Historical Marker Program

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Oil in the Cushing-Drumright Area

Payne County
Location: at intersection of Adams and Harrison in Cushing
Material: Granite
Topics: Government; Industry/Business; Mass Communication; Natural Resources; Petroleum; Urban Development

In March 1912, Tom Slick and C. B. Shafer discovered oil nearby. The Cushing field became one of history's greatest oil finds. For eight years, it led the nation in oil production. The oil discovery turned Cushing into a boomtown. The post office of Cushing was established November 10, 1891. The town was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to Postmaster General John Wanamaker. In 1919, the Cushing-Drumright area accounted for 17 percent of the nation's oil production.