Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lore & Background

Tulsa was settled between 1828 and 1836 by the Lochapoka band of Creek Native Americans. On March 28, 1836, Opothleyahola and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation established a settlement called Lochapoka under the Creek Council Oak Tree. The area was part of Indian Territory, on the land of the Kiikaapoi, Osage, Muscogee, and Caddo tribes. Most of modern Tulsa lies in the Creek Nation, with parts in the Cherokee and Osage Nations. The city was formally incorporated on January 18, 1898, with Edward E. Calkins as its first mayor.

The discovery of oil near Red Fork on June 24, 1901, and the subsequent Glenn Pool Oil Reserve discovery around 1905 prompted a rush of entrepreneurs and oil companies, including Texaco and Prairie Oil and Gas Company, to move their headquarters to Tulsa. The city's population swelled to over 140,000 between 1901 and 1930. During the Great Depression, oil prices in Tulsa were usually between $1.00 and $1.18 per barrel from 1934 to 1940, helping the city's economy fare better than most. In 1925, Tulsa businessman Cyrus Avery began his campaign to create Route 66, earning the city the nickname 'Birthplace of Route 66.'

Reader's Guide

Tulsa's significance stems from its dual identity as a major oil industry hub and as the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. The massacre occurred in the Greenwood neighborhood, known as 'Black Wall Street,' where mobs of White Tulsans killed Black Tulsans, looted, and burned homes and businesses over sixteen hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921. An official report claimed 23 Black and 16 White citizens were killed, but other estimates suggest as many as 300 died. Over 800 people were injured, and 1,000 Black people were left homeless as 35 city blocks were destroyed. Efforts to obtain reparations have been unsuccessful, but the events were re-examined by the city and state in the early 21st century.

Beyond oil, Tulsa's economy expanded into aircraft manufacturing during World War II, with a Douglas Aircraft Company plant opening in 1942. American Airlines took over a former Douglas facility in 1946. The city is also home to two NCAA Division I universities: the University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University. Tulsa's cultural offerings include accredited art museums, full-time professional opera and ballet companies, and a large concentration of Art Deco architecture. The city is situated on the Arkansas River in the western foothills of the Ozark Mountains, in a region known as 'Green Country.'

Did You Know?

• The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed 35 city blocks and 1,256 residences, leaving an estimated 10,000 Black residents homeless.
• Tulsa is known as the 'Birthplace of Route 66' due to Cyrus Avery's campaign to create the highway.