Tulsa Photo Archive

Unidentified woman wearing a gold outfit with a construction helmet posing next to the Golden Drillers' shoe during its assembly in front of the Tulsa Fairgrounds.

The first collection of photos of the woman standing next to the Golden Drillers' shoe was taken on 01/31/1966. A month later, on 02/25/1966, the woman returned and was photographed in front of a wire frame that would become the head of the Golden Driller.

Photographs Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum and provided to the museum by Industrial Photo Service

“GROUP OF TULSA’S FIRST CITIZENS” — A group of Tulsa's first citizens, all cowboys working for George B. Perryman. Top row, left to right: Reuben Partridge, Tom Kinney, Nate Goodman, and Dent Ray. Middle row: Spot Childers, J.H. Morrow (Tulsa's first druggist), George B. Perryman, Mose Perryman, and Claude Flippin. Bottom row: Sam Beaver, Jim Gross.

“The Perryman Ranch opened its own post office in 1879, and a mail carrier began making weekly trips on horseback from Muskogee. As members of the Muscogee tribe, the Perrymans named their post office “Tulsa,” adapted from a Muscogee word for "old town,” and probably a reference to the original Muscogee settlement that began near the famous Council Oak tree in the 1830s.” - Michael Overhall (TULSA WORLD)

Photo 1: Colorization
Photo 2: Original photo (Undated)

(Photo from: The Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.)

The Tulsa Coliseum was an indoor arena that sat at the corner of fifth street and Elgin Ave. The stadium was built in 1928 and spread the full block from 5th to 6th street. Standing at an impressive 300 feet long and 48 feet high, it was the largest sports arena in the Southwest. With ice hockey being a favorite sport of Robert Whiteside he wanted to bring ice sports to Tulsa in a major way. That is the reason The Tulsa Figure Skating Club has a history that is nearly as long as the United States Figure Skating Association. After the first Tulsa Oilers hockey game and figure skating displays by the Magic City Amusement Co at The Coliseum’s grand opening in 1929, ice skating became a major family recreation for thousands of Tulsans. Ice skating continued to grow in popularity, leading to the first professional touring ice show in Tulsa. On November 7 and 8, 1936, The Ice Follies had their world premiere in Tulsa. A 40-member cast of figure skating champions from across the nation dazzled the audiences with spectacular 20-act performances of colorful waltz, quadrilles, ice ballets, and comedy acts. Ice sports were not the only events that were held at The Coliseum. In the 1940s The Coliseum became Tulsa’s first professional wrestling venue, bringing a new audience to the stadium. Professional boxing, rodeos, and track meets were also held in the walls of the Coliseum. Rumour has it that the basement of The Coliseum was not destroyed in the fire and still lies under the surface. Many groups of people have tried to locate what they call “Tulsa’s Underground Stadium” however, no one has claimed to have found it.
After a fire destroyed The Coliseum in 1952, Tulsa was without a major stadium for 56 years until the opening of the BOK center in 2008. At the time, the construction cost for The Coliseum was $800,000. Adjusted for inflation, the BOK center’s construction was 100 million dollars more expensive than The Coliseum. Sadly, the spot where The Coliseum once stood is now an empty parking lot.