Looking for byway history with a fun, exciting twist? Explore a myriad of historic places along the Talimena Scenic Drive! Venture to the Horse Thief Spring Historic Site in Oklahoma, see the Heavener Runestone in Heavener State Park, visit the magnificent “Castle in the Sky,” or dare to visit a pioneer cemetery. However you choose to spend your time, the Talimena Scenic Drive, with its fascinating facts and stories, will keep your mind whirling with interest.
Infamous outlaws like the Doolin Gang once roamed this area of the Ouachita National Forest. Legend says that the Horse Thief Spring Historic Site, close to the west end of the byway in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma, was their water source and hideout. See where the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a stone enclosure around the spring and visit the display that tells the tales of the vicious outlaws that used this area as a haven from the law. For more excitement, travel about 11 miles on the byway to Heavener Runestone State Park, where tradition states that Vikings carved an inscription claiming the land on a huge stone. Read about the Heavener Runestone at an interpretive center, go hiking, then have a picnic. Though this site is filled with controversy over its true origin, come see for yourself why some folks believe that something mysterious happened here.
For a ghostly spin on history, travel east on the Talimena Scenic Drive to Arkansas and stop at the haunted Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery, located on the byway about one-and-a-half miles east of the Oklahoma/Arkansas state border. Legend tells of a young girl who went to fetch water in the wintertime, but never returned. She was cornered by wolves and took shelter in a tree. Her body was later found, frozen, in her refuge. Her spirit is now rumored to linger at the Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery, where she and other members of Civil War refugee families are buried.
Head slightly east of the cemetery to experience the royal splendor of the Queen Wilhelmina State Park, where a "castle in the sky" once stood. The original "castle," called Wilhelmina Inn, was built to honor the coronation of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. It was built of native stone and timber, illuminated by carbide lights, and had 35 guest rooms on the second floor. It closed in 1910 and quickly fell into ruins. In 1963 it was rebuilt, but burned down in 1973 from a fire that started in the kitchens. A third lodge was erected in 1975, which stands in the park today. Come visit this crowning attraction of the park, as well as the amphitheater, playground, campground, and hiking trails in the area.
Come experience the history of Talimena Scenic Drive. Unravel mysteries, learn the legends, trace the tracks of fugitives, or enjoy a state park’s regal retreat on the fascinating Talimena Scenic Drive.
Talimena Scenic Drive Overview