Knowing Nowata: Nowata & the Oil Industry

Development of Oil had a Great Impact on the Area

by Carroll Craun

The history of Nowata County and the oil industry are strongly connected. There is a wealth of history connected to the development of oil and its impact on the people of the county and the nation. Some say oil was first discovered in other parts of the state, but actually oil was 'brought in" in 1889, in the area around Chelsea. The oil was sold to area trading posts for the use of pioneers heading west.

In 1904, James Mehlin and his son were drilling for water on their farm in the area just east of Old Alluwe, between Lightening Creek and Panther Creek, and hit oil. This find resulted in the discovery of the largest shallow oilfield of the time and led to the development of other oilfields in the territory prior to statehood. The fields were known as the Cherokee shallow sand fields. It was not uncommon for drillers to hit oil at less than 1000 feet, most were in the range of 300 to 900 feet. Until the late 1920s and early 1930s, over one third of the oil wells drilled in Oklahoma were located in Nowata County.

The discovery of the shallow oilfields lit up the telegraph lines, and soon wildcatters and many dreaming of instant riches descended upon the area. Tent cities appeared and the rush to buy allotments for drilling was on. Everything needed to drill had to be brought in by railroad and hauled by teams to the drilling sites. A constant sound became the rhythm of shackle rods as they were pulled back and forth across notched wooded supports to pump the oil from the power houses to holding tanks and feeder lines. Rigs appeared everywhere. The night sky was often lit with fires from burning wells and the sound of well explosions as both oil and gas were found or trouble occurred with the drilling equipment.

Holding tanks and barrels for the oil were built of wood, but proved to be costly as the wood would catch fire and the oil lost. Later, metal tanks became the vessel of choice, but they were costly to ship and get to the drill sites. It was a dangerous time for those working in the oilfields — burns, loss of life or limbs, and serious accidents were common. The lure of great wealth was stronger, however, and oil and gas companies were born — some continued to today and others faded into the past. Some of the oil companies with wells in the area were Wiser, Tydal, Sinclair, Phillips Petroleum, Whitehill, Harmon, Glass and Bradfield, Wolverine, Prairie Pipe Line, Warner, Caldwell, Empire, Forrest, Union, and Pyramid Oil to name a few.

One of the largest gasoline plants in the world at that time was also built close to Childers, in Nowata County, the Henderson Gasoline Plant. This plant was in operation from 1914 until 1930, and employed a great number of people from the county. It was the largest plant of its kind to be built under one roof. If you know where to look, you can still see traces of the company in the fields off of Highway 28. Other gasoline companies sprang up and thrived for a period of time, Diamond Gasoline, Ajax, Riverside Western, and Childers Gasoline. Anderson Oil built the first vacuum gasoline plant around 1912. These have faded into history.

Gasoline, or naptha as it was called, was shipped from the fields to the refineries in tank cars and then sent to distributors. Initially, the gas that was found in the fields was used to run engines, fire boilers, and heat bits for dressings. Oilfield employees used it for cooking and heating. It was piped to local communities such as Delaware to illuminate gas street lights and provide service to homes. Around 1905, the Commercial Club Gas Company was formed and convinced locals that piping gas found on farms in the area to their homes and businesses would be good for individuals and for the economy.

The oil wealth of Nowata County has barely been touched. Some of it has been under water since the Oologah Lake and dam were built. It is just waiting all over the county for the right time and the right conditions to be put to use again.