Cheyenne, the latest addition hides and does needlework and feath- to the guide staff, who's been here the fireplace to catch upward drafts, erwork, as well as beadwork. Her son, a year. like modern mobiles. The manner of in turn, is a painter, who also deco- building a fire so all the ashes fall So that makes it time for Delores rates tipis. And her daughter, follow- together on one side of the fireplace Buffalo to take a break, grab a little ing in Mrs. Buffalo's path, does craft rest, maybe do some craft work till and the smoke rises straight up to the work. it's her turn to lead another group. hole in the roof. But life isn't all work and no play. But as she starts to leave, she pauses. When a visitor asks, "What do In- She loves to go to pow wows and "As an Indian, you're proud of dians eat?" she answers dead-pan, dances. what you are," she declares. 'That's "I'm an Indian. About three or four months ago I was eating steak. Now "I used to work here all day and why I like it here. Indian City is the dance all night," she recalls. history of the American Indian!" the white man's prices got so high I'm barely eatin' at all." Learning the things that have made Mrs. Buffalo such a successful guide have taken a lifetime. Most of her knowledge comes from personal ex- periences. She's even traveled to visit the Pueblos and the Navajos to get to know them first-hand. Mrs. Buffalo has been at Indian City since it opened in 1955. Original- ly, she and her family lived in the Kiowa winter camp during the sum- mer months as part of an attempt to

EIGHTEEN OKLAHOMA TODAY On a cold, gray December day, a 2 the chapel entrance in hand-made tile g 2 small group of rather strange looking a clusters of purple grapes and green men stood on the steps of the Chapel :: d leaves. But her masterpiece is an W of the Holy City. V)I eight-foot tile sculptured with a pray- Except for one who differed only g er written by St. Francis of Assisi in that he wore a white shirt, all the I more than 700 years ago. men wore bib overalls with red-and- According to Frieda Sage, Holy white checked gingham shirts. Every City hostess, tourists stream in year minute or so, one of the several wom- 'round as much as 1,000 a day. "On en inside the chapel would pop out, a pretty summer weekend, it's more give a questioning look from beneath like 5,000 a day," Sage said. her puffed bonnet then--shivering- , Sage said people come to the East- would disappear in a swirl of red and er Sunrise Service at the Holy City white. from as far away as Sweden, Belgium, With bemused, worried faces, the I Switzerland, Canada and China. She men watched the narrow, rutted trail said it's a far cry from the first serv- winding down through massive gran- ice in 1926 when she and a handful ite rocks, scrub oaks and cedar. The of Medicine Park Congregational wedding should have been over by - Church members followed Rev. An- now, but the congregation was lost in thony Wallock up a mountainside to the mountains. Some Seek a Special Place sing hymns at sunrise. The groom, cheeks ruddy from a The house in which Sage lives was buffeting north wind, unhooked his built for Wallock and he lived on thumbs from the shoulder straps of there until his death in 1948. A gran- his overalls. "Ya know," he said, ite stone lodge is avsilable for re- cheerfully slapping an embarrassed ceptions and meetings. The entire late arrival on the back, "this is the Holy City and all its activities are first time BOTH the bride and groom By Sheila Samples run on donations. were left waiting on the church Shella Samples 1s a Lawton free-lance writer Like a tower of light, the massive, steps-" 8,000-pound white marble Christ of The pioneer wedding of Karen Lou- ters-in-law 'cause the matron's hus- the Wichitas beckons from a moun- ise Parker and Anthony David How- band is my brother . . . Oh, well, taintop perch to all who pass through ell was just one of perhaps 150 that heck," he trailed off. "It's all legal the Wildlife Refuge. The statue, take place each month in the raw- anyway." twice lifesize, was imported from nature setting of the Holy City in The chapel, built in 1936 along Italy and stands 24 feet tall with its the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Ref- with most of the buildings in the natural stone and concrete base. It uge near Lawton. magnificent natural amphitheater in was dedicated at the Holy City in Karen, from Farmington, N.M., the Wichitas, is a favorite spot of November 1975. said she and Anthony "found" the people from all over the world. Wed- Taped hymns coming from the Holy City while driving through the dings are especially popular, and chapel waft over the Holy City from mountains and discussing their future. there have been as many as eight in sunrise to sunset all year long. On a "It was perfect," Karen said. "I one day. clear day, God's "mountain music" was raised in the mountains, and I The chapel's native granite stone can be heard for miles, and it's a wanted to be married in the moun- walls are four feet thick and support hardened passerby who is not be- tains. And we just couldn't bring silk two towers four stories high. Walls, witched by the Pied Piper strains. and satin and commercial things to ceiling, floors are all brilliantly paint- Coming up in August is the annual this lovely place." ed in joyful colors. Fleecy clouds, Gospel Sing event in which gospel Anthony, who'll live with his bride angels who appear to hover and fly, groups from a five-state area, as well in Henrietta, Texas, agreed, and add- Gabriel and his golden trumpet-all as from Nashville, Tenn., and Las ed gratefully that he was more "corn- overhead, hand-painted by Lawton Vegas, Nev., will converge on the fortable in overalls anyway." artist Irene Malcolm. hillsides surrounding the Holy City. The Rev. J. R. Ensey, pastor of Malcolm devoted 10 years to dec- Singing will begin at sunset and last Life Tabernacle, Wichita Falls, Texas, orating the chapel. Surrounding the until dawn. said officiating at the unique event interior are 12 recessed portraits of To get to the Holy City, turn north was "moving." And the entire wed- the apostles as she saw them. on Hwy. 115 west of Lawton and ding party was somehow all in it She decorated the pews with wood continue through the Wildlife Refuge. together. carvings. She framed the arch over From the H. E. Bailey Turnpike, exit "Karen's dad and the matron-of- west on Hwy. 49. Directional signs honor's father are brothers," Anthony are posted on both routes. set out to explain. "Their mothers The 55th Easter Sunrise Service with a cast of 2,500 will be held April 6 at Holy Gitj For information about the Easter are sisters, so this makes Karen and Sunrise Service or any Holy City ac- her matron double cousins AND sis- tivities, call Frieda Sage, 405-429-3361.

SPRING 1980 NINETEEN -+ - Time S -b Back to Ek -7nt Era PAGEANTRJ

Cathi Thurston, Norman, riding Little Rigbj jumps over an Italian Bank during the Artillery Hunt.

TWENTY OKLAHOMA TODAY "RADITIONFOLLOW THE ARTILLERY HUNT

It's early morning. Mist hugs the the Hunt's vice president, stable offi- and on how he gets through the hollows. The rose and gold rays of cer, show manager and equitation jumps. In equitation, the rider is a new morning sun play across the committee chairman, the two-day judged on both style and skill." heather, and dance through filigreed April and September shows are great Competition begins at 8 each morn- leaves of stately forests - creating fun, but if you want a surprisingly ing, and goes until classes are run. shafts of ethereal brilliance. delightful "swmh" back to another Most entrants are young, pre-teen to Spirited mounts stomp nervously. era, mark June 6, 7 and 8 on your late 208, and Saturday night's Chuck Excited chatter of vividly garbed rid- calendar. Wagon buffet is a rollicking, down- ers can be heard for miles on the "The June horse show is where all home whing-ding. clear, spring air. Milling hounds the action is," Whisenant said. "We Whisenant says the buffet, tradi- strain eagerly - beside themselves get riders from a six-state area, some tionally held on Rucker's grounds, with the overpowering desire to be of the best riding talent and horses has been moved to the Officer's Club off. in the United States. Our training patio, where the younger set can Hunters, and hunted, are at ten- throughout the year is centered on swim, dance or just "do their thing." sion's rugged edge. Suddenly, the 'looking good' for these three days." Sunday's show is almost anti-cli- tension breaks, leashes snap, and thc Rucker Park is the perfect setting mactic, following explosive openinr entire scene explodes into the Hunt for the pageantry and ballyhoo of ceremonies with the horse-drawn -the Sport of Kings. The Games. Carefully planned as a Tally-Ho Wagon, mounted color That's all well and good for jolly training site for the 1932 Olympic guard and the famed U.S. Army old England. But what's all that got trials, its deep shade and rich, thickly Field Artillery Half Section pacing to do with Oklahoma? Baying hounds, carpeted slopes will ever be silent the action. thundering hooves and shouts of witness to the bits of derring-do per- Horse shows at Fort Sill are ele- "Tally-Ho!" in the southwest? formed by legions of Olympic com- gant, smooth-running affairs and an- No way. petitors who have since honed their nually attract riders and spectators But the next (and best) thing to skills there. from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, the European sport is in Oklahoma. Rucker is bordered on two sides Arkansas, Louisiana and, of course, There are no foxegno houndebut by a cheerfully rolling creek, by dense Oklahoma. There are no ticket-takers; the spirit of the sport is alive and woods on a third and by a mammoth it's wide-open and free to the public. well near Lawton on sprawling, his- hillside on the fourth. The perma- If you hit a lull in the action, you toric Fort Sill where, in April, June nent jumps, bank jumps and stone might get a Hunt member to show and September, nationally acclaimed wall jumps remain unchanged since you the miles and miles of trails on horse 'shows take place each year. the early 1900s. the military reservation. There are All three shows are sponsored by Progress is held at bay at Rucker, nearly 93,000 acres open for riding, Fort Sill's Artillery Hunt, which has and brilliant riding habits, shining as well as graceful halter trails wind- changed little since the early 1920s steeds and fluttering red-gold aw- ing throughout the post. when artillery mounts and polo ponies nings are the backdrop against which If you're not looking for the Hunt, were put through their paces in an- the smell and excitement of thorough- it's easy to miss. Hunt activities are cient Rucker Park. The shows are bred competition is held. weened by trees and shrubs lining recognized by the American Horse Whisenant says there are as many Gruber Road, just across from the Show Association and strictly follow as 100 riding events during the three- post cemetery. that organization's cumbersome 300- day event. Both horses and riders are So, mark that calendar. Even if page rulebook. judged in the three main events- you're not a member of the "horsey" The Hunt has stables, paddocks, hunter, jumper and equitation. set, everybody loves a good show- riding areas and training areas right "There are many graduations with- especially if it's a time-machine ad- in the heart of the military post. Ac- in the classes," Whisenant said, "but venture, and it's free! cording to Bill Whisenant, an Army basically, in hunter and jumper, the major who laughingly admits to being horse is judged on total performance

By Sheila Samples

SPRING 1980 TWENTY-ONE Some may need introductions, but everyone has fun at a I

Once a year they come - from the county, including the Pittses and ties of some earlier forebearers whose Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Lou- the Wrights. It seemed the two fami- lives date back to the 1700s. isiana, California, Mississippi and lies were on good terms for there But unlike many family genealogy many towns in Oklahoma. Their desti- were four Pitts-Wright marriages in studies, this unique family record in- nation is scenic Red Rock Canyon the years following the census. cludes oral histories of family mem- State Park. Their purpose, a good One Pitts-Wright couple moved to bers-the kinds of family stories that old-fashioned family reunion. St. Augustine, Texas; another to Wise used to be told by grandparents to For 12 years, the Pitts-Wright fam- County, Texas. And two couples grandchildren but now often die with ily has been coming to Red Rock moved to Butcher Knife in the Chick- the passing generations. These oral Canyon, which is located south of asaw Nation, which is now the town histories are written in the Pitts- Hinton in northern Caddo County. of Atlee in present-day Jefferson Wright family book, thus making a Before that they would meet each County. permanent record of the large and year at a different family farm. It The four Pitts-Wright marriages small events that shaped lives and i is something that has been going on prospered and many children were comprised the history of this family. for as long as family members can born to the pioneering couples. As a The first oral history was recorded remember. result, there are hundreds of descend- in 1947 when 90-year-old Aunt Susan Families have been coming to Red ants, many of whom renew family "Sook" Pitts Robinson told of her I Rock Canyon for countless decades. ties each year at Red Rock Canyon. life, including stories of her 11 chil- I It was used by various Indian tribes The Oklahoma branches of the fam- dren. Aunt Sook is long since gone, as a protected place to escape the ily had frequent get-togethers over but her pages are there in the 340- ' winter winds sweeping across the the years. Like many families, they page book along with pages from prairie. Families going west in wagon gathered for weddings and funerals. many other family members, many of I trains along the old California Trail And eventually, it became the custom, whom are also now deceased. Their used the canyon as a stopover, a stories are preserved for their de- I according to Gene Wright of Okla- place to water their livestock in the homa City, for the family to assemble scendants to read, enabling them to I spring-fed creek and a place to rest once a year to celebrate Grandfather gain some appreciation for the lives in the cool shade of the canyon's Lloyd Wright's birthday. The first of those who came before them and 100-foot walls. The trail they used reunion Gene can remember attend- providing a sense of family that is to bring their wagons down into the ing was held when he was about five often missing in today's world. canyon is still visible on the canyon's or six on the Tom Wright farm near The book includes copies of many east side. Waurika. family photographs, some taken be- But the Pittses and the Wrights It has been through the efforts of fore the turn of the century. One '1 along with their Robinson and Stid- Gene and a cousin from Snyder, Sid- photograph shows a reunion that took ham cousins, come in cars and motor ney Pitts, that the four widely scat- place near Atlee in 1900. One of the i homes and pickups. One California tered branches of the family have been books has been added to the Okla- Pitts came to his first reunion last united. Over 30 years ago, the two homa Historical Society collection. year in an 18 wheeler, stopping over men decided to compile some sort of There are 265 more of these Pitts- while on a cross-country haul. family record. Thus began an ongoing Wright books scattered in as many The Pittses and the Wrights, like project that traces the Pitts-Wright households throughout the nation. many Oklahoma families, find their clan from its Mississippi days to the Many of the family members bring annual reunions to be the glue which present and has revealed the identi- their books with them annually to holds their far-flung families together. Red Rock, where new pages-the re- They trace their family back to Tish- sult of new research-are distributed. orningo County, Mississippi. An 1850 Some bring the books so they can census showed 14 families living in Judith Wall is a Norman free-lance writel thumb through the pages to discover

TWENTY-TWO OKLAHOMA TODAY

for the others. Saturday morning, the "brag table" is set up in the dining hall. This is a place for handicrafts to be displayed and around which directions and pat- terns are exchanged. Squares for a RED ROCK CANYON STATE PARK was visited by more than one-half million people last year. friendship quilt are also displayed in / Oklahomans and out-of-staters alike have found the park to be a delightful place to camp w picnic. the dining hall. Many of the women The park's Group Camp, which is used by the Pitts-Wright family for their annual reunion, may make these squares during the previ- l be reserved by contacting the park superintendent at Box 502, Hinton, OK 73047; or calling (405/ ow year, stitching their names and 542-6344. Rent for the camp is $50 per day for groups up to 30, with a $1 charge for each additional person. Special rates are available for organized groups such as churches and scout troops. the date along with the pattern. A There are 125 partial hookups for campers available at the park for $3 a da1 with the park's drawing is held among the quilt mak- five full hookups renting for $4 a day In addition, there are areas set aside for tent camping, and ers, and the winner of the squares picnic facilities are located in shady areas throughout the canyon. brings her completed quilt to a future Red Rock Canyon is located one-half mile south of Hinton on U.S.281, only four miles from 1-40. b reunion. The 400-acre park is especially en- where the cousins and other relatives use either the Group Camp or the joyed by the younger family mem- fit into their complicated family tree. park's five group shelters and 130 bers. There is a pool for swimming And the book provides a convenient camper hookups. and a creek for wading, but the red place to record new addresses learned After the "settling in" at the Pitts- walls of the canyon are the at the reunion. Wright reunion, duty rosters are pre- biggest attraction for active young- The Pitts-Wright reunion begins on pared, and everyone who is old sters. The walls provide a challenge an October Friday about noon. The enough and able enough is assigned for energetic climbers with paths to first few hours are spent putting away kitchen and clean-up chores for the follow, crevices to explore, lizards to supplies in the Group Camp Kitchen weekend. The rest of Friday is spent capture and wildflowers to gather. A and assigning beds in the camp's 10 greeting new arrivals and in warm five-mile hiking trail follows the rim cabins. The Group Camp at Red Rock fellowship. Sometimes introductions of the canyon, which many geologists Canyon serves as an excellent place are necessary when newly discovered think was formed by a prehistoric for such gatherings and has facilities family members put in their first earthquake. The canyon is a real sur- for 160 people, including a dining appearance at a reunion, for Gene prise for first-time visitors since the hall and a fully equipped kitchen. Wright and Sidney Pitts are always surrounding countryside gives no clue The camp is located on the floor of looking for new kinfolk. Friday after- of the 1%-mile-long canyon that lies the canyon at its north end. There are noon is also when the games begin- hidden below its flat surface. aproximately 100 family reunions softball, football and tag for the more After a day of hiking, swimming, held each year at Red Rock which active; dominoes, cards and croquet climbing, exploring and ball playing, FROM THE PITTS-WRIDHT FAMILY SCRAPBOOK the family is ready to sit down and be entertained at Saturday night's special "happening," for it is time for the annual Pitts-Wright Talent Show. Music, singing, dancing and skits provide the program for the evening. Sunday morning's big breakfast is followed by a devotional service, which is highlighted by the singing of traditional hymns, Sunday after- noon is the time set aside for the family's yearly business meeting. Officers for the following year are elected, and plans are made for the next reunion. Sunday evening finds many family members packing up and leaving, al- though some linger until Monday morning. It is the time for goodbyes. Most will not see each other again until next year when time for the reunion at Red Rock rolls around once more. But they leave each year a little richer than they came, richer for the strengthening of family ties that bind them one to another.

TWENTY-FOUR OKLAHOMA TODAY bMOIJNTAIN RESORT RiSCINATES HIKERS BvJohn Davis John Davis is a Norman free-lance write[

SPRING 1980 TWENTY-FIVE For millennia Indians camped in "A lot of our customers come from Devil's Canyon, issuing from it to the Texas Panhandle which is flat wage war on other tribes and white as thunder," says Leon Hicks, re- settlers. George Catlin, the famous tired owner of an abstract company painter of Indians, painted a village who works as a room clerk at the there in 1834. And there in 1868 the park lodge. "They come from flat Indians and U.S. Cavalry fought the country and just can't believe it. Jt's Ninety years ago, C. B. Wilson, an battle of Soldier's Springs. like a sudden oasis. They say they early settler in southwestern Okla- Today, the rugged granite buttes just didn't know there was anything homa, often took long hikes among are a favorite with hikers and moun- like this around. Last year a couple the Wichita Mountains around the tain climbers. were staying on the hill side of the present State Park. "It reminds me of hiking above lodgemost people want on the lake "At that time," he said once, "there the timberline in the Rockies where side--and I thought I was helping was nothing to see but the grand vegetation is scrubby and weather- them to change their room. But they beauty of the Wichita Mountains un- beaten," said Tom Creider, a state said they wanted on the hill side to marred by white man except for the parks planner. "Rocks dominate the watch the little deer play." few woodchoppers who were so few in scene as you climb. The whole area Guests staying at the lodge or number that they amounted to little is rich with history. I like to climb camping in the park have an tunaz- more than the woodpeckers that dart- to the top of a ridge and let my ing array of sports to choose from. ed among the trees." imagination wander and picture my- The nine-hole golf course is open all The white man is considerably self in those early times." year. In the lake there's sailboating, thicker today, but the grand beauty To mountain-climber Eric French, water skiing, and fishing for crappie, and remoteness of the red-granite an employee of the Backwoods, a black bass, sand bass, catfish, and Wichitas remains unchanged. Rising wilderness outfitter in , walleye pike. Swimmers use the lake, spectacularly above the flat plains, the area is a miniature Colorado. an outdoor pool, and an indoor heat- they resemble great piles of red grav- "It gave me a taste of what Colo- ed pool at the lodge. The lodge also el-where the gravel are boulders of rado was like before I got to Colo- has two tennis courts and a game many tons each. Climb to the top of rado," he said. "It doesn't have the room with pool and ping-pong tables any one of them, and you get a grand great vertical height of the Rockies, and pinball machines. And guests can view of Lake Altus and the North but it's rugged. It'll give an experi- rent horses, bicycles, and go-carts. Fork of the Red River and Devil's enced mountain climber a good work- The New Horizon Trail gives easy Canyon and neighboring peaks--an out." access to the top of a granite ridge area so full of legend and history Too, he likes the easy access to and a great view, seemingly, for a that it's almost like a spoor left be- the trails. hundred miles around. For the easy hind. "You park your car and start climb- trail, take the left fork at the small Spanish conquistadors came ing. In a lot of places you have to rock building at the trailhead. Others through there, following the Great pack in a mile or so. And when you climb directly up the mountain's red Spanish Road from Santa Fe down come down hot and tired, you can granite face. It's spectacular from the North Fork toward Louisiana. jump in the lake for a swim," French the bottom, with the great red gran- Mexican miners dug for gold in Dev- noted. ite slabs covered in places with green- il's Canyon and on Kings Mountain Oddly enough, the swimming beach- ish yellow lichen. The footing on the and Twin Mountains and - so the es on the lake's north shore resemble granite rocks is firm, and there are legend goes - were slaughtered by ocean beaches with playpen-colored enough slanted paths that even small Indians, and their lost mines and sand and some 20 acres of sand dunes children scoot to the top where trearmres are still waiting to be found. to hike among. gnarled, stunted cedars seem tied in

TWENTY-SIX OKLAHOMA TODAY knots to survive the wind. simply have not discovered it yet. The great thing about the Quartz In some respects it is unchanged Mountain buttes is that you can pick since the early settlers found arti- a path with your own degree of diffi- facts of previous sojourners--Spanish culty, easy or hard. You'll see a fam- swords and knives, Indian arrowheads ily walking up one slope while next and stone tools, U.S. Cavalry spurs to it there'll be climbers rappelling and brass buttons. up an almost vertical face. One of the most remote areas-- / Just outside the lodge is a twin- Devil's Canyon - remains virtually peaked butte with an easy trail up untouched. The state owns most of the saddle and harder climbs to the the canyon, but access from the west peaks. With a shake of his head, Rex is privately owned, and hikers should Jeff Briley walked along the sand 1 Hefner, manager of the lodge, said, enter the canyon from the north. dunes of the Lake Altus-Lugert north I "I've seen kids sitting in the dining Hikers at Quartz Mountain still shore, stopping occasionally to muse mom, and in 15 minutes the whole find arrowheads, and from time to over a rare plant, an animal track, 1 bunch will be up there on top of it." time wave action on Lake Altus un- or simply observe the deftly sculpted The 45-room lodge sits on a granite covers new artifacts. One discovery rise and fall of the dunes. ledge jammed between Quartz Moun- was the grave of William Gruber, Rain, low clouds and smoky fog 1 tain and MeAltus. FYom middle chief bugler for the 19th Kansas had shrouded Quartz Mountin State May until after Labor Day, it has Cavalry, under General Custer's com- Park throughout the November morn- an hour-by-hour recreation schedule mand, who was killed in.a hunting ing, deepening and enriching the 1 handled by a recreation specialist. accident March 5, 1869. Low water brilliant colors of the land. Yellow, There are golf and tennis tourna- at the lake revealed the bones of a green and gray lichen flecked the pink ments, volleyball, badminton, arch- human foot protruding from the sand. granite of the nearby mountains. Cot- ery, croquet, swimming, nature pro- Investigators opened the grave and tonwood leaves literally gleamed pure grams and literally dozens of other found U.S. Army buttons, boot nails, gold. Stands of tall prairie grasses activitiw. They're aimed mainly at corroded percussion caps, and a hu- reflected a color of burnished copper, keeping the kids amused but many man skull with a bullet hole in the and outcroppings of aromatic sage adults participate, too. left temple. From these items the ran like quicksilver veins against the In the lodge's new amphitheater investigators were able to pinpoint rust of the earth. are presented bluegrass music, dram- the death to one described by Private It was quiet mid-week, with flocks as, choral music, and, during the first David L. Spotts of the 19th Kansas of migrating shorebirds and water- two weeks in Jde, concerts by the in his diary, "Campaigning with Cus- fowl comprising the bulk of the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. ter." Spotts wrote that a fellow soldier park's visitors. For Briley, it was the This two-week workshop permits 200 was shooting at a prairie dag, and the perfect opportunity to reflect upon talented youngsters to study with bullet went wild and struck Gruber the land and his duties of bringing nationally famous musicians, actors, in the head. the people closer to it. poets, and artists, with free concerts The next morning, Spotts wrote: Briley is one of three state park given on Wednesday, Friday, and "Reville at 4 o'clock and breakfast naturalists, and in his own words, Saturday nights . before daylight. Our chief bugler was "hopefully the advance force of what Despite the summer activity, the buried, with honors of war, before will become a widespread program lasting impression of Quartz Moun- the sun came up." throughout the state." tain - and its main charm - is its A bronze plaque commemorating A young man, trim and bearded, remoteness. It isn't close to a large that footnote of history stands near enthusiastically enamored with the metropolitan area, and a lot of people the lodge on the lake shore. outdoors, Briley has spent more than

SPRING 1980 TWENTY-SEVEN of a wide-eyed 4-year~ldchild. oriented tourist. Briley believes many visitors to We discussed that aspect, walking *----rtz Oklahoma state parks have a strong along the dunes of the north shore. yearning for closer contact with the Briley pointed out the litter accumu- The Quark Mountain State Park Naturalist natural world, yet lack the basic lating in the area. He said many off- Prooram is offered throuohout the year by knowledge or the opportunity to do road vehicle groups had wanted the appointment with Jeff Brilex TO schedule a so. area opened to their particularly de- program, write him at Quartz Mountain State He is quick to point out that Okla- structive brand of motorized enter- Park, Rt. 1 Box 21, Lone MI[ OK 73655 or phone (4051 563-2238.Notice of special homa's parks are a treasure of plants tainment. programs is posted on the bulletin board at and animals, of birds and soils, of Briley said he had encountered an Quartz Mountain Lodge. rocks and spaces. These things, he almost magic transformation among believes, are what people truly yearn groups he had guided, practically an for when they seek an e8~8peto the enchanted attitude adjustment. two years preparing a mental text- outdoors. At first, he said, visitors seemed ill book on the ecology, geology and pre- Briley says the swimming pool, at ease simply walking or stopping history of the Quartz Mountain tennis courts and concrete picnic pa- quietly. to observe a rare plant or region. It is an enormous task, re- vilions are often over-utilized in the watching the way wind and water quiring a refined sense of purpose. parks, not because they are preferred carved drifting sand into an abstract Somehow, Briley must be ready to over hiking or nature study oppor- work of art. field questions from a visiting nat- tunities, but because they are more Then he said the orchestration of ural scientist and at the same time familiar, and maybe more comfort- natural sight and sound began t~ relate to the searching observations able in that respect, for the urban- flow throughout the visitors, and

TWENTY-EIG HT OKLAHOMA TODAY

. - -- they grew more confident in their upon this unique land. oaks pressed against the rich red individual abilities to perceive, to re- And they often bring their children granite boulders, startling a flock of flect, to touch, to feel and to simply for Briley to teach the basic inter- Rio Grande wild turkeys and flushing be. As Briley put it, the visitors sud- actions between plant and animal life three white-tailed does from among denly found themselves among reality. and water and soil. Or, the visitors the canyons. Within an hour, Briley said those take to the beach for instruction in In considering his work the last who had once been content sitting pottery making. two years, Briley noted many visitors, on a concrete pavilion sipping some- And for each, Briley said, there was especially those from local areas, thing cold and listening to transistor a short and solemn moment in which were now more concerned about park radios were now stopping to catalog he delivered a small and passionate use issues. mentally the delicate design of a rare "sermon on the mount." In that brief "Many who didn't care about off- fem or just to sit upon the dunes, moment, he said he strived to relate road vehicle destruction are now the contemplating how shadows weaved the basic law of a naturalist's life most vocal for keeping the area as into the roll of land. and legion: "This is our earth-we natural as possible. I feel really good Briley says these same persons re- belong to it, not it to us. Learn to when I consider that most were those turn again and again for the natural- love it and treat it wisely, and it who learned about the park through ist programs, requesting one of Bril- will give you life." the naturalist program," Briley said. ey's slide presentations on the en- Later, we spent some time among He noted the requests for nature- vironmental aspects of the country- the granite outcroppings near Quartz oriented programs are growing, and side or maybe one of the sunrise Mountain lodge, looking for signs of that he had become in demand as hikes up King Mountain to see the visiting bald eagles, marveling over guest speaker at civic clubs through- spiritual transformation of first light the vibrant green beauty of the live out the area. "I feel people have a gut-level de- sire to learn more about the world around them, to come back into con- tact with the earth. Twentieth Cen- tury technology has taken us so far in the other direction, away from our genetic roots, away from the unspoiled An aura of mystery hovers over Devil's Canyon, a remote, aspects of existence. We desperately rugged gap between Flat Top and Soldier Spring mountains on need spiritual and mental health. the far western end of the Wichitas, opposite. Stretching 1-1/2 miles And then, when we do seek these southwestward, the ghostly canyon empties into the North Fork things, when we flee on our weekend of Red River a few miles downstream from Quartz Mountain trips back to the land, we often find State Park. the same concrete and steel we sought Today all but the mouth of the canyon lies within park land. to leave in the cities. Visitors wishing to hike in the upper canyon should check at "In my way of thinking," Briley the Quartz Mountain Lodge for directions, and enter the canyon said, "that's not what parks are for. from the north. Parks are for presemation. They are Devil's Canyon lies enshrouded in both history and legend. lands held in public trust. Parks are The canyon was the rendezvous of the government's first peace for plants and animals as well as for mission to the Wichita Indians in the summer of 1834 when the people. They are a timeless bank of U.S.Dragoons, some 180 cavalrymen under Col. Henry Dodge, beauty and of solitude, a place to found the Wichitas living at the mouth of the canyon in 200 rediscover and be real again." grass lodges. We stood upon a sheer ledge of Devil's Canyon and its craggy environs may have been the granite, looking over the rock and home for prehistoric peoples centuries ago. On the south side water and vast prairie that seemed of Soldier Spring Mountain in a cavern formed by huge boul'ders, to flow into eternity. In the distance, inhabitants of a time immemorial painted a life-sized human figure a red-tailed hawk made a lazy swing with legs spread apart and hands reaching upward. across the horizon, then suddenly Between 1874 and 1885, six million head of cattle moved dropped into a wild and spiraling over the Western or Dodge City Cattle Pail, which skirted the east dive. The sunset trailed off into the side of Soldier Spring Mountain and the west side of Epee west, transfixed against a low bank Mountain to the north. of cumulus clouds. A flight of geese Texas geologist W. l? Cummins explored Devil's Canyon in 1891 circled in the distance. and excavated the crumbled abode of a long-forgotten city "This is what it's all about," Briley Cummins believed was once a Mexican settlement. said quietly. "This is what people Legends yet whisper of a Spanish ship that anchored at the drive 200 miles for. They don't come mouth of the canyon, of mines hidden when Indians massacred to see neon signs or smell gasoline the Spanish inhabitants, of a cave with ashes used for a smelter; fumes; they wme to witness a mir- of skeletons clad in heavy armor: Story and photo by Steve Wilson. acle."

SPRING 1980 TWENTY-NINE tim when the Lths ltook it ever, served as a kitchen, and meals were with a gleam in her eye. She'd like &ey%e come e Img-wky, Whew'* srved m& a large Wt with wood- to go digging in the basement, but twk over the pmpehy in lWf the ea flhrs. a a Rex won't let her. hat& had to move $0 bales of hay Thomas and Lloyd sold the park And while visitors recall the past a~dthree loads of smd from the in 1913 to D. L. Sleeper and Associ- and its rumors, they c8n dine on hotel. In addition,, they hauled off ates of Tulsa. Sleeper built the large fresh catfish or country fried chicken 30 Ioads of trash. Th,they SW frame hotel, but he died, and the prop. or charcoal broiled steaks. OF they their restoration . erty reverted to Thomgs and Lloyd, can have fried jumbo shrimp or oys- IVs been hard work, but it's been whu bdlt rock additions to the hotel ters, all served with salad, baked po- fun. They've had only eight '"&m d cobblestone store just north of tato or french fries and plenty of vacation fm the place since they it. Thomas became the sole owner in ~m~dmajshat rolls. Kambur~w, toog over, and Grandma attests she 1920, went to Congress in 1922 and pi- and fish-stick sandwiches are was glad to get back. They usually sold his interest in the park in 1926. also on the menu. elm the resQ-t. tb week W6re Me&% Park WEW the "in" place The Old Plantation draws its clien- ad the week after Chrisb~%'~butlEor 'ib t& *20's, saps Mrs. A*Y teb mostly from La-n and Fort dhey stay there and work. Roach of the Lawton Heritage Asmi- Sin. It mmetitnes hosts regional tour- Grandma is a bistory buff, and she atiw which helped to get the old ho- ism meetings or special parties. likes to imagine how things were ir2 tel and restaurant building in the While business is usually good dur- the 1920s, when Medicine 'Parft was Nati;ow1 Register of'k.liisbic Places. ing the week, customers fill 150 a thriving summer wrt, established There were properly &&permedhouse seats inside and stand in line outside by the late SmJ, EbThm. He mrties* and some of ee best or&- to get in on weekends. The food isn't aid a claim on Land abaut @*e of'the '20s played in the ball- fancy, but it's goad, And probably #he State Fish Hatch;ery is lobthd, roolia, she recalled. $4 first, families the memorafjle thing about eating at where he had camped out witb friends came in buggies to Medicine Park, Old Plantation, folks say, is Grand- soon after coming t& Oklahoma in but by the '20s they were driving ma's homemade hot rolls, so popular lel. He built a tw~.roomhman tqen l;ouring cars aver l~ncerkhmads that Rex ad Grandma include the tbland and .$pen% +&end& &Owi f&: ihmxmr outings, - recipe on %heirbusheas ear&. Later, with a partner, H. J, kJoYd The park drew p8tical men- The Old Plantation is open from of Altus, Thomas acquired about BOO tions, and the OWahoma F'ress As- mon to 9:G p.m. Tuesday through wes along Medicine Creek. By 1908, socktion built a ~lu&msein which Saturday, and noon until 8:30 p.m. thy had cleamd title tb the land and Za hold i%meet-. on Sunday* door activity. And one of the best times of the year for bowfishing is rapidly approaching. In spring, when most Oklahoma reservoirs and rivers are swollen with ' spring rain run-off, shorelines rise and cover bottomland fields and pas- tures with shallow, muddy water. When the water spreads out over the fields, so do the rough fish, especial- ly the carp. That's not to say that bowfishing isn't productive at other times and other places, but when the carp go to forage in flooded grain fields, bow- fishing is at its prime and a shooter may arrow a hundred pounds or more of fish, even though he may not be the most proficient archer around. In fact, one of the most attractive aspects of bowfishing is that you need not be a skilled archer to score in this game. Most shots are taken at very close range. Pinpoint accuracy is nice, but not necessary. On a good day, when the carp are spawning or moving on flooded shal- lows, one might miss three of every four shots all day long, and still wind up with more fish than he can carry home. And while some may scorn rough fish species as not worth carry- ing home, others disagree. Some even prefer "rough" species, like flathead IN THE SPRING catfish or buffalo, to game fish like bass or crappie, when it's time for dinner. GOHUNTING And, like it or not, Oklahoma wa- ters are teeming with rough fish. In some lakes and streams populations of carp are so high that bass fisher- FOR FISH men fear their impact on bass repro- duction. That concern is lent credi- BY BOB BLEDSOE bility by state fisheries biologists who confirm that bottom-feeding species Bob Bledsoe is outdoor editor for The Tulsa Tribune. like carp can interfere with garnefish spawning. Scavenger fish root like hogs along The hunter who impatiently counts But many times, when most hunt- the bottom of the creeks and lakes, summer's hot days until leaves begin ing seasons are closed and conven- stirring up clouds of mud and silt to to turn, or the frustrated fisherman tional fishing techniques fall flat, the darken the water. Bass need clearer who wearies of sitting on the bank outdoorsman or woman can liven water to spawn successfully, and the waiting for his bobber to disappear, things up by combining those two added turbidity caused by carp can, may welcome a different diversion at pursuits and go hunting for fish. in some cases, result in fewer young such times. Hunting for fish? That's right. game fish being hatched each year. As anyone who hunts or fishes Bowfishing, an old sport that is In the past three or four years, knows, critters are sometimes hard enjoying a boom in popularity, can bowfishing has picked up thousands to find, and fish can be even harder. be the answer to the doldrums in out- of new fans across the country, and

SPRING 1980 THIRTY-ONE HUNTING FOR FISH true to the good old American way, match their bowhunting fathers and white bass (sandbass), drum, gar and archery and fishing tackle manufac- husbands shot for shot in bowfishing. spoonbills or paddlefish. turers are capitalizing on the boom. A bowfishing tournament staged Some people spurn such species as Many companies, including one last spring on Oklahoma's Fort Gib- "trash fish," but they are obviously Oklahoma firm, are manufacturing son Lake was won by a husband-wife unenlightened. If such disdain is and marketing lines of specialized team who bested the rest of the nearly based on fighting ability, then the I equipment for the bowfisher. And as all-male field and won a new fishing castigater probably has never experi- ( any outdoorsman can attest, archery boat for their troubles. enced the battle that an 8-pound carp tackle is second only to fishing tackle A boat is handy, sometimes neces- or 10-pound spotted gar wages when as an industry dominated by gadgets. sary, if one is to bowfish on reser- pierced with a fish arrow. 1 Though quite an array of equipment voirs like Foss, Altus-Lugert or Wau- If the low opinion is based on the is now available, one of the best things rika, where it may be needed to search fish's food value, then the critic has / about bowfishing is that the basic hundreds of acres of water to find likely never tasted baked buffalo or equipment needs are simple and in- an active group of fish. However, the flathead catfish fillets deep-fried in 1 expensive. An old "stick" bow, a cou- majority of bowfishing is done while a coat of batter. Even carp, considered ple of fiberglass fish arrows and some wading or walking the banks. by most to be the bottom rung on the type of reel or line-storage spool is Some bowfishermen customize their aesthetic scale, is prized by many as I the basic rig. The compound bow, a john boats or bass rigs for bowfish- table fare. ing, adding shooting platforms to boon to big-game bowhunters, is not Carp is not a native of North I needed for bowfishing. front and rear decks. Some install America. It was brought here around , If one wants to devote more re- spotlights or gas lanterns that illumi- the turn of the century, through a sources to the sport, he or she can nate the water surface around the Congressional appropriation, because purchase balanced bowfishing "sys- boat for night shooting. A variety of it is a highly regarded food fish in tems," like the one manufactured by trappings, all aimed at making the Europe and in the Orient. Jim Dougherty Archery in Tulsa. sport easier, can be installed on bow- Some people shun eating fish of Dougherty's "Fish Getter" system fishing boats. At tournaments, like the any kind because they dislike picking consists of a heavyweight, spincast Fort Gibson event, contestants shoot the meat from the tiny bones. Hut fishing reel spooled with strong, braid- from a mixed assortment of water- with larger fish, like those fraquently ed line, a small rod and a reel seat craft ranging from "swamp boats" harvested with a bow and arrow, little that screws into the bow, and a speci- powered by airplane engines to stand- bones are not a problem. And smaller ally designed arrow. ard bass boats and lightweight john carp or buffalo can be pressure cook- In choosing equipment, cost is a boats. ed, like salmon. The process softens prime consideration for many of us But many carp, buffalo and catfish the bones which can then be safely anyway. A bowfishing outfit adeqequate are found in waters where a boat can't eaten. for nearly every situation one might g-in the upper ends of small, crook- It's not uncommon to harvest a encounter in Oklahoma waters can be ed creeks, or in backwaters separated stringer full of rough fish that weigh put together for only $25 or $30, if from big lakes by levees and culverts. more than five pounds each, but it's the buyer shops around. Oklahoma is veined with small a rare occasion these days when an A second-hand, recurve bow in the creeks and sloughs that teem with angler catches more than one game- 30-to-45 pound draw-weight class is rough fish. Sometimes, rough fish are fish in that class. a good place for the beginner to start. all that's there, because the water is In Oklahoma, bowfishermen can If, later on, one wants to go in search too warm and turbid for other species. also harvest frogs and turtles. Frog of bigger game, like the 200-pound Most of the feeder streams and hunting with a bow and arrow can alligator gar that bowfishermen fre- creeks that empty into the Washita, be one of the most rewarding outdoor quently take from the waters in the South Canadian and Red Rivers in pursuits available in the state, and Coastal Plain of south Texas, a heavi- Southwestern Oklahoma are big pro- it's easier than it sounds. In an eve- er bow will be needed. But for most ducers of carp and similar fish. In ning of farm-pond hunting, a pair of Oklahoma bowfishing, the lighter late summer, when such streams be- hunters can supply frog legs enough weight bows are adequate. gin to shrink and fish are trapped for a feast. Have you priced frog legs That aspect of bowfishing makes it in holes along the narrow stream beds, in the supermarket deli lately? more attractive to women. That is, an archer can sometimes shoot a doz- A state fishing license is needed many women who might enjoy other en or more carp without walking more for bowfishing. Also, bowfishermen forms of bowhunting are prevented than a few yards up and down the should get a copy of the "1980 Okla- from doing so because they can't pull shore. homa Fishing Regulations" pamphlet the heavier bows needed for, say, deer Oklahoma laws limit a bowfisher- published by the Oklahoma Depart- hunting. man's harvest to rough species only. ment of Wildlife Conservation. The But many youngsters and women That classification includes carp, river pamphlet is free and is available at can handle the smaller bows and carpsucker, flathead catfish, buffalo, most fishing license dealers.

THIRTY-TWO OKLAHOMA TODAY ) A TOUR OF SOUTHWESTL-IY MUSEC; iS Exploring the museums of South- buildings is not only the largest in corn into flour and a cradleboard. western Oklahoma is a fascinating the U.S. Army but also the largest in Parker's Star House has been re- 1 way to learn about settlement of the Oklahoma. And there are more sites stored and furnished and is on ex- great American West. For this area at Fort Sill, 11 in all, listed in the hibit along with other historic build- / is steeped in the legends and lore of National Register of Historic Places ings at Eagle Park, an amusement the Plains Indians, the U.S. Cavalry, than at any other military base. park in nearby Cache. cowboys and homesteaders, and each Among the sites are three Apache and Of course, Fort Sill is primarily of the museums reflect this. one Comanche cemeteries. concerned with military history and 1 Initially, Fort Sill was established The famous Comanche chief, Quan- includes the popular outdoor Cannon to maintain order on the F'rontier ah Parker, his white mother, Cynthia Walk as well as exhibits on its early among the Kiowa, Comanche and Ann Parker who was captured and days as a cavalry outpost. A Field 1 Apache Indians who were rounded raised by the Indians, and his sister Artillery Half Section, complete with up by the federal government and are buried on the Chiefs Knoll of the live horses, limber, French 75 and placed on a reservation within the Fort Sill Cemetery. Several who troopers in vintage uniforms, often boundaries of what is now called signed the Medicine Lodge Treaty participates in parades. Great Plains Country. This came af- also are buried there. Traveling from Fort Sill into Law- ter the Treaty of Medicine Lodge Parker introduced the wide-spread ton on U.S. 281, one will pass by the was signed in 1867. Fort Sill was Native American religion, which com- Fort Sill Indian School, the Fort Sill established two years later. bines Indian tradition and Christian Indian Hospital and the Comanche Today, little more than a century religion and uses peyote legally in its Reformed Church, evidence of an- later, the Plains Indians have been ceremonies. His story and that of the other chapter in Indian life. Many integrated into society, the reserva- Apache chief, Geronimo, are told of the professional educators, medical tion no longer exists, and Fort Sill through exhibits in the Geronimo doctors and nurses working there are trains its soldiers in the use of mod- Guardhouse, part of the Fort Sill descendents of the Plains warriors. em artillery. Museum. In Lawton, the Museum of the A full day can be spent touring the Implements used by Indian women Great Plains exhibits Indian clothing Fort Sill Museum complex. Forty- not so long ago also are displayed and tools. Other exhibits tell of fur five of the original stone buildings there--a hide scraper, bone awl for traders and Spanish explorers who have been preserved, including Sher- sewing, mano and metate for grinding traded with the Wichitas and Co- man House where all of its command- manches in the 1700s. ing generals have lived since 1871. Frontier life is depicted through The Fort Sill Museum with 26 By Sue Carter farm implements, an old depot and

SPRING 1980 THIRTY-THREE steam locomotive. The museum's ing chiseled in downtown Granite. Frontier Village has a general store, Called the Giants of the Great Plains, newspaper, blacksmith, doctor's and the 100 by 125-foot granite structure dentist's offices. The original India- will honor Will Rogers, Sequoyah and homa bank also is on display. Jim Thorpe, all outstanding Okla- Much of the museum's efforts are homans of Indian descent. focused on evidence of prehistoric Continuing west is Mangum, once man, discovered during recent exca- the capitol of famed Old Greer Coun- vations. Uncovered were the remains ty, Texas. The half-dugout beside the of a Native American female and Old Greer County Museum and Hall child who had lived more than 6,000 of Fame provides realistic atmosphere years ago. The museum was the first when Ray Babb serves up a pioneer to discover a mammoth killed in Okla- meal of beef stew, corn bread or hot homa by early man, the Paleo-Indian, biscuits and old-fashioned sorghum, about 11,200 years ago at the Dornebo honey and homemade jelly. site in Caddo County. The meal is cooked with cast-iron Several museums in Anadarko de- utensils on a Batchelor wood stove. pict the Plains Indian culture and Home-canned fruits and vegetables history. Arts and crafts are displayed line the walls of the dugout, which in permanent and changing exhibits is lighted with kerosene lamps. Eight at the Southern Plains Indian Mu- diners can be served, but arrange- seum. One wall of the sales shop is ments must be made in advance. covered with beaded medallions cre- South of Mangum at Altus is the ated in the museum workshop. Museum of the Western Prairie, Next door is the National Hall of which has just opened a new wing Fame for Famous American Indians adding 4,000 square feet. Like the where bronze busts of Indian leaders pioneer half-dugout home, the mu- are displayed outdoors. The walls of seum is built into the side of a hill. I the Federal Building in downtown An actual halfdugout has been re- Anadarko are decorated with murals stored on the museum grounds. Ex- painted by artists Mopope, Asah, and hibits portray life on the prairie for I Anchiah. gold miners, cattlemen, homesteaders Indian City with its authentic and Indians. dwellings features dancing, a large The famed Chisholm Trail cut arts and crafts shop and an excellent through the eastern edge of Great museum of Indian artifacts. The Plains Country. And the Chisholm Philomathic Museum in Anadarko's Trail Historical Museum at Waurika old railroad depot also exhibits col- tells the story of drovers and cowboys lections of items used in the daily while on the trail, and the influences life of Indians and homesteaders. of Indians, the U.S. Marshals, home- Tours can be taken of the oldest steaders and barbed wire. Indian school in the country while Chisholm Trail exhibits also are you are in Anadarko. Founded in included in the Stephens County His- 1871, Riverside has students from all torical Museum at fiqua Park in over the United States. Duncan. Exhibits from the area oil Some 76 miles west of Anadarko boom days are a major part of this on SH 9, an enormous mosaic is be- museum.

THIRTY-FOUR I OKLAHOMA TODAY I AMERICAN INDIAN LITERA- IBOOKS TURE: An Anthology, edited by Alan LETTERS R. Velie and illustrated by Danny 1 IN REVIEW Timmons; Univ. of Okla. Press; TO THE EDITOR $15.95, cloth; $6.95, paper. The first half of this book is stories and songs, A series of booklets, entitled New- seleded from Native American liter- Editor: comers to a New Land, has been writ- ature-mmposed by Indians for In- Thank Oklahoma Today staffer, ten by a group of distinguished his- dians and told originally in an Indian Erma Kemp, for her assistance with torians and published by the Uni- language. A selection of speeches by our recorded feature on Will Rogers versity of Oklahoma Press; $2.95 and Indian warriors to whites gives an- and the state of Oklahoma. $3.95. In less than 100 pages, each other view of the history of the West. Your Oklahoma Today magazines booklet tells why particular ethnic The section on contemporary poetry were a big help. Enclosed is the group members decided to settle in and fiction includes excerpts by James Talking Magazine on the life of Oklahoma, where they lived, how they Welch and Scott Momaday as well Will Rogers. We will be doing an earned a living and what role they as younger writers. upcoming feature on the state of played in the history of the state. MEDICINE MAN by Bill Burch- Oklahoma in 1980. Ethnic groups included are Blacks, ardt; Doubleday; $7.95. The former Thanks,Erma. Your assistance was Indians, Germans, Germans from Rus- editor of Oklahoma Today spins an much appreciated. sia, Poles, Jews, Czechs, Italians, exciting yarn about a young Mexican John Treolo Mexicans and immigrants from the boy captured when a band of Kiowas Christian Record Braille British Isles. raids his town. His name, Jorge, be- Foundation, Inc. Particularly interesting is the vol- comes Kor-Kay, and he becomes the Lincoln, NE 68506 ume on Blacks in Oklahoma, which tribe's Medicine Man under the care- begins with their arrival over the ful instruction of his Kiowa grand- Trail of Tears with their Indian mas- father. Many years later he is forced Editor: ters. Black history is told through the to choose between his Mexican herit- Thanks for reminding me again; contributions of individuals in organ- age and his adopted culture. I didn't listen before. I know this is izing libraries, education, rodeo, mu- WILL ROGERS by Betty Blake a good magazine on articles all sic, church, politics and other areas. Rogers; Univ. of Okla. Press; $14.95, about our wonderful Oklahoma! A primary purpose of the author of cloth, $5.95, paper. This biography, Bring more on tourism so we can Indians in Oklahoma is to offset mis- written in 1941 by the wife of Will learn of the many places of interest conceptions about Indian people. He Rogers, has been reissued with a fore- each issue! The program on tourism describes the impact of Indian values ward by Reba Collins, curator of the when Gov. Nigh was lieutenant on their approach to life, their sense Will Rogers Memorial, Claremore. governor was appreciated by us. of humor, their social events and their Mrs. Rogers gives behind-the-scenes Clara B. Coale family ties. He points out the diversi- insight into Will Rogers the man as Okemah, OK 74859 ty among the descendants of Okla- distinguished from the image. homa's 67 tribes. LANGSTON UNIVERSITY: A Probably few Oklahomans are History by Zella J. Black Patterson; aware of why Poles settled in Har- Univ. of Okla. Press; $12.50. While Editor: rah, Bartlesville and McAlester, but still living in tents and soddies, Lang- Thank you for reminding me to the Poles in Oklahoma explains that ston farmers and their wives raised renew my subscription. I agree with most came to escape Russian domina- money through auctions, bake sales you this is one of the most tion, including priests who emigrated and donations to purchase 40 acres to interesting and finest magazines from Nazi prison camps. build Langston University in 1898. I know. The Jews in Oklahoma is the first Through her personal recollections Being born in Oklahoma near published on Jewish history in the and extensive research, the author Crowder City, I still feel dear and state. It describes the institutions, tells of Langston's successes and near to my own home state. My late publications and other efforts they problems with political interference, husband, Joseph Ashmore, was also have made to retain their identity, insufficient budgets and inadequate born in Oklahoma near Quinton. and their contributions to the arts facilities. He loved his home state and all and general civic welfare. THE QUARTER RUNNING three of our daughters were born The booklets are part of the Okla- HORSE: America's Oldest Breed by in Oklahoma. homa Image project, sponsored by the Robert Moorman Denhardt; Univ. of Will Rogers was my husband's and Oklahoma Department of Libraries Okla. Press; $20. The Quarter Horse my favorite writer. We have visited and the Oklahoma Library Associa- was developed to meet the varying his museum in Claremore. Thanks tion and funded by the National En- needs of owners. The ideal was ex- again and note my change of address. dowment for the Humanities. Each exemplified in Clabber, a horse who Orva Ashmore includes historic photographs not pre- "likes three things: to eat, to run, and Oak Harbor, WA 95277 I viously published. to rope." This book traces the evo- Native Oklahomans will enjoy read- lution of the Quarter Horse from the I ing about people they know or whose earliest equine imports into the col- names are familiar in each of the onies to the formation of the Ameri- booklets. The general reading public can Quarter Horse Association in as well as students of history should 1940. It charts the big money-winners find them fascinating. in later years. SPRING-1980 TH IRTY-FIVE TODAY IN OKLAHOMA

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OKLAHOMA TODAY , A 7 I' No longer considered a cultural ! wasteland, sprawling Southwest Okla- 1 homa is fertile ground for the per- I forming and visual arts. The era of touring Chautauqua shows has long since faded into the past, replaced with live theater, symphony orchestra and chamber mu- , sic, ballet, museums, quality art ' shows, festivals and country music Fine arts, festivalsand oomtqmwsio feature ' concerts, featuring big name stars. BY , The past decade has produced an BILL CRAWM)RD 1 avalanche of enterkinmat and cul- WWia&9fm6 @*iseditor fur The Lawton Con tural events plus facilities in which I to house the arts, keeping pace with the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro- lpolitan centere. Oklahoma's fast-growing Oklahoma l Summer Arts Institute at Quartz '1 Mountain State Park, near ~l&and I Lone Wolf, is approaching the scope ! of such prestigious summer arts study r, I camps at Interlochen, Mich., and , Tanglewood, Mass. The Summer Arts Institute, June I1-15, offers ballet, modem dance, a& ing, mime, painting, photography, printmaking, poetry and orchestra to Jaelected students, ages 14-18, study- ' ing under big name professionals in 'the vkous arts disciplines. Students The state Arts CtXm~ilof Okla- Auditorium. A season of five attrac- 'from 85 co-unities a- the state hOma in 1979 rec~mLawton and tions run8 from September *ough (studied at the camp last year. its city mcil as being the first city April or May. Contact for season sub- i 'qt is my hope that Q- MOW- in the state to fund an executive city scriptions and schedules: Muriel [kin can becx>rnk the Tanglm& of arts director post with tax dollars. Mustain, 716 N. 36th St., Lawton. ;Oklahoma, a place where the public The bwton Arts and ~~itie~hwbn Community Theatre, now I comes to enjoy ouMoor perfom- Council, directed by Randy Lee in its 28th season, is Southwest Okla- land art exhibits," OSAI director Mayes, coordinates the arts in Law- homa's oldest performing arts group, 'Mary Frates said. "If the program ton and Sponsors touring perform- located in the city-owned John Den- /continues to develop, it should be- az~c". ney Playhouse, 1316 Bell. Musicals, come a tourism resource for South- Lawton and Fort Sill talent blen* dramas and comedies are produced lwesem okl&oma and a general plus to offer the combined civilian-military fmm September through May under \for the entire state." community a wide variety of enter- the direction of Irby Darnell, former Community theaters thrive in the tabment- State Arts Council of Oklahoma pro- l Great p~ Country area with Caters of activity in hwton are grams director. Ten produdions are Grandfield's Hw~tplayh- in the 1,534-seat McMahon Memorial featured this season on two series- i iTillman County the smallest corn- Auditorium in Elmer Tho- Park a main seadwn and a series of con- ;munity in Oklahoma 8upporting an and the newly-opened $4 million plus temporary, adult plays. I I ! amateur theater. Lo* D. McMahon Fine Arts Cen- Lawton's own Candice Earley, j Southwest 0-rn arts comciis tar) which houses the Art, Speedn- Ehwdwy musical and soap opera 4 sponsored spring and summer feeti- Drama ad Music Departments on star, retuns as guest star in the Judy 1 vals, and arts and crafts shows at- the Came- University campus. In- Holliday role in the musical, "Bells j tract large cmwds of tba -*s di- 4t.x~in the complex is a 500-seat re ~inbg-to be pmdua~~at LCT / verse population-fanners and ranch- theater, opened last fall. July 18-26. For ticket and season ,em, industrialists and American mi Here's a capsule of entertainment Wonnation, write Irby Darnell, LCT, I foreign soldiers stationed at Fort sill, availablein the Lawton-Fort Sill area: &x 42, bwton. I near The Lawton Community Concert Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, in I As Oklahoma's No. 3 city, Lawton Assodation, in its 38th season and its 18th season, performs September is recognized as "the entertainment ameng the oldest subscription concert thro* May in McMahon Auditor- hub of Southwest Oklahoma," where *rim in the U.S.,is the banner under ium, 801 Ferris. The 75-member or- the arts thrive in a healthy cultural which professional musicians, singers chestra, conducted by Dr. Jack Bow- i climate. and dancers perform in McMahon man, director of Cameron University I

1 SPRING 1980 THIRTY-SEVEN I

MARCH 1 Lawrence Welk, Mabee Center, ORU, Tulsa 1 Phllharmon~c,Perfarmlng Arts Center, Tulsa 1 "The Tamlng of the Shrew," Amerlcan Theatre Co, Tulsa 1-2 "That Champ~onsh~pSeason," OCU, Oklo City 1-8 "Company," Communlty Theatre, Lawton 5 MISS Lawton Pageant, McMahon Aud, Lawton 5-8 "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," Communlty Theotre, Ada 6 Dr Joyce Brothers, CU, Lawtan 6-16 "Dark Of The Moon," Okla Theatre Center,Okla C~ty 6-16 ''Anna Lucasto," Black L~beratedArts Center, Okla City 7 Church Clrcult Opera Co, Tnn~tyPresbyterian, Okla City 8 Barbershop Slngers, McMahon Aud, Lawton 9, 1 1 Alvaro Cassuto, conduchng, Okla Symphony, Okla C~ty 10 Unlverslty-MetropolltonSymphony Concert, OCU, Okla Clty 10-23 Jun~orServ~ce League Art Show, Great Plalns Museum, Lawton 1 1-15 "Die Walkure," Tulsa Opera, Tulsa 13 Phllharmonlc Youn People's Concert, McMohon Aud, Lawton 13-15 "The Three Penny &era," CU, Lowton 13-29 "Deathtrap," Cabaret Supper Theatre, Ft Slll 14- 15 "Summer and Smoke," Stagecwch Commun~tyTheatre, Perry 14-16 Ballet Okla, OCU, Okla C~ty 15 "Harvey," Way-Off Broadway Players, T~shomlngo 15 Melba Moore, Okla "Pops," Okla Clty MAY ' 15-23 "Youth Theater," Theotre Tulsa, Tuba Cameron Band, Choir, Jazz Concert, CU, Lawton 15-30 "F~ddleron the Roof," Ponca Playhouse, Ponca City 18 Gentry Slngers Concert, Lawton "The River Niger," Black Liberated Arts Center, Okla City 20-21 Stephen Kates, cell~st,Ph~lharmon~c, Tulsa "Music Man," Cabaret Supper Theotre, Ft Sill 21 Pralr~eDance Co, Goddard Center, Ardmore "The Haunted Maples," OCU, Okla City 21-Apr 5 "The Real Inspector Hound," Jewel Box, Okla C~ty "5th of July," American Theatre Co, Tulsa 21-Apr 5 "Ah, Wlldernessl," Amencan Theatre Co, Tulsa Canton Lake Walleye Rodeo, Canton 23, 25 Allcla de Lorrocha, planlst, Oklo Symphony, Okla City "Beginner's Luck," Ponca Playhouse, Ponca City 27 Roger Wagner Chorale, Ph~lharmon~c,Tulsa All Orchestral Program, Okla Symphony, Okla City 27-30 "The Mlsanthrope," OCU, Okla C~ty "Die Fledermous," Tulsa Opera, Tulsa 28-Apr 5 "The Flrebrrd," OU Theatre, Norman Johnnie Lee Wills Rodeo, Tulsa 29 Jean-Plerre Rampal, flutlst, Ph~lharmonlc,Tulsa "God's Favorite," Gaslight Theatre, Enid 29-30 Rattlesnake Hunt, Waurlka "The Force (and more)," Ballet Okla, OCU, Okla City "The Fourposter," Jewel Box, Okla City Strawberry Festival, Stilwell APRIL Shari Lewis, Okla "Pops," Okla City Mayfest, Downtown Pedestrian Mall, Tulsa 2 Church Clrcu~tOpera Co, Norman "She Loves Me," Okla Theatre Center, Okla City 3 Church Clrcu~tOpera Co, Tulsa Ozark Jubilee, Duncan 3 Phllharmonr, w~thOU Chorus, Tulsa Plano Tackle Box Drop, Lake Texoma State Park 5 Easter Eve Pageant, Coddo Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting, Tulsa 6 Easter Sunrlse Serv~ce,W~ldl~fe Refuge, Lawton Grand Finale, Okla Symphony, Okla City 7-20 Festlval of Youth, Barkouras Foundat~on,Okla City 10- 12 Cameron Contemporary MUSICFeshval, CU, Lawton Western Days Celebration, Durant 10-19 "Flnlshlng Touches," Town & Gown Theatre, Stlllwater Rooster Day Celebration, Broken Arrow 10-20 "Sherlock Holmes," Okla Theatre Center, Okla C~ty Muzzle Loading Firearms Matches, John Zink Ranch, Tulsa 11-13 "Wonderful Town," OCU, Okla Clty Festival of Home Towns, lndiahoma 1 1-13 Arts for All Feshval, Great Plalns Coliseum, Lawton Arts & Crofts Show & Sole, Pryor 1 1-27 "Celebrat~on," Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa Paseo Street Festival, Okla City 1 1-27 Azalea Feshval, Muskogee World's Largest Jr. Rodeo & Western Art Show, ldabel 12 Ph~lharmon~c,Performng Arts Center, Tulsa James Leake Antique Car Auction, Tulsa 12 Shortgrass Arts Feshval, Altus "The Sunshine Boys," Community Theatre, Lawton 12 Phllharmonlc wlth Thomas Bacon, McMahon Aud, Lawton Bigheart Day, Barnsdall 12- 13 Rattlesnake Hunt, Waynoka Italian Festival, McAlester 12-14 "Melodrama and Oleo," Southwest Playhouse, Cllnton 15- 19 89'er Day Celebrahon, Guthr~e 15-19 Clmorron Territory Celebrat~on,Beaver 16-20 "Trelawny of the Wells," OU Theater, Norman JUNE 16-26 "The Pajama Gome," Llttle Theatre, Shawnee 17 Blackwood Brothers Gospel Concert, McMahon Aud, Lawton Summer Arts Institute, Quartz Mountain Resort, Lone Wolf 17- 19 P~oneerDay Celebrahon, Okemoh Santo Fe Trail Daze, Boise City 17- 19 "Tw~gs," Ardmore Llffle Theatre, Ardmore "Fiddler On The Roof," Community Theatre, Alva 17- 19 "Androcles ond the L~on," OSU Theatre, St~llwater Love County Frontier Doys, Marietta 18- 19 "A Good Man IS Hard To Flnd," CU, Lawton Sequoyah Intertribal Pow Wow, Elk City 18-20 Rattlesnake Derby, Mangum "Room Sewice," Theotre Tulsa, Tulsa 19 Med~evalFalr, OU, Norman "Oklahoma!," & "Dust On Her Petticoats," Discoverylond, Tulsa 20 Church Clrcu~tOpera Co, All Soul's Ep~scopal,Okla Crty "The Sound of Music," Town & Gown Theatre, Stillwater 20.22 Mlr~amFrled, vlollnlst, Okla Symphony, Oklo City 2 1 Bob Green's World of Jelly Roll Morton, McMohon Aud, Lawton Belle Starr Festival, Wilburton 22-27 Feshval of the Arts, Okla C~ty "Hello Dolly!," Lyric Theatre, OCU, Okla City 23-25 "Cactus Flower," ECU, Ado Jamboree Concert, Altus 23-26 "South Pac~fic," SEOSU, Durant Wagoner Lake Festival, Wagoner 24-25 Garrlck Ohlsson, planlst, Phrlhormon~c,Tulsa "An Almost Perfect Person," Cabaret Supper Theatre, Ft Sill 24-26 "A Shot In the Dark," Llttle Theatre Guild, Bartlesvllle "A Night In Vienna," Philharmonic, Lawton 25 "Madame Butterfly," Texas Opera Go, McMohon Aud, Lawton Canterbury Art Festival, Edmond 25-26 "Arsen~cand Old Lace," Commun~tyTheare, El Reno Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping, Pawhuska 25-27 Rattlesnake Hunt, Okeene "The Fourposter," Muskogee Lttle Theatre, Muskogee 25-May 3 Equus," Communlty Theatre, Lawton Hub City Pow Wow, Clinton 25-May 3 "Ah, Wlldernessl," OU Theotre, Norman Bluegrass Festival, Davis 25-May 4 "A L~onIn Wlnter," Commun~tyPlayhouse, Norman 26 Paul Wllllams, Okla "Pops," Okla C~ty New American Ragtime Ensemble, Great Plains Museum, Lawton 26 Kolache Festlval, Prague "Trail of Tears" & "Cherokee Kid, Tsa-La-Gi, Tahlequah 27 Church C~rcu~tOpera Co, Pres~denlsConcert, Norman "The Music Man," Lyric Theatre, OCU, Okla City 28 Flve By Two Plus Dance Co, McMahon Aud, Lawton El Reno Exposition & Pow Wow, El Reno 28-May 3 No Man's Land Pioneer Doys Celebrahon, Guymon Kiamichi Owa Chito Festival, Broken Bow/ldabel 29 Okla Symphony, Goddard Center, Ardmore World Championship Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, 30-May 3 T~I-StateMUSIC Contest, En~d Pauls Valley 30-May 3 "The Drunkard," Ado Blue Mountam Western Festival, Hortshorne

SPRING 1980 TH IRTY-N INE