History of Sapulpa
Our Town, Our People, Our Sapulpa
Native American History
Chief Sapulpa was born of full-blood Creek Native American from the Georgia-Alabama area. Most assume his name was Chief Sapulpa, but he was never a Chief, but he was a Creek Elder. Sapulpa was well-educated, well-traveled, and learned to speak English. Because of his education, Sapulpa began to trade and establish relationships with merchants and customers. He moved his family to the area what we know as Polecat Creek in Sapulpa around 1850.
It is unknown officially what Sapulpa’s name was, actually. Viewing the Civil War discharge papers, it spells his name another way. Suspulber. But you have to remember the time-period; many common words were misspelled because it was how you sounded it out. There’s another story that Suspulber was a shortened version of his given Christian name: Sepulcher. What Merle Sapulpa (his great-grandson) told the Historical Society was that he believed it was actually an Italian name. Merle believed that when the train and railroad workers came to the area, it was mostly Italian workers. And somehow or another, the Italian name or word or phrase stuck. The family of Sapulpa still go by the name today.
The Creeks belonged to the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia area before the Trail of Tears. The Creeks or the Muscogee Tribes had tribal members ranging between 15,000 to 20,000. The Yuchi Tribe lived nearby along Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina areas. The Yuchi Tribe had members a lot smaller, maybe up to 2,000 to 5,000. The two tribes are not blood related, however, the Creeks are more like big-bother.
The Euchee Mission Boarding School began in 1891. It expanded in 1894, and became a large campus-like facility. The school was about 40 acres. It stood what was then considered “1 mile east of town.” The boarding school closed in 1947 when the city purchased the lot. It’s now the Sapulpa High School, Jr. High, the then Woodlawn Elementary, now Holmes Park Elementary, and a football field. Residential areas surround these now city school facilities. Today, there is a small Yuchi facility just outside of Sapulpa, teaching the Yuchi languages and culture. The Yuchi language is different than any other Indigenous language. In 1997, it was estimated only 300 Yuchis existed. By 2000, it was estimated only 15 spoke the Yuchi language fluently. In 2011, only five.
Railroad & Oil
Sapulpa would not be a town without the railroad. And it was actually kind of a mistake, to be honest. Red Fork, just outside of Sapulpa and Tulsa, was experiencing an oil boom. The Atlantic & Pacific Railway wanted to connect Red Fork and Tulsa. However, during the construction, the tracks that were purchased for the build, actually expanded to Sapulpa by accident. Someone did the paperwork wrong and ordered too many parts, in a sense. Therefore, the tracks ended in Sapulpa.
Another way to get around town, though, was the Sapulpa Interurban. The tracks were built in 1908 and ran throughout the whole town. It also connected to Tulsa, Kiefer, and Mounds. However, due to the Great Depression, funding ran out and it began to close up shop. It became the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway.
Sapulpa often gave herself nicknames throughout history. Sapulpa was always in rivals with Tulsa and Bristow - more on that later. But one thing we boasted the most about was that we were the “Oil City of the Southwest.” There’s a myth about Sapulpa. Visitors often come to the museum stating Sapulpa was once larger than Tulsa. This is not true. We had the illusion of being a large town because we included two other townships into our population: Kiefer and Glennpool.
Businesses
As stated earlier, Sapulpa had many nicknames. One such nickname we gave ourselves was “Crystal City of the Southwest.” This is referring to the wide variety of glass factories Sapulpa once had. At one time, in the Teens and 20s, Sapulpa had at least six glass factories working. They all made a little different brands, though; like one was building windshields, one was building windows for homes, and another manufactured fruit jars.
Bartlett Collin Glass Factory did more houseware. They manufactured pitchers, plates, and cups. And these were all hand painted. They also manufactured items just for their employees, as a thank you or a celebration. They also teamed up with schools and built Senior Class Banquets or Sports Memorabilia.
On the other hand, Liberty Glass Factory made more commercial ware. They made milk bottles, Pepsi bottles, beer bottles, and even glass mailboxes. Why would they make glass mailboxes? Seems a little dangerous when we think about modern society. But this is during war time, like World War I and II. During these times, there was a shortage of rubber, coffee, and metal. So, Liberty Glass said, we’ll make everything out of glass; and they did.
Sapulpa didn’t just have oil, Frisco, and glass. Sapulpa also built pottery. The Frankoma Pottery used the resources in the area to manufacture many pottery styles. The most famous design is the wagon wheel; and their most famous colors were blue and green. Like many of the factories, it too closed. The last of the Franks family passed away about two years ago due to COVID; and the copyright was released. There is now a Frankoma in Glenpool.
Chief Sapulpa was born of full-blood Creek Native American from the Georgia-Alabama area. Most assume his name was Chief Sapulpa, but he was never a Chief, but he was a Creek Elder. Sapulpa was well-educated, well-traveled, and learned to speak English. Because of his education, Sapulpa began to trade and establish relationships with merchants and customers. He moved his family to the area what we know as Polecat Creek in Sapulpa around 1850.
It is unknown officially what Sapulpa’s name was, actually. Viewing the Civil War discharge papers, it spells his name another way. Suspulber. But you have to remember the time-period; many common words were misspelled because it was how you sounded it out. There’s another story that Suspulber was a shortened version of his given Christian name: Sepulcher. What Merle Sapulpa (his great-grandson) told the Historical Society was that he believed it was actually an Italian name. Merle believed that when the train and railroad workers came to the area, it was mostly Italian workers. And somehow or another, the Italian name or word or phrase stuck. The family of Sapulpa still go by the name today.
The Creeks belonged to the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia area before the Trail of Tears. The Creeks or the Muscogee Tribes had tribal members ranging between 15,000 to 20,000. The Yuchi Tribe lived nearby along Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina areas. The Yuchi Tribe had members a lot smaller, maybe up to 2,000 to 5,000. The two tribes are not blood related, however, the Creeks are more like big-bother.
The Euchee Mission Boarding School began in 1891. It expanded in 1894, and became a large campus-like facility. The school was about 40 acres. It stood what was then considered “1 mile east of town.” The boarding school closed in 1947 when the city purchased the lot. It’s now the Sapulpa High School, Jr. High, the then Woodlawn Elementary, now Holmes Park Elementary, and a football field. Residential areas surround these now city school facilities. Today, there is a small Yuchi facility just outside of Sapulpa, teaching the Yuchi languages and culture. The Yuchi language is different than any other Indigenous language. In 1997, it was estimated only 300 Yuchis existed. By 2000, it was estimated only 15 spoke the Yuchi language fluently. In 2011, only five.
Railroad & Oil
Sapulpa would not be a town without the railroad. And it was actually kind of a mistake, to be honest. Red Fork, just outside of Sapulpa and Tulsa, was experiencing an oil boom. The Atlantic & Pacific Railway wanted to connect Red Fork and Tulsa. However, during the construction, the tracks that were purchased for the build, actually expanded to Sapulpa by accident. Someone did the paperwork wrong and ordered too many parts, in a sense. Therefore, the tracks ended in Sapulpa.
Another way to get around town, though, was the Sapulpa Interurban. The tracks were built in 1908 and ran throughout the whole town. It also connected to Tulsa, Kiefer, and Mounds. However, due to the Great Depression, funding ran out and it began to close up shop. It became the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway.
Sapulpa often gave herself nicknames throughout history. Sapulpa was always in rivals with Tulsa and Bristow - more on that later. But one thing we boasted the most about was that we were the “Oil City of the Southwest.” There’s a myth about Sapulpa. Visitors often come to the museum stating Sapulpa was once larger than Tulsa. This is not true. We had the illusion of being a large town because we included two other townships into our population: Kiefer and Glennpool.
Businesses
As stated earlier, Sapulpa had many nicknames. One such nickname we gave ourselves was “Crystal City of the Southwest.” This is referring to the wide variety of glass factories Sapulpa once had. At one time, in the Teens and 20s, Sapulpa had at least six glass factories working. They all made a little different brands, though; like one was building windshields, one was building windows for homes, and another manufactured fruit jars.
Bartlett Collin Glass Factory did more houseware. They manufactured pitchers, plates, and cups. And these were all hand painted. They also manufactured items just for their employees, as a thank you or a celebration. They also teamed up with schools and built Senior Class Banquets or Sports Memorabilia.
On the other hand, Liberty Glass Factory made more commercial ware. They made milk bottles, Pepsi bottles, beer bottles, and even glass mailboxes. Why would they make glass mailboxes? Seems a little dangerous when we think about modern society. But this is during war time, like World War I and II. During these times, there was a shortage of rubber, coffee, and metal. So, Liberty Glass said, we’ll make everything out of glass; and they did.
Sapulpa didn’t just have oil, Frisco, and glass. Sapulpa also built pottery. The Frankoma Pottery used the resources in the area to manufacture many pottery styles. The most famous design is the wagon wheel; and their most famous colors were blue and green. Like many of the factories, it too closed. The last of the Franks family passed away about two years ago due to COVID; and the copyright was released. There is now a Frankoma in Glenpool.
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Sapulpa is located just southwest of Tulsa (approx. 25 min away from Downtown Tulsa). Our town is located along the Historic Route 66 (connecting East to West) and Highway 75 (connecting North to South). The connection in our city makesSapulpa "the Crossroads of America."
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Sapulpa Historical Society & Museum 100 E Lee Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066 Midtown Mini Storage 114 E Lee Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066 |
Sapulpa Fire Museum 124 E Lee Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066 Waite Phillips-Barnsdall Filling Station Museum 26 E Lee Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066 |