Beavers Bend Resort Park
Encyclopedia
Beavers Bend State Park is a popular Oklahoma
state park located in McCurtain County
, approximately seven miles north of Broken Bow
.
watches are available from November through February. Trout
fishing, fly fishing
clinics, guided horseback rides, and hayrides throughout the park are other activities offered at Beavers Bend.
A year-round naturalist and a well-stocked nature center make possible a program lineup that includes campfire programs on the banks of the Mountain Fork River, nature hikes, arts and crafts classes, water sports, bingo, sunset hikes, nature films, and astronomy outings. 14,000 acre (57 km²) Broken Bow Lake
is also a favorite of scuba
divers. Other park diversions include golf
ing, miniature golf
, archery
, tennis
, jet skiing, bumper boat rides, boating, and canoeing.
The David L. Boren
Trail offers 16 miles (26 km) of hiking trails with 4 miles (6 km) of multi-purpose trails that wander along ridge tops, over creek bottoms, through tall stands of timber, and into areas so remote one can almost experience what early-day explorers must have felt upon seeing the Ouachita National Forest
for the first time. The same trail can also be divided into a variety of short and long hikes for those not wishing to make the entire trek.
The Center is also home to 14 dioramas (painted by Harry Rossoll of Atlanta, Georgia
, the artist who created Smokey Bear
) that cover prehistoric forests, Caddo Indians
, Papermaking
in the South, 1940s lumbering, and forest appreciation. Each diorama is accompanied by a taped narration. In June 2003 an eight-foot-tall bronze
sculpture was unveiled, honoring the memory of Jim Burnett and all people who risk their lives fighting wildland fires each year. Burnett was the first forest firefighter from Oklahoma to lose his life in the line of duty and one of the many firefighters dispatched by the state of Oklahoma to battle an outbreak of wildfires in Wyoming
during the summer of 2000. Burnett lost his life on August 11, 2000 fighting the Kate's Basin Fire
near Thermopolis, Wyoming
.
Each year some 60 Mcuft of lumber is harvested in McCurtain County. The forest industry is the area's largest business concern, and great care is taken to ensure the prolonged health of local pine
and hardwood
forests.
meanders sharply, making an almost 180-degree turn. This area is commonly known as the River Bend, and is a popular area for trout fishing, canoe rentals, and swimming. Also in the River Bend area is the Broken Bow Hydroelectric Plant, which generates energy from the waters of Broken Bow Lake.
The local rock formations are some of the most distinctive in the state of Oklahoma. Just north of Broken Bow, sedimentary rock
has been thrust upward due to an ancient collision of the North American
and South American Plate
s, forming what is now the Ouachita Mountains
. Evidence of what is called the Ouachita orogeny
can be seen all over the park, where some layers of rock can be seen tilted up at angles of about sixty-degrees. These geologic features can be easily viewed around Broken Bow Lake and Mountain Fork River, where erosion
has left much of the rock exposed. The unique geology of the area inspires frequent fieldtrips from geology students from institutions of higher learning such as Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma
, and the University of Texas
.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
state park located in McCurtain County
McCurtain County, Oklahoma
McCurtain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat is Idabel.-Geography:...
, approximately seven miles north of Broken Bow
Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Broken Bow is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,230 at the 2000 census. It is named after Broken Bow, Nebraska, the former hometown of the city's founders, the Dierks brothers.-History:...
.
Attractions
Beavers Bend State Park offers a variety of individual and group activities. EagleEagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
watches are available from November through February. Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing, fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
clinics, guided horseback rides, and hayrides throughout the park are other activities offered at Beavers Bend.
A year-round naturalist and a well-stocked nature center make possible a program lineup that includes campfire programs on the banks of the Mountain Fork River, nature hikes, arts and crafts classes, water sports, bingo, sunset hikes, nature films, and astronomy outings. 14,000 acre (57 km²) Broken Bow Lake
Broken Bow Lake
Broken Bow Lake is a reservoir in southeast Oklahoma, located on Mountain Fork River and north of the town of Broken Bow. It is one of the largest lakes within the state of Oklahoma, and a popular tourist destination for locals and visitors from neighboring Texas.The lake stretches...
is also a favorite of scuba
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
divers. Other park diversions include golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ing, miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, jet skiing, bumper boat rides, boating, and canoeing.
The David L. Boren
David L. Boren
David Lyle Boren is an academic leader and American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Democrat, he served as the 21st Governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1994. He is currently president of the University of Oklahoma. He was the longest serving...
Trail offers 16 miles (26 km) of hiking trails with 4 miles (6 km) of multi-purpose trails that wander along ridge tops, over creek bottoms, through tall stands of timber, and into areas so remote one can almost experience what early-day explorers must have felt upon seeing the Ouachita National Forest
Ouachita National Forest
The Ouachita National Forest is a National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of eastern Oklahoma.-History:The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The Forest encompasses , including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains...
for the first time. The same trail can also be divided into a variety of short and long hikes for those not wishing to make the entire trek.
Forest Heritage Center
Visitors to the Forest Heritage Center's museum will find historical documents, antique forestry tools, wood art, homestead memorabilia, and a research library filled with books, periodicals, and other materials pertaining to forestry, the primary industry of the area.The Center is also home to 14 dioramas (painted by Harry Rossoll of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, the artist who created Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires. An advertising campaign featuring Smokey was created in 1944 with the slogan, "Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires". Smokey Bear's later slogan,...
) that cover prehistoric forests, Caddo Indians
Caddo
The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
, Papermaking
Papermaking
Papermaking is the process of making paper, a substance which is used universally today for writing and packaging.In papermaking a dilute suspension of fibres in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibres by...
in the South, 1940s lumbering, and forest appreciation. Each diorama is accompanied by a taped narration. In June 2003 an eight-foot-tall bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
sculpture was unveiled, honoring the memory of Jim Burnett and all people who risk their lives fighting wildland fires each year. Burnett was the first forest firefighter from Oklahoma to lose his life in the line of duty and one of the many firefighters dispatched by the state of Oklahoma to battle an outbreak of wildfires in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
during the summer of 2000. Burnett lost his life on August 11, 2000 fighting the Kate's Basin Fire
Kate's Basin Fire
The Kate's Basin Fire is a wildfire complex which began burning southwest of Thermopolis and north of Riverton in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. The fire complex started as the Kate's Basin and Blondie #2 fires on August 7, 2000 and by August 18, it had burned over...
near Thermopolis, Wyoming
Thermopolis, Wyoming
Thermopolis is the largest town in, and the county seat of Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,172....
.
Each year some 60 Mcuft of lumber is harvested in McCurtain County. The forest industry is the area's largest business concern, and great care is taken to ensure the prolonged health of local pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
forests.
Geology
Built on the site of an old Choctaw settlement, Beavers Bend State Park was named after John T. Beavers, a Choctaw intermarried citizen. The "bend" in the park's name refers to an area of the park where a portion of Mountain Fork RiverMountain Fork
Mountain Fork, also known as the Mountain Fork of the Little River, is a tributary of the Little River in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma in the United States...
meanders sharply, making an almost 180-degree turn. This area is commonly known as the River Bend, and is a popular area for trout fishing, canoe rentals, and swimming. Also in the River Bend area is the Broken Bow Hydroelectric Plant, which generates energy from the waters of Broken Bow Lake.
The local rock formations are some of the most distinctive in the state of Oklahoma. Just north of Broken Bow, sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
has been thrust upward due to an ancient collision of the North American
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
and South American Plate
South American Plate
The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....
s, forming what is now the Ouachita Mountains
Ouachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The range's subterranean roots may extend as far as central Texas, or beyond it to the current location of the Marathon Uplift. Along with the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains form the U.S...
. Evidence of what is called the Ouachita orogeny
Orogeny
Orogeny refers to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. Response to such engagement results in the formation of long tracts of highly deformed rock called orogens or orogenic belts...
can be seen all over the park, where some layers of rock can be seen tilted up at angles of about sixty-degrees. These geologic features can be easily viewed around Broken Bow Lake and Mountain Fork River, where erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
has left much of the rock exposed. The unique geology of the area inspires frequent fieldtrips from geology students from institutions of higher learning such as Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
External links
- Forest Heritage Center info and photos on TravelOK.com - Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma
- Beavers Bend State Park
- Broken Bow Lake
- Beavers Bend Fly Shop
- Beaver's Bend Fly Fishing Site
- Beavers Bend Lodging - Luxury Rental Cabins
- Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow Lake - Recreational and lodging information guide, including information on fishing, hiking and water sports.