For millennia, the rugged and ancient Wichita Mountains have stood over a natural prairie, with their granite walls and canyons offering refuge to waves of people over many centuries, beginning with nomadic Native Americans. One of the early groups who lived here, the Wichitas, believed their ancestors arose from the rocky points of the mountains, and the name "Wichita" comes from the native words weets, meaning "man," and ee-taw, meaning "of the north," words that probably originated 4,000 to 10,000 years ago. In the 1800s, conservationists seeking the best habitat for re-establishing bison and other imperiled species chose the sheltered prairie of the Wichita Mountains as an ideal location. Sections of the original woven mesh wire fences built for the arrival of the bison still remain, and in 1907 the arrival of fifteen bison was marked by a celebration; the refuge later re-established elk and wild turkey populations as well. Today, the mountains continue to offer refuge to wildlife and to visitors.