Turner Falls
History
Turner Falls Park is the oldest park in Oklahoma and is named for Mazeppa Thomas Turner.
The 1500-acres around the falls has been compared to the Grand Canyon and the Black Hills. The terrain provides a geological view into the past.
Turner was born in Virginia and married a Chickasaw named Laura Johnson. He then became a farmer in Murray County and in 1878 he and is wife settled in a cabin along Honey Creek. Turner discovered the nearby waterfall, which earned his name. The recreational area came under the ownership of the city of Davis in 1919. Davis operated the park until 1950, and then leased it out until 1978, when they resumed management of the area. Davis purchased 370 acres for the park from the Turner family in 1925, paying a reported sum of $17,000.
The Park has received national publicity and serves as a classroom for naturalists as it includes three natural caves, formations of conglomerates, limestone, granite, shale and sandstone.
Turner Falls Park is nestled below the famous Arbuckle Mountains and forms Honey Creek.
Honey Creek cascades down a seventy-seven (77’) foot fall to a natural swimming pool making the majestic Turner Falls the largest waterfall in Oklahoma. The Arbuckle Mountains are the oldest known formations in the United States between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The Park has been a recreational area since 1868 as it is accented with beautiful picnic areas, nature trails, caves, geological wonders, and two natural swimming pools very unique in nature.
The grounds also include a walk in castle that was built on the property in 1930.
The park is also home to lots of wildlife including, whitetail deer, wild turkeys, and many other forms of wildlife that enjoy the lush area around Honey Creek.
