05/26/2026
The ancient granite mountains of southwest Oklahoma climb upward from the prairies of the Southern Great Plains. With rugged outcroppings of rock, forests of oak, and mixed grasses, a unique refuge for a variety of wildlife species was created. Over some 59,000 acres make up the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and the location rests in Comanche County, Oklahoma.
First established as a forest preserve in 1901, the land then became designated in 1905 as a national game preserve. With the addition of the Wichita Mountains in 1936 to the National Wildlife Refuge System, the established refuge supports tremendous plant and animal life of the region. In 1907, 15 bison had arrived from the New York Zoological Park to help re-establish a herd on the south plains. Because of that early effort, around 650 bison freely move today about the refuge. This herd is a part of the largest bison refuge managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In addition, the refuge was moved to the U. S. Department of the Interior in 1939. In 1940, the Biological Survey and the Bureau of Fisheries were soon combined into the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They still oversee the wildlife refuge today.
An remarkable picture of a bison calf. In calving season of the spring and early summer, bison mothers stay close to their calves and protect them. Southwest Oklahoma is an excellent place to see newborn calves at the wildlife refuge. Photograph courtesy of Reddit. Additional information from the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the National Park Service.
