Medicine Park, Oklahoma

Medicine Park was founded on July 4, 1908, by Elmer Thomas, a young lawyer who had just become a member of the Oklahoma State Senate and would end his career in 1951 as a U.S. senator. In the spring of 1906, five years after the establishment of the Wichita Mountains National Forest, Elmer Thomas envisioned the need not only for a recreational area but for a permanent water source for the newly founded nearby city of Lawton. When the resort first opened, it consisted merely of a large surplus Army tent with a wooden floor where hot meals were served. Two dams were constructed on Medicine Creek to form Bath Lake Swimming Hole, and a limited number of campsites were constructed. Tourists came to Medicine Park from around Oklahoma and North Texas. Soon, there were two inns—the Outside Inn and the Apache Inn. Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys became regulars at the Dance Hall from 1929 through the late 1930s. Soon numerous other famous bands of the day made their way through Medicine Park en route to big city venues in Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Fort Worth. The nearby Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Lake Lawtonka attracted thousands of people each weekend and throughout the seasons. Medicine Park became the “playground” for the state's rich, famous and notorious. Outlaws and horse thieves mixed with noted politicians and businessmen, soldiers and officers from Fort Sill, families, and socialites in the new cobblestone community. The pages of the town's colorful history are filled with such figures as Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Frank Phillips, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Colonel Jack Abernathy, Les Brown, Roy Rogers, and Dale Evans. located near Medicine Park Music Hall entrance An Oklahoma television station reported on June 13, 2018, that Expedia had named Medicine Park as "the fifth prettiest town in the U.S." The Lake Lawtonka Trails, including around Medicine Park, were rated by one mountain bike enthusiast site as the No. 1 best mountain bike trail area in Oklahoma, out of sixty-two contenders. ==People of interest==

Elmer Thomas, the founder of Medicine Park, served in the Oklahoma State Senate from 1907 to 1920, was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1923 to 1927 and a United States senator from 1927 until 1951. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.89%) is water. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Medicine Park had a population of 411. The median age was 52.8 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.7 males age 18 and over. There were 210 households in Medicine Park, of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.7% were married-couple households, 23.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 289 housing units, of which 27.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 19.4%. 2010 census According to the census of 2010, the town had 382 people living in 191 households and 112 families. The population density was . There were 306 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.2% White, 0.8% African American, 3.7% Native American, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.0% of the population. Of the 191 households, 16.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. Of all households 35.6% were composed of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.58. In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 39.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105 males. 2000 census According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $26,607, and the median income for a family was $33,929. Males had a median income of $22,321 versus $18,854 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,236. About 19.6% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over. ==Historic structures==

The following are NRHP-listed places in and around Medicine Park: • The Medicine Park Hotel and Annex, on E. Lake Drive. • Holy City of the Wichitas Historic District, in the vicinity of Medicine Park at 262 Holy City Road. This is the site of the longest running passion play in North America (1926), with permanent sets built with native granite at the west end of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. ==Utilities==

• Medicine Park Telephone Company provides service, including DSL, to the town and the surrounding area. • Telephone, Internet, and Digital TV Services is provided by Hilliary Communications. ==Education==

The community is divided between two school districts: partially in Elgin Public Schools, and partially in Lawton Public Schools. Zoned schools for residents of the Lawton school district are Pioneer Park Elementary School, MacArthur Middle School, and MacArthur High School. The Elgin district's comprehensive high school is Elgin High School. The Oklahoma Department of Education closed the Medicine Park School District in 1990 and split it between the Elgin and Lawton school districts. ==Gallery==