Situated in one of the most sparsely populated areas of the United States, there is almost no light pollution, allowing you to see countless stars on clear nights. However when more settlers arrived following up mining leads, they brought with them stricter law enforcement which eventually halted the criminal element.īlack Mesa is also known for its extremely dark skies. Small hideouts were constructed where more and more ne’er do wells could find refuge. The monument has various facts about the area carved in it, including the distance to each state boundary and that Cimmaron County is the only county in the United States that borders four separate states.ĭuring the 1800’s the barren area was a favorite among outlaws like Blackjack Ketchum, looking to lay low after crimes. A native Oklahoma Indian Head granite monument is at the highest point, with a logbook in an ammunition box for visitors to sign. Video gamers might know Black Mesa as the main facility in Half-Life, but highpointers and peakbaggers know it as the highest point in Oklahoma, at 4,973 feet above sea level near the very edge of the Panhandle which used to be a favorite hideout for wild west outlaws.īlack Mesa is the remnant of a lava flow from Capulin Volcano in New Mexico from three to five million years ago, and outcroppings on the mesa range in color from dark brown to black.