Red Fork, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Red Fork is a community in Southwest Tulsa. It was founded in 1883 as a railhead on 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...
. It is famous for being the location of the first oil well
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
in Tulsa County, the Sue A. Bland. On June 25, 1901, the first oil well in Tulsa County was completed by Drs. J.C.W. Bland and Fred S. Clinton in Red Fork. Dr. Bland, the first graduate physician in Tulsa, had moved to Red Fork in 1895 to set up a country practice. The well was on the homestead allotment of Dr. Bland’s wife, Sue A. Bland, a Creek citizen. The Sue Bland #1 was a thirty barrel well at a depth of 600 feet. This well brought the first nationwide publicity and oil boom to Tulsa and the Indian Territory.
The town is sometimes said to have been named for the Cimarron River, but the Cimarron River is many miles upstream. More likely it was named for the nearby reddish 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...
, which is the red fork when viewed at its downstream conjunction with the normally blue-green Verdigris River
Verdigris River
The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long...
.
Red Fork originally was on what was to become Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
, stretching back to Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain
thumb|right|See seven statesLookout Mountain is located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southern border of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain, along with Sand Mountain to the northwest, makes up a large portion of the...
and west towards Berryhill
Berryhill, Oklahoma
Berryhill is a small community in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, west of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and about four square miles in area. It is located south of the Arkansas River and north of W. 41st St. S., and between S. 71st W. Ave. and S. 47th W. Ave....
. After the oil discovery, it looked like Red Fork might outdo Tulsa, but Tulsa boosters succeeded in attracting new people and businesses there. Also, Red Fork was limited in size by the bend of the river and by the steep hills. Tulsa annexed Red Fork on October 16, 1927, and in 1928 the post office lost its separate status and became Red Fork Station (now West Tulsa Station) of the Tulsa Post Office.
While mostly residential, Red Fork is home to television station KTUL
KTUL
KTUL, virtual channel 8, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, owned by Allbritton Communications Company. KTUL broadcasts from its studios on Lookout Mountain in west Tulsa...
(Channel 8), a unique railroad-themed restaurant, an award-winning bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
in a 120-year-old rock home, Route 66-related businesses, historic schools, a BNSF railroad yard, and a popular Tulsa Park recreation center. Nearby are two colleges, a major Tulsa regional library, and oil and transportation-related businesses (among others).
Red Fork was once home to Crystal City amusement park featuring Tulsa's giant original Zingo roller coaster, among other rides, and a giant swimming pool. The privately-owned park was built in 1929, but went out of business in the 1950s, after both the Casa Loma bath house and dance hall buildings burned down.
External links
- http://www.southwesttulsa.org/index.htm
- http://www.cityoftulsa.org/Recreation/Parks/CommCenter.asp
- http://www.tulsalibrary.org/zarrow/
- http://www.southwesttulsachamber.com/education.html