Turner Falls
Waterfall in Oklahoma, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Turner Falls is a waterfall on Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains of south-central Oklahoma, United States, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Davis.[1][2] With a height of 77 feet (23 m), Turner Falls is locally considered Oklahoma's tallest waterfall,[3] although its height matches one in Natural Falls State Park.[4]
| Turner Falls | |
|---|---|
Turner Falls | |
 Interactive map of Turner Falls | |
| Location | Turner Falls Park, Interstate 35, Davis, Oklahoma, United States |
| Type | Fan |
| Total height | 77 feet |
Turner Falls has claimed people's lives; only experienced swimmers should swim there.
History
Mazeppa Thomas Turner, a Scottish immigrant farmer who married Laura Johnson, a Chickasaw woman, settled in the area in 1878 and discovered the falls. The falls were named for him.[2][5]
Recreational use began in or before 1868. At the time, Turner Falls was located in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation.[6] Today, the falls are part of Turner Falls Park, a city park operated by the city of Davis, Oklahoma.[5] The falls cascade into a natural swimming pool, one of two such pools within the park,[3] and these are popular tourist destinations in the summer.[7]
The city of Davis acquired the park in 1919 and operated it until 1950. It then leased the facility to other interests until 1978, when it resumed control.[2] The park covers 1,500 acres (6.1 km2), and also contains nature trails, caves, and other interesting geological features. It also has a walk-in castle,[3] originally built in the 1930s as a summer home for Dr. Ellsworth Collings, a professor and later dean of the School of Education at the University of Oklahoma.
