The lost national parks of America's middle

Part 1: An Oklahoma national park that went by the wayside—sort of

Think of America's first national parks, and you’re probably picturing Yellowstone. Maybe you picture Yosemite, John Muir begging Teddy Roosevelt to protect California’s big trees and cathedrals of granite. Think of beautiful places in the country—places worth protecting, places worthy of being national parks—and you probably think of the American West. The wild, wild one.

Yeah, not so fast. It wasn’t always like that.

Arkansas’s Hot Springs National Park was technically the country’s first. Mackinac Island—now a resort destination covered in fudge—was second. Indiana Dunes, designated in 2019, had a serious shot at being seventh. Sully's Hill National Park, in Roosevelt's beloved North Dakota, and Platt National Park in Oklahoma both gained and lost their coveted statuses long ago. What would've happened if these places weren't deemed unworthy of gold-tiered regard?

Would we view America's middle any differently?