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
Springs and caves found in the region – includes: the Alabaster
Caverns & the Selman Bat Cave
Rich soils produce winter wheat, hay, alfalfa, soybeans, & cotton
Cattle: the primary livestock
Oil & natural gas in many areas
Red Bed Plains
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Red-orange shale and clay soil partly formed from ancient shallow seas;
salt deposits left when the seas evaporated
State rock: the rose rock found near Noble: formed when barium sulfate
combines with quartz sand
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
Roman Nose State Park: once a Cheyenne campground
Little Sahara State Park: over 1,600 acres of sand dunes ranging from 25
– 75 ft.
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
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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Keystone: one of several lakes in the area
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Oilman, Frank Phillips - responsible for Woolaroc
Wildlife Preserve and Museum
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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
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
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Initial Point Mark: established in 1870 as numbering system for
dividing most of the state into townships and sections
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The Chickasaw National Recreation Area: oldest park in
Oklahoma
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Turner Falls Park: two natural swimming pools & a 77-foot
waterfall
Prairie Plains
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Contains many hard sandstone hills and ridges
Rich soil: everything from strawberries to tomatoes grown
Water is a major feature of region (Arkansas R.)
Eufaula: state’s largest lake – plus Lake Oologah
Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks
Home to Port of Catoosa: international shipping port and the most inland,
ice-free port in the United States
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
Tulsa – state’s 2nd largest city
Major coal areas – most is surface mined
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