A New Century 1901-1926

A New Century 1901-1926. . The droplets that fell smudged the arms and faces of those surrounding the crude wooden-framed derrick on the edge of Red Fork. They were black and had the feel of slime, sliding over the drillers' skin., The Sue Bland No. 1 discovery well came in June 25, 1901, just half a mile from here. It was small but attracted the attention of potential prospectors including Robert Galbreath who would set loose the gusher of the Glenn Pool November 22, 1905. , With the rapidity of development of the Glenn Pool by overwhelmingly independent wildcatters, the 'devil' immediately became the monopolistic Standard Oil Co. The crude had to reach a market before it would produce income or wealth and Standard controlled much of petroleum's means of transport. , A pipeline was initiated at both West Tulsa and the Texas Gulf, planned to meet in the middle. Refineries were brought to West Tulsa: the Uncle Sam, the Texas Co., Cosden (later the Mid-Continent), the Constantin and others. Strings of tanker cars snaked to independent refiners. , Across the Arkansas, the wildcat speculators formed corporations, an 'oil' bank, and began a district of art deco skyscrapers., West Tulsa and Red Fork did the work; drilling and 'finalling' wells, building and operating refineries, pipelines, and sorting tankers leaving the Frisco Yard., That Yard is just around the bend to the north and east from here, along this way that became the Mother Road.