Sapulpa Downtown Historic District - Sapulpa, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Located southwest of the Tulsa metropolitan area, Sapulpa was first settled prior to Oklahoma becoming a state in 1907. It was part of the Creek Nation of Indian Territory, and was originally settled by Chief Sapulpa, who operated a trading post at this location. In 1886, the Atlantic and Pacific Railway (later the St. Louis & San Francisco "Frisco" Railroad), set up a terminus point in the area and the "town" began to grow. An official post office was established in 1889. According to tribal law, no non-Native could own land, but in 1898, the Curtis Act abolished tribal ownership and the town was incorporated under federal law. It was given the name Sapulpa by a railroad employee. Sapulpa became the Creek County Seat upon Statehood, after a "battle" with the neighboring town of Bristow.

The population in 1900 was 891, but in 1905, the Glenn Pool oil field was discovered about seven miles southeast of Sapulpa and the town boomed. The Frisco Railroad built a roundhouse and repair shops here and in 1905, splitting the cost with the town, a YMCA was constructed for railroad employees, which numbered over 700 people at that time. The 2010 census recorded 20,544 inhabitants in Sapulpa.

In the late 1920s, the Glenn Pool field began to play out and the boom waned. However, Dewey Avenue running through downtown Sapulpa was a part of Route 66 which ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, which kept the town prosperous. In 1927, Frisco moved its division point to Tulsa; the Harvey House Restaurant in the depot closed in 1930; the YMCA building was demolished in 1934; and the depot was torn down in 1963. Today, the town flourishes with local industry, as well as being home to many commuters who work in the Tulsa area.

The Sapulpa Downtown Historic District is roughly a nine-block area, with buildings constructed between 1904 and 1952. It was placed on the National Register in September 2002 and is roughly bounded by Hobson Avenue, Elm Street, Lee Avenue and Main Street. Two of the District's buildings have been placed on the Register individually - the Creek County Courthouse and the Berryhill Building.

Sapulpa prides itself in its historic roots and has beautifully renovated many of the downtown buildings. The Sapulpa Historical Society has documented many of the town's historical events and has a nice display of artifacts in its three-story former hotel building at 100 E. Lee. Sapulpa is well worth your visit.

The corodinates shown above are for the Westfall Building, constructed in 1910, on the northeast corner of Park and Dewey.

Street address: Bounded by Hobson Ave.., Em Street, Lee Avenue and Main Street Sapulpa, OK US 74066 County / Borough / Parish: Creek County Year listed: 2002 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1950-1974; 1925-1949; 1900-1924 Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Education, Government Current function: Commerce/Trade, Education, Government Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/27/2021 wall77 visited it