Owen Park
Encyclopedia
Owen Park is a historic district
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. Its borders are Edison Avenue on the north, the municipal Owen Park on the east, the Keystone Expressway (Hwy 412) on the south, and Zenith Avenue on the west.
in the Indian Territory
, the U.S. Government
made a treaty with the Osage
Indians. The Osage conceded lands for the use of the Cherokee
and Creek
Tribes. Though the Osage were to vacate their land in Oklahoma, they were still present in 1832 when U.S. Rangers
arrived with civilian observers. Among them was Washington Irving
, perhaps the best known American author of the time. On October 14, the party was traveling to their camp destination at the convergence of the Cimarron and Arkansas Rivers. Pausing briefly at a lookout point, Irving enjoyed the panorama from the hilltop in the Owen Park neighborhood. The descriptions of the view can be found in his book, Tour of the Prairies. A monument to this event stands at the corner of Easton Boulevard and Vancouver Avenue.
By 1834, the Osage Tribe
had been convinced to move to a reservation in Kansas. Following this period, it has been suggested that Owen Park was the location of a Creek settlement called Big Springs Town. After the Civil War
, the Osage were relocated back to the land which is now Osage County
. The point where the three great nations of the Osage, Cherokee and Creek joined is commemorated by a monument in Owen Park.
A Methodist missionary minister, Rev. Sylvester Morris, built a house in the early 1880s that now stands in Tulsa's Owen Park. Originally, it stood on what became North Cheyenne St. Morris served from 1836 until 1907, according to a sign in front of the house. This is the oldest surviving house in Tulsa.
veteran, conducted a freighting business in Kansas before coming to Indian Territory and marrying Jane Wolfe, a Creek woman.During the 1870s, Owen established himself as a leading rancher and farmer in the Broken Arrow
area. Using imported white labor, he planted peach trees, cultivated large areas of fertile land, owned herds of cattle and harvested walnut timber on the Verdigris. He built a ranch home
known throughout the region as the “Big House.”
In 1882, the railroad was on the way from Vinita across the Verdigris to the Arkansas River
. Owen followed the railroad grading work, hauling a large tent. He used the tent as a boarding establishment. With beef and produce from his farm, he supplied hundreds of rail workers, including James Monroe Hall and his brother, Harry C. Hall. James was in charge of the railroad contracting company and Harry was one of the contracting suppliers. Although the Hall brothers are considered to be the founders of modern Tulsa, Chauncey Owen was already in the boardinghouse business at the nearby riverbank. After pitching the company store tent near the future terminal site on that summer evening in 1882, the Halls made their way to Owen’s tent to sample his wife’s home cooking.
Owen immediately moved his tent boardinghouse near the new terminal location, and soon after began to build the first hotel in Tulsa. The six-room wood frame building was also Tulsa’s first two-story building. Appropriately named the Tulsa Hotel, it began business in the winter of 1882. The hotel was managed by Mrs. Owen (aka "Aunt Jane") and until 1890 when it was leased and renamed the St. Elmo.
In 1892, Owen leased 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of his wife’s Creek land to J. P. Goumaz, who built a home at Brady Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Around 1895, the Goumaz family planted 7,000 peach trees, an apple orchard
, strawberry fields
, and established a large concord grape
vineyard from the top of the hill east to Quanah Avenue. Some remnants of the vineyard are still evident on alley fences.
celebrations took place there, with firework displays entertaining crowds who sometimes numbered in the thousands.
Following the discovery of oil in the summer of 1901 at Red Fork, Tulsa began to rapidly grow and prosper. Owen wanted to divide and sell his land, but at over an acre, there was scant public interest. Perhaps he believed he could capitalize on the growing recreational movement in the country. He offered more than 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of park land to the city. In March 1909, the city held its first Park Commission meeting and, by August 18, 1909, decided to purchase the land for $500. The decision met with criticism due to the land’s price and distance from downtown. In those days, many considered it to be too far out in the country. Most were placated, though, when it was announced that a streetcar line would be run to the park, running west on Archer and turning north on Rosedale to Easton Boulevard. Owen Park officially opened on June 8, 1910.
Also in 1910, the city sold 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of the park land to the nearby Tulsa Vitrified Brick Company, located at the southeast edge of the park. Owen attempted to prohibit the sale. He contended that the brick company would “excavate large quantities of earth which will make a dangerous hole for the accumulation of water and the production of sickness…” and would be a “detriment to the health and comfort of the citizens.” He lost an appeal to the State Supreme Court
, who held that the deed did not specify that the land would be used for park purposes only. Owen’s concern proved to be prophetic when a young lad drowned in the abandoned brick pit in 1954. The city soon moved to repurchase and fill the pit. The reclaimed property was again added to the park.
In 1913, the ravine in Owen Park was dammed to create a small lake which was used as a city swimming pool, although “swimmin hole” was probably a more appropriate name. In spite of annual efforts each spring to line the pond with sand hauled by wagons from Sand Springs, it was never long before rains and usage negated those attempts. The muddy bottom, however, did not detract from its popularity. The major problem occurred when bathers, jumping from the twelve-foot tower, sometimes missed the diving hole. Lifeguards would then be called upon to rescue victims stuck in the mud. During the winter, the lake served as a skating rink. Its use as a swimming pool continued through the 1920s. Today, bathing and skating are prohibited, but fishing is a popular pastime and the lake is home to a thriving population of ducks and geese.
By 1915, the neighborhood was growing rapidly. The boulevard had been paved and the Irving monument was dedicated on April 30th. An advertisement in the Tulsa World
on July 4th announced that, “Lots are going fast in Tulsa’s most beautiful residence suburb—Irving Place and Park Hill.” The oil boom that had made many wealthy also provided abundant jobs for a burgeoning middle class. New homes were in high demand and residential construction progressed rapidly. By the end of the 1920s, the lots were filled with homes ranging from craftsman bungalows to estate mansions. Schools had been built in the neighborhood. In 1918, Pershing Elementary was built on the hilltop and, in 1926, Theodore Roosevelt Jr
. High was built on 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of land adjoining the park on the south.
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Its borders are Edison Avenue on the north, the municipal Owen Park on the east, the Keystone Expressway (Hwy 412) on the south, and Zenith Avenue on the west.
History
The history of the Owen Park neighborhood can be traced back to early territorial days. In 1825, preparing for the arrival of the Five Civilized TribesFive Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
in the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, the U.S. Government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
made a treaty with the Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
Indians. The Osage conceded lands for the use of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
Tribes. Though the Osage were to vacate their land in Oklahoma, they were still present in 1832 when U.S. Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
arrived with civilian observers. Among them was Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
, perhaps the best known American author of the time. On October 14, the party was traveling to their camp destination at the convergence of the Cimarron and Arkansas Rivers. Pausing briefly at a lookout point, Irving enjoyed the panorama from the hilltop in the Owen Park neighborhood. The descriptions of the view can be found in his book, Tour of the Prairies. A monument to this event stands at the corner of Easton Boulevard and Vancouver Avenue.
By 1834, the Osage Tribe
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
had been convinced to move to a reservation in Kansas. Following this period, it has been suggested that Owen Park was the location of a Creek settlement called Big Springs Town. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Osage were relocated back to the land which is now Osage County
Osage County, Oklahoma
Osage County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coterminous with the Osage Indian Reservation, it is the home of the federally recognized Osage Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,472 a 6.8 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 44,437...
. The point where the three great nations of the Osage, Cherokee and Creek joined is commemorated by a monument in Owen Park.
A Methodist missionary minister, Rev. Sylvester Morris, built a house in the early 1880s that now stands in Tulsa's Owen Park. Originally, it stood on what became North Cheyenne St. Morris served from 1836 until 1907, according to a sign in front of the house. This is the oldest surviving house in Tulsa.
Chauncey Owen
No account of the historical significance of Owen Park would be complete without homage being paid to the man for which it is named. Chauncey A. Owen (1847 - 1930), a Pennsylvanian entrepreneur and Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran, conducted a freighting business in Kansas before coming to Indian Territory and marrying Jane Wolfe, a Creek woman.During the 1870s, Owen established himself as a leading rancher and farmer in the Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County but also with a small section of the city in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 US Census, Broken Arrow has a population of 98,850 residents...
area. Using imported white labor, he planted peach trees, cultivated large areas of fertile land, owned herds of cattle and harvested walnut timber on the Verdigris. He built a ranch home
Ranch-style house
Ranch-style houses is a domestic architectural style originating in the United States. First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular amongst the booming post-war middle class of the 1940s to 1970s...
known throughout the region as the “Big House.”
In 1882, the railroad was on the way from Vinita across the Verdigris to the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
. Owen followed the railroad grading work, hauling a large tent. He used the tent as a boarding establishment. With beef and produce from his farm, he supplied hundreds of rail workers, including James Monroe Hall and his brother, Harry C. Hall. James was in charge of the railroad contracting company and Harry was one of the contracting suppliers. Although the Hall brothers are considered to be the founders of modern Tulsa, Chauncey Owen was already in the boardinghouse business at the nearby riverbank. After pitching the company store tent near the future terminal site on that summer evening in 1882, the Halls made their way to Owen’s tent to sample his wife’s home cooking.
Owen immediately moved his tent boardinghouse near the new terminal location, and soon after began to build the first hotel in Tulsa. The six-room wood frame building was also Tulsa’s first two-story building. Appropriately named the Tulsa Hotel, it began business in the winter of 1882. The hotel was managed by Mrs. Owen (aka "Aunt Jane") and until 1890 when it was leased and renamed the St. Elmo.
In 1892, Owen leased 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of his wife’s Creek land to J. P. Goumaz, who built a home at Brady Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Around 1895, the Goumaz family planted 7,000 peach trees, an apple orchard
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, strawberry fields
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields may refer to:* "Strawberry Fields Forever", a song by the Beatles* Strawberry Field, the orphanage in Liverpool that inspired the Beatles song* Strawberry Fields , the John Lennon memorial in Central Park, New York....
, and established a large concord grape
Concord grape
Concord grapes are a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca which are used as table grapes, wine grapes and juice grapes....
vineyard from the top of the hill east to Quanah Avenue. Some remnants of the vineyard are still evident on alley fences.
Creation of Owen Park
Chauncey Owen’s wife, Jane, died in 1902. Her heirs received an allotment of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) from the Creek Nation, which encompassed the present Owen Park and neighborhood. In the early twentieth century, the lands of Owen Park were often used for public events, even before the park received official designation. Fourth of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebrations took place there, with firework displays entertaining crowds who sometimes numbered in the thousands.
Following the discovery of oil in the summer of 1901 at Red Fork, Tulsa began to rapidly grow and prosper. Owen wanted to divide and sell his land, but at over an acre, there was scant public interest. Perhaps he believed he could capitalize on the growing recreational movement in the country. He offered more than 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of park land to the city. In March 1909, the city held its first Park Commission meeting and, by August 18, 1909, decided to purchase the land for $500. The decision met with criticism due to the land’s price and distance from downtown. In those days, many considered it to be too far out in the country. Most were placated, though, when it was announced that a streetcar line would be run to the park, running west on Archer and turning north on Rosedale to Easton Boulevard. Owen Park officially opened on June 8, 1910.
Also in 1910, the city sold 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of the park land to the nearby Tulsa Vitrified Brick Company, located at the southeast edge of the park. Owen attempted to prohibit the sale. He contended that the brick company would “excavate large quantities of earth which will make a dangerous hole for the accumulation of water and the production of sickness…” and would be a “detriment to the health and comfort of the citizens.” He lost an appeal to the State Supreme Court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
, who held that the deed did not specify that the land would be used for park purposes only. Owen’s concern proved to be prophetic when a young lad drowned in the abandoned brick pit in 1954. The city soon moved to repurchase and fill the pit. The reclaimed property was again added to the park.
In 1913, the ravine in Owen Park was dammed to create a small lake which was used as a city swimming pool, although “swimmin hole” was probably a more appropriate name. In spite of annual efforts each spring to line the pond with sand hauled by wagons from Sand Springs, it was never long before rains and usage negated those attempts. The muddy bottom, however, did not detract from its popularity. The major problem occurred when bathers, jumping from the twelve-foot tower, sometimes missed the diving hole. Lifeguards would then be called upon to rescue victims stuck in the mud. During the winter, the lake served as a skating rink. Its use as a swimming pool continued through the 1920s. Today, bathing and skating are prohibited, but fishing is a popular pastime and the lake is home to a thriving population of ducks and geese.
By 1915, the neighborhood was growing rapidly. The boulevard had been paved and the Irving monument was dedicated on April 30th. An advertisement in the Tulsa World
Tulsa World
Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...
on July 4th announced that, “Lots are going fast in Tulsa’s most beautiful residence suburb—Irving Place and Park Hill.” The oil boom that had made many wealthy also provided abundant jobs for a burgeoning middle class. New homes were in high demand and residential construction progressed rapidly. By the end of the 1920s, the lots were filled with homes ranging from craftsman bungalows to estate mansions. Schools had been built in the neighborhood. In 1918, Pershing Elementary was built on the hilltop and, in 1926, Theodore Roosevelt Jr
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
. High was built on 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of land adjoining the park on the south.