Welcome to the Gloss Mountains

Welcome to the Gloss Mountains. . , The Gloss Mountains region has witnessed the passage of many visitors. Until the 1800's this area was the hunting domain of such Plains Indian tribes as the Apache, Kiowa and Comanche. Countless herds of buffalo once traveled here in their search for prairie grass. , Explorers Thomas James (1821) and Daniel Boone's son, Nathan Boone (1843) passed through this area. Searching for a trade route to Santa Fe, New Mexico, James called these colorful formations the "Shining Mountains." The name Glass Mountains, derived from the abundance of transparent gypsum crystals (the mineral selenite} scattered on the slopes, was first used on a map issued by the U.S. General Land Office in 1873. At a distance, the selenite shimmers in sunlight and appears to be glass. In 1875, a second map labeled this area s the Gloss Mountains, but apparently it was a drafting error. A third map, released shortly afterward, reverted back to Glass Mountains. , In 1835, this region was part of over six million acres that were conveyed by the U.S. Government to the Cherokee Nation. Known as the Cherokee Outlet, it was leased to the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association from 1880 to 1883. , By 1892, the Cherokee Nation reluctantly agreed to cede the unoccupied lands of the Cherokee Outlet for white settlement. The Cherokee Outlet Run of 1893 brought many pioneers. These hard-working homesteaders built farms, ranches and towns. Cedar trees which once covered mesas, were used as fence posts and as rafters for sod houses and dugouts. , Along with these industrious settlers, a few outlaws also roamed the land. Desperados like Dick Yeager took refuge in this rugged country. , Modern-day explorers have probed the depths of this region in search of valuable deposits of oil and natural gas. Major County has been one of Mid-Continent's most active drilling fields.