A close reading of books covering the history of the National Park System will uncover the conspicuous absence of Platt National Park. Often overlooked, the history and legacy of Platt National Park provide powerful lessons regarding the evolution of the American system of National Parks.

On this page are resources that fill in the fascinating story of Platt National Park.

A History of Platt National Park (4.82MB pdf file)
Written by park superintendent Perry Brown in 1954, and slightly revised two years later for the park's fiftieth anniversary, this document provides a look at how the park's story was being told at a time when the founding generation of the park was passing and visitor use was undergoing dramatic shifts.

Know Your Service: "Platt National Park" (115KB PDF file)
Part of a series of informational circulars intended to inform National Park Service employees of agency history and activities, this file includes the cover letter and a one page summary covering Platt National Park. This document includes an "Indian legend" about the park that is generally considered to be false.

For Further Reading:

• Barker, Ballard and William Jameson. Platt National Park: Environment and Ecology. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1975.
• Brown, Opal Hartsell. City of Many Facets. Oklahoma City: Western Heritage Books, 1981.
• Boeger, Palmer. Oklahoma Oasis: from Platt National Park to Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Muskogee, Okla.: Western Heritage Books, 1987.
• Henderson, J. Neil. Spa in the Dust Bowl: Oklahoma’s Hidden Paradise in The Culture of Oklahoma. Howard F. Stein and Robert F. Hill, Editors. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.
• Hohmann, Heidi and Katarzyna Grala. Cultural Landscape Report for the Platt Historic District. Iowa State University:
  National Park Service, 2004.
• Littleheart, Oleta (A. Abbott). The Lure of Indian Country and A Romance of its Resort. Sulphur, OK: A. Abbott, 1908.
• Mackintosh, Barry. The National Parks: Shaping the System. Washington, D.C.: Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service, U.S. Deptartment of the Interior, 2005.
• McChristian, Douglas. The Great Health Giving Mecca and Summer Resort: Platt National Park, The Early Years. Santa Fe Support Office: National Park Service, 2003.
• Wray, Jacilee and Alexa Roberts. An Ethnohistory of the Relationship between the Community of Sulphur, Oklahoma and Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Chickasaw National Recreation Area: National Park Service, 2004.  
• Wray, Jacilee and Alexa Roberts. In Praise of Platt—Or, What is a 'Real' National Park? George Wright Forum, 15:1 (1998), pages 68-78.