Oklahoma State Park: Robbers Cave State Park

By Laci Jones

Located in the woodlands of Sans Bois Mountains of southeast Oklahoma, Robbers Cave State Park is filled with history and beauty.

“Robbers Cave State Park is a really unique park for Oklahoma,” said Aron Maib, state park manager of Robbers Cave State Park.

Many archaeologists believe this area has been inhabited for thousands of years. Originally named Latimer State Park, the Robbers Cave State Park is located just four miles north of Wilburton, Okla. The state park was one of the original seven Oklahoma State Parks and was established by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

While building the state park, members of the CCC camped in Group Camp One, and some of the buildings the CCC used remain there today. Robbers Cave State Park has approximately 140 historical structures onsite, Maib said.

“What I consider to be more or less the gem of the park, as far as the CCC is concerned, is our Nature Center,” he added. “That is a beautifully restored building that was originally a bathhouse.”

Another part of the bathhouse was turned into the Heritage Center, which gives visitors insight into the history of the park. The CCC also established drinking fountains, campgrounds and dams.

Robbers Cave State Park recently acquired more land, but Maib said the state park is about 4,000 acres including three lakes built by the CCC—Lake Carlton, Coon Creek Lake and Lake Wayne Wallace.

“Lake Carlton is the most popular of the three lakes as far as usage and activities are concerned,” Maib said. “Other than Lake Carlton, there is Lake Wayne Wallace which is the biggest of the three lakes.

“On the east side of Highway 2, we have Coon Creek Lake, which is the smallest of the three and probably the least utilized access. You can get to it, but accessing it is not as easy as the other two.”

Newspaper editor and state representative, Carlton Weaver, donated 120 acres surrounding the cave to the Boy Scouts of America to use as a camp, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. Skilled inmates used locally quarried rock to build a kitchen and several buildings for headquarters for the scout troops. Lake Carlton, named after Carlton Weaver, was created by the CCC and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937.

“[The history of Robbers Cave] goes back further to the outlaw days with a lot of the outlaw legends and the folklore,” Maib said.

Legendary outlaws including Jesse James of the James-Younger Gang and Belle Starr would hide out in the cave hidden in the sandstone hills, which was part of the Indian Territory at the time.

“They would come into this area after they robbed a stagecoach or whatever the case may be,” Maib explained. “They would come into this area, lay low for a little while until the coast was clear, and then they would go on about their business.”

The cave is more like an overhang than a cave, he added. When Belle Starr had some “unsavory business,” she stayed in the area and then traveled 20 miles north of Robbers Cave to her cabin.

Many years later, Robbers Cave State Park was renovated and additions were made to the park. They designated an ATV area, which accommodates ATVs, side by sides, dirt bikes and even Jeeps. The state park has 250 acres of rideable land implemented in February and plan to add 250 to 300 more acres.

“We offer more outdoor recreational programs and activities than any other state park in Oklahoma,” he added.

The state park offers guided tours of Robbers Cave year-round as well as guided hikes, canoe tours, hayrides and cane pole fishing. They also give 30-minute rides on a trackless train.

“We do campfire cookouts and storytelling, anything from ghost stories to the old outlaw legends,” Maib added. “That is something that we are starting to add back into some of our programming, and we have had a really good response from it.”

Located at the state park is the Robbers Cave Stables operated by concessionaires. Robbers Cave Stables offers two-hour horseback rides, guided trail rides and even guided overnight pack trips.

“You set up camp, they cook for you and you ride back the next day,” Maib explained. “It’s really something unique, well, for anywhere in Oklahoma.”

Maib said the park could always use more lodging as they are booked year-round. The state park is currently finishing the design of two treehouse cabins and will begin construction soon.

“These being treehouse cabins is going to make them even that much more popular,” he added. “It is just something different to offer our guests.”

The park also hosts several events throughout the year, he explained. They offer a first day hike, an Easter egg hunt and an antique tractor show. They also host a Fourth of July celebration and a cardboard boat race in August.

“I think [the cardboard boat race] has three different age categories,” Maib said. “That’s been a lot of fun, and I think that is going to keep on growing.”

On the third weekend in October, the state park hosts their biggest event—Fall Festival. Celebrating its 30^th year, the three-day event brings in more than 200 craft vendors and 80,000 people into the park, Maib said. A classic car show known as the Fall Foliage Cruise takes place on Saturday of the Fall Festival. The car show is the second largest car show in the state of Oklahoma, he added.

“The Fall Festival Committee start planning for the next year the month after the event ends,” he explained. “In November, they will start planning for October of the next year’s event, but it takes a lot of people to get it done.”

Maib said more visitors are coming to the state park during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the park offers hayrides during the holidays.

“We will always offer something for those families who want to come out,” Maib added. “Instead of having the traditional meal and get together at home with family, they are coming out to the parks and renting our cabins and having their holiday here.”

For more information on Robbers Cave State Park, call 918-465-2562 or email robberscave@travelok.com.

This article was originally posted in the May 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.