Tulsa, Oklahoma - Oil Capital of the World

Tulsa, Oklahoma - Oil Capital of the World

In the meantime, Tulsa continued to grow as more and more oil fields were found. The mud-filled streets turned to brick as automobiles arrived and electric trolleys followed the neighborhoods as they developed further and further from downtown.

The lack of a good water supply was Tulsa’s greatest domestic problem which was solved when construction on the Spavinaw Dam began in 1922. The Dam and Lake Spavinaw State Park continue to provide water to the Tulsa area today as well as boating, fishing, picnicking and camping.

Lake Spanivaw Reservoir Vintage Postcard

Spawned by the rapidly changing demands of America, entrepreneurs, Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma and John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri conceived of the grand idea of linking Chicago to Los Angeles and began lobbying efforts to promote the new highway. The federal government finally pledged to link small town U.S.A. with metropolitan capitals in the summer of 1926 and designated the road as Highway 66.

Aviation also became an important part of the city’s economy with a municipal airport and the Spartan Aircraft Company established in 1928. It was also during this year that the Oklahoma City Oil Field was discovered and began to produce enormous quantities of oil. This field, combined with the plentiful supply of petroleum from eastern Oklahoma, overwhelmed demand during the early years of the Depression.

During the early 1930's, growth in Tulsa, like many places across the United States, came almost to a complete halt. Few projects were built and construction stopped on Route 66.

However, in 1933, thousands of unemployed men were put back to work and road gangs paved the final stretches of the Mother Road. By the mid-1930's, construction picked up and small houses were being built at the edge of the city limits. Soon the streetcar lines were replaced by the automobile and bus lines.

By 1938 the 2,300 mile super-highway, Route 66 was continuously paved from Chicago to Los Angeles and Tulsa saw the beginnings of numerous cafes, service stations and motels springing up along the road.

When World War II broke out, Tulsa's oil industries were converted to defense purposes and the 1940's brought another period of growth for Tulsa. Many aviation industries converted their factories to accommodate the war effort, and defense workers poured into the city.

After World War II an increase in offshore drilling operations affected the petroleum industry in Tulsa. Fortunately, the aircraft and aerospace industry was beginning to blossom and today there are more than 300 aviation-related companies in the city.

On April 13, 1949 Tulsa hosted one of its biggest events ever when the Movie "Tulsa" premiered in the town that carried its name. The celebration featured a parade, which attracted over 100,000 people and featured Susan Hayward, Robert Preston and Chill Wills. The movie was directed by Stuart Heisler and starred Susan Hayward, Robert Preston, Pedro Armendariz, Chill Wills, Ed Begly, Harry Shannon, Jimmy Conlin and Paul E. Burns.

The movie was about a rancher's daughter who fought a one-woman war in oil-field country. In the end, the heroine won the struggle and built an oil empire. The movie was nominated for an academy ward for Best Special Effects.

Port of Catoosa

Port of Catoosa, June, 2004, David Alexander

Another means of transportation came to Tulsa in 1970, when the Port of Catoosa opened. This linked Tulsa with the rest of the world via river navigation to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Tulsa Port of Catoosa is one of the largest, most inland river-ports in the United States!

Today, Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma with a population of nearly 400,000. Threads of its Native American heritage, oil boom days, and icons of Route 66 are still visible in the city's historic fabric

If you're traveling the Mother Road through Tulsa, there are still lots of sites to see along the old route. Old motels dot the streets of 10th, 11th and Southwest Boulevard. In the downtown area there are many art deco buildings including the Warehouse Market at 925 South Elgin Avenue. The Warehouse Market was built in 1929, with bright colored terra cotta tiles enticing people to the farmer's market. The depression closed it down but later it was reopened as the Club Lido during the Big Band Era. Beginning in 1938 it operated as a grocery store until the late 1970's when it was abandoned and eventually boarded up. In the mid 1990's the property was sold and was slated to be torn down until the Tulsa Preservation Commission stepped in and saved the face and tower of the original building.

The Brookshire Motel still stands but no longer

services the many travelers of the Mother Road,

June, 2004, Kathy Weiser

Warehouse Market

Warehouse Market courtesy Tulsa Preservation Commission

You can also see the Metro Diner, one of Tulsa's Route 66 institutions, at 3001 E. 11th, as well as a host of museums and dozens of other icons and attractions as you travel the Mother Road through this fine city.

Route 66 leaves Tulsa just south of the I-44 turnpike along Southwest Boulevard. Between Tulsa and Depew, old Route 66 snakes back and forth along I -44 for 40 miles as you pass by several small towns, abandoned motor courts and old cafes, many of which were built of native stone.

July, 2004

Also See:

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Route 66 Signs - Dozens of great metal signs to decorate that office or den. Makes a great gift for Route 66 enthusiasts and car buffs. See them all HERE!