The Black Kettle and McClellan Creek National Grasslands are administered for the United States Department of Agriculture by the Cibola National Forest and Grasslands. The Black Kettle National Grassland contains 31,300 acres with 30,724 acres located near Cheyenne, Oklahoma, and the remaining 576 acres located near Canadian, Texas and comprising the Lake Marvin Recreation Area. The McClellan Creek National Grassland contains 1,449 acres near Pampa, Texas, and includes the Lake McClellan Recreation Area.

The tracts that make up these National Grasslands were acquired by the United States Department of Agriculture in the late 1930s. In the 1950s, the authority for managing these lands was transferred from the Soil Conservation Service to the Forest Service. On June 23, 1960, the National Grasslands were officially designated.