As the nation celebrates America’s 250th birthday, those across the country are taking a closer look at the history—and the states—that shape it. Oklahoma was the 46th state to join the U.S., but the discovery of oil in its boundaries helped change the state and the nation forever. Tulsa was once known as the oil capital of the world, with petroleum production beginning even before statehood. But it is a town 45 miles north of Tulsa where Oklahoma’s oil dominance actually began. Oklahoma’s first commercial oil wellIt was in the town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where residents George Keeler and William Johnstone acquired a lease to drill. Their sights were set on land in Indian Territory that was allotted to William’s daughter, Nellie. Nellie was a member of the Delaware Nation. In 1897, 10 years before Oklahoma became a state, an explosive charge brought a geyser of black gold to the surface. The well, named the Nellie Johnstone No. 1, was a gusher. “This was the first commercial oil well in Oklahoma,” Kay Little, a historian with Little History Adventures, said while standing under a replica of the Nellie Johnstone No. 1 in Bartlesville. The well ushered in a new age for Oklahoma. Boomtowns erupted across the state, bringing in people from all over the world. “A lot of them came up dry. Frank Phillips, in fact, had drilled several times and was about to give up,” Little said. “And boom, he had a gusher, and that started his business. Then the rest is history, so to speak.” Phillips Petroleum would become Oklahoma’s largest company, and its headquarters were set up in Bartlesville. “Frank’s office was up in the top of this tower,” Little said, pointing to a picture of the old office building. Oklahoma boomtownsThe successes brought in prospectors to the state in hopes of striking it rich. But the work was dirty and dangerous. “Oil boomtowns weren’t always a pretty sight,” Little said. Crude oil brought in people, but it also brought in crime and lawlessness to the state. Members of the Osage Nation who had ownership of oil rights were prospering during the oil boom. But in the 1920s, the “Reign of Terror” led to more than 60 mysterious or unsolved murders in Osage County as criminals tried to gain those headrights. The Osage murders were the center of the book, and then 2023 film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The boomtowns brought greed, but they also turned Oklahoma into a sort of promised land. “For the most part, it brought in money,” Little said. Between 1900 and 1935, Oklahoma produced about 900 million barrels of oil worth more than $5 billion. Oklahoma became a leading producer of crude oil in the U.S., consistently ranking No. 1 between 1907 and 1923. Oil remains strong in Oklahoma todayThe discovery of oil defined Oklahoma’s history for decades, but it also continues to play a major role in the state’s economy. “We have an oil well on the grounds of the state Capitol. Who else can say that?” Little said. In 2025, Oklahoma ranked sixth in crude oil production in the U.S. Phillips Petroleum relocated from Bartlesville to Houston following a 2002 merger with Conoco. It remains one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. Cushing, Oklahoma, remains the most crucial hub for crude oil in North America, and it is known as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.”In Bartlesville, the first oil boomtown still stands as tall as the Nellie Johnstone No. 1, the well that started it all.
As the nation celebrates America’s 250th birthday, those across the country are taking a closer look at the history—and the states—that shape it.
Oklahoma was the 46th state to join the U.S., but the discovery of oil in its boundaries helped change the state and the nation forever.
Tulsa was once known as the oil capital of the world, with petroleum production beginning even before statehood. But it is a town 45 miles north of Tulsa where Oklahoma’s oil dominance actually began.
Oklahoma’s first commercial oil well
It was in the town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where residents George Keeler and William Johnstone acquired a lease to drill. Their sights were set on land in Indian Territory that was allotted to William’s daughter, Nellie.
Nellie was a member of the Delaware Nation.
In 1897, 10 years before Oklahoma became a state, an explosive charge brought a geyser of black gold to the surface. The well, named the Nellie Johnstone No. 1, was a gusher.
“This was the first commercial oil well in Oklahoma,” Kay Little, a historian with Little History Adventures, said while standing under a replica of the Nellie Johnstone No. 1 in Bartlesville.
The well ushered in a new age for Oklahoma. Boomtowns erupted across the state, bringing in people from all over the world.
“A lot of them came up dry. Frank Phillips, in fact, had drilled several times and was about to give up,” Little said. “And boom, he had a gusher, and that started his business. Then the rest is history, so to speak.”
Phillips Petroleum would become Oklahoma’s largest company, and its headquarters were set up in Bartlesville.
“Frank’s office was up in the top of this tower,” Little said, pointing to a picture of the old office building.
Oklahoma boomtowns
The successes brought in prospectors to the state in hopes of striking it rich. But the work was dirty and dangerous.
“Oil boomtowns weren’t always a pretty sight,” Little said.
Crude oil brought in people, but it also brought in crime and lawlessness to the state.
Members of the Osage Nation who had ownership of oil rights were prospering during the oil boom. But in the 1920s, the “Reign of Terror” led to more than 60 mysterious or unsolved murders in Osage County as criminals tried to gain those headrights.
The Osage murders were the center of the book, and then 2023 film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The boomtowns brought greed, but they also turned Oklahoma into a sort of promised land.
“For the most part, it brought in money,” Little said.
Between 1900 and 1935, Oklahoma produced about 900 million barrels of oil worth more than $5 billion.
Oklahoma became a leading producer of crude oil in the U.S., consistently ranking No. 1 between 1907 and 1923.
Oil remains strong in Oklahoma today
The discovery of oil defined Oklahoma’s history for decades, but it also continues to play a major role in the state’s economy.
“We have an oil well on the grounds of the state Capitol. Who else can say that?” Little said.
In 2025, Oklahoma ranked sixth in crude oil production in the U.S.
Phillips Petroleum relocated from Bartlesville to Houston following a 2002 merger with Conoco. It remains one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world.
Cushing, Oklahoma, remains the most crucial hub for crude oil in North America, and it is known as the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.”
In Bartlesville, the first oil boomtown still stands as tall as the Nellie Johnstone No. 1, the well that started it all.