Everything Bartlesville is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Bartlesville.
First commercial oil well in Oklahoma Territory. Struck April 15 1897 at 1320 feet.
Frank Lloyd Wright only realized skyscraper. 19 stories of cantilevered concrete and copper.
At least 60 wealthy Osage murdered for oil headrights between 1918-1931.
Phillips 66 was headquartered here from 1917 to 2002. A company town in the best sense.
Frank Phillips 3700-acre ranch with bison herds and a world-class Western art collection.
In 1927 the Travel Air Woolaroc won the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Hawaii. Two planes crashed.
Scorsese transformed downtown Pawhuska into 1920s Fairfax for the $200M+ film.
Over $1M changed hands in a single 1912 afternoon at Osage oil lease auctions under this elm.
49 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Bartlesville has always balanced its small-town feel with a legacy of industry and innovation. The shadow of Phillips Petroleum, now Phillips 66, still looms large, not just in the skyline but in the city’s identity.…
First commercial oil well in Oklahoma Territory. Struck April 15 1897 at 1320 feet.
Frank Lloyd Wright only realized skyscraper. 19 stories of cantilevered concrete and copper.
The barber who became an oil baron built this neoclassical mansion in 1909.
Phillips 66 was headquartered here from 1917 to 2002. A company town in the best sense.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice William Wesley Peters. Wright DNA in Oklahoma.
You're driving through Bartlesville, Oklahoma's first oil boomtown! Right here, in 1897, they drilled the Nellie Johnstone Number One—Oklahoma's very first commercial oil well. That discovery kicked off a massive oil…
You're driving through Bartlesville right now, passing through the birthplace of Oklahoma's oil industry! Back in April of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1897</say-as>, this spot near the Caney River saw the…
You're driving past Bartlesville, Oklahoma, home of Frank Phillips, the man who cofounded the Phillips Petroleum Company. But before he struck oil, Phillips was a barber, a businessman selling a baldness cure, and a…
Right here in Bartlesville, you're driving past the birthplace of petroleum technology! Back in 1918, this facility opened its doors as the nation's ONLY lab dedicated to squeezing every last drop of value out of oil.…
You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the heart of a company that shaped this state's oil and gas industry: Cities Service. Founded way back in 1910, it quickly became a giant,…
Right here in Oklahoma, you're driving past the path of a remarkable early expedition! In 1821, Hugh Glenn and Jacob Fowler led a diverse group of twenty-one men, including Native Americans, African Americans, French,…
Right here in Bartlesville, you're driving past the heart of a man who led two powerful organizations: Phillips Petroleum and the Cherokee Nation. William Wayne Keeler, born in Texas but raised here, became chief of the…
You're driving through Bartlesville right now, and you're passing history! Back in 1897, this area struck oil with the Nellie Johnstone Number One, Oklahoma's first commercially successful well. But here’s the twist:…
Right here in Bartlesville, you're driving through the heart of a petroleum dynasty! This is where L. E. Phillips, along with his brother Frank, got their start in oil back in 1904. They organized the Anchor Oil and Gas…
You're driving through Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the birthplace of a titan: Phillips Petroleum. It all started back in 1903 with two brothers, Frank and L.E. Phillips, who jumped into the booming oil business. They struck…
You're driving through Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where a world-changing invention for the oil industry was perfected. In 1928, Russian immigrant Armais Arutunoff came to work for Phillips Petroleum right here. He'd…
You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the ancestral lands of the Delaware, or as they call themselves, the Lenape. These weren't just any tribe; other tribes called them…
Right here in Bartlesville, you're driving through the heart of a petroleum empire built by Henry L. Doherty. He wasn't just an oilman; he was a chief engineer who believed in science. In 1916, he founded the Doherty…
You're driving past Bartlesville, and right here, you're passing through the inspiration for a chilling true-crime novel. Darcy O'Brien, a writer born into Hollywood royalty, later found his way to Oklahoma, joining the…
You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, in Osage County, you're passing through the birthplace of the state's oil pipeline industry! Back in 1900, the Phoenix Oil Company laid the very first line, a two-inch…
You're driving past Bartlesville, home to one of Oklahoma's longest-running businesses! The May Brothers Department Store started right here, opening in 1908. It was part of a family business that eventually grew to…
You're driving through Bartlesville, and right here, in what used to be known as "Polack Town," Gus Mnich built a life. He arrived in the US as a teenager, a Polish immigrant who lied about his age to get into the…
You're driving through Bartlesville, and right here, you're passing the home of an annual celebration of classical music: the OK Mozart International Festival. Launched in 1985, this event honors the genius of Wolfgang…
You're driving near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and right here is the Prairie National Wild Horse Refuge. Established in 1989, it's the second wild horse sanctuary ever created in the United States. This massive,…
You're driving through Bartlesville, the birthplace of an NBA legend, Mark Price. Born right here in 1964, Price went on to become one of the greatest free-throw shooters in NBA history, sinking over 90 percent of his…
Right here in Bartlesville, you're passing through the stomping grounds of Samuel James Montgomery, a man who made his mark in Congress. He represented Oklahoma's First Congressional District from 1925 to 1927. What's…
You're driving through Bartlesville, and right here is Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Its story starts in 1959, when the Pilgrim Holiness Church bought the historic La Quinta Mansion and twenty acres to establish Central…
Frank Phillips' ranch with a world-class Western art collection and roaming bison.
16-mile paved trail along the Caney River through wooded bottomlands.
Silent film cowboy star. Made 160+ westerns. Started his career in the Bartlesville area.
You're driving through Dewey, Oklahoma, a town named for a Spanish-American War hero, Admiral George Dewey. But its real story starts with Jacob H. Bartles. When the railroad bypassed his original settlement near…
1899 Victorian hotel built by Jake Bartles who gave Bartlesville its name.
Right here in Washington County, you're driving through land that was once part of the Cherokee Nation. In 1821, American trader Jacob Fowler camped beside the Caney River, giving us one of the earliest written…
Frank Phillips 3700-acre ranch with bison herds and a world-class Western art collection.
In 1927 the Travel Air Woolaroc won the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Hawaii. Two planes crashed.
You're driving through Washington County, just south of Bartlesville, past the community of Ochelata. Originally called Otis, this town got a new name in 1899 to honor Charles Thompson, a former Cherokee Principal Chief…
You're driving past Copan, Oklahoma, right near the Kansas border. This town might look quiet now, but back in 1904, it was the site of a groundbreaking moment in American industry. Right here, the Prairie Oil and Gas…
You're driving past Wann, Oklahoma, a town that really boomed back in the day. Originally called Coon, it was renamed Wann in 1899 to honor a local Cherokee man. The real excitement started in 1902 when the railroad…
You're driving through Ramona, but did you know this town has had three different names? It started as Hobson in 1899, named for a Spanish-American War hero. Then, the postmaster renamed it Bonton, which means 'good…
You're driving through Barnsdall, Oklahoma, a town with a name that tells a story. It wasn't always Barnsdall, though. Back in 1905, this place started as a simple railroad stop called Bigheart, named after Osage Chief…
Right here, you're driving through Barnsdall, a town named for Theodore Newton Barnsdall. He wasn't just an oilman; he was a pioneer who built a massive energy empire in the Osage Nation. His father drilled the second…
You're driving through Barnsdall, Oklahoma, the birthplace of Anita Bryant. Born here in 1940, Bryant would go on to become a national sensation. She was Miss Oklahoma in 1958, a runner-up in Miss America, and a hit…
You're driving through Osage County, just west of Highway 11, near the town of Avant. This quiet community has a dramatic past. On August 28, 1923, the town marshall here shot and killed Ben Avant himself, the rancher…
You're driving through Nowata County, and right here is Delaware. It started as Comana Switch, a railroad stop, but in 1898, it got a post office and the name Delaware. Then, oil was discovered nearby in 1904. Suddenly,…
You're driving through Nowata, a town that hit the big time thanks to a gusher! Back in 1904, oil and gas were discovered here, turning Nowata into the heart of the world's largest shallow oil field. Imagine the…
Right here near Nowata, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of rodeo legend Everett Shaw. Born in 1908, Shaw wasn't just a champion steer roper, winning the national title six times, he was also a pioneer. In…
You're driving through Nowata, Oklahoma, a town that once hosted a future Speaker of the House and a key figure in national politics. George Blaine Schwabe arrived here in 1911, practicing law and becoming deeply…
You're driving through Nowata County, a place whose name has a fascinating origin. It comes from the Delaware Indian word 'no-we-ata,' meaning 'come here' or 'welcome.' But here's the twist: when the railroad built a…