Drumright Chamber & Business Directory 2020 | 页面 10

DRUMRIGHT HISTORY
T
he town sprang up nearly overnight in 1912, after wildcatter
Tom Slick struck oil on the farm of Frank Wheeler, causing
a rush of speculators, oilfield workers, and merchants into
the area. A post office was established in the community on
December 28, 1912. Local landowners James W. Fulkerson
and Aaron Drumright platted a townsite, which was initially
called Fulkerson, The town
was renamed for Aaron
Drumright, a farmer and
later local businessman
whose farm was part of
the townsite.

Oil workers flooded
into town so quickly that
they lived in tents or shacks
made from box cars,
causing the community
to be known locally as
"Ragtown." Hotels and
boarding houses were
constructed next, as well
as amenities like gambling
dens, dance halls, and
roadhouses, where the
workers
could
spend
Aaron Drumright
their money. Drumright
incorporated as a town on May 27, 1913. In 1914, the city
built a two-story building of stone to serve as an elementary
and high school. It was called Washington School, and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places (NRIS 81000462).
Two banks opened in the town during 1914. Drumright was
designated a first-class city after an election on April 18, 1916.
The 1920 census reported a population of 6,460.
The Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway built a track from Frey
Junction (south of Oilton) to Drumright in 1915. The following
year the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) built
a line north from Shamrock to Drumright. The AT&SF also
We’ll handle it from here.
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10 | Drumright Area Chamber And Business Directory 2020