Sapulpa, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Creek County Courthouse, 2014 | |
| Motto: "Oklahoma's Most Connected City" | |
 Location withinCreek County andOklahoma | |
  Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:36°0′43″N96°05′49″W / 36.01194°N 96.09694°W /36.01194; -96.09694 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Creek,Tulsa[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 24.27 sq mi (62.87 km2) |
| • Land | 23.50 sq mi (60.86 km2) |
| • Water | 0.78 sq mi (2.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 719 ft (219 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,929 |
| • Density | 933.19/sq mi (360.31/km2) |
| Demonym | Sapulpan |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 74066-74067 |
| Area codes | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-65400[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411831[3] |
| Website | www |
Sapulpa is a city in and thecounty seat ofCreek County,[5] extending partly intoTulsa County, in theU.S. state ofOklahoma. The population was 21,929 at the time of the2020 census,[6] compared with 20,544 at the2010 census.
The town was named after the area's first permanent settler, a full-bloodLower Creek Indian namedJames Sapulpa, from theKasihta or Cusseta band, from Osocheetown inAlabama.[7] About 1850, he established atrading post near the meeting of Polecat and Rock creeks (about one mile (1.6 km) southeast of downtown Sapulpa).
When theAtlantic and Pacific Railroad (which became theFrisco) built a spur to this area in 1886, it was known as Sapulpa Station. The Sapulpa post office was chartered July 1, 1889 and the town was incorporated March 31, 1898.[8][9]
After Oklahoma became a state, each county held an election to determine the location of thecounty seat. Sapulpa competed withBristow to be the county seat of Creek County. After five years of contested elections and court suits, the issue was settled by theOklahoma Supreme Court on August 1, 1913. Sapulpa was ruled the winner. The county courthouse was completed in 1914, replacing an earlier structure built in 1902.[7]
When Sapulpa was founded, the main crop of the area waswalnuts. In 1898, the Sapulpa Pressed Brick was established, followed in a few years by the Sapulpa Brick Company. This began the clay products industry. Sapulpa is the former home ofFrankoma Pottery, which is now located south of Glenpool.[10]
The founding of Premium Glass Company in 1912 marked Sapulpa's entry to glass manufacturing. Premium Glass was acquired by Liberty Glass Company in 1918. The plant, after many changes to the facilities and in ownership, as of 2019[update] makes beer bottles under theArdagh Group.[11][12][13]
Other glass factories in the city included the Bartlett-Collins Glass Company, originally opened in 1914, which was closed by subsequent ownerAnchor Hocking in 2008.[14] The Schram Glass Company, which opened a jar and jar cap plant in 1914, was closed by theBall Brothers in 1931.[15] The Sunflower Glass Plant, which produced window glass, began operations in 1913 and, after being leased to Victory Window Glass Co. in 1924, ceased operations in 1932.[16]
According to theEncyclopedia of Oklahoma History, Sapulpa was known as "The Crystal City of the Southwest".[17]
In 1886 theAtlantic and Pacific Railroad, which already had a line stretching from Missouri toTulsa andRed Fork, extended its tracks into Sapulpa.[18] In 1898, theSt. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad built 103.2 miles of track from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City.[18][19] Both of these lines subsequently came under the control of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway ("Frisco").[18] The Frisco built a railyard in Sapulpa and by 1900 designated Sapulpa as an overhaul base for itsrolling stock.[7] Also in 1900, construction of the line from Sapulpa toDenison, Texas was started and rushed to completion by March 1901.[20] With changes in ownership over the years, the portion of the old Frisco line between Sapulpa andDel City, Oklahoma, nearOklahoma City, known as the Sooner Sub, ended up being owned by the State of Oklahoma.[21]
In 1998, the Sooner Sub was leased toStillwater Central Railroad, and in 2014 was sold to them.[21] The sale contract required initiating a six-month trial of daily passenger service before August 2019—known as theEastern Flyer—with a financial penalty of $2.8 million for failure to meet the deadline.[22]
On August 5, 2019, with no passenger service in place, the Stillwater Central defaulted on the contract and paid the penalty.[23]
Sapulpa in its early days was on the route of the Sapulpa & Interurban Railway ("S&I") streetcar/interurban line connecting toTulsa in one direction, andKiefer,Glenpool, andMounds in the other. S&I subsequently underwent a series of mergers and name changes, with only the Tulsa-to-Sapulpa portion continuing as theTulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway.[24][25]
Sapulpa is on oldU.S. Route 66, nowSH-66 and Historic Route 66 (a/k/a the West Ozark Trail) through town.[26] Route 66 sites include the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum, which opened in August 2016 in an armory built in 1948, and theTee Pee Drive-In which opened the next year. It features the world's tallest replica antique visible gas pump, at 66 feet,[27] or 74 feet including the circular sign on top.[28] Still standing is the Rock Creek Bridge, a/k/a the historic Bridge #18 at Rock Creek,[29] a 1921 metal bridge that became a link in the original Route 66 in 1926.[30]
Sapulpa is located in the northeast corner of Creek County. A small portion of the city that extends north into Tulsa County was annexed into Sapulpa in 2004. DowntownTulsa is 14 miles (23 km) to the northeast viaInterstate 44. TheCreek Turnpike (State Highway 364) branches east from I-44 in northeastern Sapulpa and provides a southern and eastern bypass of Tulsa.
In January 2018, the Sapulpa City Council voted to approve the annexation of approximately 300 acres of land in West Tulsa. The land is bordered to the north by 51st Street, to the south by Southwest Blvd, and to the west by 65th West Avenue. Originally, this annexation included the future site of the interchange of the Gilcrease Expressway and I-44. However, the city has now planned to de-annex this area back to the city of Tulsa.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city of Sapulpa has a total area of 25.1 square miles (65.1 km2), of which 24.3 square miles (63.0 km2) is land and 0.81 square miles (2.1 km2), or 3.21%, is water.[31]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 891 | — | |
| 1910 | 8,283 | 829.6% | |
| 1920 | 11,634 | 40.5% | |
| 1930 | 10,533 | −9.5% | |
| 1940 | 12,249 | 16.3% | |
| 1950 | 13,031 | 6.4% | |
| 1960 | 14,282 | 9.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,159 | 6.1% | |
| 1980 | 15,853 | 4.6% | |
| 1990 | 18,074 | 14.0% | |
| 2000 | 19,166 | 6.0% | |
| 2010 | 20,544 | 7.2% | |
| 2020 | 21,929 | 6.7% | |
| Sources:[4][32][33] | |||
As of the2010 census, there were 20,544 people, 8,015 households, and 5,497 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 844.3 people per square mile. There were 8,903 housing units at an average density of 435.4 per square mile (168.1/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 77.5% White, 3.0% African American, 10.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.[34]
There were 7,430 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% weremarried couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,372 and the median income for a family was $52,639. Males had a median income of $30,524 versus $21,609 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $22,275. About 11.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.[35]
Sapulpa has an organization known as Sapulpa Main Street, one of the various nationalMain Street programs, the purpose of which is to preserve and enhance the cultural heritage of the town, and to improve its quality of life, by revitalizing the Central Business District as the center of the Community.[36]
In 2013, the Sapulpa Creek Community Center graduated a class of 14 from itsMuscogee Creek language class.[37]
The following are NRHP-listed sites in Sapulpa:
The Sapulpa Parks and Recreation System includes twenty-one parks and recreation facilities, including 501 land acres. Sixteen sites are considered developed and open to the public, while five are not yet developed. Kelly Lane Park Trail, Liberty Park Trail, Davis Park Trail, Hollier Park Trail, and Pretty Water Lake Trail offer one-quarter-mile to one-mile walking experiences.[38]
Among other facilities is Pretty Water Lake, spring-fed and 25-acres large, open for fishing and stocked with trout and channel catfish/panfish.[39]
Sahoma Lake covers 277 acres,[40] and fishing opportunities there include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, perch, blue gill, and redear perch.[41]
In August 2021 a new $600,000 playground was opened at Liberty Park called the "Everyday Heroes" inclusive playground.[42] The playground has specific areas designed for 2 to 5 year olds, 5 to 12 year olds, and adults.[42]
TheSapulpa Daily Herald garnered national media attention in November 2008 for not reporting the presidential victory ofBarack Obama, instead reporting thatJohn McCain had won among the voters of Creek County.[43][44] In response, the newspaper's publisher stated "We run a newspaper, not a memory book service. We covered the local commissioner's race. We thought that was more important."[45]
Municipalities and communities ofCreek County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofTulsa County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Counties |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Principal city | ||
| Cities over 20k | ||
| Cities 10k-20k | ||
| Cities 5k-10k | ||
| Cities and towns 1k-5k | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
