Bartlesville

History

Jacob Bartles, son-in-law of Delaware chief Charles Journeycake, moved from Wyandotte County, Kansas, to Indian Territory in 1873. He settled first at Silver Lake, a natural lake south of the present city of Bartlesville. In 1874, he opened a trading post and post office on Turkey Creek, in what is now East Bartlesville. In the following year, he bought a grist mill on the Caney River and modified it to produce flour. Bartles then built a two-story general store and residence, and added a rooming house, a blacksmith shop and a livery stable. Other settlers soon moved into the immediate area, which was then called Bartles Town. In 1880, Bartles moved his Turkey Creek post office to this town. Bartles then provided the community with electricity, a telephone system and a water distribution system. Development of the present city began after William Johnstone and George B. Keeler opened a general store on the south side of the Caney River in 1884. The first newspaper, The Weekly Magnet, began publication in March 1895. The town was incorporated in Indian Territory in January 1897. The town was surveyed and platted in 1898, and eighty acres were offered to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad for a depot. The railroad, though its Kansas, Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railway subsidiary, reached the town in 1899. but grew to become a multi-billion dollar oil company. Although Bartlesville is no longer the headquarters, the company still has many employees in the community. In 2002, Phillips Petroleum merged with Conoco Oil Company and became ConocoPhillips. Bartlesville was originally a sundown town where African Americans were not allowed to live. By 1907, the restriction had been lifted, and newspapers noted the town's first natural death of an African…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.09%) is water. The Caney River flows through Bartlesville, separating the downtown area from the east side. The river flooded in October 1986 as a result of unusually heavy rainfall. The city was split in half for several days, and the flood caused considerable property damage. The river broke its banks again in June 2007, cresting five feet below the 1986 level. The Pathfinder Parkway, a paved trail for walking, running, and cycling, runs alongside the Caney River. Bartlesville is familiar with both very hot conditions in the summer with a record high of and with very cold conditions with a record of low of . However, even with this record of extremes, the climate of Bartlesville is considered humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) with cool winters and hot summers, with the majority of precipitation falling in spring, between the months of April and June. Bartlesville lies in Tornado Alley, meaning that severe weather, including tornadoes, can occur. Severe weather occurs most often in the spring months, and occurs with much less frequency throughout the rest of the year. The city lies within USDA plant hardiness zone 7a ().

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  564
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  483
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  469
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  449
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  389
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  388
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  368
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  367

Largest nearby schools

• BARTLESVILLE HS
  High · Bartlesville · 1,642 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• MADISON MS
  Middle · Bartlesville · 732 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• WAYSIDE ES
  Elementary · Bartlesville · 694 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• CENTRAL MS
  Middle · Bartlesville · 671 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• RANCH HEIGHTS ES
  Elementary · Bartlesville · 616 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• DEWEY ES
  Elementary · Dewey · 569 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• WOODROW WILSON ES
  Elementary · Bartlesville · 560 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• RICHARD KANE ES
  Elementary · Bartlesville · 514 students · 14.7:1 ratio