Tulsa River Parks Authority Celebrates 50 Years By Looking To The Future

River Parks is a huge part of the 918 trails system, and part of Tulsa's tourism draw, and as it turns 50 years old, River Parks will expand in both categories.

River Parks is a link to the outdoors, and recreation, within convenient reach of much of Tulsa. During Tuesday's celebration of the 50-year milestone, Mayor GT Bynum highlighted the City-County partnership that created it.

"And each generation of Tulsans has come along and found new ways to build upon what those who came before us did. That's the story of River Parks over the last 50 years," said Bynum.

Some people enjoy the park features, while others are on the trails, but soon River Parks will manage river features like the new dam and recreational flume by Gathering Place. While River Parks Director Jeff Edwards was praising his staff, he highlighted the story of Joe Medlin, who on the trails of River Parks worked his way through a dramatic weight loss.

"It really is the culmination of just one step after another and then eventually really anything is possible and you can do it," said Medlin,

A souvenir t-shirt recognizes the past glory of River Parks, but with expansion on the horizon, River Parks could be even more in the next half century.

"So when you think about the valuable places we've taken for granted maybe over the last 50 years, just 5 years ago people re-realized the importance of them and I think people have realized they can take advantage of this outdoor lifestyle we have right in our backyard," said Edwards.

The River Parks trails will expand to Jenks, and the work at Turkey Mountain will transform that, but the next big thing is the opening of the pedestrian bridge, dam, and whitewater flume and that's coming up on Labor Day.