Little Niagara Falls/Travertine Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Kararzyna; Curran, Michele

The Little Niagara Falls and Travertine Island area is located in the northeastern portion of the Platt Historic District, in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma. It is located between Cold Springs Campground to the west and the Nature Center to the east. The landscape covers approximately 22 acres of wooded land through which Limestone and Travertine Creeks flow. The area contains numerous stone outcroppings, travertine formations, and natural and designed waterfalls. The focal point of the area is Little Niagara Falls and its associated swimming hole, beach, parking lot and comfort station. Nearby is Travertine Island, which is primarily used as a picnic area. Travertine Island has its own associated parking lot and comfort station, as well as a designed picnic area with stone picnic tables and benches. Both areas are accessed from the perimeter road, with the Little Niagara parking area accessed from the south portion of the loop and the Travertine Island lot accessed from the north portion of the loop. Both areas are primarily used for picnicking and swimming. Little Niagara Falls and Travertine Island area 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. Little Niagara Falls and Travertine Island comprise one component of this larger significant district landscape, and as such, reflect and contribute to the significance of the entire district. Although the area contains features dating to before 1930, the large majority of this component landscape was constructed in the 1930s by CCC crews. In its site planning, architectural style, landscape architectural design and small‑scale features, the area explicitly reflects the NPS principles of rustic design and construction. The design of the waterways and swimming holes enhance the natural qualities of the site, while the picnic areas contribute to the areas’ use and enjoyment. Such elements and the ideas behind them exemplify the CCC‑era landscape engineering projects undertaken in Platt National Park and throughout the country. Because of this, this individual landscape contributes to the significance of the overall district and enables 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.

Little Niagara Falls/Travertine Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Series

Collections