Park Regulations - 1908

Platt National Park
Regulations of June 10, 1908.

Pursuant to the authority conferred by the acts of Congress approved July 1, 1902 (32 Stat., 656) April 21, 1904 (33 Stat., 220) and the Oklahoma statehood act of June 16,1906 (34 Stat., 272), the following rules and regulations for the government of the Platt National Park (formerly Sulphur Springs Reservation), in Oklahoma, are hereby established and made public :

1. It is forbidden to injure in any manner any of the springs, mineral deposits, or natural features within the park.
2. It is forbidden to cut or injure any timber or plants growing on the park lands, or to deface or injure any Government property.
3. No camping shall be permitted within 1,000 feet of any spring, nor upon any land except such as may be specifically designed for that purpose by the superintendent. Fires shall not be lighted except by the express permission of the superintendent; when so allowed, campers shall use only dead or fallen timber for fuel, and the utmost care must be exercised at all times to avoid setting fire to the timber and grass.
4. It is forbidden for any person to deposit garbage or refuse upon the park lands, except at places designated for that purpose by the superintendent, or to contaminate any of the springs or streams therein, or to divert or conduct the waters of such springs or streams from the natural or regular course.
5. No person shall remove from any of the bromide, iron, or soda springs more than 1 gallon of water in any one day, nor remove from any of the other springs more than 5 gallons in any one day, nor shall any water be taken therefrom for commercial purposes, except in pursuance of a license issued by the Secretary of the Interior. Whenever in his judgment the circumstances warrant, the superintendent may prohibit the use of the waters of any of the springs in the park other than for immediate drinking purposes at such springs, the facts in such case to be reported to the Secretary of the Interior.
6. Hunting or killing, wounding or capturing any bird or wild animal on the park lands, except dangerous animals when necessary to prevent them from destroying life or inflicting an injury, is prohibited. The outfits, including guns, traps, teams, horses, or means of transportation used by persons engaged in hunting, killing, trapping, ensnaring, or capturing such birds or wild animals, or in possession of game killed on the park lands under other circumstances than prescribed above, will be taken up by the superintendent and held subject to the order of the Secretary of the Interior, except in cases where it is shown by satisfactory evidence that the outfit is not the property of the person or persons violating this regulation and the actual owner thereof was not a party to such violation. Firearms will only be permitted in the park on written permission from the superintendent thereof.
7. Fishing with nets, seines, traps, or by the use of drugs or explosives, or in any other way than with hook and line, is prohibited. Fishing for purposes of merchandise or profit is forbidden. Fishing may be prohibited by order of the superintendent in any of the waters of the park, or limited therein to any specified season of the year, until otherwise ordered by the Secretary of the Interior.
8. 8. No person will be permitted to reside permanently, engage in any business, or erect buildings or other improvements in the park, without permission, in writing, from the Secretary of the Interior.
9. The herding, grazing, or otherwise trespassing of cattle or loose stock of any kind within the park is strictly forbidden. Stock or cattle may be driven across the park, but must be confined to the roads and kept in motion under competent care while in the reservation.
10. No vehicles will be permitted to travel through the park except upon the roads designated for such traffic by the superintendent, and driving or riding over roads or bridges at a high rate of speed is prohibited.
11. Private notices or advertisements shall not be posted or displayed within the park, except such as may be necessary for the convenience and guidance of the public.
12. The sale of intoxicating liquors in the park is strictly forbidden.
13. No gambling or game of chance shall be permitted within the limits of the park; nor shall any person use profane or obscene language, commit or maintain a nuisance, or be guilty of disorderly conduct or any act involving immorality therein.
14. Persons who render themselves obnoxious by disorderly conduct or bad behavior, or who violate any of the foregoing rules, will be summarily removed from the park and will not be allowed to return without permission, in writing, from the Secretary of the Interior or the superintendent of the park.
    No lessee or licensee shall retain in his employ any person whose presence in the park shall be deemed and declared by the superintendent to be subversive of the good order and management of the reservation.
15. Any person who violates any of the foregoing regulations will be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and be subjected to fine, as provided by the act of April 21, 1904, of not less than $5 nor more than $100, and may be imprisoned for a term of not more than six months for each offense.