Relaxing at Lake Eufala

We've spent the last week relaxing at Lake Eufala in a very nice little member-owned RV park with full amenities.  Despite mostly crummy weather, we have managed to do a little sightseeing, with a lots of decompressing and resting in between.

Lake Eufala,  a reservoir about 120 miles due east of Oklahoma City, is located on the same Canadian River that we encountered in Texas and is the largest lake in Oklahoma.  It's a multi-branched lake with little hidden coves everywhere.  While we didn't go completely around the lake, the areas we did visit were full of RV parks, state campgrounds and housing developments.

The dam creates one of the world's largest man-made lakes

Holding the lake water

The Canadian River below the dam

Below the dam a mile or so, on Highway 71, you come to a place called Younger's Bend.   Originally situated on a bend in the Canadian River before the dam was built, it is thought to be named after Cole Younger, a member of the infamous James-Younger gang.

Hand carved sign  

It's on a bend in the road and easy to miss, but, luckily, we were looking for it.  The site is best known as the home of and final resting place for Belle Starr, Queen of the Oklahoma Outlaws.  Initially unknown outside Texas, Belle's exploits in horse thievery, aiding and abetting rustlers and her association with Jesse James and the Younger brothers were popularized in dime novels. Murdered in an ambush on her way home from a dance, no one knows for certain the circumstances or perpetrator of the her death, but her final wish was to be buried "on the Canadian...far from society..."

Final resting place of Belle Starr.  She was only 40 when she died.

Belle Starr headstone

The crypt is on private property, but a steep, twisty trail leads you up a hill about a quarter of a mile through the woods.  It is very peaceful and beautiful, so I like to think that Belle appreciates the people who take the time to ascend and pay her tribute!

Until next time...

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