![]() In the 1820s and 1830s, the Five Civilized Tribes settled in Indian Territory. ![]() to Present.’ “Descriptions of the Little River area given by Irving parallel those of the present in various aspects.”Īccording to the essay, the land was overgrown and rugged and had wildlife including buffalo, bears, elk, deer, wild horses and turkeys. “The purpose of Irving’s tour was to see ‘the last of the redmen and wild game before these things were pushed beyond the reach of civilized man,’” according to the Lake Thunderbird State Park historical essay titled, ‘Lake Thunderbird State Park History, 500 B.C. In 1832, Washington Irving, author of “A Tour of the Prairies” and “The Adventures of Ichabod Crane,” among other explorers, toured the area where the state park sits. Many explorers traveled the land during this time including French explorer Pierre Mallet and American explorer Stephen H. As part of the Louisiana Territory, the territory was eventually awarded to Spain. The recorded history of Lake Thunderbird State Park, located east of Norman, dates to 500 B.C.ĭuring the 18 th century, Spain, France and England clamed Oklahoma. If you’re looking for a quiet, peaceful, beautiful area to visit or to camp in, Lost Creek State Park is hard to beat! It’s located about 7 miles outside of Anaconda, Montana, so it’s an easy stop on the route between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.Norman, Okla., may be the home of the University of Oklahoma, but thistown is also home to one of 33 state parks. There are some routes established for climbers, whom we’d occasionally see clambering over the rock face. Seeps trickle down the rock in an area near the entrance huge veins of quartz are visible in others. Probably the most spectacular features of the park are the massive cliffs that tower 1200 feet over the canyon. There’s a parking lot for cars and horse trailers near the trailhead. ![]() This trail generally follows the creek, and connects to a trail that goes over the cliffs and ends near a Job Corps center just outside of Anaconda. In addition to the pleasant walk up the road, a well-maintained forest service trail leads from the upper campground, along an old logging or mining road. We also saw lots of butterflies, and tiny garter snakes and frogs. We didn’t see any cougars, and only saw one moose in the early spring we did see bears at the end of summer (they like the dogwood berries that ripen in mid-August!). The park is home to other animals: bears, cougars, deer, moose, ground squirrels, chipmunks, pack rats, bats, pikas in the talus slopes.according to the locals (very friendly folks who regularly visit the park for picnics and hikes), bighorn sheep used to climb along the cliffs, but none have been spotted recently. ![]() We also saw lots of birds, including a golden eagle family whose baby we watched grow from a fierce, downy newborn to a fully grown juvenile soaring over the cliffs. You can usually watch them if you walk along the road just before nightfall. The park follows along Lost Creek, which tumbles over a beautiful, 50- foot waterfall at the top of the park, before being dammed by numerous, industrious resident beavers. The pit toilets (4 spread throughout the park) are absolutely the cleanest you’ll ever experience, thanks to Duane- the friendliest and most diligent caretaker imaginable! Campsites have fire rings and picnic tables, and are large enough to feel private and uncrowded. There are a few sites suitable for larger rv’s near the entrance to the park though the shadier sites, on a loop a mile up the road, are fine for midsized trailers, class c campers, vans, etc. We loved it-it’s a small and less-visited State Park, with around 20 rustic campsites (no hookups, with water available at a central pump). My husband and I volunteered as camp hosts at Lost Creek State Park during the summer of 2019.
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