Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Chickasaw National Recreation Areais a National Recreation Area
situated in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains
in south-central Oklahoma
near Sulphur
.
Established as Sulphur Springs Reservation on July 1, 1902; renamed and redesignated Platt National Park on June 29, 1906; combined with the Arbuckle Recreation Area and additional lands and renamed and redesignated on 17 March 1976. Of the park's 9888.83 acres (4,002 ha), water covers 2409 acres (975 ha). The park contains many fine examples of 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps
architecture. CCC workers created pavilions, park buildings, and enclosures for the park's many natural springs.
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area preserves partially forested hills of south-central Oklahoma
near Sulphur
. Named to honor the Chickasaw Indian Nation
, who were relocated to the area from the Southeastern United States during the 1830s (and who later sold the original 640 acres (259 ha) of land for the park to the Federal government), the park's springs, streams, and lakes provide swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, camping, and hiking. As part of the Chickasaw tribe's arrangement with the U.S. government, the park does not charge an admission fee.
issued a quarter
featuring the Chickasaw's Lincoln Bridge, a limestone bridge built in 1909 to commemorate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln
, as part of its America the Beautiful Quarters series.
National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area is a designation for a protected area in the United States, often centered on large reservoirs and emphasizing water-based recreation for a large number of people. The first National Recreation Area was the Boulder Dam Recreation Area...
situated in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains
Arbuckle Mountains
The Arbuckle Mountains are an ancient mountain range in south-central Oklahoma in the United States. The granite rocks of the Arbuckles date back to the Proterozoic Era some 1.4 billion years ago which were overlain by sediments during the Paleozoic Era. The range reaches a height of 1,412 feet...
in south-central Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
near Sulphur
Sulphur, Oklahoma
Sulphur is a city in Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,794 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Murray County.-Geography:Sulphur is located at ....
.
History
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
architecture. CCC workers created pavilions, park buildings, and enclosures for the park's many natural springs.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
near Sulphur
Sulphur, Oklahoma
Sulphur is a city in Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,794 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Murray County.-Geography:Sulphur is located at ....
. Named to honor the Chickasaw Indian Nation
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
, who were relocated to the area from the Southeastern United States during the 1830s (and who later sold the original 640 acres (259 ha) of land for the park to the Federal government), the park's springs, streams, and lakes provide swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, camping, and hiking. As part of the Chickasaw tribe's arrangement with the U.S. government, the park does not charge an admission fee.
Commemorative Coin
In 2011, the United States MintUnited States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
issued a quarter
Quarter (United States coin)
A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...
featuring the Chickasaw's Lincoln Bridge, a limestone bridge built in 1909 to commemorate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, as part of its America the Beautiful Quarters series.
Further reading
- Hanson, R.L. and S.W. Cates. (1994). Hydrogeology of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma [Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4102]. Oklahoma City: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.