Medicine Park

Located at the edge of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Medicine Park is the oldest cobblestone village in Oklahoma. Established in 1908 on July 4th by Oklahoma Senator Elmer Thomas, Medicine Park was the first planned tourist resort in Oklahoma. The resort started off with a slow start, but after a few years of improvements, more and more people started stopping by the resort.

Eventually, Medicine Park hit a wall of decline and slowly fell into hard times. In 1969 Medicine Park was incorporated into a town, but due to the resort changing ownership several times over three decades and a decline in interest, the cobblestone town was struggling to survive. With the arrival of the 1990's, and the successful reopening of the Riverside Cafe , other local business started to open up their doors once again to welcome the new found interest in the small town.

"It's just a really cute place," said tourist Whitney Clark. Whitney is an Elementary Education major at OU who stopped by Medicine Park for the weekend.

"I didn't even know this place was here. Driving by, it just looks like some houses by the creek. I would've never guess that this used to be a resort." Whitney said.

Whitney Clark in front of the famous cobble stone buildings.

Medicine Park is named after Medicine Creek, which according to Native American beliefs, the water has healing powers. The healing power of the waters made Medicine Park a popular locale to visit for people looking to cleanse themselves both physically and spiritually.

Whether you are looking for a quiet get away, or just a place to stay while you visit the near by Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Medicine Park is full of old time charm and plenty of activities to keep an entire family busy for a fun filled weekend.

The healing waters of Medicine Park.