| Welcome to USAO | |||
| Chickasha sits along the old Chisholm Trail, right in the heart of America's historic Southwest. A century ago, this was the Indian Territory, home to more than 40 Indian Nations. It was a wild and woolly frontier that had been a battleground in the Indian wars and then became a haven for desperate, lawless men like Frank and Jesse James, Sam Bass, and John Wesley Hardin. The U.S. Marshals who patrolled this unincorporated countryside became legends themselves, men like Bill Tilghman, Heck Thomas, an Chris Madsen. Today, this Old West Heritage and the same majestic countryside are still readily accessible all around Chickasha. | |||
| Buffalo herds can be seen from the road in several directions, but the largest and most easily accessible herds are in the Wichita Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, 45 minutes south of campus. |
| Powwos, pageants, and Native American festivals occur almost every weekend in southwestern Oklahoma. Some of the most important events include the Kiowa Black Legging Society in Anadarko, Red Earth in Oklahoma City, the Comanche Fair in Lawton, the Apache Blackfoot Warrior Society, and the six-day Anadarko Indian Expo every August. |
| Anadarko, 20 minutes west, calls itself tthe nation's Indian Capital. Important sights include the Southern Plains Indian Museum, Indian City USA, art galleries, and the tribal complexes of the Apache, Wichita, and Deleware nations. |
| Museums and historic cemeteries are open to the public at Fort Sill in Lawton |
| The nearby Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains offer opportunities for hiking, camping, rock-climbing, fishing and lots of breathtaking scenery. |
