Buffalo Pasture/Prairie Uplands: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

Hohmann, Heidi; Grala, Katarzyna; Curran, Michele

The 392‑acre Buffalo Pasture and Prairie Uplands landscape is located in the central portion of the Platt Historic District, in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County Oklahoma. Though not a high visitor use area, the landscape exudes a special character and provides different experiences for park users. The landscape consists of upland prairie habitat dominated by short‑lobed oak and prairie plants. The Buffalo Pasture comprises about 90 acres in the northwestern part of the area and the Prairie Uplands comprise the rest. In general, the area is primarily a natural landscape, with few visitor facilities. The Superintendent’s House is one of the few structures located in the landscape. The Buffalo Pasture is used as pasture for the District’s herd of 6 bison, and is fenced. Visitors may view the Buffalo from a parking area and overlook or from the trail which runs along the pasture fence. The Buffalo Pasture and Prairie Upland landscape 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. The Buffalo Pasture and Prairie Upland area comprises one component of this larger significant district landscape. The area is a large, natural setting which provided a backdrop for the rest of the rustic style elements designed throughout the park. The area was designed as a space for park facilities not oriented to camping, water enjoyment or high visitor usage. However, the area is still important as a repository of early park history, as exemplified by the buffalo herd, which have been a feature in the park since 1920. The area also contains a number of features present during and constructed during the park’s period of significance, including the Superintendent’s residence. As a result, the Buffalo Pasture and Prairie Upland area should be considered to contribute to the significance of the overall district and enable the district to convey its significance. This component landscape also exists in a predominantly intact state, and should be considered to contribute to the integrity of the overall district.

Buffalo Pasture/Prairie Uplands: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Chickasaw National Recreation Area - Travertine District, National Park Service

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