Buffalo Lodge
NW of Cache, Cache, OKBefore Europeans reached the territory which is now Oklahoma, the Wichita people inhabited the area containing the Wichita Mountains. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Kiowa and Comanche tribes were moved to a reservation in this same area. As it became evident that the frontier was closing, white settlers increased their demands for the opening of Indian lands. This portion of the Wichita Mountains was not broken up for settlement, however, as the leases of the grazing land to Texas cattlemen prevented this.
At the turn of the century the efforts of the Oklahoma City Commercial Club, with its many influential civic leaders, persuaded the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation to support conservation endeavors for the Wichita Mountains. The area was proclaimed the Wichita Forest Reserve in 1901, and a National Game Preserve in 1905.
Buffalo Lodge, one of the oldest structures on what is now the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, was built by the Forest Service in 1913 by Frank Rush. It served as the Reserve-Preserve office building for many years until it was used as a residence by the Rush family. The building is located in the residential area of Refuge Headquarters among the oak and cedar trees native to the locale.
The architecture of the Buffalo Lodge is a style that was popular for this region at the time of its construction. The cobblestone was a material that was readily available from the land so its incorporation in exterior walls was extensively used by builders. Because of the cobblestones use for buildings in this area, the structures tend to strongly blend with the surroundings and become organic in their character.
Buffalo Lodge is significant because of its association with the early days of the Preserve and particularly with Frank Rush. Rush was the guiding force in re-establishing many big game animals on the Preserve, most notably the buffalo. Built in 1913, Buffalo Lodge served for many years as the Reserve-Preserve office building and later as the Rush Family residence.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.