Where Are You?

Trickle-Down Effect

Hikers quench their thirst at this forest-sheltered watering hole once frequented by outlaws.

By Karlie Tipton
Published November/December 2012

Within the stately beauty of blackjack oaks, winged elms, and dogwood trees dotting the South’s oldest national forest hides an infamous piece of Oklahoma history. This trickling water source—surrounded by a stone enclosure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s—is rumored to have provided refuge for some of the most notorious bad men and women of the West.

Fleeing the wrath of Judge Isaac C. Parker of Fort Smith—better known as the “Hanging Judge”—outlaws like the Dalton Gang, Jesse James, and Belle Starr may have been among those who stopped to take a drink and rest up before continuing their plundering paths.

What is the name of this hideout, and where in Oklahoma is it located?

Mail entries with name and address to “Where Are You?”, P.O. Box 1468, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 or email to whereareyou@travelok.com before November 12. The answer to last issue’s contest was the Woodward Memorial Plaque at the Woodward Regional Hospital.