The Broken Bow recreation area is one of the most visited parts of Oklahoma. There are 14,000 surface acres of clean water to splash around in. Boating opportunities are awesome. The fishing is terrific: 3,850 trout are released in the Mountain Fork River below Broken Bow Lake every other week. Here is the perfect place to sit quietly and feel the wind blow. Eagles are being seen occasionally here. Beaver's Bend is the kind of 7,200 acre place you turn around and come back to. Click the Pics for larger views.
The
Oklahoma Forest
Heritage Center
of Beavers Bend, Oklahoma
The
Your Vacation World Travel Store
Offers You Special Bargains to Help You Enjoy Every Minute of Your
Trip.
YES! Dealers Are Wanted.
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The Tree Speaks I am the heat of your hearth on cold winter nights; I am the paper that feeds the press, that makes I can be a match stem I am the humblest cabin, I have served you from cradle to grave, I am a gift from God, I AM THE TREE! |
Trees, ah, it is McCurtains for you, at Beavers Bend.
Each year some 60 million cubic feet of lumber is harvested in McCurtain County, home of Beavers Bend Resort Park at Broken Bow Lake. Thanks to the Forest Heritage Center you can gain far greater insight into what that entails. Many of the things I learned I would never have thought of, like how do you get paneling? I imagined a dozen different ways it might possibly be done, but the real way is by spinning the tree trunk around a cutter which peels away ever more layers. Gee. I knew you could get a long rope from a single piece of rawhide by cutting around and around like that, but a tree?
Paulette and Krista are enthusiastic about their work behind the main desk in the Forest Heritage Center, which doubles up as a museum celebrating the value of trees, and as the headquarters for the park. These two ladies will go far out of their way to help you get the most out of your visit. Just as an example of the depth of information available here, did you know that oxen had iron shoes made for them -- just as horses do? Quite frankly I was amazed to learn this, and I've been around kine all my life
Carved works of art (like the beaver above) are scattered throughout the museum, inside and out. Animals, Indian chiefs, bowls, furniture too, and then there are the paintings.
There is so much available that it seems like everyone
with anything at
all to do with wood has something featured here.
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Featured ARTISTS
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Handcrafted furniture, like this
to the right is rugged and strong. Plop down in one of these and you'll
find yourself comfortably ensconced for the interim while the grandkids roam
their hearts out. The walls, even the bathrooms at the Heritage
Center are works of
art.
And then, there is the Gift Shop to explore. Inside are good prices, and great selections. The quality of the flutes really surprised me at the price offered. As my fingers moved lightly over the holes I could just imagine myself back on the reservation hills with the notes trilling through the canyons. Best of all, when I looked up, people nearby had stopped to listen. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the shop had a real hitalli stop in for a whole day to sit wrapt in memories and music we could share?
The
eight foot alligator being investigated here by Caleb Key is exquisitely
carved. Caleb's family drove up all the way from Longview, Texas, to
revisit the Museum. "We come up about twice a year."
There are now two more exquisite carvings in this area.
Myron Paluik comes up to the center on a regular basis from Pecan Gap Texas. Why is Myron so interested in trees? "Well, I haul trees for a living, to landscapers and home owners. Trees fascinate me. Here I learn facts that help me to convey that interest to my customers. For example, did you know the tulip tree can grow 198 feet tall and up to 12 feet in diameter? That is the greatest height of any native broad leaf tree."
198 feet? How many skyscrapers tall is that?
"I don't know,
but it is WAY up there."
Need a tree hauled? Call Myron at 903 399 6726.
How about a tree within a tree? Ever seen that?
This Blackgum grew inside a White Oak. The exhibit has been polished up
and looks beautiful. This is not an isolated event. There is an oak tree and a
pecan tree in Arkansas which has
grown together so intimately that you can't tell one from the other.
One
diorama at the center reveals a huge sample of all the good things provided by
trees, a home for deer, bowls to marvel at, guitars to sing with. I'd
looked at all the dioramas when Mikey, an 8 year old who didn't mind being
helpful, showed me how to flip the switch and LISTEN to a narrator tell me all
about what I was looking at. Thanks Mikey. Someday when you get old
I hope that some young kid shows you how to use the new technology around you
then.
This tree has been around since before the Pilgrims landed. Click the pic
to look at the dates it has seen.
The
47 cabins here are rustic, but snug. Rates start at $58 per night. Some are double deckers big enough to house a family
reunion of the first class. Pets are welcome. Call 580 494 6300 to
make reservations.
Some have fireplaces. Krista explained that firewood used to be provided free of charge. Unfortunately, altogether too many people were loading up all the wood their vehicles would haul off when they left. You know, it must have been some Good Wood.
To make reservations at the lodge, call toll free 1 800 435 5514
There are 56 tent and RV sites at $7 per day with water and comfort station in the area and no reservation necessary.
The little streams in this area are sparkling clear and good for angling.
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Animals of the area Krista told me there were eagles being seen occasionally, down near the restaurant. I didn't see any myself, but it looked like thousands of buzzards circling there. (The last time I was there, not a single buzzard was to be seen, and still no eagles that I could see either.) Cottontail rabbit signs litter the area. I'm told there are still beaver in the area, but saw no evidence of it during my short stays. Other animals to look for are river otter, muskrat, white tail deer, opossum, armadillo, eastern mole, porcupine, raccoon, woodchuck, striped skunk, badger, mink, coyote and bobcat. There is a privately owned wildlife museum at the park, right at the entrance. Come into the great outdoors! See and hear elk bugling on a crisp fall morning. Wolves howling in a snowy arctic scene. Finally see the fish that live in the legendary Fluecy Creek. These and other wildlife dioramas are designed to educate and entertain all age groups. Sid Ingram offers everything you need to enjoy trout fishing at the Beavers Bend Fly Shop.
Although you can find all these on your own, Tony promises the inside track to all these activities when you visit him...
Need a boat? Call Mike Snow at 580 584 5428 and he'll fix you right up. Group lodging is available from Kiamichi Cabins. These are great for family and larger units. I haven't been inside, but the pictures on the web look nice. P.O. Box 10 Want a real taste of what the park systems have to offer here? Call Bill Dennis at 918 445 0630 the end |
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