City of Lawton

Lawton's landscape is typical of the Great Plains / open plains, with flat topography and gently rolling hills, while the area north of the city is marked by the Wichita Mountains. The general altitude of the city is about 1,100 feet and as high as 2,464 feet in the Wichita Mountains.

Type: Film Friendly Communities
Film Permit: Yes
Film Liaison: Yes

Tribal Affiliations: "No tribal affiliations but Lawton is home or close to: Comanche Nation Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Fort Sill Apache tribe Wichita & Affiliated tribes Delaware Nation"

City: Lawton
County Seat: Lawton
Population: 93,000
Distance from OKC: 86 miles
Distance from Tulsa: 191 miles

Community Features:
Lawton is centered around two main attractions. First, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (established in 1901), the refuge provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Texas longhorn cattle also share the refuge rangelands as a cultural and historical legacy species. More than 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive on this important refuge. The 59,020 acre refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow. The second attraction is the 94,000 acre military post, Fort Sill (built during the Indian Wars in 1869). The military installation has a museum that's comprised of 26 historic buildings and the gravesite of famous Apache chief, Geronimo. Lawton was founded on a land lottery system in 1901 - so the city has several unique homes to include a 1907 fourteen-room, Italian and Greek Revival–style mansion. This home is open to tours and listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR 75001564).

Community Filmography:
Documentary ""ReCreating America"", InCA Productions, Flashback TV, Ken Burns documentary ""The Way West"" and ""Baseball"" which aired on the PBS network. Discovery Channel Canada, Red Apple, Denmark's Paul Eric Eilbuth, and projects for Discovery channels, BBC, A&E, & American Experience Feature Films: Inspiration ....""Blazing Saddles"", Mel Brooks was stationed at Fort Sill, Source Yahoo Movies, Article by Adam Pockross, May 7, 2014, Excerpt of Mel Brooks Quote: ""When I enlisted in the Army, I was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, near the wonderful town of Lawton, Oklahoma. I think I get a lot of ""Blazing Saddles"" from Lawton, Oklahoma. It was an artillery base, Fort Sill. It was called Field Artillery Replacement Training Center. Put that together and you got farts. And it just stuck in my head, and I thought I never could find a place for it. Then when I had this cowboy story, with beans and tin plates, I said, ""OK, we can let it go."""" Yahoo Movies, Link to full story "In the Valley of Elah"", location scouting Mel Gibson's ""Apocalypto"", Pre-release screening Sound Crews for ""War of the Worlds"" & ""Saving Private Ryan"" (Academy Award for Sound) ""Dances with Wolves"" - Pre-production research ""In the Army Now"" - Filmed on Fort Sill Television: ""The Son"", AMC, casting call ""America at a Crossroads, Kansas to Kandahar"" Lumiere Productions, PBS ""Beauty in the Suffering"" Music Video, Barfield Productions ""Digital Ranch"" for History Channel ""Extreme Makeover Home Edition"", ABC ""Hillbilly Handfishing"" ""Military Snapshot"" for Capitol Media Group ""Mudcats"" ""Paranormal Witness - True Terror"" ""Prison Break"", location scouting ""River Monsters"" “What it Takes”, Best Read Blind’s production, PBS Size It Up Productions for Discovery Channel

City Infrastructure:
Lawton has 5 major shopping centers; multiple antique stores; along with the traditional big box stores such as, Target, Sams, Walmart.

Landmarks:
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge & Visitor Center - Mt. Scott, multiple hiking trails Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum Geronimo's Grave The Meers Store & Restaurant Historic Mattie Beal Home Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center Lake Lawtonka Lake Ellsworth Signature Events: International Festival, Arts For All, Lawton Ranger's Rodeo, Holy City Easter Passion Play

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