Fort Towson, OK

The Word of the Day for March 15, from word@m-w.com is:

fruition \froo-ISH-un\ noun

1 : pleasurable use or possession : enjoyment

2 a : the state of bearing fruit *b : realization

My undertaking is to use the Word of the Day in both ways in a listing description:

You will experience great fruition (1) when you own these two waterfront lots on Lake Raymond Gary. Many people have the fruition (2) of a great fish catch on this lake.

You must visit Raymond Gary State Park. It's a favorite spot to spend time if you live in Fort Towson, around Lake Raymond Gary, Sawyer, Hugo, or Valliant, in Southeast Oklahoma.

Raymond Gary state park is enjoyed by everyone. It's a great place for:

Fishing:

In the past, The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife has conducted electrofishing surveys on the lakes in Oklahoma. The last data that I could locate was released in February of 2003. According to that article on the Kansas Angler Website:

"Among lakes smaller than 1,000 acres, Adair Recreation Lake in Adair County produced the most bass per hour during spring electrofishing surveys conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

In terms of overall numbers, Adair Lake produced 198 bass per hour of electrofishing, a big jump from last year when it yielded 124 bass per hour. Ranking second was Mountain Lake in Garvin County with nearly 183 bass per hour, followed by Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw County (128 bass per hour), Taylor Lake in Grady County (124 bass per hour) and American Horse Lake in Blaine County (122 bass per hour)."

Lake Raymond Gary is managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, it is not a corp of engineer lake. They routinely stock it with catfish. The crappie and bass are popular catches at the lake also!

Daily/Minimum Size Limits: All species of black bass; six (6) combined per day, of which only one (1) may be 22 inches or longer / 16- to 22-inch protected slot limit. Channel and/or blue catfish; six (6) per day / no size limit.
Methods: Fishing limited to only two (2) rods and reels per person. Fishing limited to rod and reel and bowfishing. No other method of fishing allowed.

There are two boat ramps in the park and ample parking for your truck and boat trailer while you're on the water.

Camping:

120 Campsites - Raymond Gary offer both RV sites with full hookups and tent sites. Many of the RV sites have concrete patios and concrete picnic tables. There are two group pavilions also that can reserved. Amenities include comfort stations with showers (hot water).

Playground:

Many local families make use of the park for it's playground for their children. Usually the week-end brings families with a picnic and the camera.

Cabin Rentals: There are several cabins available, some with bath, some with fireplaces.

Swimming: There is a swim beach available.

Canoe Rentals: Ask the park manager when you get there.

Pictures of the cabins, boat ramps, and playground will be uploaded this week-end.

Relocating to Fort Towson, Oklahoma or Lake Raymond Gary? Play Golf? Golfing Choices Around Fort Towson and Lake Raymond Gary

First let me say, that I get questions about the local golf courses and I don't play. I've never been on a golf course. BUT - I do know how to do some research and make some phone calls... put information together. So future Choctaw County Dweller, please bear with me! That said, here we go:

First before heading out, let's check the weather to make sure there's no thunderstorms planned (Avoid those lightning bolts!)

Rock Creek Golf Course is the nearest course to Fort Towson. It is located between Fort Towson and Hugo, in the Sawyer vicinity. It is a public, regulation length, 36 Par, 9 hole public course, located on Fallon Road, covering 3139 yards, with a course rating of 35.5 and slope of 106 from the back tees. It has a driving range. Green fees are around $20 - $25. Phone Number: 580-326-6130.

Next we travel about 5 miles west to the beautiful Hugo Golf Course. Hugo is also a public 9 hole course, located on highway 271, about 2 ½ miles south of Hugo. They are a 35 Par course of 3020 yards with a Course Rating of 35 and Slope of 118 from the back tees. This golf course was built in the 1920's, does have a driving range. Fees are around $20. Come after 5 pm and it's only $14. Monday is Ladies Day with $5 covering your green fee and cart. Phone Number is 580-326-6549.

Contact the Hugo Golf Course also about the Red River Junior Golf , a non-profit organization, that promotes golf participation by the youth. They use a point system to decide on the provision of scholarships to participating graduating seniors. They encourage families in the area that are interested in their children enjoying the game to contact them about the Junior Club.

The Hugo Golf Course supplied the pictures in today's blog.

Let's head south just a tad to Paris, Texas. Taking 109 from Fort Towson, you can be in Paris in about 35 to 40 minutes. First up is the Elk Hollow Golf Club at 2200 36^th St NE. Their phone number is 903-785-6585 . They also are a public course of 9 holes covering 3,142 yards. The course has a par of 36 and a course rating of 35 with slope of 113 from the back tees. This course was built in the 1970's, has a driving range and green fees are around $20. You can reach them at 903-785-6585.

The Paris Golf and Country Club on Highway 195 can be reached at 903-785-6512. They are a private course of 18 holes with a length of 6,143 yards. The 70 par course has a course rating of 67.6 with the slope being 117 from the back tees. Green fees are around $30 to $40 and they do have a driving range.

The Pine Ridge Golf Course in Paris is located at 5615 Pine Mill Road. Their phone number is 903-785-8076. They are a public course of 18 holes and 5, 855 yards. Par is 72. With a Course Rating of 67 and slope of 106 from the back tees. This is the newest course available in the area, having been built in 1986.

Instead of going west from Fort Towson, if you head east about 40 minutes, check out the Idabel Country Club Golf Course on the southern Highway 70 by-pass around Idabel. Their phone number is 580-286-7545. They are a public course of 18 holes covering 5,636 yards with a par of 70, Course Rating of 70 and Slope being 112 from the back tees. The Idabel course was built in the 1940's and is a beautiful course.

Last but in no way Least is the Cedar Creek Golf Course at Hochatown, 580-494-6456. Rated 4 Stars by Golf Digest Magazine as "Places to Play 2002" This 18 hole, par 72 course rests against Broken Bow Lake. Fees are around $20 plus cart fee, with discounts for seniors. The course measures 6,603 yards with a Course Rating of 71.3 and a Slope of 128.

As you can see, there are plenty of choices within a short driving distance, for the golfer that is relocating to Fort Towson, Oklahoma. So COME ON DOWN!

Please give me a call or send an email if I can help you with real estate in McCurtain or Choctaw County, Oklahoma.

Judi Barrett

Integrity Real Estate Services

Our Name Says It All.

Real Estate Services You Can Trust.

Relocating to Lake Raymond Gary? Or Fort Towson, Oklahoma? Have School Aged Children? School Information Just For You!

Fort Towson Public School is located at 205 N W Third Street, Fort Towson, OK 74735. The elementary section of the school starts at Pre-K through 8^th grade.

According to the National Center For Education Statistics, there are 267 students enrolled in those grades with approx 19 teachers and a 14.2 Student to Teacher Ratio. The High School Grades of 9 - 12 have 127 students with 11 teachers and a student to teacher ratio of 11.4.

Fort Towson is a "Title 1" School which means that it receives funds through a federal grant program. The Title 1 funds are to help insure that all children can obtain a high quality education. The program provides additional instruction in reading and mathematics to students who's score on a standardized achievement test in reading comprehension and mathematics problem solving places them in the 49^th percentile . School wide programs are allowed to provide support service to all students. The National Center for Education indicates that Fort Towson is a School Wide Title 1, so all students attending there are benefited by the Title 1 Program.

The Academic Performance Index (API) scores for the Fort Towson Public Schools K-12 were 1200 in 2006 and 1137 in 2007. The Elementary School's score was 1275 in 06 and 1216 in 07 with the High School scoring 1097 in 06 and 1020 in 07. This scoring system was created to measure the performance and progress of a school in different areas. The possible scores range from 0 to 1,500, with 1,000 being the average score of schools and districts in the 2001 - 2002 school year, used as the control year. This information came from the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Oklahoma State Regents For Higher Education reports ACT scores for the students at Fort Towson for the year 2005 as the following:

English 15.3

Math 16.0

Reading 18.6

Science 17.4

More information is available on the 2006 School Report Card from the State of Oklahoma. It is available here.

The Fort Towson School Sports and athletic program revolves around it's outstanding basketball and baseball programs. The 4-H and Vo-Ag Department work together and are very active.

Fort Towson School System works very hard to meet the needs of it's students.

The small town of Fort Towson has 611 smiling faces. We don't count the frowns around here, because there just aren't any...

According to the census...

• There are more women residents than men residents.
• Approximately 62% of the adults have spouses.
• 70% of the homes are homeowner occupied.
• The median family income is between $21,000 and $22,000 so some businesses do not exist in Fort Towson as you'll discover in below.

Fort Towson does not have a restaurant or cafe, coffee-shop, sandwich shop, or anything similar that you would recognize from the street as a restaurant. Restaurants are in nearby Hugo, Oklahoma or Paris, Texas , but there's a pleasant surprise waiting for you at Fort Towson. Even though the town does not have a restaurant at this time, everyone knows where The Corner Store is, for a quick fast-food lunch that doesn't taste like fast food.

Their fish and fries will compete with any fish restaurant. For that traditional burger, they can't be beat either. Pizza, yep! They'll make you a salad, if you're being health conscience today too. You can fill your gas tank and fill your tummy tank at the same time, pick up a small bottle of propane, or they'll even make photocopies for you if you're up there doing business and can't get back to the office but need copies. Even though we're not talking laundry here, but who knows you might spill some that special sauce on your shirt while dining at The Corner Store. If so, Fort Towson's small laundry is right next door, part of the same building.

One thing about it being this way... I have been told that the Senior Citizen Center has a good turnout for lunch by those that are of the right age. Also I believe that there's more than the average number of folks that have each other over to their homes for dinner. Promotes friends having dinner together in their homes!

The State Highway department has been working on widening highway 70 right through the middle of town for about 2 years now, so any current pics are full of construction. Hopefully they will be finished soon.

Next relocation blog, we'll talk about Life on Lake Raymond Gary which is in Fort Towson!