Day 2 Osage Hills State Park

 We woke to the sound of thunder but no rain here. On the agenda for today is a hike in Osage Hills State Park. It is located about midway between Pawhuska and Bartlesville.

On June 6, 1935, at the end of a fund drive, citizens of Bartlesville and Pawhuska had raised enough money to buy the property that would become Osage Hills State Park. Preliminary construction of the Osage Hills CCC camp buildings began on October 4, 1935, by a local team of about 50 carpenters and laborers. The camp was built to house up to 200 enrollees. CCC Company 895 was given the assignment to create the park.

On November 5, 1935, Company 895 – consisting of 189 youths – moved from Lincoln Park to “Osage County State Park”. The enrollees were tasked with finishing the construction of their living area before they began work on the park proper.

Company 895 fought wildfires, planted trees, established roads, trails, electric lines, water and sewage systems, and picnic areas. They also constructed many of the stone buildings that can be seen in the park today, including cabins, restrooms, a picnic shelter, and a community building.

The Osage Hills CCC Camp was in operation for almost six years. Field operations were officially discontinued on July 1, 1941, although a skeleton crew remained to liquidate camp assets through the following year.

This CCC was one of many formed by the federal government during the Great Depression to provide useful employment for thousands of young men. 

Osage Hills State Park was officially opened to the public on May 3, 1942.

The forecast for today is cool and windy with high winds this afternoon so we’ll try to get a hike in this morning.

Getting the camera setup. 

And the photo

Taking a photo of the flowers

Wild verbena

Lots and lots and lots of rocks

We don’t know what this is.

Violet wood sorrel

The old amphitheater 

Some of the remains of the camp built by the CCC. 

Old cellars

Old truck

Lookout lake

A gurgling brook

Hmmm…which way?

I think it’s that way. That doesn’t make sense. We just came from that way. 

Walking to the falls 

The falls 

After our walk, we had lunch at Saucy Calf, an authentic Native American cafe. Kody said it was the best fry bread she has ever eaten. Colleen and I had green chili pork and hominy soup and Vicki had the corn soup. Sorry no pics. When we got back to the house we had a little birthday party for Kody. 

Vicki and Colleen trying to figure out what that thing is in the picture that I said we don’t know what it is. Manufactured by Witt is all we know. 

After a good rest, we are off again. We walked across the swinging bridge. Pretty sure those same boards have been there since it was built in 1926. 

It did not feel safe at all. 

Garden star of Bethlehem. 

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve at 39,650 acres is the largest protected piece of tallgrass prairie left on earth. Urban sprawl and conversion to cropland have left this once expansive landscape, originally spanning across 14 states from Texas to Minnesota, at less than 4% of its original size.

Since 1989, The Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma has worked to restore this fully functioning portion of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem with the use of 2500 free-ranging bison and a “patch-burn” model approach to prescribed burning.

Over 700 plants, 300 birds and 80 mammals make this prairie home.

After touring around the preserve, we headed back to town for dinner, then to the house to call it a day. The weather was perfect and so was the company. It was a beautiful day for hiking and just glorifying God as we experienced his creation. 

Steps today: 15,679

Miles: 6.9