The McKenzie's Official world tour site
# Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Wichita Mountains.....Oklahoma

We found the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma and it was even more beautiful than the books had said! The drive through the mountains was very scenic. We were able to camp at the Doris Campground right inside the refuge. The wildlife was amazing and we only had to open Nessie’s door to be able to spot a wild animal! We were right in with the wild! These rugged mountains form a part of one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. The Refuge serves all Americans by conserving part of the nation’s wildlife heritage.

We set up camp in the woodlands and the children loved collecting wood for the camp fire. We were alerted to the fact that buffalo and long horn cattle may pass freely through the campground - fantastic! It was excellent to be able to see wild bison/buffalo as they have been rescued back from near extinction. In 1907, 7 bulls and 8 cows were bought here from New York Bronx Zoo and in 1940, 4 bulls arrived from Fort Niobrara. Following these successful efforts the herds prospered and numbered 1,000 by 1949. Today this number is regulated annually with a live auction, in order to keep a healthy balance between the number of animals and the land resources that are available. There are now approximately 550-600 Bison on the Refuge at any one time. We stopped along the roadside and spent a lovely time viewing a herd of bison – as we sat up on Nessie’s roof! What a good vantage point and much safer too!

Longhorn Cattle were also bought to Wichita in 1927 from the prickly pear area of South Texas. A set of 20 cows, 3 Bulls, 3 Steers and 4 calves were bought here and today there are approximately 280 Longhorns at the Wichita’s!

We took a ride up Mount Scott – the second highest peak in the Wichita’s at 2,464 feet. This is a legendary site that boasts tales of ancient spirits, Spanish Gold and buried outlaw loot. Indians recall an old legend in which the Great Spirit appeared on Mt. Scott after a devastating flood. He is said to have called all Indians to him and provided them with a means to survive.

We also visited a nearby Gold Ghost town called Meers. Now there is nothing left there other than the World Famous Meers Store and Restaurant and so we felt we should pay them a visit! We were amazed by the 16 oz Texas Longhorn Burgers that arrived and we even needed a doggie bag to save some for later! It was delicious and is an award winning burger! Joe and Margaret Maranto purchased the Meers Store in 1983 and in 1989 they began buying Longhorn cattle for Meers-burgers and to build their own herd. They have an ultimate goal to be able to offer customer’s burgers which are made from the leanest, grass fed, hormone free beef possible and – YEP – they do just that! Back to the campfire for a sing song with the guitar to accompany us!!

The children got dressed up in camouflage to go and spot the nearby wildlife with Daddy, very early one morning – and they are realising just how quiet you need to be if you want to be lucky! We loved seeing some Black-tail Prairie Dogs along the road sides as they busied themselves in a humorous way! They are a keystone species to the prairies and grasslands where they live and we were very pleased to have taken this picturesque route through the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma!

We travelled back into Texas .......... “IS THIS THE WAY TO AMARILLO?!”

 

 

FACTOIDS-

·         The Wichita Mountains took their name from the Wichita Indian Tribe.

·         Indians inhabited this mountain range as long as 20,000 years ago.

·         The 59,020 acre Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is the oldest managed wildlife preserve in the United States.

·         Over 22,000 acres are open for hiking and general wildlife observation.

·         The Wichita Mountains were first designated as a forest preserve by President McKinley in 1901 and Congress changed the name to a Wildlife Refuge in 1936.

·         Most geologists conclude that the mountains that we see today are much the same as they appeared 250 million years ago.

·         Bison can grow to 6 feet tall, 11 feet long and weigh as much as 1 ton!

·         Longhorn Cattle have an average horn length of 6 feet – although there have been recorded horns with an 8 foot span, which is wider than Nessie!

 

OTHER WILDLIFE HITS:

·         Great Horned Owl

·         Downy Woodpecker

·         Tufted Tit Mouse (bird!)

·         Northern Cardinals

·         Elk

·         White-tailed Deer

·         Red -Headed Woodpecker

 


Wednesday, 28 January 2009 06:29:39 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0]  USA

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