About this city
Also known as: The Fort Sill Community
Nestled in the rugged, ancient granitic foothills of the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma, Lawton serves as the county seat of Comanche County. Founded in 1901 during the opening of the last indigenous reservation lands in Oklahoma Territory, the city was named after Major General Henry W. Lawton. The city's history, economy, and growth have been inextricably intertwined with the military since its inception, anchored by the immediate adjacency of Fort Sill, established in 1869 as a historic frontier cavalry post and now a premier global artillery training center. Today, Lawton functions as a vital commercial, healthcare, and educational hub for the region, balancing heavy defense sectors with spectacular high-plains eco-tourism and rich Native American heritage preservation.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
Drive to the panoramic mountain vistas of Mount Scott inside the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge to spot free-roaming wild bison and longhorns. Explore historic frontier army barracks, historic gravesites, and massive artillery weapons at Fort Sill National Historic Landmark. View prehistoric native pottery and pioneer heritage at the Museum of the Great Plains.
