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Sapulpa is the county
seat for Creek County and is
located in northeast
Oklahoma’s Green Country. It
occupies an area over which
six nations have flown their
flags – Spain, France,
England, Mexico, the Choctaw
Indian Nation, and the
United States. The character
of Sapulpa was shaped by
three historic factors –
Indians, railroads and oil.
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Chief Sapulpa, the
area’s first
permanent settler,
was a full-blood
lower Creek Indian
of the Kasihta Tribe
in Osocheetown,
Alabama.
He arrived in Indian
Territory about 1850
and established a
trading post near
the confluence of
Polecat and Rock
creeks (about one
mile southeast of
present day downtown
Sapulpa).
When the Atlantic and
Pacific railroad
line extended to the
area in 1886, it was
called “Sapulpa
Station” in honor of
Chief Sapulpa who
had befriended the
railway workers.
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The treaty of 1866 between
the Creek Nation and the
United States provided for
the establishment of post
offices in the territory. In
1889 a post office named
Sapulpa was opened and the
town was incorporated in
1898. In 1905 the discovery
of Glenn Pool oilfield, six
miles southeast of Sapulpa,
fostered the greatest period
of growth.
The oil boom, the Frisco
railroad, and the addition
of two brick and four glass
plants all combined to
transform Sapulpa from a
sleepy little village in
Indian Territory to a
bustling community of 20,000
by the mid-1920s. Most of
the buildings in downtown
Sapulpa were erected during
this boom period. The work
ethic passed down from those
economic pioneers has
created a skilled and
dedicated work force. Today,
industry is diversified with
over 120 manufacturers
employing approximately
5,000 workers. Today,
Sapulpa has a healthy
population for a small
mid-western city. There is
a strong middle class
population known for its
sense of community pride and
diversified workforce.
The character of Sapulpa was
shaped by three historic
factors –
Indians, railroads and oil. |
