Antelope and Buffalo Springs: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Katarzyna; Curran, Michele

Antelope and Buffalo Springs (and Nature Center) is a historic designed landscape, located on the far eastern portion of the Platt Historic District in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, in Murray County, Oklahoma. The Antelope and Buffalo Springs landscape is to the east of Travertine Island and Little Niagara Falls. The area is comprised of approximately 142 acres of wooded habitat. Located within the area are Buffalo and Antelope Springs, the two springs which are the source of Travertine Creek. Travertine Creek, lined with rock outcroppings, flows through the area from east to west. Built elements within the area include the Nature Center and its parking area as well as the extant designed elements of Buffalo Spring. Once the site of one of the park’s major picnic areas, the landscape today is designated an “Environmental Study Area,” a designation conveyed in 1969. The area is therefore primarily used for passive recreation such as hiking, walking, and nature study. A series of signs interpreting vegetation, for example, line the area’s trail. Remnants of the former picnic area exist to the east of Buffalo Springs, and the park’s perimeter road, which once ringed the landscape, has been converted to a trail. Today the realigned perimeter road skirts the western edge of the component landscape at the Nature Center, providing vehicular access. As a whole, the landscape retains integrity and is in fair condition. The period of significance for Antelope and Buffalo Springs is 1933‑1940. It 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. Antelope and Buffalo Springs and the Nature Center 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 elements dating to before 1930, the large majority of this landscape was constructed in the 1930s by CCC crews. In its site planning, architectural style, landscape architectural design and small‑scale features, the Buffalo Springs seat walls and comfort station in particular area explicitly reflect the NPS principles of rustic design and construction. The design of the original perimeter road and its associated bridges, the area’s water crossings, signage and stone steps are all excellent examples of the CCC‑era landscape engineering projects undertaken in Platt National Park and throughout the country. Because of these elements, this landscape contributes to the significance of the overall district and enables the district to convey its significance. In addition, the landscape exists in a predominantly intact state, it contributes to the integrity of the overall district. Finally, the Nature Center is a Mission 66‑era structure. The development of this structure and indeed, the entire creation of the Nature Center and its surrounds in the 1960s could be considered significant for its association with Mission 66, a nationwide National Park Service effort to modernize its facilities.

Antelope and Buffalo Springs: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

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