Bartlesville's History

Bartlesville’s Beginnings…

Back in 1870, when northeast Oklahoma was home to mostly the Osage, Cherokee and Delaware, an Indian trader name Nelson Carr opened a trading post on the north side of the Caney River. And so the legend of Bartlesville began.

In 1873, Jacob Bartles – a Civil War veteran who saw an opportunity in Indian Territory - bought the mill from Carr and expanded the facility into a flourmill and eventually a general store and home for his family. Bartles was married to the Delaware Indian Chief Charles Journeycake’s daughter, Nannie Journeycake Pratt. His marriage allowed him to be a business owner in Indian Territory.

William Johnstone and George Keeler also came to the area in the early 1870’s. Both gentlemen took Delaware Indian brides. After working for Bartles, the two struck out on their own and built a general store on the south side of the river.

Within a few years the area around the Johnstone-Keeler store had grown to include other businesses and dwellings. The population grew to nearly 200 as settlers moved to the area. Bridges and railroads came to town, along with merchants, a drugstore and a school. In 1897, Barltesville, Indian Territory, was incorporated, taking the name from its early settler and businessman.

As the city grew south of the Caney River, Bartles was disappointed by his failure to secure the railroad station on the north side of the river. He moved his store three miles north to what is present day Dewey, named after Admiral George Dewey whose victory at Manila Bay was current news.

The Boom…

It was Keeler who found another key to Bartlesville’s future—oil. Keeler had noticed rainbow sheens on the area creeks and believed that there was an untapped oil supply beneath the Caney basin. Keeler was right. On April 15, 1897, the first commercial oil well in what is now the state of Oklahoma—the Nellie Johnstone No. 1—blew in as a gusher. Nellie Johnstone was the Delaware maiden who owned the land where the well was discovered.
Attracted by the oil boom, Frank and L.E. Phillips, two brothers raised on an Iowa farm, came to Bartlesville in 1904. They hit a gusher north of Bartlesville, followed by 80 straight producers. The two founded Phillips Petroleum Company in 1917. It grew to become Bartlesville’s largest employer and one of the nations top oil companies.

Armais Arutunoff, a Russian immigrant, was another Bartlesville pioneer. At the urging of the Phillips brothers, Arutunoff came to the community with his invention—an electric pump that pumped oil from deep in the ground. His efforts eventually became REDA Pump.

Today…

Bartlesville is proud of the many attractions and assets that continue the legend of exploration and innovation, including museums, dramatic architecture, art collections, scenic prairie life and world-renowned events. With a balanced mixture of natural resources and abundant space, Bartlesville has grown to be the home of more than 34,000 people as well as industrial giants ConocoPhillips, Schlumberger REDA Production Systems and Zinc Corporation of America. Since the early days, the economic foundations of Bartlesville area business have been natural gas, oil, agriculture and ranching.

Sights and Sounds…

Each year citizens and visitors enjoy the diversity and entertainment of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, Civic Ballet, Choral Society, Community Concert Association, Theater Bartlesville and Children’s Musical Theatre.

Music is no stranger to Bartlesville, as the OK MOZART Festival brings internationally recognized musicians and artists to the area every year, along with spectators and media attention from all over the world.

The National Biplane Association has selected Bartlesville for their Biplane Expo for over a dozen years, and SunFest arts and crafts festival draws thousands of people to Sooner Park for family-oriented exhibits, music, arts and crafts.

Since its early days in Indian Territory, Bartlesville’s history has been told by the architecture and attractions still flourishing today. The Dewey Hotel, a Victorian structure built in 1900, was the first frame building in Dewey. The Frank Phillips Home, built in 1909 as the 26-room mansion of Bartlesville pioneer Frank Phillips, still houses the family’s original furnishings and art collections. The beautiful La Quinta Foster Mansion, built in 1932 with terra cotta floors and hand-painted ceilings, is now part of the Oklahoma Wesleyan University, a 4-year liberal arts university with students from American and across the world.

Area museums include the Price Tower Arts Center, Tom Mix Museum, Bartlesville Area History Museum and the museum at Woolaroc, the former country retreat of Frank Phillips.
The Price Tower, completed in 1956, was designed and constructed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the H.C. Price International Pipeline Company. The Tower now houses the Price Tower Arts Center, Inn at Price Tower; a 21 room boutique inn, and offers upscale dining at Copper Restaurant + Bar.

Woolaroc is one of the area’s top attractions, boasting a 3,700 acre wildlife preserve, one of American’s finest museums, the Native American Heritage Center, nature trails and the historic Frank Phillips Lodge. Area visitors can see exhibits on art, architecture, history and science at the Price Tower Arts Center. An architectural wonder is the Bartlesville Community Center designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Other attractions in the area include the frontier town museum at Prairie Song, Indian Territory, Keepsake Candle Factory and Country Store, Red Dirt Soap Company and the beautiful 11-mile jogging and biking trail throughout the city known as Pathfinder parkway.

Our Future…

Bartlesville begins its second century with industrial and economic growth while remaining proud of its Native American Indian and western heritage. From its frontier trade and petroleum beginnings to its present diversity of manufacturing, research, ranching, and commerce, the Bartlesville area presents a unique blend of cosmopolitan attitude mixed with neighborly friendliness. Located in the heart of America’s Sunbelt, the city’s schools, library and civic organizations continually produce the finest students, forums and cultural events in the region. With such a rich heritage as its foundation, Bartlesville’s growth and future will no doubt be legendary as well.