Address:3236 OK-8A, Watonga, OK 73772County:Blaine
Start:1935Completed:1942
Agencies:CCCNRHP:No

Current Usage:

State Park

Description:

As the service desk worker stated when I visited the Lodge “This is my oasis in this desert”, Roman Nose State park is an Oasis within the western park of Oklahoma. As a part of the original eight state parks developed by the Oklahoma Planning Board in the 1930s most of the developed area of 540 acres. Most of the trails and dams within the park was developed by the CCC between the period of 1935 to 1939. inception this park was developed due to the beautiful scenery and the geological location.

This all started when a local rancher’s sons, Buell (J.B.) and Cap, converted a portion of their father’s homestead ranch into a recreational facility in the Bitter Creek Canyon area call Big Spring Resort in the 1920s. During the established and development of the park a tragedy occurred June 17, 1926 when Loree Cronkhite drowned while swimming with friends in the resort lake. She was known as a good swimming, yet for some reason suddenly became pale and exhausted and without warning sank to the bottom of the lake. It took several hours for divers to find the body. Loree Crokkhite was the wife of J.B. and he immediately canceled all plans for the park’s continual development. [1]

When Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New deal agencies began developing in 1933 the citizens of Watonga began planning for some of the relief monies in the area to assist those in unemployment as well as take advantage of government assistance for buildings. Those citizens had also saw the disappearance of the railroad in the bitter creek area in 1926 and that loss of economic assistance in the area had cause a lose of wages and taxes. Watonga citizens approach J.B. Cronkkite for the possible sell of his holdings in the area so a park could be located in the Roman Nose Canyon. J.B. agreed to sale 360 acres at a price of $9,080 in 1935. That same year the citizens voted to pass a bond that would cover the ninety-nine-year lease with the state of Oklahoma to establish a state park.  

Located seven miles north of Watonga the final acreage acquired by the citizens of Watonga for the park was 540 acres. The name was derived from Roman Nose, Chief of the Cheyenne Indians that were located with the area that would comprise of the park. [2] The National park service identified this area for the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps and immediately made plans to establish a CCC camp in the Watonga area for the CCC unit to work within the park area. According to Roman Nose: A History of the Park the CCC camps was established in the area of west Watonga around Circle Drive. All CCC camps were built and established using the 250 members of the unit that was assigned in the area. The unit first assigned work in the area was Unit #2819, that was established 8/20/1935, and began working on park construction September 1935.

The park was officially opened to the public, although unfinished, May 16, 1937 with an approximate attention of 1,500 people who enjoyed guided tours of wildlife and geology, tours of the not yet completed bathhouse and swimming pool, trails, and picnicking areas. [3]

According to the First Annual Report of the Division of State Parks by 1938 the CCC had completed an approximate value of $179,750.00 dollars used in construction of 590 Topographic survey of park area, a swimming pool, 37 check dams, 1,670 feet of sewage and water disposal system, 1.5 miles of foot trails and 4.5 miles of park roads. Boecher Lake was completed in 1940 and amounted to three acres. It was also reported that they had planted 60,000 trees and reported in 1942 to have timbered 127 acres of the 520 acres.

 Prior to the movement of the CCC unit to Yosemite national Park for fire guarding assignment in 1942, they had completed the Bathhouse, a Pavilion for picnics, cabins, and more miles of roads and trails. After the movement of the unit, Watonga was offered a unit of African-America CCC unit, but the local citizens protested strongly against it. The camp was eventually demolished and replaced by residential homes.

Sources:

  1. Cronkhite Ranch Hose web article, access 9/26/2025, https://highcallministries.org/ranch/
  2. First Annual Report of the Division of State Parks, Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board, for Fiscal year ending June 30, 1938.
  3. The Forgotten Art of Conservation, Diving into the history and current uses of Oklahoma’s State Parks, access September 26, 2025, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/081568ecf9ff45069f7586647ffd4aa0

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