Drumright, Oklahoma
| Drumright, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Drumright (2010)
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| Motto: "Great for Families...Good for Business..." | |
 Location within Creek County and Oklahoma |
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| Coordinates: 35°59′17″N 96°36′2″W / 35.98806°N 96.60056°WCoordinates: 35°59′17″N 96°36′2″W / 35.98806°N 96.60056°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Creek, Payne |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.53 sq mi (19.49 km2) |
| • Land | 7.51 sq mi (19.45 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 850 ft (259 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,907 |
| • Density | 387/sq mi (149.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74030 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-21750 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1092205 |
| Website | cityofdrumright |
Drumright is a city in Creek and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It began as an oil boom town. However, the population has declined as oil production has waned in the area. The population was 2,907 at the 2010 census, almost unchanged from 2,905 at the 2000 census. Drumright and nearby Cushing were at the center of a large, productive oilfield in the 1910s and 1920s.
The town sprang up nearly overnight in 1912, after wildcatter Tom Slick struck oil on the farm of Frank Wheeler, causing a rush of speculators, oilfield workers, and merchants into the area. A post office was established in the community on December 28, 1912. Local landowners James W. Fulkerson and Aaron Drumright platted a townsite, which was initially called Fulkerson, The town was renamed for Aaron Drumright, a farmer and later local businessman whose farm was part of the townsite.
Oil workers flooded into town so quickly that they lived in tents or shacks made from box cars, causing the community to be known locally as "Ragtown." Hotels and boarding houses were constructed next, as well as amenities like gambling dens, dance halls, and roadhouses, where the workers could spend their money. Drumright incorporated as a town on May 27, 1913. In 1914, the city built a two-story building of stone to serve as an elementary and high school. It was called Washington School, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRIS 81000462). Two banks opened in the town during 1914. Drumright was designated a first-class city after an election on April 18, 1916. The 1920 census reported a population of 6,460.
The Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway built a track from Frey Junction (south of Oilton) to Drumright in 1915. The following year the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) built a line north from Shamrock to Drumright. The AT&SF also acquired the Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway.
In 1919 a riot broke out in Drumright during a strike by telephone workers. The town's mayor and chief of police were locked in the town jail by rioters. The Governor of Oklahoma sent six militia units to town to restore order.
Beginning with the Depression of the 1930s, the town declined as oil production waned, and a large refinery at the edge of town closed in the 1950s.
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Wikipedia