Last Remaining Building from Sulphur Springs, OK - Sulphur, OK
N 34° 30.087 W 096° 58.286
14S E 686240 N 3819625
A National Parks Service sign within the historic Platt National Park section of Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, OK notes that this building is the only known building remaining from the town of Sulphur Springs, OK.
Waymark Code: WMRJY3
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/01/2016
Views: 4
This building, known as "The Leeper House", is a ranger station today, and there is ample parking in front of it. The sign stands on a trail in front of the building, providing some information:
This stone structure was originally built in 1894 as a family residence by Graves Leeper. Its use changed to a meeting place for the Federal Court Commission, where Indian land claims were settled. When court was not in session the building was used as a school and community center. In 1904, it became the superintendent's office for what was to become Platt National Park. This is the only known building that remains from the first settlement of the town of Sulphur Springs.
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Two photos appear on the sign, showing off the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934-35, with some text:
Once a two-room residence, this building (below) was expanded by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934-35. Using the original limestone quarry from the early townsite, the CCC workers built the west addition to the building (above).
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While the related link provides some background, in short, the earliest settlement in the area dates to 1878, with development of "Sulphur Springs" around the springs in the 1880s and 1890s. In 1902, the U.S. Government created the Sulphur Springs Reservation, and when the Chickasaw Nation decided to sell that land to the Department of the Interior, that was the death knell for Sulphur Springs. Property owners either sold their buildings or relocated them, resulting in "East Sulphur" and "West Sulphur." Both factions sought prominence, before literally burying a hatchet in 1909 in the new Washington Bridge that joined them together. In 1904, the Sulphur Springs Reservation became Platt National Park, the present Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and Sulphur flourished.