In the southern plains, “No Man’s Land” is the enduring nickname for the Oklahoma Panhandle, a 168-by-34-mile rectangle that laid ungoverned for decades in the late-1800s. It was known for contested territories and lawless range, where the terrain was as inhospitable to crops as it was to habitation. Today, the panhandle is populated, albeit sparsely—between its three counties, the most recent census shows that less than 30,000 people reside in the region, accounting for just 1% of the state population. Oklahoma City and Tulsa, meanwhile, are both a few hundred miles away.
Matt Kirouac
Matt Kirouac is a travel writer with a love for national parks, road trips, outdoors adventures, and all things Disney. Born and raised in New Hampshire, he moved to Chicago for culinary school where he then lived for 13 years as a writer, before buying an RV and traveling full-time across the U.S. for two years with his mini dachshund, Finn. He now lives in Oklahoma City with his husband Nathan, and is excited for future travels to Santa Fe, New England, and Paris.
Many wonder how this odd panhandle came to be a part of the greater state of Oklahoma: The region lay lawless between 1850 and 1890, following the Compromise of 1850, when Texas ceded a 5,686-square-mile patch of land to the Federal government. Though Kansas was initially supposed to sit directly abut Texas, its entire southern border was shifted northward to accommodate Cherokee land. What remained in the shift was a panhandle lost in the ether of westward expansion, unclaimed by the government, and only periodically home to passers-through. For those murky decades, buffalo hunting ran rampant and cattle roamed free; Texas cattlemen established squatter towns without purchasing land; and outlaws and bootleggers were frequent passersby.
It remained this way, listed on maps as “Public Land Strip,” and known more commonly as “No Man’s Land,” until 1890, when it was incorporated into Oklahoma Territory under the 1890 Organic Act. With Cimarron County at its westernmost tip, and the only county in the country bordered by four states, the panhandle may not be lawless anymore, but it’s still shrouded in mystery—and home to unique destinations fit for a kitschy road trip. The unusualness of this place just means it’s all that more interesting to visit.
As an Oklahoma resident, this is the part of the state I’ve enjoyed exploring recently. Below are some of my favorite things to do in the Oklahoma panhandle, one of the most singular places to visit in the US.
1. No Man’s Land Museum
Established in the 1930s, the No Man’s Land Historical Society preserves the history of the once-unchecked territory at the No Man’s Land Museum. Located in the small town of Goodwell, the nondescript 10,000-sq.-ft. museum contains artifacts, arrowheads, and tools from early Native American life, and the first ranchers to rove the region, while a gallery showcases local artwork and traveling exhibits. Of course, with a name like the No Man’s Land Museum, it’s safe to expect a bit of kitsch—in this case, a taxidermic two-headed cow, molds of dinosaur footprints, the first printing press to cross the Mississippi, an extensive barbed wire collection, and a horse-drawn hearse. After, check out The Stables Steakhouse, one of the few restaurants in the small town.
2. The Bermuda Triangle of the Plains
At Beaver Dunes Park, travelers will find 520 acres of wind-swept sand dunes, campgrounds, and a lake stocked with fish. Or, if they befall the same fate as Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, they may just disappear into the sandy abyss. With eerie nicknames like Shaman’s Portal and The Bermuda Triangle of the Plains, the present-day park is said to have been the site of unexplained disappearances for centuries, starting with three of Coronado’s men who, after discovering the dunes in 1541, vanished in what the conquistador described in his journals as “flashes of green light,” and “the work of the devil.” Over subsequent centuries, enough similar disappearances have occurred to earn the dunes its macabre moniker, but for those brave enough to visit, it’s a popular spot for dune buggies, ATVs, and picnics. Or, if you survive the flashing green lights, fill up on sopapillas at Chapala Restaurant in Beaver.
