1. Chapter 2 Section 2 Geographic Regions (and we have a few of them!!!)

2. Geographic Regions • High Plains • Gypsum Hills • Red Bed Plains • Wichita Mountains • Sandstone Hills • Arbuckle Mountains • Prairie Plains • Ozark Plateau • Ouachita Mountains • Red River Plains

4. High Plains • Panhandle and western border; easily noticed from space • Black Mesa (4,973 feet) in Cimarron County was formed by prehistoric volcano eruption in southeastern Colorado • Wildlife: quail, dove, duck, wild turkey, pheasant, deer, elk, antelope, and prairie dog • Lake Optima and Beaver Dunes State Park: great recreational opportunities • Guymon: largest city in the region • Major economic producers: cattle, hogs, farming, ranching, petroleum & natural gas

5. GYPSUM HILLS

6. Gypsum Hills • Kansas border to the far southwestern corner • Left when ancient seas evaporated • Named for the white gypsum buttes • The Gypsum Hills sparkle in the sunlight because of their gypsum content and sometime called Glass Hills

7. Rich soils produce winter wheat, hay, alfalfa, soybeans, & cotton • Cattle: the primary livestock • Oil & natural gas in many areas

8. Springs and caves found in the region – includes: the Alabaster Caverns & the Selman Bat Cave

9. Red Bed Plains

10. Red Bed Plains • State rock: the rose rock found near Noble: formed when barium sulfate combines with quartz sand • Roman Nose State Park: once a Cheyenne campground • Cross Timbers area: blackjack and post oak trees • Fertile soil ideal for growing wheat, hay, peanuts, and cotton – plus grasslands for cattle and horses • Oil and natural gas wells dot the countryside • The Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge: only place in the world one can dig for hourglass selenite crystals • The Great Salt Plains area: a major resting site for thousands of migratory birds

11. Little Sahara State Park: over 1,600 acres of sand dunes ranging from 25 – 75 ft. Red-orange shale and clay soil partly formed from ancient shallow seas; salt deposits left when the seas evaporated Oklahoma City: state’s largest city (532,517)

12. Earthquakes: occur in many parts of Oklahoma

13. Wichita Mountains

14. Wichita Mountains • 500 million years ago mountains began to form from ancient lava flows • Huge granite boulders popular for rock climbing • 59,000-acre Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge set aside from the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Reservation in 1901 • Area around the base of the mountains a mixed grass prairie • Buffalo: reintroduced to the refuge in 1907 • Longhorn cattle, elk, deer, wild turkey, and numerous smaller animals and birds • Meers near Medicine Park: began as a mining camp resulting from stories of gold which brought prospectors

15. Fort Sill (1869): built to stop Indian raids; changed from cavalry to artillery in early 1900s

16. Sandstone Hills

17. Sandstone Hills • The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve: north of Pawhuska in the Flint Hills, one of North America’s former major ecosystems • Sandstone and shale are main rocks • Shale erosion – result: sandstone hills up to 400 feet • Activities include: buffalo graze on tall bluestem, Indian grass, & switchgrass • Ranching, oil, and natural gas: main industries • 1920s: the Osage Indians among the wealthiest people in the country due to the discovery of oil • Greater Seminole Oil Field: 26 pools discovered – ignited growth of many small towns • Coal mining: spurred growth in the McAlester area • Tulsa metropolitan area: part of this region

18. Oilman, Frank Phillips - responsible for Woolaroc Wildlife Preserve and Museum Keystone: one of several lakes in the area

19. Arbuckle Mountains

20. TURNER FALLS Two natural swimming pools & a 77-foot waterfall

21. Arbuckle Mountains • West Timbered Hills: highest point – 1,415 feet southwest of Davis • Range runs east-west • Part of a very old mountain system • Exposed granite in Murray County: 1.4 billion years old • Composed of folded & faulted limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and shale • Diverse mineral resources: limestone, dolomite, glass sand, granite, sand and gravel, shale, iron ore, lead, zinc, tar sands, oil and gas

22. Initial Point Mark: established in 1870 as numbering system for dividing most of the state into townships and sections The Chickasaw NationalRecreationArea: oldest park in Oklahoma

23. Prairie Plains

24. Home to Port of Catoosa: international shipping port and the most inland, ice-free port in the United States Tulsa – state’s 2nd largest city Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks

25. Rich soil: everything from strawberries, spinach, beans, carrots and tomatoes grown Contains many hard sandstone hills and ridges Major coal areas – most is surface mined

26. McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System: covers 445 river miles System navigable channel up the Arkansas River to Muskogee 5 locks and dams in Oklahoma Water is a major feature of region (Arkansas R.) Eufaula: state’s largest lake – plus Lake Oologah

27. Jenks Riverwalk on the Arkansas River

28. Ozark Plateau

29. Ozark Plateau • Part of the Ozark Mountain chain of Missouri and Arkansas • Much of the region heavily wooded: oak, hickory, & elm • Many fruits, berries, and vegetables grown in area • Contains the Boston Mountains and the Cookson Hills • Two main rivers: Illinois & Grand • The Pensacola Dam: created the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees

30. Ouachita Mountains

31. Ouachita Mountains • Region of towering pine and hardwood trees • Some of the roughest land in the state • Ouachita-Ozark: once a part of a mighty mountain range from the Appalachian Highlands to southwest Texas • Rich Mountain: highest peak in the region – 2,666 feet high • East-west ridges in the region: Winding Stair, Jack Fork, Blue Bouncer, & Kiamichi • Once provided safety for Indian people and hideouts for outlaws • Very popular parks in the region: Beavers Bend, Robbers Cave, Spiro Mounds, Heavener Runestone, Talimena, Clayton Lake & Lake Wister • Talimena Drive: especially known for its fall foliage • Grazing lands, small farms, and lumbering important to the region’s economy

32. Red River Plains

33. Red River Plains • Southeastern region: lies along the low elevation of the Red River – rich, sandy soils & a long growing season • Ideal for melons, squash, corn, and pumpkins by early Indians • Red River dams: provide better flood control thus more area available for farming • Eastern part of region: includes cypress swamps & forests • Lakes include: Texoma, Murray, and Hugo • “Great Raft”: 150-mile jam of logs & debris along the Red River in early 1800s • Forts Towson, Washita, & Arbuckle became a center for Choctaw & Chickasaw cotton plantations