Lawton Things to Do Tips by rexvaughan Top 5 Page for this destination

Mount Scott

The Wichita Mountains sometimes called the Ancestral Rockies because they are thought to have been that vast, with the younger Rockies at the tail of the ancient Wichita Range.
These are the oldest mountains in the great plains. They mainly consist of granite, rhyolite, and some other igneous rocks and are considered to be about 300 million years old. The tallest peak is Mt. Scott and many scoff at the title "mountain" as it stands only about 2500 feet above sea level. But on this flat part of the earth, that is a mountain!

Directions: In the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Just outside of Lawton is a magnificent 60,000 acre tract devoted to the preservation of wildlife. It includes a great many species of animal and plant life but the most popular and visible ones are the buffalo, Texas longhorn cattle and prarie dogs.

Under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt the park was set aside in 1901. An early goal was to preserve the near extinct buffalo which had ranged the plains by the millions until the slaughter of the late 19th C. I find it ironic that to start the herd in the refuge, 15 buffalo were brought from the New York City Zoo!

Address: Route 1, Box 448, Indiahoma, OK 73552

Directions: Northeast of Lawton. From I-44 (Bailey Turnpike) north of Lawton, take Hwy 49 through Medicine Park.

Phone: 580 429-3221

Website: http://wichitamountains.fws.gov/