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

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Katarzyna; Curran, Michele

Cold Springs Campground is located in the central eastern section of the Platt Historic District, approximately one‑half mile east of the intersection of the perimeter road and Hwy 177 in Murray County, Oklahoma. The landscape, which is primarily comprised of the campground, is a heavily used camping area. In addition to the campground proper, the landscape area also includes sections of the perimeter road, Travertine Creek, and the trail running between Pavilion Springs and Buffalo/Antelope Springs. The area is bounded on the north and south by the park’s existing boundary and fence line; to the east, the area runs to Sycamore Falls, and to the west, as far as the turn in Travertine Creek, where Central Campground begins. The area covers approximately 22 acres. Access to the campground is from the perimeter road as it winds along Travertine Creek. At present, the Cold Springs Campground area has 65 public campsites along its oblong, almost symmetrical layout. Within the campground are two comfort stations, a checking station (all dating from the 1930s) and the pre‑1930s “Community House.” Small‑scale features include stone‑walled trash can enclosures which also date to the CCC‑era design. Cold Springs 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. Cold Springs Campground comprises one component of this larger significant district landscape, and as such, reflects and contributes to the significance of the entire district. Though used by visitors from as early as 1913, the extant campground elements were constructed between 1935 and 1938 by CCC crews working under the direction of NPS landscape architects. In its site planning, architectural style, landscape architectural design and small‑scale features, the Cold Springs Campground explicitly reflects the NPS principles of rustic design and construction, in both overall layout and design of the campground and camping sites and in the design of buildings and small scale features. Particularly notable is the rustic design of the checking station. Both individually and collectively, the designed elements of the Cold Springs Campground contribute to the significance of the overall district and enable the district to convey its significance. In addition, because this component landscape exists in a predominantly intact state, it contributes to the integrity of the overall district.

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

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