Wah-Sha-She State Park

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Wah-Sha-She State Park
Location Osage County, Oklahoma, USA
Nearest city Copan, OK
Coordinates 36°55′30″N 96°05′51″W / 36.925°N 96.0975°W / 36.925; -96.0975Coordinates: 36°55′30″N 96°05′51″W / 36.925°N 96.0975°W / 36.925; -96.0975
Area 266 acres (108 ha)
Governing body Osage Nation
Official website

Wah-Sha-She State Park, now known simply as Wah-Sha-She Park, is on the shore of Hulah Lake (Oklahoma) in Osage County, Oklahoma. The name is from the Osage language, meaning "the water people." The 266-acre (108 ha) park offers recreational activities including boating, fishing and swimming. Hunting is allowed in the adjacent 8,900-acre (3,600 ha) Wildlife Management Area. There is also a 2,000-acre (810 ha) Waterfowl Refuge where birdwatching is allowed.[1][2]

Another version of the name claims that the tribe called itself Wah-Zha-Zhe when French explorer Jacques Marquette encountered them in the 17th Century. The map he produced in 1673 translated the name into the French as Ouchage.[3] In effect, the park is named for the Osage people.

This park is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Pawhuska, Oklahoma on State Highway 99, then 10 miles (16 km) east on State Highway 10. It is west of Copan, Oklahoma on State Highway 10.[2]

In 2011, the state announced its intention to close Wah-Sha-She State Park as part of its budget-cutting program.[4] The Osage Nation now manages the park, which is owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.[5]

Chief Red Eagle of the Osage Nation signed a management agreement with the Corps of Engineers in May 2012, even though the Osage legislative branch had previously voted down funding the take-over. The agreement extends through 2016, at which time the Osage Nation will reevaluate whether to extend it.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Wah-Sha-She State Park". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Wah-Sha-She State Park". Shop Oklahoma. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Urban Dictionary. "Wah-Zha-Zhe."
  4. ↑ Canfield, Kevin. "Seven Oklahoma state parks to be closed". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 10, 2012. 
  5. ↑ "Why It’s Hard to Privatize and Move State Parks". NPR. Retrieved January 6, 2013. 
  6. ↑ Polacca, Benny. Osage News. "Osage Nation takes over Wah-Sha-She State Park." June 6, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
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