Secrets Beneath the Plains: Why Woodward, OK Is More Than Just Tornado Country

Woodward, Oklahoma isn’t just some speck on a map in the middle of the plains. It’s a town forged in catastrophe—scarred by one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history—and carved by time itself, thanks to a secret hidden just beneath its dusty surface.

 

That secret? Alabaster Caverns. A sprawling underground world of rare black alabaster and glimmering gypsum formed over 200 million years ago. Long before cowboys, oil rigs, or even dinosaurs roamed the land, these caves were being shaped beneath a shallow sea—and today, they’re open to those daring enough to crawl through their ancient corridors.

 

Yes, dinosaur fossils have been found in western Oklahoma, but not right in Woodward. Instead, Woodward’s true prehistoric claim to fame lies in its Permian-era geology, making it a hotspot for geologists, cavers, and thrill-seeking tourists, not necessarily paleontologists.

 

And yet, the story doesn’t end there.

Woodward’s history is a saga of survival—from frontier shootouts to oil booms to the fateful tornado of 1947. Today, the town embraces both its rugged past and its underground mysteries, welcoming those curious enough to explore.

 

So what is Woodward known for?

Not dinosaurs. Not cowboys. Not oil.
It’s known for survival—and the strange, glittering beauty hiding in the dark below.