1078 -Doe Doe Park

In the 1940s Ben Hutchins began a passion project when he set his mind to one thing, planning and building an elaborate amusement park in Lawton. After hauling in materials sourced from all over the state and countless hours of manpower, the park was completed, a truly fabulous gem for the community. Named after his youngest daughter Doris, the park was home to an indoor roller-skating rink, an outdoor swimming pool fed by a natural aquifer, a zoo, playgrounds, picnic areas, a train ride, a restaurant, a carousel, and so much more.

The late 1950s and early 1960s brought increasing pressure to integrate the park, during a time when the Civil Rights Movement was gaining steam across the country. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing segregation in schools and public places. Unfortunately, because Doe Doe Park was privately owned, the owners had the right to deny entrances to anyone the owners chose.

The park became the focal point of the Civil Rights Movement in Lawton. Segregation at the park led to Oklahoma’s largest civil rights march in June 1966. Between the 16th and 18th, approximately 100 people marched from Oklahoma’s capital in Oklahoma City to Doe Doe Park. Another 100 demonstrators joined the marchers once they arrived in Lawton. Throughout the month, additional protests happened almost daily at the park and at city hall.

In February of 1967 the United States Department of the Interior granted $75,000 for the construction of a public pool in Lawton that would be opened to all. The Olympic-sized Mattie Beal Park Pool opened on June 6, just in time for summer. Nearly one year later, the Hutchins family announced they would voluntarily integrate Doe Doe Park.

For years, Doe Doe Park was the top attraction in Lawton for families. Times were changing though and in the mid-1980s, the pool and the roller-skating rink closed. A push for redevelopment in 1985 fell through following an oil crash. It was finally time for the Hutchins family to pass on the property to someone else and in 1998, a chapter of Lawton’s history came to an end. Many items were auctioned off, making way for demolition to occur. The area along D Avenue has since become Bridge Park. Today, Doe Doe Park lives on in the memories of those who splashed in the pool, skated at the rink, and savored the sweet summer months in Lawton at the park and those who marched for their civil rights.