Chapter 2
Section 2
Geographic Regions
(and we have a few of them!!!)
Geographic Regions
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High Plains
Gypsum Hills
Red Bed Plains
Wichita Mountains
Sandstone Hills
Arbuckle Mountains
Prairie Plains
Ozark Plateau
Ouachita Mountains
Red River Plains
High Plains
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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
Gypsum Hills
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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
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Rich soils produce winter wheat, hay, alfalfa,
soybeans, & cotton
Cattle: the primary livestock
Oil & natural gas in many areas
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Springs and caves found in the region –
includes: the Alabaster Caverns & the Selman
Bat Cave
Red Bed Plains
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State rock: the rose rock found near Noble: formed when barium sulfate
combines with quartz sand
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Roman Nose State Park: once a Cheyenne campground
Cross Timbers area: blackjack and post oak trees
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Fertile soil ideal for growing wheat, hay, peanuts, and cotton – plus
grasslands for cattle and horses
Oil and natural gas wells dot the countryside
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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
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)
Earthquakes: occur in many parts of
Oklahoma
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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
Fort Sill (1869): built to stop Indian raids; changed from
cavalry to artillery in early 1900s
Sandstone Hills
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The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve: north of Pawhuska in
the Flint Hills, one of North America’s former major
ecosystems
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Sandstone and shale are main rocks
Shale erosion – result: sandstone hills up to 400 feet
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Activities include: buffalo graze on tall bluestem,
Indian grass, & switchgrass
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Ranching, oil, and natural gas: main industries
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1920s: the Osage Indians among the wealthiest
people in the country due to the discovery of oil
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Greater Seminole Oil Field: 26 pools discovered –
ignited growth of many small towns
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Coal mining: spurred growth in the McAlester area
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Tulsa metropolitan area: part of this region
Oilman, Frank Phillips - responsible for
Woolaroc Wildlife Preserve and
Museum
Keystone: one of several lakes in the area
Two natural swimming pools & a 77-foot
waterfall
Arbuckle Mountains
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West Timbered Hills: highest point – 1,415 feet southwest of
Davis
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Range runs east-west
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Part of a very old mountain system
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Exposed granite in Murray County: 1.4 billion years old
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Composed of folded & faulted limestone, dolomite, sandstone,
and shale
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Diverse mineral resources: limestone, dolomite, glass sand,
granite, sand and gravel, shale, iron ore, lead, zinc, tar sands, oil
and gas
Initial Point Mark: established in 1870 as
numbering system for dividing most
of the state into townships and
sections
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area:
oldest park in Oklahoma
Tulsa – state’s 2nd largest city
Home to Port of Catoosa: international
shipping port and the most inland,
ice-free port in the United States
Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks
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
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
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Jenks Riverwalk on the Arkansas River
Ozark Plateau
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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
Ouachita Mountains
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Region of towering pine and hardwood trees
Some of the roughest land in the state
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Ouachita-Ozark: once a part of a mighty mountain
range from the Appalachian Highlands to
southwest Texas
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Rich Mountain: highest peak in the region – 2,666
feet high
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East-west ridges in the region: Winding Stair, Jack
Fork, Blue Bouncer, & Kiamichi
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Once provided safety for Indian people and
hideouts for outlaws
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Very popular parks in the region: Beavers Bend,
Robbers Cave, Spiro Mounds, Heavener
Runestone, Talimena, Clayton Lake & Lake Wister
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Talimena Drive: especially known for its fall foliage
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Grazing lands, small farms, and lumbering
important to the region’s economy
Red River Plains
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Southeastern region: lies along the low
elevation of the Red River – rich, sandy soils &
a long growing season
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Ideal for melons, squash, corn, and pumpkins
by early Indians
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Red River dams: provide better flood control
thus more area available for farming
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Eastern part of region: includes cypress
swamps & forests
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Lakes include: Texoma, Murray, and Hugo
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“Great Raft”: 150-mile jam of logs & debris
along the Red River in early 1800s
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Forts Towson, Washita, & Arbuckle became a
center for Choctaw & Chickasaw cotton
plantations