Cities and Counties » High Plains » Barnsdall

The community of Barnsdall is most notably known for an oil well situated in the middle of Main Street.  The town was founded in 1905 and named Bigheart, after James Bigheart an Osage Chief.  The Bigheart Museum shares stories, history and artifacts chronicling development of the area.  Several years later Theodore Newton Barnsdall discovered a nearby oilfield and in 1922 the town was rechristened Barnsdall.
 
Anita Bryant was born in Barnsdall; she went on to have a successful music career after finishing runner-up in the 1958 Miss America contest.  Dream-boat Clark Gable briefly lived in Barnsdall when his dad moved to the area to work in the oil fields.
 
Barnsdall is located southwest of Bartlesville and northwest of Skiatook and is home to the Bigheart Day Celebration each May. « back to cities in High Plains
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