Everything about The Wichita Mountains totally explained
The
Wichita Mountains are located in southwestern
Oklahoma. The
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, a favorite for hikers and rock climbers in the region, is located adjacent to
Cache, Oklahoma,
Medicine Park, Oklahoma, and historic
Meers, Oklahoma while just a short drive from
Lawton, Oklahoma. Buffalo, elk and deer are protected on the 59,020 acre wildlife refuge. The Field Artillery capital of the world,
Fort Sill, occupies the southern part of the range. Backcountry camping is available in the
Charon Gardens Wilderness area. Additional points of interest are the Wildlife Refuge visitors center,
Holy City of the Wichitas,
Quanah Parker Lake & Dam,
Lake Lawtonka,
Quartz Mountain Nature Park and
Mount Scott, the second highest point AGL (above ground level).
Geology
The
geologic history of the Wichita Mountain region began with the deposition of late
Precambrian to early
Cambrian sandstones. These sandstones were
intruded by coarse
gabbro sills of about 575 million years ago as the region began to
rift apart in a failed continental breakup. The gabbro intrusion was followed by erosion and further intrusion of
granite accompanied by
volcanic eruptions of
rhyolite lava and explosive volcanic
breccias some 50 million years later. Following these
igneous episodes the region subsided and shallow sea sediments were deposited over the area consisting of sandstones and
limestones.
During the
Pennsylvanian Period (330-290 million years ago) the region was subjected to intense pressure during the continental collision or
orogeny which produced the
Ouachita Mountains to the east. This resulted in faulting and folding along with up to 20,000 feet of local uplift. This uplift created rugged mountains which have been reduced to their present state by
erosion. At 2,464 ft (750m) Mt Scott is the second tallest mountain in the Refuge and the third tallest in the state. Mt. Pinchot in the Special Use Area is 12 feet taller. A paved road leads to the summit of Mt. Scott, from which visitors can see for dozens of miles on a clear day.
When the area was part of Indian reservations and therefore off-limits to non-Native Americans, the Wichita mountains were rumored to contain rich gold deposits. When the area was first opened up for settlement, many prospectors staked mining claims, and towns were laid out to serve the presumed bonanzas, but no economic deposits were found. The gold boom was prolonged by some unscrupulous assayers who found gold in every sample, but the miners eventually gave up, leaving behind ghost towns such as
Wildman, Oklahoma.
Further Information
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