Civilian Conservation Corps and Roman Nose State Park

The park takes its name from Henry Roman Nose, a Southern Cheyenne chief who lived from 1856 to 1917. In 1892 he received an allotment here that later became part of the park. That April 19 the reservation was opened to non-Indian settlement in a land run, and Watonga, named for the Arapaho chief Wa-ton-gha, Black Coyote, grew from a tent city. He died in 1917 in this canyon, and Edith Mahier painted him in her 1941 mural Roman Nose Canyon for the Watonga post office, showing him and other Cheyenne on the day of the run.

What the plaque says

Civilian Conservation Corps and Roman Nose State Park Watonga, Oklahoma This memorial is dedicated to Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2819 on the 50th anniversary of their founding and the three million members of the CCC nation-wide who added a silver lining to the Great Depression by developing this park. The CCC was organized by the federal government during the Great Depression to provide useful employment for thousands of citizens and to develop and save the nation's natural resources. Under management of U.S. Army personnel, they built roads and nurseries, land- scaped parks, planted trees, and conserved the countryside. For their work they were paid $30 per month, of which $25 was sent home. They also received housing, food, medical and dental care as well as educational benefits. The spirit and heritage of the CCC still lives and this monument is one way of drawing attention to their dedication to preserving America's natural resources. In grateful recognition of their service, this monument is dedicated to Company 2819. This beautiful park which serves countless thousands of visitors each year is their legacy. May 9, 1987 Oklahoma NACCCA Alumni Association and the Oklahoma Historical Society

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Roman Nose State Park — 0.5 mi
  A canyon of gypsum cliffs and three springs north of Watonga, one of Oklahoma's first seven state parks, named for Henry Roman Nose, a Cheyenne chief who survived Fort Marion.

More markers nearby

• Cantonment — 13 mi
• Lacey — 23 mi