Cotton County: Discover Lakes, Nature and History
Accommodation in Cotton County
Cotton County amid Lakes, Nature and Local History
Cotton County offers a range of starting points for a trip: natural areas, lakes, museums, historic buildings and events all stand side by side. If you would like to combine different interests with your family, you can choose between active days outdoors, local history and cultural impressions when planning the focus of your trip. When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home, it helps to first determine the pace of travel you want.
A specific starting point for nature experiences is Sultan Park in Walters. It is located approximately one mile north of Walters and features a waterfall. The walking track in Walters has been equipped with lighting. Reservations can be made at the Walters Swimming Pool for pool parties. This allows nature, exercise and an organised group activity to be considered as separate components of trip planning, without combining them into a single programme.
Waurika WMA and Lakes for Nature Days
The Waurika WMA covers 10,580 acres in Cotton and Stephens Counties. The area includes the floodplains of the main tributaries to Waurika Lake as well as adjacent higher ground. South of Highway 53, there are also 440 acres of wetland units adjoining Big Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Creek and Walker Creek.
The Waurika WMA is used by birdwatchers and hikers. At Waurika Lake, there are campgrounds managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with full RV hookups and boat ramps. Fishing is possible at Dave Boyer Lake.
Walters: Museum and Historic Buildings
Walters combines local history with specific exhibition sites. The Walters Rock Island Depot was built in 1920 and is an excellent example of a brick-and-stucco Rock Island railway depot building. The Cotton County Courthouse in Walters is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the listing was made in 1984. The First United Methodist Church in Walters is also listed there, with a listing from 1983.
At the Cotton County Museum, you can see artefacts from the local community, including a wood-burning cooking stove, typewriters and pianos. For a trip with different age groups, a day at the museum can offer a different perspective on the area than a stay by the lake. This allows accommodation to be selected according to the desired mix of nature, local history and cultural visits, without making a single activity the sole purpose of the trip.
Railway History and Places in the County
The development of the towns is also closely connected with the history of transport and settlement. The Enid and Anadarko Railway built a line from Lawton to Waurika that passed through Walters and Temple. The Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway contributed to the founding of Devol in 1907, when it built tracks through the area. Randlett is the only one of the original towns that is still incorporated.
The name Cotton County derives from the district's predominant crop, cotton. Cotton County was the last county to be established in the state of Oklahoma. In Temple, the Temple History Museum displays artefacts from Temple's history; some of them date back to the Land Run of 1889. The museum also has an exhibition on the B&O Cash Store.
Traditions, Events and Entertainment
The cultural spectrum also includes larger community events. The Walters Round-Up Club Rodeo reached its 63rd edition. At the Comanche Nation Homecoming Powwow, traditional Indigenous dancers perform in full ceremonial dress; there are also food vendors. These events have a different focus from a museum visit or a day in the Waurika WMA and may be significant when planning the timing of a trip.
More than 700 slot machines are available at the Kiowa Casino & Hotel - Red River. The gaming floor covers more than 60,000 square feet. When searching for a holiday apartment in Cotton County, you can therefore decide whether nature, history, water, local traditions or entertainment should be the main focus.
For the overarching travel overview: Oklahoma.
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