Kiowa County: Lakes, Parks and History

In Kiowa County, lakes and rocky landscapes meet places with very different historical stories. On the east shore of Tom Steed Lake, Great Plains State Park lies in the shadow of the Wichita Mountains; Quartz Mountain State Park stretches along Lake Altus-Lugert. The area also has historic commercial buildings, museums and traces of former schools and parks. For planning your trip, this raises a clear question: should nature and outdoor activities or architecture and history be the main focus?

Lakes, Landscapes and Outdoor Activities

Mountain Park WMA covers 5,000 acres in Kiowa County. Its areas include grassland, farmland, mesquite brush and wetlands. The shoreline of Tom Steed Lake is 31 miles long, and fish such as catfish, crappie and bass can be caught there. The lake is also a landmark for Great Plains State Park, which lies on its east shore.

Great Plains State Park has miles of mountain biking trails and hiking trails across more than 400 acres of parkland. Rock climbing among granite boulder fields is also possible. At Quartz Mountain State Park, the Baldy Point climbing area rises 300 feet above the prairie. A park-operated 18-hole disc golf course adds to the activities on offer. North Shore also has a seasonal ATV area covering approximately 400 acres, with a two-mile trail. It is available from April through October; check operating conditions before visiting.

When choosing a vacation rental, your preferred focus can help you decide: Great Plains State Park offers hiking and mountain biking trails as well as rock climbing, while Quartz Mountain also has disc golf and the seasonal ATV area. Those mainly interested in fishing will find the fish species listed above in Tom Steed Lake. This lets you plan the focus of your days without combining the different activities into a single excursion itinerary.

Trade History and Museums

Downtown Hobart Historic District was important as an economic trading center for Kiowa County. It features examples of commercial architecture from around the turn of the century and later. The Kiowa County Courthouse is part of Downtown Hobart Historical District and is considered Oklahoma’s oldest courthouse still in operation. The historic Rock Island railroad depot houses the Kiowa County Historical Museum. Its exhibits include a room with Native American artifacts, covered wagons and carriages, a Union Pacific caboose, a schoolhouse and quilts.

The General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum offers another perspective. Its 9,500-square-foot exhibition gallery displays items from General Franks’ personal collection; there is also a rotating exhibition on military topics. Private tours are available on request. Check whether they are currently available before visiting.

Traces of Different Eras

The Gold Belle Mine was one of several gold mines in the Wichita Mountains. Located in Great Plains State Park, it was abandoned by 1914. A later chapter in the park’s history is associated with Company 2810 of the Civilian Conservation Corps: its members built Quartz Mountain State Park from 1937 to 1939. The historic “Custer’s Rendezvous” marker is also located in Quartz Mountain State Park.

Near Mountain Park, the site of Camp Radziminski was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. A historic marker for Camp Radziminski stands on US-183, two miles north of Mountain Park. Local topics also include school history: Fairview School House in Roosevelt was a one-room pioneer school built in 1903. Rainy Mountain Boarding School, south of Gotebo, opened on September 5, 1893, and closed in June 1920. These places illustrate different historical chapters without reducing them to a single era.

Theaters and Events

The Shortgrass Playhouse building in Hobart dates to 1912 and formerly served as a city hall, funeral home and fire station. The theater stages three community theater productions each year; schedules may change. The SBC Great Plains Amphitheater hosts poetry readings, ceremonies and certain performances, though its program may also vary.

The Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain is an annual series of four-day weekend workshops for educators and artists of all experience levels. If an event is important to your trip planning, check the specific dates.

Discover more destinations: Lone Wolf, Wagoner County, Jefferson County, Dewey, Bryan County, Sequoyah County, Cimarron County, Pottawatomie County.

For the broader travel overview: Oklahoma.