Visiting Medicine Park — with its cobblestone structures, calming waters and serene waterfalls — feels like a step back in time. And that’s part of its charm.
In 1908, a year after Oklahoma became a state, buildings began to spring up at the foothills of the Wichita Mountains. The project was the vision of founder John William Elmer Thomas, who after visiting the area became excited about its potential for development.
He purchased land and began construction on the state’s first resort town. Medicine Park Summer Resort and Health Spa quickly became popular. The Plains tribes believed, and shared with Thomas, that nearby Medicine Creek’s water had medicinal benefits.
The town grew with Thomas overseeing resort construction, along with cobblestone cabins and public buildings. Cobblestone structures and walls made from the native granite stones still add to the small town’s appeal.
One of the oldest buildings is the Old Plantation, built in 1910 as an open-air pavilion. Though it has been through many modifications and names, the now-named Old Plantation Restaurant is still one of the most recognizable structures in town.
Thomas’ house, a stone’s throw from the restaurant, is another original structure, along with dozens of others still standing.
Early on, people flocked to Medicine Park not only for the spa, but for the area’s expansive, breathtaking view of the nearby mountains, serene plains and calming waters. Picturesque Medicine Creek flows through it, and Bath Lake, formed in the 1920s as a swimming hole, is in the center of town.
Medicine Park became popular for tourists as well as politicians and celebrities. Will Rogers and Wiley Post had houses there. Its remote location also made it the perfect hideout for notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd and Al Capone.
Thomas’ attention always was divided between Medicine Park and politics. In 1907, he was elected to the first Oklahoma Senate, and in 1926 was elected a U.S. senator. That position required more time, so he sold the park to a corporation.
Thomas’ absence, coupled with the Great Depression and the start of World War II, caused the town to suffer financially. People moved away. The town looked lost and out of sorts, as if it were seeking a new identity — or its old one.
It was incorporated in 1969 and during the next decade the town began to turn around. Businesses and property developers found new interest there. So did the residents who partnered with students from OU and the Association for South Central Oklahoma Government for help.
Through a grant, cobblestone walls were restored and cabins renovated. New businesses opened. Bath Lake became popular again. The town was reinvigorated, enticing visitors with soothing water and interesting cobblestones and majestic mountains. Today’s population is about 400.
In 2018 Expedia named Medicine Park the fifth prettiest town in the nation. A year later the Oklahoma legislature named it the Cobblestone Capital of Oklahoma. About 85% of the original cobblestone structures are still standing today.
The town’s charming architecture and natural surroundings set it apart today, just as they did decades ago.
