The Oklahoma Cobblestone Village That Became a 1920s Hideaway for Outlaws and Presidents Alike

Medicine Park, Oklahoma

Medicine Park was Oklahoma’s original vacation spot, a 1908 resort town built with cobblestones pulled straight from nearby creeks. After years of decline, this tiny Wichita Mountains hideout found its second wind.

The old bathhouses and vacation cottages are still here, along with swimming holes and hiking trails that made it famous in the first place.

Al Capone Hid Out Here During Prohibition

Notorious gangster Al Capone reportedly had a hideout cabin in Medicine Park. He first learned about the town from Pretty Boy Floyd, another famous outlaw with Oklahoma ties. The cabin had a hidden cellar where Capone stored illegal liquor. Town stories suggest he also met with corrupt politicians here when he needed privacy.

Bath Lake Was a Beloved Swimming Hole

Bath Lake was where Oklahomans went to cool off back in the day. In the 1920s, they added concrete edges and diving platforms, making it so popular that special trains brought swimmers from Oklahoma City in the summer.

The water stays around 68 degrees year-round, making it refreshing even during Oklahoma heat spells. They added a water slide in 1923, and you can still see the original bathhouse, now used as a visitor center.

Medicine Park Almost Became a Ghost Town

It happened after World War II. By the 1970s, most buildings stood empty with just a handful of people still living there. The comeback started when artists discovered they could buy property cheaply in the 1990s.

Local businessman David Lott saved many buildings from being torn down by purchasing them himself. Things really turned around in 1995 when the town got historic district status, which helped secure money for preservation.

Tiny Medicine Park Draws Big Name Musicians

For such a tiny place, Medicine Park has welcomed some impressive musicians over the years, including local performances like the Old Crow Medicine Show. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys regularly played at the Old Plantation Restaurant.

Even Woody Guthrie performed here several times in the 1930s. These days, the annual Roots Ball Music Festival brings over 8,000 visitors to this town.

A History-Making Medical Connection

Dr. Isabel Cobb was one of Oklahoma’s first licensed female doctors and set up practice in Medicine Park in the early 1900s. She helped everyone from wealthy tourists to local Native Americans, sometimes accepting handmade crafts when patients couldn’t pay.

Throughout her career, she delivered more than 1,000 babies in the region and documented traditional Comanche plant-based remedies.

You Can Still Mail Letters from the Tiniest Post Office

Medicine Park once had what many considered the smallest working post office in the United States. The original postmaster worked in this tiny 8-by-10-foot space for an impressive 37 years.

The tiny cobblestone building barely had room for two people but operated as an official U.S. Post Office until the 1940s. During summers, you can mail special keepsake postcards from the restored building.

Oklahoma Law Protects Those Famous Red Cobblestones

The Oklahoma legislature made it official in 2019, naming Medicine Park the “Cobblestone Capital of Oklahoma.” Local residents campaigned for three years to get this designation.

About 85% of the original cobblestone structures are still standing today. To build here, the building code requires at least 30% of exterior walls to include cobblestones.

A Buffalo Named Buford Once Served as Town Mayor

In the 1950s, Medicine Park had a buffalo named Old Buford serving as honorary mayor.

This massive bison would walk through town during special events and became the unofficial mascot. After he died, he was preserved and put on display in the town hall, where you can still visit him today.

Buford has appeared on postcards sold throughout Oklahoma. His time as mayor lasted seven years, longer than any human mayor had served at that point.

Drop By the Holy City of Wichitas For Ancient History

Just a short drive from Medicine Park sits the Holy City of the Wichitas, an unusual religious complex built to resemble ancient Jerusalem.

Started in the 1930s as the setting for an Easter pageant, this 66-acre site includes stone buildings, a chapel, and a large amphitheater. At night, a 65-foot illuminated Christ of the Wichitas statue can be seen for miles across the wildlife refuge. Free to visit year-round, there’s a small museum with artifacts from the pageant’s history.

Visitor Information for Your Trip to Medicine Park

You’ll find Medicine Park at the entrance to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma, about 15 miles northwest of Lawton.

Here’s what you need to know:

• For GPS directions, use 140 E. Lake Drive, Medicine Park, OK 73557
• Swimming at Bath Lake Recreation Area during summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day), costs $3 per person, though children under 6 get in free

When staying overnight, the cobblestone cottages range from $125-$275 per night depending on when you visit.