Barnsdall is a city in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,034.

History

The community was founded in 1905 and originally named Bigheart, for the Osage Chief James Bigheart. It was initially a 160-acre site along the Midland Valley Railroad in March 1905. The railroad opened Bigheart Station in September 1905 and the Bigheart Post Office opened in January 1906. The community was exempted from the Osage allotment, so lots could be sold to anyone. Lots were auctioned in May 1906. The first newspaper, the ''Bigheart Star'', first appeared in 1906.Jon D. May, "Barnsdall," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed May 8, 2015. Joshua Cosden built the Southwest Refining Company oil refinery in 1910. He sold it to Stone and Webster of Boston, Massachusetts in 1917. The Barnsdall Oil Company had discovered the nearby Bigheart (later Barnsdall) oilfield in 1916. The Barnsdall Oil Company, bought the refinery in 1921. The community was renamed Barnsdall on January 1, 1922, in honor of Theodore N. Barnsdall. Barnsdall experienced a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

in April 1911, a major fire in March 1913 and a flood in September 1915. Despite these calamities, the population increased from 307 in 1910 to 2,099 in 1920. That proved to be the high point of population in the community. Henry L. Doherty bought the holdings of Theodore N. Barnsdall, founder of Barnsdall Oil Company, in 1912.Weaver, Bobby D. "Doherty, Henry Latham (1870 - 1939)." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
Accessed December 1, 2016 Barnsdall Refining Company renamed itself Bareco Oil Company in 1940. It ceased refining oil in 1946 and began producing microcrystalline waxes that year. Petrolite Corporation (later part of

Baker Hughes Baker Hughes Company is an American global energy technology company co-headquartered in Houston, Texas and London, UK. As one of the world's largest oil field services, industrial and energy technology companies, it provides products and serv ...

) bought Bareco and continued to operate the plant. The business was sold to SK Capital in September 2020 and renamed NuCera Solutions; and, NuCera was sold in September 2022 to Chase Corporation. NuCera continued as operator until July 2024, when tornado damage lead to announcement of the plant's phased shutdown. The Midland Valley Railroad trackage both north and south of Barnsdall has been abandoned, the southern portion in 2000. At least some of the route south of Barnsdall has been converted into a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

2024 tornadoes

On the evening of April 1, 2024, an EF1 tornado struck Barnsdall, damaging 35 homes, but no injuries were reported. On the evening of May 6, 2024, an EF4 tornado hit the city, the second tornado in the city within five weeks. Peak wind speeds were estimated at . Two fatalities occurred in Barnsdall as a result of the tornado, and several structures were completely destroyed. Barnsdall Nursing Home was among the structures that were damaged. Several buildings, including schools, were opened to those who had homes damaged or destroyed and needed shelter. At least ten people reportedly suffered injuries due to the tornado. Significant damage was done to the NuCera refinery.

Geography

Barnsdall is located southeast of Pawhuska, the Osage County seat, and northwest of

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2022 American Community Survey

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates, there were people and households. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were housing units at an average density of .To calculate density we use the land area figure from the places file in The racial makeup of the city was 65.6% White, 19.7% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 0.7% Black or African American, with 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.3% of the population. Of the households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 5.8% were couples cohabitating, 11.7% had a male householder with no partner present, and 28.3% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was and the median family size was . The age distribution was 28.0% under 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was years. For every 100 females, there were males. The median income for a household was $, with family households having a median income of $ and non-family households $. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $. Males working

full-time job A full-time job is employment in which workers work a minimum number of hours defined as such by their employer. Overview Fulltime employment often comes with benefits that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible worke ...

s had median earnings of $ compared to $ for females. Out of the people with a determined poverty status, 6.5% were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Further, 2.2% of minors and 4.6% of seniors were below the poverty line. In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of German descent made up 16.0% of the population of the town, followed by Irish at 14.7%, American at 9.2%, English at 4.9%, Dutch at 2.5%, Caribbean (excluding Hispanics) at 1.4%, Scotch-Irish at 0.8%, and

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

at 0.7%.

Economy

NuCera Solutions was located in Barnsdall, a manufacturer of specialty waxes and polymers and the town's largest employer. On May 6, 2024, the plant sustained severe damage from an EF4 tornado. It was announced on July 30, 2024, that the plant would close permanently in 6–12 months, despite initial efforts to rebuild the plant.

Attractions

Barnsdall has two properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Osage County, Oklahoma: * Bank of Bigheart, which is the communities oldest commercial building *

Barnsdall Main Street Well Site The Barnsdall Main Street Well (also known as Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company Well #20 Osage County) is a formerly active oil well in the middle of Main Street in the town of Barnsdall, Oklahoma. It is believed to be the only such oil w ...

, an oil well in the middle of Main Street. In addition, the Woolaroc Ranch Historic District, 8 miles east of the junction of State Highway 11 and State Highway 123, is near Barnsdall. Lake Waxhoma, about 4 miles east, offers fishing opportunities, as well as being a key water source for the town.

Notable people

* Anita Bryant (1940–2024), singer and anti-gay political activist, born in Barnsdall *

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

(1901–1960), actor in ''

Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'', was born elsewhere but worked for a time in the Barnsdall area on oil rigs. * Thomas Hall (born 1939), retired U.S. Navy rear admiral * J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), lawyer, 8-term U.S. Representative from Indiana

References

External links

City of Barnsdall

''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - Barnsdall
{{Authority control 1905 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Cities in Osage County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma Populated places within the Osage Nation reservation Tulsa metropolitan area Populated places established in 1905