No Man's Land..

Fort Supply was originally called Camp Supply or camp of supply. It was established Nov. 1868 to supply General Sheridan in his winter campaign against the Southern Plains Indians.  By 1890 the Indian wars were over so Fort Supply was officially closed in 1894.

In 1908 Oklahoma's first insane asylum was established at the old post and is still there, but now called the Western State Psychiatric Center. In 1988, the state legislature designated the remaining buildings at the old fort as the Fort Supply Historic District and 5 are being restored by the OK Historical Society. Additionally,  the William S. Key Correctional Center was opened at the site.  Although we were unable to tour the site while in the area as it is only open Tues-Sat, we did get a reaction from the correctional part when we pulled to the gate to look, I guess because there were inmates out and about. As we turned around and left, a white van came speeding towards us but we will never know what they wanted...maybe they just had info to share.

Today we are heading into the Oklahoma Panhandle, driving west out of Fort Supply into No Man's Land, on what, in our opinion, are the worst roads we have driven to date.  The land out here is what I would consider high plains. For any of you unfamiliar with that term I have attached a picture. Ironically, The Who were singing I can See For Miles as I took this picture. This is what you can see for miles and miles and miles....

This part of Oklahoma was originally part of the Texas Territory, but when Texas applied for statehood as a slave state in 1845,  US law said there could not be slave ownership north of the 36° 30' parallel.  So under the Compromise of 1850,  exas surrendered the 170 miles along the 36°30° parallel that is now OK.  At the same time, the eastern edge of New Mexico Territory was established as the 103 meridian so the "surrendered" area became "The Public Strip", part of no official territory.  Unofficially it was called No Man's Land.  It was not surveyed so could not be homesteaded, only "squatted." It had a brief history trying to become the Cimmaron Territory and twice petitioned to make that official, but in 1890 No Man's Land was assigned to the new Oklahoma Territory.  Interesting how that little strip called the Oklahoma Panhandle came to be.

Well, we are now in New Mexico, staying the night at Ute Lake State Park. Tomorrow we are off to Cochiti Lake, outside Santa Fe, NM. Never having been to Santa Fe or Taos, we are looking forward to those 4 days. More later.....