Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma

Leaving Arkansas behind, we arrived in Oklahoma mid afternoon. Our destination was Lake Eufaula just south of Muskogee. We had decided on the State Park there as it appeared to be one of the nicest in the area. There isn't much around the town of Eufaula except the lake. Water levels were up and we enjoyed the area. The lake is located on the Canadian River just upstream from it's confluence with the Arkansas River which we had just left behind. Eufaula Lake is the largest capacity lake in the State of Oklahoma, having over 600 miles of shoreline. It is a well known tournament lake yielding many species of fish, including the largemouth and smallmouth bass, the Kentucky Bass, sandbass and many others. Of note, is the mystery of Standing Rock...a huge sandstone rock resembling a tomahawk. Many believe this rock, noted in early exploration notes by Coronado and his explorers. Legend has it that Spanish explorers and other buried treasure near this landmark due to it's unique formation and size. Estimates are that the rock was over 65 feet tall. Unfortunately, with the building of the dam and creation of Eufaula Lake, this monument is now 25' under the lake. Only in periods of drought can the tip of the tomahawk shaped rock be seen.

 

Welcome to Oklahoma, the name being a combination of Choctaw words 'Okla' and 'Humma" meaning "red people". It is also known as the 'Sooner' state from the early settlers who arrived and homesteaded prior to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889,

Oklahoma State University now boasts and has laid claim to being the Sooners.

Heading west, we found the roads to be an upgrade from the highways of Arkansas. We didn't encounter a lot of traffic and the weather was beautiful.

As we continued west we left the forested areas of Arkansas and found mile after mile of farmland.

We decided to skip the turnpike and continue on the secondary roads. Although they were smaller in size, they were excellent roads and offered more and IMHO, better scenery.

More farmland. These fields appeared to be planted with hay and milo, a sorghum grain. While it's native to Africa, its' drought resistance makes it perfect to grow in Oklahoma. The State is ranked number three in the nation for milo production. It is primarily used as cattle feed.

Just west of Checotah, Oklahoma is the connection to US 266 and the town of Lotawatah. No, this is not another Indian word. Originally it was known as Nowatah. After the 'New Deal' programs of the Great Depression era built the nearby dam, with the creation of Lake Eufaula, the name was changed to reflect the new landscape.

We passed over Lake Eufaula and soon turned off to the State Park.

Being early fall, the leaves on the trees had begun to change and the road to the park was beautiful.

Originally known as Fountainhead State Park, the name was changed to Lake Eufaula in 2002. Besides camping and boating, the State park also includes a 18 hole golf course, putting green and pro shop.

Debi seems lost in this big beautiful park. There were only a handful of rigs here. 

We picked out the choicest site in the park. A large pull through with full hook ups and 50amp service.

Since it was fall, it took me quite awhile to rake and clean up all the leaves and pine needles from our site. Once piled up, I contacted one of the rangers who arranged to have them picked up.

Fishing is great at Lake Eufaula, but this guy is fake!