Driving east through the Oklahoma City area along old U.S. Route 66, we had set our sights on Yukon, mostly to pass by Garth Brooks’ childhood home. But scanning the map to see what else was in Yukon, another pin caught our attention: “Prairie Dog Field.” It seemed out of place among the usual chain fast-food restaurants and gas stations, so we decided to take a short detour.

At the corner of the 1958 alignment of U.S. Route 66 and Caravel Road, a public field once held a large colony of black-tailed prairie dogs. Even though much of the land had been sold for development and part of the colony relocated in 2024, we could still see the small animals darting in and out of their burrows, standing upright to chirp warnings to one another. The field was surrounded by signs of growth, construction equipment, and new commercial projects, but the prairie dogs carried on, reminders of the wildlife that once dominated this stretch of prairie.

These colonies are fascinating to watch. Black-tailed prairie dogs are the only species in Oklahoma, and they live in tightly knit communities with complex burrow systems. Their barks carry across the grass, each signaling that the group heeds. Despite the encroachment of neighborhoods and shopping centers, some colonies like this one manage to adapt to the Great Plains’ urban edge.