Tulsa's Historic Roots

Tulsa and oil. For decades the two were virtually synonymous. And it’s true the city’s early fortunes were built by tapping into enormous petroleum reservoirs beneath northeastern Oklahoma’s rolling landscape. With each new strike that gushed skyward, entrepreneurial oilmen began to build vast financial empires and create something new and unexpected – a city of wealth, sophistication and taste where before there was only a dusty cow town.

And yet the heritage of that dusty cow town, seasoned with rich Native American traditions, continues to influence the city to this day. Thanks to these Old West roots, Tulsa remains a truly Native American city. In fact, it was the Lochapoka band of Creek Indians who first settled the fertile lands spreading out from the banks of the Arkansas River. Forced from their ancestral homes in the east between 1828 and 1836, the Creek Indians’ Trail of Tears led them to a land of new promise in eastern Oklahoma. At the foot of an oak tree overlooking the Arkansas River near what is now downtown Tulsa, Creek Chieftain Archee Yahola stoked a fire symbolizing a new beginning for his people. That tree, Council Oak, thrives to this day.

First known as Tallasi to its Creek founders, the budding town became a crossroads for ranchers, farmers, traders, merchants and outlaws. Over the years, Tallasi evolved into Tulsey and Tulsee, and finally Tulsa. All were derivations of the Creek word denoting, appropriately enough – town. The settlement proved to be a convenient stop for cattlemen driving their herds across the Arkansas River on their way to railheads in Kansas. With the arrival of the steel rails in 1882, the pace quickened, and before long, a genuine downtown district was emerging. Tulsa was incorporated in 1898, just nine years before Oklahoma was admitted into the Union as the 46th state.

At the turn-of-the-century, Tulsa beckoned as a land of opportunity to people of all races and creeds. Blacks gathered along Greenwood Avenue to form the beginnings of what would become known as the Black Wall Street of America. Native Americans came to Tulsa to trade with townspeople and each other. But it wasn’t until the discovery of oil just west of the river in 1901, and the gusher on Ida Glenn’s farm south of town in 1905, that Tulsa came face to face with its destiny. The oil boom brought men to Tulsa whose names – Sinclair, Getty, Skelly and Phillips, to name a few of the most prominent – were synonymous with the industry they pioneered. By 1920, oil discoveries had pushed Tulsa’s population to 72,000.

All along the way, the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, now known simply as the Tulsa Metro Chamber, helped foster the city’s meteoric rise. Established in 1902 as the Commercial Club of Tulsa, the Chamber coordinated efforts to bring water to Tulsa from the Spavinaw hills, was instrumental in developing an aviation industry, and helped to establish America’s most inland port at nearby Catoosa.

Tulsa remained the Oil Capital of the World for several decades, and even today, energy remains a pillar of the local and state economies. In recent years, aerospace, manufacturing and telecommunications have become prominent features of Tulsa’s increasingly diversified economy. The glory days of the oil business live on in the form of art deco architecture and world-class cultural attractions established by oilmen turned philanthropists.

Tulsa’s past is rich in character, entrepreneurship, perseverance and cooperation. The city’s founders were determined to build a city that their families would be proud to call home, and their success is evident today in a community that, as many have observed, has the hallmarks of a big city but has retained the heart of a small town.

Architecture

Architecture aficionados will find that downtown Tulsa is a virtual classroom for the 1920s art deco style with many outstanding buildings that include the Tulsa Union Depot, Oklahoma Natural Gas building, and the world-famous Boston Avenue Methodist Church. In fact, only New York and Miami can claim more examples of this unmistakable style characterized by ornate gargoyles, opulent lobbies and exquisite towers. Guided, as well as self-tours, are available. Many more public buildings and private residences scattered throughout the city testify to this colorful architectural heritage including the 10,000-square-foot Westhope mansion, a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. In 2008 First Lady, Laura Busch designated Tulsa a Preserve America Community. Tulsa’s selection as the host city for the Sixth World Congress on Art Deco in 2001 and the 2008 National Preservation Conference are clear indications of the city’s commitment to historic preservation.

Tulsa – America’s Most Livable Community

Tulsans have long known there is something special about their city and in 2004, the Partners for Livable Communities in Washington, D.C. confirmed that again by selecting Tulsa as one of America’s Most Livable Communities. The first time Tulsa received this honor was in 1986 following successful efforts to revitalize and diversify the city away from petroleum dependency.

The criteria for this decade’s livability honors are determined from ongoing work with communities developing themselves in the creative economy. Each of the chosen communities have taken major strides to prepare for the new global economy and as a result, America’s Most Livable Communities are among the nation’s top destinations for travel, business investment, relocation, learning, retiring, and living. To learn more, visit www.mostlivable.org.

Today, citizens in our region enjoy unsurpassed beauty, a well-educated and talented workforce, cultural diversity, and a pro-business environment. Tulsa has the second-shortest commute time in the nation, we rank 15th in the nation for the highest rate of high school graduation, and our cost of living is 13.5 percent below the national average while our county per capita income is 21 percent above the national average.
Tulsa has also been recognized as number 5 on Relocate America’s 100 Top Places to Live (2008); number 9 on Site Selection’s annual Top Metropolitan Areas list; and number 6 on Forbes’ 2007 list of Best Cities for Jobs.