Turner Falls
{{short description|Waterfall in Oklahoma, United States}}
{{About|the waterfall and park in Oklahoma|a village in Massachusetts with a similar name|Turners Falls, Massachusetts}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| name = Turner Falls
| photo = Turner falls.jpg
| photo_caption = Turner Falls
| location = Turner Falls Park, Interstate 35, Davis, Oklahoma, United States
| coords =
| watercourse =
| type = Fan
| height = 77 feet
| height_longest =
| number_drops =
| average_flow =
| world_rank =
}}
File:Turner Falls - Davis, Oklahoma.jpg
Turner Falls is a waterfall on Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains of south-central Oklahoma, United States, {{convert|6|miles|km}} south of Davis.[http://www.turnerfallspark.com/ Turner Falls Park], retrieved January 30, 2009[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TU019.html Sanchez, Joe. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Turner Falls."] Retrieved March 24, 2014. With a height of {{convert|77|ft|m}}, Turner Falls is locally considered Oklahoma's tallest waterfall,[http://www.davisok.org/Turner-Falls-Park.asp Turner Falls Park], Davis, Oklahoma, Chamber of Commerce although its height matches one in Natural Falls State Park.{{cite web|title=Oklahoma Waterfall Study underway| url=http://pics.newson6.com/Media/View/507128 | work=Oklahoma's Own| publisher=News on 6 Now| access-date=April 26, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109130542/http://pics.newson6.com/Media/View/507128| archive-date=November 9, 2013|url-status=live|date=March 9, 2010 |quote=...several waterfalls could surpass Natural Falls and Turner Falls as Oklahoma's tallest. }}
Turner Falls has claimed people's lives; only experienced swimmers should swim there.[https://oklahoman.com/article/5635647/four-people-drown-in-southern-oklahoma-in-one-week]
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.
Recreational use began in or before 1868. At the time, Turner Falls was located in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation.Charles Goins, Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006), plate 105. Today, the falls are part of Turner Falls Park, a city park operated by the city of Davis, Oklahoma.[http://www.turnerfallspark.com/history/ History] on official website, retrieved January 30, 2009 The falls cascade into a natural swimming pool, one of two such pools within the park, and these are popular tourist destinations in the summer.[http://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.8237 Turner Falls Location and Park Info], Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department
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. The park covers {{convert|1500|acre|km2}}, and also contains nature trails, caves, and other interesting geological features. It also has a walk-in castle, 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.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Turner Falls}}
{{Wikivoyage listing|Davis (Oklahoma)}}
- [http://www.turnerfallspark.com Official website]
- [http://turnerfallspark.net Turner Falls Park]
{{coord|34|25|31|N|97|08|55|W|display=title}}
Category:Protected areas of Murray County, Oklahoma