Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area

Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area is a 300-acre (121 ha) area of undeveloped land[1] that stretches from I-44 to 71st Street in Tulsa in the US state of Oklahoma. It is managed by the Tulsa River Parks Authority and open to the public. The main entrance to the wilderness area is at 67th Street and Elwood Avenue in West Tulsa.[2]

Turkey Mountain

Turkey Mountain
Highest point
Elevation 804 ft (245 m)[3]
Coordinates 36°04′23″N 95°59′41″W / 36.0731497°N 95.9947184°W / 36.0731497; -95.9947184Coordinates: 36°04′23″N 95°59′41″W / 36.0731497°N 95.9947184°W / 36.0731497; -95.9947184[3]
Geography
Turkey Mountain

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Turkey Mountain is a hill occupying a wide area on the west side of the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The summit is 104 feet (32 m) above the river below,[4] offering a good view of Tulsa.

Trails

The Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area have four marked trails between 0.8 and 5.7 miles (1 and 9 km) in length, for running or cycling as well as over 25 miles (40 km) of unmarked trails. The 25 mile long River Parks paved trail passes through the Turkey Mountain Wilderness Area, close to the river, connecting the area to other river side parks in Tulsa.[5]

In June 2016, the National Park Service designated the Turkey Mountain trails as part of the National Recreation Trail system.[6]

Claimed petroglyphs

Close to the river[5] there are several markings in the stone, one of which has been claimed to be the letters "gwn" (claimed to mean fair or white hair). These were believed by writer Barry Fell to be petroglyphs left by pre-Columbian European travelers.[7] The idea of Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact by Europeans, apart from the Vikings in Newfoundland, is considered a fringe theory or pseudoarchaeology.[8][9][10][11]

References

  1. "A Guide to Birding in Oklahoma". Tulsa Audubon Society. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  2. "About Turkey MTN". River Parks Authority. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  3. 1 2 USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Turkey Mountain. Accessed 22 May 2008
  4. Elaine Warner (2009). Insiders' Guide to Tulsa. Globe Pequot. p. 3. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  5. 1 2 "Turkey Mountain urban wilderness area map". River Parks Authority. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  6. "Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain Added To National Park Service's Trails System", KOTV, June 3, 2016.
  7. Fell, Barry (1984) America B.C. : Ancient Settlers in the New World, New York, Simon & Schuster, p.49
  8. Williams, Stephen (1991) Fantastic Archaeology, Phila., University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 0-8122-8238-8, pp. 264-273
  9. Feder, Kenneth L. (1996) Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, Mountain View, Mayfield Publishing Co., ISBN 1-55934-523-3, pp. 101-107
  10. Susan Jakobsen, "Mystery Mountain", Tulsa World, February 2, 2000.
  11. Debbie Jackson and Hillary Pittman, " Fascination with Turkey Mountain is legendary", Tulsa World, March 12, 2015.

External links

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