During the months of March and April we camped near Lawton, OK and got to do some hiking/exploring at a few very neat spots. Our first outing was to Quartz Mountain State Park. It wasn’t far from where we had set up camp and the drive there was rather pleasant. Not a lot of traffic, nice roads and easy to find.
When we arrived we saw a couple nice RV camp sites and cabins as well. The park was very clean and didn’t have a lot of traffic. Our destination was the lake so we drove just a little bit further.
The lake has a really interesting history. It’s fairly new and made by a dam. Until 1947 it was the location of the town of Lugert. And the town wasn’t there for very long before it got flooded. It was founded in 1901 by Austrian immigrant Frank Lugert when the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation opened for settlement. The town had a population of about 400 at its peak and Mr Lugert ran the post office, general store and train depot. Everything was great until the town was hit by a tornado on April 27, 1912 and 41 of the 42 business buildings were swept away. The town continued to exist until 1947 when the W.C. Austin damn was completed for the Lugert-Altus irrigation system and water soon covered the townsite. When you’re at the lake shore you might be able to catch a glimpse of some brick foundations of buildings, depending on how high or low the water is. Either way, it is a nice place to visit and to spend a few hours or even a weekend.
If you are looking to go there and want to camp, they have five camping areas with over 200 total campsites, eight cabins and a lodge for you to stay. There are hiking trails, swimming beaches, boat docks and other activities for everyone to enjoy.
