The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
19th century
1836 – Creek people begin to settle the town of Tulasi after their expulsion from the Southeastern United States. 1861 – Battle of Round Mountain and Battle of Chusto-Talasah – Civil War battles occur north of Tulsa. March 25, 1879 – First post office established at Perryman ranch. 1882 – Atlantic & Pacific Railroad tracks laid from Vinita. T. J. (Jeff) Archer builds first mercantile store in downtown Tulsa 1884 – Presbyterian church founded a mission day school that became the first public school after Tulsa was incorporated. 1886 – First Methodist Episcopal Church organized in December in Tulsey Town, Creek Nation.Misch, p. 40. 1887 – Tulsa founded. 1893 – The Tulsa Review is the first newspaper published in Tulsa. 1895 – The New Era newspaper opens. It later renames to the Indian Republican and Tulsa World. 1898 Town is officially incorporated on January 18. Edward E. Calkins becomes first mayor. Population reported as 1,100. 1899 First mass said at Holy Family Church."Holy Family Cathedral School: Tulsa's First Catholic School. Robert H. Hall built the first telephone system in Tulsa, serving 80 subscribers. R. N. Bynum becomes second mayor. Presbyterian mission school closed permanently after 1898-99 session; building purchased by J. M. Hall and 3 other men and reopened as first public school, beginning Tulsa Public Schools system.Debo, p. 79. 1900 Commercial Club of Tulsa formed. Population: 1,390. Lewis Poe becomes third mayor
20th century 1900s-1940s 1901 Oil discovered at Red Fork, near Tulsa, starting oil boom. George D. Blakey becomes the fourth mayor 1902 – Tulsa chartered as a city. 1903 Telephone system sold to Indian Territory Telephone Company. Original 3-story Brady Hotel constructed. George Mowbray becomes the fifth mayor 1904 Tulsa annexed North Tulsa.Tulsa Preservation Commission. "Urban Development (1901–1945)" Accessed May 5, 2011. First Tulsa bridge built across Arkansas River. Pumping plant built to deliver Arkansas River water to consumers via piping system.City of Tulsa. "Water Supply Lakes - Eucha and Spavinaw Watersheds." Indian Territory Telephone Company bought by Pioneer Company Accidental explosion destroyed Archer store, killed a customer and mortally wounded Jeff Archer.Debo. p. 73-74. H. R. Cline becomes the sixth mayor
1905 Tulsa World newspaper begins publication. Oil discovered at Glenn Pool near Tulsa.Glenn Pool Oil Field Educational Center. "History of the Oil Boom: The Ida E. Glenn Discovery." Retrieved May 6, 2014. First two public schools built.Tulsa Preservation Commission Website. "Tulsa History – Education.(1880–1941)". Retrieved December 28, 2010. Charles LaFayette Reeder becomes the seventh mayor 1906 Tulsa Hospital opens (would close after WWI).Tulsa County Medical Society. "A History of Tulsa Hospitals" Retrieved December 1, 2012. Trolley begins operating. Tulsa High School built. Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, now named OneOK, founded. John O. Mitchell becomes the eighth mayor
1907 Tulsa becomes part of the new U.S. state of Oklahoma, and county seat of newly formed Tulsa County. Henry Kendall College moved from Muskogee to Tulsa. Population: 7,298. William E. Rohde becomes the ninth mayor 1908 Commission form of government adopted. Orcutt Lake and Amusement Park, privately owned and developed, opened, advertised as Tulsa's first playground.Debbie Jackson & Hilary Pittman, "Throwback Tulsa: Visitors still flock to Swan Lake, Tulsa's first playground," Tulsa World, June 18, 2015
1909 West Tulsa becomes part of Tulsa.Field, Eugene. "Growing Together: West Tulsa." Retrieved May 6, 2014. Tulsa buys land that would become Woodward Park. Tulsa Garden Center. "Woodward Park Complex."] Retrieved December 21, 2011. John O. Mitchell returns to office and becomes the tenth mayor
1910 Tulsa County Court House built."Sketches for Court House and County Jail." The American Contractor. Accessed July 15, 2015. Population: 18,182. Exchange National Bank founded after failure of Farmers' National Bank.OKLAHOMA BANKS CLOSED.; New York Times. "State Concern Forced to the Wall by Failure of National Bank." Texaco builds first oil refinery in West Tulsa. Oil & Gas Journal, oil industry trade journal, headquartered in Tulsa. Area of city: 3.5 square miles. Hotel Brady annex and Tulsa Hotel were built. Loyal J. Martin becomes the eleventh mayor 1912 – Frank M. Wooden becomes the twelfth mayor 1913 Booker T. Washington High School established. Joshua Cosden builds second oil refinery in West Tulsa. 1914 Tulsa Convention Hall built.Tulsa Preservation Commission Website. "Tulsa Convention Hall." Holy Family Cathedral dedicated.Tulsa Preservation Commission Web site. "Holy Family Cathedral, Rectory & School."Accessed September 29. 2010. Temple Israel congregation founded. 1915 Oklahoma Hospital established. Chamber of Commerce active. Grace M.E. Church constructed at 3rd and Trenton Ave. now known as The Church Studio 1916 Carnegie library opens, forerunner of the Tulsa Public Library system. John H. Simmons becomes the thirteenth mayor 1917 Orcutt Lake Amusement Park closed and converted to Swan Lake residential area. Gus Orcutt sold his development to Tulsa developer, E. J. Brennan, who coined the name Swan Lake. Brennan donated the lake itself to the City of Tulsa as a public park. "Living Places: Swan Lake Historic District" 2011. Accessed June 6, 2015. Tulsa Central High School construction completed Tulsa Outrage occurs. 1918 Morningside Hospital opened. Cosden Building constructed, considered first "skyscraper" in city. C. H. Hubbard becomes the fourteenth mayor
1920 Henry Kendall College becomes University of Tulsa. Tulsa Tribune newspaper in publication. Population: 72,075. T. D. Evans becomes the fifteenth mayor 1921 May 31 – June 1: Tulsa race massacre devastated Greenwood. All Souls Unitarian Church founded. 1922 Tulsa Little Theater founded. Atlas Life Building constructed. Herman Frederick Newblock becomes the sixteenth mayor 1923 First International Petroleum Exposition.Weaver, Bobby D. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "International Petroleum Exposition." Retrieved May 7, 2014. Major flood of Arkansas River heavily damages Tulsa water purification plant and causes its relocation to a site near Mohawk Park."Flood Control and Drainage." City of Tulsa. Retrieved May 25, 2014. Oil baron Earl P. and his wife Mary Harwell completed their English Tudor mansion in historic Maple Ridge now known as Harwelden Mansion 1924 Spavinaw Dam built. Tulsa Community Fund established. St. Johns Hospital opened. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company constructs Main Dial System Building. 1925 – Mayo Hotel built. 1926 KVOO radio begins broadcasting. Tulsa State Fair grounds in use. 1927 Red Fork becomes part of Tulsa. Tulsa Civic Symphony active. Goodwill Industries of Tulsa incorporated. Tulsa Zoo opens. Tulsa Club Building constructed as a joint venture between the club and the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. 1928 Tulsa Coliseum constructed. Carbondale becomes part of Tulsa. Tulsa Municipal Airport dedicated.Tulsa Preservation Commission "Transportation (1850-1945)." Retrieved January 14, 2011. Spartan Aircraft Company in business. Spartan School of Aeronautics established. Philtower Building constructed. Dan W. Patton becomes the seventeenth mayor 1929 Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team played the Duluth Hornets for the grand opening of the Tulsa Coliseum on January 1. Boston Avenue Methodist Church and National Bank of Tulsa Building constructed. Mohawk Park Waterworks Plant completed. Tulsa annexed Carbondale. Public Service Company Building completed. 1930 Cain's Dance Academy in business. Population: 141,258. George L. Watkins becomes the eighteenth mayor 1931 Union Depot opens. Philcade Building constructed. First All Souls Unitarian Church completed. 1932 Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion (arena) built. Waite Phillips donated his home to become Philbrook Art Museum. Herman Frederick Newblock returned to office and becomes the nineteenth mayor 1934 National Conference of Christians and Jews Tulsa chapter founded. T. A. Penney becomes the twentieth mayor 1935 - Brady Hotel destroyed by fire. (The gutted skeleton remained in place until 1970). 1938 KOME radio begins broadcasting. Webster High School opens. 1939 Morningside Hospital reorganized and renamed as Hillcrest Hospital. Philbrook Art Center opens. Will Rogers High School built. 1940 Population: 142,157. Clarence H. Veale becomes the twenty-first mayor 1941 – Air Force builds bomber plant at Tulsa Airport. Douglas Aircraft Co. builds bombers until WWII ends in 1945. Boeing reactivates plant to build B-47s from 1950 to 1953. 1943 – Oklahoma Hospital becomes Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital. 1944 – Olney F. Flynn becomes the twenty-second mayor 1946 American Airlines opens aircraft maintenance facility at Tulsa Airport.AMR Corporation Website. November 2010. Accessed January 26, 2011 Lee Price becomes the twenty-third mayor 1948 Tulsa Opera and Tulsa Philharmonic founded. Roy M. Lundy becomes the twenty-fourth mayor 1949 Dawson becomes part of city. KOTV begins broadcasting.
1950s-1990s 1950 – Population: 182,740. 1951 – Bell's Amusement Park opens. 1952 Lake Eucha and second pipeline from Lake Spavinaw to Tulsa constructed to supplement city water supply. Tulsa Coliseum destroyed by fire after being hit by lightning on September 27, 1952. 1953 Golden Driller statue created for and displayed at the International Petroleum Exposition. Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission established. 1954 – KTUL-TV and KVOO-TV (television) begin broadcasting. 1956 Highland Park becomes part of Tulsa. Tulsa Ballet and Tulsa Baptist Association founded. 1957 All Souls Unitarian Church moves from downtown to Brookside June: Tulsarama pageant held. 1958 Apache Drive-In cinema opens. Gilcrease Foundation conveyed Gilcrease Museum to the city. Erwin, Sarah. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Gilcrease Museum." 1959 A black family's home in a predominantly white neighborhood in north Tulsa is bombed during the Civil rights movement. 1960 Saint Francis Hospital opens. Area of city: 50 square miles. Population: 261,685. 1961 – New airport terminal opened. 1963 – Tulsa Youth Symphony founded. 1964 – Tulsa Convention Center opens. 1965 Oral Roberts University established. Wilson, Linda D. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Oral Roberts University." Retrieved May 7, 2014. Tulsa City-County Library Central Library opened.Tulsa City-County Library- Central Library Retrieved May 7, 2014. 1966 Area of city expands. Tulsa Expo Center built; Golden Driller statue permanently installed. James M. Hewgley, Jr. becomes mayor. 1967 Prayer Tower and Fourth National Bank of Tulsa built. Union Depot abandoned after passenger train service ceases. 1970 Tulsa Junior College established. Robert J. LaFortune becomes mayor. Population: 331,638. 1971 – Tulsa Port of Catoosa opened to shipping via the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. 1972 Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa established. Area of city: 175.71 square miles. Leon Russell returns to his hometown of Oklahoma and turns an old church into a recording studio The Church Studio and office of Shelter Records. 1973 – First National BanCorporation Tower built. 1974 – Tulsa Area United Way active. F3 tornadoes in the Tulsa metropolitan area kill two people and, combined with flooding, produce the costliest natural disaster in city's history up to that time—a disaster worth $30,000,000 1975