Platt National Park Nominated for National Historic Landmark Designation

Date: November 24, 2010
Contact: Lauren Gurniewicz, 580-622-7282

Superintendent Bruce Noble is proud to announce that the Landmarks Committee of the Advisory Board of the National Park Service (NPS) voted unanimously on November 4, 2010 to recommend that the original "Platt National Park" portion of Chickasaw National Recreation Area be designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The NPS Advisory Board will vote on acceptance of the Landmarks Committee recommendation at a meeting in April, 2011. If approved by the Advisory Board, the Secretary of the Interior will be asked to formally approve the NHL designation.

Platt National Park is considered significant because of its landscape, architecture, and preserved environment. The landscape is a tangible example of one of the most intense master planning and conservation programs carried out by the NPS. From 1933-1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps used native stone to construct roads, trails and recreational areas and planted native trees and shrubs to enhance the park. As a result of the workmanship, design, and setting, visitors to Chickasaw National Recreation Area’s Platt Historic District experience the park’s springs, streams, waterfalls, swimming holes, picnic areas, and campgrounds in the tradition of earlier Platt National Park visitors.

"I would like to thank the Sulphur City Council and County Commissioner Billy Frank Lance for supporting this nomination," said Superintendent Noble. "The park staff is also grateful to Chickasaw Telephone and the McCasland Foundation for their financial support of early research on this historical project," he said. Finally, he stated, "the designation, if approved by the Secretary, will not change the way the park is managed and certainly will not change the overall park name of Chickasaw National Recreation Area. I believe that this designation has the potential to draw more attention to the park and help us to attract more visitors to the area."

National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. NHL designation is the highest honor the Secretary of the Interior can bestow on a historic property in the United States. The rarity of this honor is indicated by the fact that only twenty NHL's currently exist in Oklahoma, with fewer than 2,500 historic places holding this designation nationwide. For more information about the National Historic Landmark program, visit www.nps.gov/history/nhl/.