Because We're Living on Tulsa Time

Tulsa is an amazing city. It's full of history, but full of life at the same time. It's been overshadowed in recent years by the urban renewal in Oklahoma City, but it still has an unmistakable charm from its days as the Oil Capital of the World. That's right, I don't put any quotation marks around it, mister!

 

You can see the Council Oak, the tree under which the Muscogee (Creek) Indians would meet when they first came to the area they named Tulsey Town after their removal from the southeastern United States. There's building after building of amazing Art Deco architecture, from the Phitower to the Boston Avenue Methodist Church. Art museums such as Philbrook and Gilcrease house precious works of both European masters and artists of the American West. Young and old can take the plunge down a giant slide at Big Splash. Take in a baseball game at the new Drillers Stadium or a concert at the BOK Center. Or really take in a concert at Cain's Ballroom :-)

 

Side note: I was never allowed to go to Big Splash. It's the giant water park in Tulsa. Looking back, I'm not sure if it was too expensive or too "dangerous." I was an excellent swimmer.

 

And, then there's the Golden Driller. To many, the symbol of Tulsa. To some, the symbol of a Tulsa that no longer really exists. To me, awesome. The 76-foot-tall statue was originally built for the International Petroleum Exposition in 1953 by the Mid-Continent Supply Company based out of Fort Worth. He was so popular that he returned in 1959 and was permanently installed on the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1966 in front of the International Petroleum Exposition building. His hand rests on an oil derrick that had been moved from the Seminole oil field. He was made the official Oklahoma state monument in 1979. A plaque at the base of the Driller reads, "The Golden Driller, a symbol of the International Petroleum Exposition. Dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind." And he wears a size 393DDD shoe. Pretty sure he could stomp some cockroaches with those puppies!

 

The Oklahoma Historical Society also has a historical marker near the Golden Driller that explains the significance of the International Petroleum Exposition. This petroleum industry fair began in Tulsa in 1923 and was a huge event for the city and the international oil community until its popularity waned in the 1970s. The last IPE held in Tulsa was in 1979. The event then moved to Houston, and much of the oil industry followed.

 

But the Golden Driller still stands. A link to the past, but with each new coat of paint, hopeful for the future. He even gets dressed up for events--I've seen t-shirts on him, but if he wears a 393DDD shoe then what t-shirt size does he wear?!?!