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ThU U • vlow of on* locffort of ono of Oklahoma's nowost takot. Namo of th* lako It Nanih Walya, It it noar th*lita of th* first Choctaw capitol, four and a half milat norfhaatt of Clayton, whgr* tha first tribal constitutionwa« written in 1034.By R.G.M.The Smoking RoomIt’s Pretty All Year■*Pickups and observations during a three-day expedition in the autumn foliage area of east* ern Oklahoma. And, incidentally, the foliage show was barely worth going to see, except in isolated spots of colorful splendor,* o oThe trip covered areas around Wilburton,Wider, Hcavener, Talihina, Clayton, Nashoba, Antlers and Broken Bow, returning by way of Idabel, Hugo, Durant and the Lake Texoma lodge. And a good time was had by alt. That country is plenty scenic any month of the year whether foliage is multicolor and flowers are in bloom or not,o * *Persimmon trees are loaded down withluscious fruit. Tho muscadines are all gone, but winter huckleberries are ripening. Hick* ory nuts are falling now. The hills have a larger population of fox than ever. And bo careful as you drive the mountain trails or you might hit a 10-point buck.* * oOvernight in the lodge operated the last few years by Mr. and Mrs. Glen Hambay near Clayton. The place has 25 beds and all beds were filled. The sirloin steak dinner was as good as any you can get in Oklahoma Cityor New York. The fireplace in the visitingroom uses two truckloads of firewood each week. A choice place in the woods and hills to rock and rest. At bedtime the hostessserved hot chocolate, as per custom. The Ilam-bay place is near the Kiamichi river and beautiful Clayton lake, and in season float trips down Kiamichi or Little rivers are conducted.* * *W# got wind of onothor cave that need* to bo oxplorod in tho Kiamichi country. Tho cavo ha* no namo but is noar Uphilly croek |u*t south of tho big mountain. It has boon oxplorod for^a quartor-mil# by boy* in th* hills, but thara's no tolling how many mile* back it goo*.* * oWharton Mathies and DeWitt Lance in Clayton took us for a ride in the scenic region. Chief interest was centered in a new lake, named Nanih Waiya, a 120-acrc body of clear water between the Potato hills and the Kiamichi mountain, and already stocked with black bass and channel catfish. No fishing allowed yet, but we have a dale to help christen it when ready. This lake is near the site of the first Choctaw capitol established in the 1830s.* * *We also were taken into the new 16,000-acrestate-federal game preserve in Push county. It's a showplace of woodsy and hilly scenery. The deer crop is good this season and the area is alive with squirrels, coons—and some wolves. Enough sawlog timber is being sold off this preserve to pay for itself.At tho hilltop homo of th* prosorvo supor-intondont, Hoyt Smith, w* noticod a flock of guineas and askad why thay wort kopt. Just to sound alarms, that's all. Recently tha guintas wort haard making a lot of nois* whore children play. Smith dashad out and found a rattlesnake, which ha killed. That's reason onough for keeping th* guineas.* * ♦In some sections of the mountainous area in three or four counties the beavers are coming back strong. They are cutting down saplings along the creek banks and building dams. Pulpwood is being cut and sold by the carload in all parts of southeastern Oklahoma; lots of poles and posts, too. There is a fine cropof pine seed this season and you can see multiplied thousands of tiny seedling trees beginning to grow.0 0*Lots of persimmon wood is being harvested; it makes the finest wedges in sawing down sawlogs. Along about sundown you're almostcertain to see bucks and docs grazing on the§•meadows in the woods.Farther southeast w* noticed that tha naw highway, eventually to be U. S. 59, is black-topped from Broken Bow to th* old Hairpin curve and is under contract as far north as Cartar mountain. This is rtally going to bo a scenic drive in the next few years, all the way north to Heavoner and Potaau.oo*The eastern hills and mountains arc attracting more and more visitors every year. It is not uncommon to count a hundred cars full of sightseers from 25 counties and three other states almost any bright day. When more roads are built to make the mountain area more easily accessible it surely will become a great center for gatherings, picnics and hikes, as well as fishing In the streams. We were not told of any vacation lodges in the planning stages, but surely somebody from somewhere will trump this natural.oo*In Broken Bow w* found th* biscuits at th* Hous* of Wrights as fluffy and tasty as avtry, and tha town widt-awako to opportunities boing opcnod up by now roads andproposed now water rasarvalrs on tho Mountain Fork and other streams. In Idabal w* had enlightening chats with John Craig and Bill Loftin.o * *At Lake Texoma lodge we nailed down a reservation for a caravan of 135 tourists for late next spring, and on leaving the lodge Virgie White, the waitress, and Jack Blalock, the chef, twisted our arm to make us take home a generous package of Texoma fish, and that may add to our reputation as amoocher. Our missuss also gathered someflowers, preserves and jelly along the way._ j|_________x.....- - ~ ------ ' ‘ ~ ' —sunns'sum on mmrnmtimufm n ......—■—mm i i m — — ■■ — ii— ........ ■ ■ ■*■» ■ ■■■»— wm m i ■ -—•■»lt; »▼ u c n a I I V nifl AMHUAM I KID AY KinVPURPB I k tOCfl *
Newspaper Details
Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US
Sun, Nov 16, 1958
Page 184
Full Page
Clipped by
Chris N.
USA 17 Jan 2019
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