Nellie Johnstone No. 1- Oklahoma's 1st Commercial Oil Well
Attractions, Culture & History
200 N Cherokee,
Bartlesville, OK 74003
6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m
Nellie Johnstone No. 1- Oklahoma's 1st Commercial Oil Well
200 N Cherokee,
Bartlesville, OK 74003
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Visit this Oklahoma Centennial Project to see a working replica of Oklahoma’s first commercial oil well and view a 19th century cable tool drilling rig in operation. Then, thrill to the GUSHER that put Bartlesville and Oklahoma oil on the map. Docent led tours are available March through November by appointment. The rig and static displays are open year round.
Oklahoma oil began on March 25, 1897 when the Nellie Johnstone No. 1 oil well came in a gusher on the banks of the Caney River. The news of oil in commercial quantities at Bartlesville, Indian Territory, in the Cherokee Nation just east of the Osage Nation, prompted the Santa Fe Railway to lay track to town site. Wildcatters, lease hounds and roustabouts hopped trains to Bartlesville and the boom was on!
Daily from dawn to dusk
Free Admission
200 N. Cherokee
(Johnstone Park)
918-336-8709
Image courtesy bartlesvillehistory.com