Owen Park is a residential neighborhood and
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
in
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. Its borders are Edison Avenue on the north, the municipal Owen Park on the east, the Keystone Expressway (
Hwy 412) on the south, and Zenith Avenue on the west. Opened on June 8, 1910, it was Tulsa's first municipal park.
[City of Tulsa. "Tulsa Parks History."](_blank)
/ref> The district covers , while Owen Park itself covers on the east side of the District.[NRHP Documentation .]
History
The history of the Owen Park neighborhood can be traced back to early territorial days. In 1825, preparing for the arrival of the Five Civilized Tribes
The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by European Americans in the colonial and early federal period in the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek ...
in the Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
, the U.S. Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
made a treaty with the Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage".
Osage can also refer to:
* Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation
* Osage (Unicode b ...
Indians. The Osage conceded lands for the use of the Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
and Creek
A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet.
Creek may also refer to:
People
* Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans
...
Tribes. Though the Osage were to vacate their land in Oklahoma, they were still present in 1832 when U.S. Rangers
United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, US Army Ranger Sch ...
arrived with civilian observers. Among them was Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
, perhaps the best known American author of the time. On October 14, the party was traveling to their camp destination at the convergence of the Cimarron and Arkansas Rivers. Pausing briefly at a lookout point, Irving enjoyed the panorama from the hilltop in the Owen Park neighborhood. The descriptions of the view can be found in his book, ''Tour of the Prairies''. A monument to this event stands at the corner of Easton Boulevard and Vancouver Avenue.
By 1834, the Osage Tribe
The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...
had been convinced to move to a reservation in Kansas. Following this period, it has been suggested that Owen Park was the location of a Creek settlement called Big Springs Town. After the Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the Osage were relocated back to the land which is now Osage County. The point where the Osage, Cherokee and Creek Nations joined is commemorated by a monument in Owen Park.
Oldest house in Tulsa
A Methodist missionary minister, Rev. Sylvester Morris, built a house in the early 1880s that now stands in Tulsa's Owen Park. Originally, it stood on what became North Cheyenne St. Morris served from 1836 until 1907, according to a sign in front of the house. This is the oldest surviving house in Tulsa.
Nitroglycerine explosion
Sometime before 1904, a large wooden warehouse-type building was erected on part of Owen's land now occupied by Owen Park. Western Torpedo Company, an early day oil well services company that used nitroglycerine
Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating ...
for shooting oil wells stored its entire inventory of the chemical in this warehouse. On the afternoon of January 23, 1904, an employee named McDonald reportedly went to the warehouse, which erupted in a violent explosion moments later, creating a large crater and leaving no trace of McDonald. The crater was partially filled to create the first Owen Park Lake when it filled with rainwater. It was further reduced in size and renamed Owen Park Pond.["Tulsa Parks History." City of Tulsa. Undated.](_blank)
Accessed January 5, 2019. In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
built a topless, hollowed out grotto for the pond that deteriorated over time. In 1985, the grotto was rebuilt, but the original WPA style was preserved.
For several years, Tulsans made their way to Owen's now-vacant land to attend city-wide events. The first reported event was for Labor Day in 1906. July 4 became a regular event, since it could accommodate band concerts, picnics and fireworks to entertain the crowds.
Chauncey Owen
Chauncey A. Owen (1847 - 1930), a Pennsylvania entrepreneur and Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
veteran, conducted a freighting business in Kansas before coming to Indian Territory and marrying Jane Wolfe, a Creek woman.[TulsaGal Website: "Tulsa Founders: Chauncey A. Owen]
July 14, 2009. Accessed May 14, 2011. During the 1870s, Owen established himself as a leading rancher and farmer in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Broken Arrow area. Using imported white labor, he planted peach trees, cultivated large areas of fertile land, owned herds of cattle and harvested walnut timber on the Verdigris. He built a ranch home
Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...
known throughout the region as the “Big House.”
In 1882, the railroad was on the way from Vinita across the Verdigris to the Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
. Owen followed the railroad grading work, hauling a large tent. He used the tent as a boarding establishment. With beef and produce from his farm, he supplied hundreds of rail workers, including James Monroe Hall and his brother, Harry C. Hall. James was in charge of the railroad contracting company and Harry was one of the contracting suppliers. Although the Hall brothers are considered to be the founders of modern Tulsa, Chauncey Owen was already in the boardinghouse business at the nearby riverbank. After pitching the company store tent near the future terminal site on that summer evening in 1882, the Halls made their way to Owen's tent to sample his wife's home cooking.
Owen immediately moved his tent boardinghouse near the new terminal location, and soon after began to build the first hotel in Tulsa. The six-room wood-frame building was also Tulsa's first two-story building. Appropriately named the Tulsa Hotel, it began business in the winter of 1882. The hotel was managed by Mrs. Owen (aka "Aunt Jane") and until 1890, when it was leased and renamed the St. Elmo.
In 1892, Owen leased of his wife's Creek land to J. P. Goumaz, who built a home at Brady Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Around 1895, the Goumaz family planted 7,000 peach trees, an apple orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
, strawberry
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
fields, and established a large concord grape
The Concord grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species ''Vitis labrusca'' (also known as fox grape) that are used as table grapes, wine grapes and juice grapes. They are often used to make grape jelly, grape juice, grape pies, grape-fl ...
vineyard from the top of the hill east to Quanah Avenue. Some remnants of the vineyard are still evident on alley fences.
Creation of Owen Park
Chauncey Owen's wife, Jane, died in 1902. Her heirs received an allotment of from the Creek Nation, which encompassed the present Owen Park and neighborhood. In the early twentieth century, the lands of Owen Park were often used for public events, even before the park received official designation. Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
celebrations took place there, with firework displays entertaining crowds who sometimes numbered in the thousands.
Following the discovery of oil in the summer of 1901 at Red Fork, Tulsa began to rapidly grow and prosper. Owen wanted to divide and sell his land, but at over an acre, there was scant public interest. He offered more than of park land to the city. In March 1909, the city held its first Park Commission meeting and, by August 18, 1909, decided to purchase the land from Chauncey and Mary Owen for $13,500. The decision met with criticism due to the land's price and distance from downtown. In those days, many considered it to be too far out in the country. Most were placated, though, when it was announced that a streetcar line would be run to the park, running west on Archer and turning north on Rosedale to Easton Boulevard. Owen Park officially opened on June 8, 1910.
Also in 1910, the city sold of the park land to the nearby Tulsa Vitrified Brick Company, located at the southeast edge of the park. Owen attempted to prohibit the sale. He contended that the brick company would “excavate large quantities of earth which will make a dangerous hole for the accumulation of water and the production of sickness...” and would be a “detriment to the health and comfort of the citizens.” He lost an appeal to the State Supreme Court
In the United States, a state supreme court (known by #Terminology, other names in some states) is the supreme court, highest court in the State court (United States), state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of State law (United States), st ...
, who held that the deed did not specify that the land would be used for park purposes only. Owen's concern proved to be prophetic when a young lad drowned in the abandoned brick pit in 1954. The city soon moved to repurchase and fill the pit. The reclaimed property was again added to the park.
In 1913, the ravine in Owen Park was dammed to create a small lake which was used as a city swimming pool. In spite of annual efforts each spring to line the pond with sand hauled by wagons from Sand Springs, it was never long before rains and usage negated those attempts. The muddy bottom, however, did not detract from its popularity. The major problem occurred when bathers, jumping from the twelve-foot tower, sometimes missed the diving hole. Lifeguards would then be called upon to rescue victims stuck in the mud. During the winter, the lake served as a skating rink. Its use as a swimming pool continued through the 1920s. Today, bathing and skating are prohibited, but fishing is a popular pastime and the lake is home to a thriving population of ducks and geese.
By 1915, the neighborhood was growing rapidly. The boulevard had been paved and the Irving monument was dedicated on April 30. An advertisement in the Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
on July 4 announced that, “Lots are going fast in Tulsa’s most beautiful residence suburb—Irving Place and Park Hill.” The oil boom that had made many wealthy also provided abundant jobs for a burgeoning middle class. New homes were in high demand and residential construction progressed rapidly. By the end of the 1920s, the lots were filled with homes ranging from craftsman bungalows to estate mansions. Schools had been built in the neighborhood. In 1918, Pershing Elementary was built on the hilltop and, in 1926, Theodore Roosevelt Junior High was built on of land adjoining the park on the south.
General description
OPHD is primarily residential. There are a few commercial buildings, one historic church, an elementary school and a previous junior high school, now converted into a high-school. (Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences). The houses were mostly wood frame with weather board siding. Some houses had shingles, stucco, brick veneer and stone veneer. Nearly all originally had wood shingle roofs, though a few had tile roofs. The shingle roofs have been replaced with asphalt composition roofs. About 70 percent of the houses were built in Bungalow Craftsman style. About 6 percent of the houses are Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
style, which was the second most popular style. Other styles include Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
(2 percent), Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...
, Modern Movement/Minimal Traditional, National Folk, and Commercial Style
Chicago's architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. Much of its early work is also known as Commercial Style. In the history of architecture, the first Chicago School was a school of architec ...
. A significant number (about 7 percent) are primarily garage apartments, categorized as "No Style."
NRHP listing
Owen Park Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1999.
Notes
References
External links
Owen Park Historic District
*NRHP Documentation
*City of Tulsa. "Tulsa Parks History
{{Tulsa
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma
Neighborhoods in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Parks in Oklahoma
National Register of Historic Places in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma