Owasso, OK
| Owasso, Oklahoma | |
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| City | |
Owasso City Hall
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| Nickname(s): "The City Without Limits" | |
 Location of within Tulsa County, and the state of Oklahoma |
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 Owasso, Oklahoma
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| Coordinates: 36°17′25″N 95°49′43″W / 36.29028°N 95.82861°WCoordinates: 36°17′25″N 95°49′43″W / 36.29028°N 95.82861°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Tulsa, Rogers |
| Incorporated | 1904 (town in Indian Territory); 1972 (city chartered in Oklahoma) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lyndell Dunn |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.31 sq mi (42.24 km2) |
| • Land | 16.29 sq mi (42.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 33,773 |
| • Density | 2,073/sq mi (800/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| ZIP codes | 74055, 74073, 74021 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-56650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1096358 |
| Website | www.cityofowasso.com |
Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa Counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and a northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 28,915 at the 2010 census. Originally settled in 1881 in Indian Territory, the town incorporated in 1904 just prior to Oklahoma statehood and was chartered as a city in 1972.
Scenes in The Outsiders film were shot in Owasso.
Owasso began as a settlement in 1881, located in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, near what is now 66th Street North and North 129th East Avenue. It was called Elm Creek, and was named for Elm Creek, a tributary of Bird Creek. The first settler was H.T. (Tole) Richardson. In June 1893, plans began for a rail line to be extended south from Bartlesville to the cattle ranches in the vicinity of Bird Creek. At that time, already several residences, a blacksmith shop, and a general store were in the Elm Creek settlement. Preston Ballard, owner of the general store, established a post office in the general store on February 10, 1898, and was appointed the first postmaster. The Joseph T. Barnes family moved to the settlement in 1897. Joseph and Luther Barnes bought the blacksmith shop in 1898. The first gas station was open in 1902 by Donovan Ranta.
In 1897, the Kansas, Oklahoma Central & Southwestern Railway Company acquired right-of-way about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the Elm Creek settlement, dammed a natural spring to form a lake as a water supply for the rail line, and built a depot about a mile south of the lake. The depot was torn down in 1942. Late in 1898, Joseph and Luther Barnes moved their blacksmith shop to the new community. The shop became a temporary home for the Joseph Barnes family. It was the first residence officially moved to the new depot community. During 1898, many of the residents and businesses moved from the Elm Creek settlement to the new community. Preston Ballard moved his post office and general store during that time. The new community became known as Elm Creek, since the post office retained its name.
The railroad completed its line in 1899. Its parent company, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, took over the line and property. The first train came into Elm Creek on November 1, 1899. As the land around the end of this railroad developed, the Osage Indian word Owasso, meaning "the end of the trail" or "turn around", was adopted to identify the area because the rail line ended in a turnaround "Y" near the depot. The name of the Elm Creek post office was officially changed to Owasso on January 24, 1900. The rail line was not extended into Tulsa until 1905.
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Wikipedia