Central Campground: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Katarzyna; Curran, Michele

The 15‑acre Central Campground is the smallest of the three campground developments within the Platt Historic District, located in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Central Campground is located in the north‑central half of the Platt Historic District, just east of Highway 177 and Flower Park, in Murray County, Oklahoma. The component landscape covers approximately 15 acres of open to wooded and relatively level terrain. Travertine Creek winds through the landscape, as does the perimeter road of the park. The landscape contains all of Central Campground, as well as some of the surrounding area, including a portion of Travertine Creek, the perimeter road, and Panther Falls. The area is used for camping and associated recreational activities, including bathing in Travertine Creek. The Central Campground is significant for its location within the Platt Historic District. The Platt Historic District is significant for its association with the development of National Park landscapes completed during the depression and funded as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” programs. The district is also significant as embodying the characteristics of the type, period, and methods of construction typical of the “rustic style” of park design developed by the National Park Service in the years between World War I and World War II (1916‑1942) under the leadership of Thomas Vint. In general terms, “rustic” park design limited development to preserve natural scenery and designed buildings and structures in keeping and in harmony with the natural landscape. This meant using hand craftsmanship, local architectural styles and natural materials such as stone, wood and native plants in the design of each park structure or element. The Platt Historic District exemplifies all of these aspects of National Park Service development, planning and design. Most of the district’s extant features were constructed between circa 1930 and 1940 during the depression years under the New Deal. Most of the park’s construction was undertaken by Company 808 of the CCC, one of the largest CCC camps in Oklahoma. The park’s architecture and landscape design also exhibit classic “rustic” style design characteristics. The buildings and landscape features constructed in the park by Company 808 of the CCC are made of local stone and wood, emphasize the horizontal lines of the landscape, and merge with their surroundings in color, scale, and appearance. Central Campground comprises one component of this larger significant district landscape, and as such, reflects and contributes to the significance of the entire district. In its site planning, architectural style, landscape architectural design and small‑scale features, the design of Central Campground explicitly reflects the NPS principles of rustic design and construction. Though the area has been somewhat reconfigured to accommodate group camping, overall the landscape retains enough integrity to be an excellent example of the CCC‑era landscape engineering projects undertaken in Platt National Park and throughout the country. Because of this, Central Campground contributes to the significance of the overall district and enables the district to convey its significance. It should be noted that there may be other areas of significance for the district and for the campground area as yet undeveloped. For example, Central Campground is associated with the area’s segregation history, a thematic area not yet widely researched.

Central Campground: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

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