Aqua Park, Oklahoma
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Aqua Park is one of the smallest townships in the state of Oklahoma, in the midwestern United States of America. The town of Aqua Park originally was a loosely-associated community founded soon after the completion of Tenkiller Ferry Lake in Sequoyah and Cherokee counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Approximately half of the township's border is formed by the shoreline of Tenkiller Ferry Lake. The name Aqua Park is a reference to that lake, and the town contains facilities that cater to recreational users of that lake. The town, on hilly terrain characteristic of the Cookson Hills in which it sits, lies almost completely within property owned by the United States Government and managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The town of Aqua Park contains few permanent structures, due in large part to the strict development rules enforced by the Corps of Engineers. As a result, except for a few commercial buildings, most of the structures in Aqua Park are trailer homes. Virtually all of these trailer homes are vacation homes owned by recreational users of the lake. There is no post office in Aqua Park; rather, the township is serviced by the nearby town of Gore.
Until the late 1980s, "Aqua Park" was also the name of the private business occupying most of the township's land area. That business includes several components, including the previously-mentioned trailer park, a boat mechanic shop, and a marina. In the late 1980s, the then-owners of that business, the Lamb family, changed the name of the business to Strayhorn Landing, Inc. The name "Strayhorn Landing" was the name originally given by the Corps of Engineers to the boat ramp and campground located at the site of Aqua Park after the lake was completed. The Lamb family established the official township of Aqua Park after they purchased the trailer park and marina in the mid-1960s. They sold the business to new owners in 2006.
In addition to the private business now known as "Strayhorn Landing," there are several boat ramps, a campground, and a day-use (i.e. non-overnight camping) area in Aqua Park. These additional facilities are operated by the Corps of Engineers.
The odd name "Aqua Park" is of unknown origin, although generally it refers to the fact that the township sits next to a lake that is used extensively by vacationers. What is known is that Aqua Park was the name of the boat and baitshop business located at the site in the 1960s. Although the private commercial entity as well as the government-operated facilities are known as Strayhorn Landing, and therefore the use of the name "Aqua Park" is dwindling, the township of "Aqua Park" still appears on the official Oklahoma map and the name "Aqua Park" occasionally is used by locals interchangeably with the name "Strayhorn Landing" or simply "Strayhorn." The township is bordered by the townships of Paradise Hill and Strayhorn Heights.
A typical photo of this lake in the area of Aqua Park can be found at this link - http://www.lasr.net/images/lake/main_img/OK03lk010.jpg
