The following is a of the history of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
16th century
- 1540 â Hernando de Soto becomes the first European to visit present-day Tulsa.
19th century
- 1836 â Creek people begin to settle the town of Tulasi after their expulsion from the Southeastern United States.
- 1861 â Battle of Round Mountain and Battle of Chusto-Talasah â Civil War battles occur north of Tulsa.
- March 25, 1879 â First post office established at Perryman ranch.
- 1882 âÂÂ
- Atlantic & Pacific Railroad tracks laid from Vinita.
- T. J. (Jeff) Archer builds first mercantile store in downtown Tulsa
- 1884 â Presbyterian church founded a mission day school that became the first public school after Tulsa was incorporated.
- 1886 â First Methodist Episcopal Church organized in December in Tulsey Town, Creek Nation.
- 1887 â Tulsa founded.
- 1893 â The Tulsa Review is the first newspaper published in Tulsa.
- 1895 â The New Era newspaper opens. It later renames to the Indian Republican and Tulsa World.
- 1898
- Town is officially incorporated on January 18.
- Edward E. Calkins becomes first mayor.
- Population reported as 1,100.
- 1899
- First mass said at Holy Family Church.
- Robert H. Hall built the first telephone system in Tulsa, serving 80 subscribers.
- R. N. Bynum becomes second mayor.
- Presbyterian mission school closed permanently after 1898-99 session; building purchased by J. M. Hall and 3 other men and reopened as first public school, beginning Tulsa Public Schools system.
- 1900
- Commercial Club of Tulsa formed.
- Population: 1,390.
- Lewis Poe becomes third mayor
20th century
1900s-1940s
- 1901
- Oil discovered at Red Fork, near Tulsa, starting oil boom.
- George D. Blakey becomes the fourth mayor
- 1902 â Tulsa chartered as a city.
- 1903
- Telephone system sold to Indian Territory Telephone Company.
- Original 3-story Brady Hotel constructed.
- George Mowbray becomes the fifth mayor
- 1904
- Tulsa annexed North Tulsa.
- First Tulsa bridge built across Arkansas River.
- Pumping plant built to deliver Arkansas River water to consumers via piping system.
- Indian Territory Telephone Company bought by Pioneer Company
- Accidental explosion destroyed Archer store, killed a customer and mortally wounded Jeff Archer.
- H. R. Cline becomes the sixth mayor
- 1907
- Tulsa becomes part of the new U.S. state of Oklahoma, and county seat of newly formed Tulsa County.
- Henry Kendall College moved from Muskogee to Tulsa.
- Population: 7,298.
- William E. Rohde becomes the ninth mayor
- 1908
- Commission form of government adopted.
- Orcutt Lake and Amusement Park, privately owned and developed, opened, advertised as Tulsa's first playground.
- 1910
- Tulsa County Court House built.
- Population: 18,182.
- Exchange National Bank founded after failure of Farmers' National Bank.
- Texaco builds first oil refinery in West Tulsa.
- Oil & Gas Journal, oil industry trade journal, headquartered in Tulsa.
- Area of city: 3.5 square miles.
- Hotel Brady annex and Tulsa Hotel were built.
- Loyal J. Martin becomes the eleventh mayor
- 1912 â Frank M. Wooden becomes the twelfth mayor
- 1913
- Booker T. Washington High School established.
- Joshua Cosden builds second oil refinery in West Tulsa.
- 1914
- Tulsa Convention Hall built.
- Holy Family Cathedral dedicated.
- Temple Israel congregation founded.
- 1915
- Oklahoma Hospital established.
- Chamber of Commerce active.
- Grace M.E. Church constructed at 3rd and Trenton Ave. now known as The Church Studio
- 1916
- Carnegie library opens, forerunner of the Tulsa Public Library system.
- John H. Simmons becomes the thirteenth mayor
- 1917
- Orcutt Lake Amusement Park closed and converted to Swan Lake residential area. Gus Orcutt sold his development to Tulsa developer, E. J. Brennan, who coined the name Swan Lake. Brennan donated the lake itself to the City of Tulsa as a public park.
- Tulsa Central High School construction completed
- Tulsa Outrage occurs.
- 1918
- Morningside Hospital opened.
- Cosden Building constructed, considered first "skyscraper" in city.
- C. H. Hubbard becomes the fourteenth mayor
1950s-1990s
- 1950 â Population: 182,740.
- 1951 â Bell's Amusement Park opens.
- 1952
- Lake Eucha and second pipeline from Lake Spavinaw to Tulsa constructed to supplement city water supply.
- Tulsa Coliseum destroyed by fire after being hit by lightning on September 27, 1952.
- 1953
- Golden Driller statue created for and displayed at the International Petroleum Exposition.
- Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission established.
- 1954 â KTUL-TV and KVOO-TV (television) begin broadcasting.
- 1956
- Highland Park becomes part of Tulsa.
- Tulsa Ballet and Tulsa Baptist Association founded.
- 1957
- All Souls Unitarian Church moves from downtown to Brookside
- June: Tulsarama pageant held.
- 1958
- Apache Drive-In cinema opens.
- Gilcrease Foundation conveyed Gilcrease Museum to the city.
- 1959
- A black family's home in a predominantly white neighborhood in north Tulsa is bombed during the Civil rights movement.
- 1960
- Saint Francis Hospital opens.
- Area of city: 50 square miles.
- Population: 261,685.
- 1961 â New airport terminal opened.
- 1963 â Tulsa Youth Symphony founded.
- 1964 â Tulsa Convention Center opens.
- 1965
- Oral Roberts University established.
- Tulsa City-County Library Central Library opened.
- 1966
- Area of city expands.
- Tulsa Expo Center built; Golden Driller statue permanently installed.
- James M. Hewgley, Jr. becomes mayor.
- 1967
- Prayer Tower and Fourth National Bank of Tulsa built.
- Union Depot abandoned after passenger train service ceases.
- 1970
- Tulsa Junior College established.
- Robert J. LaFortune becomes mayor.
- Population: 331,638.
- 1971 â Tulsa Port of Catoosa opened to shipping via the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
- 1972
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa established.
- Area of city: 175.71 square miles.
- Leon Russell returns to his hometown of Oklahoma and turns an old church into a recording studio The Church Studio and office of Shelter Records.
- 1973 â First National BanCorporation Tower built.
- 1974 âÂÂ
- Tulsa Area United Way active.
- F3 tornadoes in the Tulsa metropolitan area kill two people and, combined with flooding, produce the costliest natural disaster in city's history up to that timeâÂÂa disaster worth $30,000,000
- 1975
- National Bank of Tulsa renamed Bank of Oklahoma (BOK)
- Westhope added to NRHP.
- Tulsa Municipal Building added to NRHP.
- Williams Brothers Tower (now named BOK Tower) built.
- 1976
- Memorial Day flood causes major damage along Mingo, Joe and Haikey creeks.
- Woodland Hills Mall in business.
- Tulsa Central High School moves from Downtown facility to new Osage County facility. Former school leased to Public Service Company of Oklahoma as new headquarters following remodeling (repurposing).
- 1977 âÂÂ
- Tulsa Performing Arts Center opens.
21st century
See also
References
Bibliography
Published in 20th century
- James M. Hall, The Beginning of Tulsa (Tulsa, Okla: N.p., 1933).
- Angie Debo, Tulsa: From Creek Town to Oil Capital, 1943. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
- Nina Dunn, âÂÂTulsaâÂÂs Magic Roots: An Early History of Tulsa,â (Okla. Book Pub. Co. 1979)
- The Tulsa Historic Preservation Plan (Tulsa, Okla.: Tulsa Preservation Commission, 1992).
Published in 21st century
External links