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History of Tulsa
Oklahoma means "Land of the Red People" in the Choctaw Language.
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Indian Territory: 1830-1882
 What was to ultimately become Tulsa was part of Indian Territory, which was created as part of the relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes - the Choctaw, Cherokee, Muscogee(Creek), Chickasaw, and Seminole peoples. These Native American tribes moved into the region after the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, when they were forced to surrender their lands east of the Mississippi River to the federal government in exchange for land in Indian Territory
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Railroads: 1882-1901
 By August 1882 the population of Tulsa had reached 200 and in August of that year, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, later known as the Frisco, completed the extension of its line to Tulsa to serve the cattle business, the city's first industry.
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Oil boom: 1901-1907
Tulsa changed from a small frontier town to a boomtown with the discovery of oil in 1901 at Red Fork, a small community southwest of Tulsa. Wildcatters and investors flooded into the city and the town began to take shape. Neighborhoods were established in Tulsa on the north side of the Arkansas River, away from the drilling sites, and began to spread out from downtown Tulsa in all directions. In 1904, Tulsans constructed a bridge across the river, allowing oil field workers, supplies, food and equipment to cross the river, reaffirming Tulsa's position as the center of the oil field.
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Statehood: 1907-1915
 By the time Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907, Tulsa had a population of 7,298.
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Second oil boom: 1915-1930
By 1920 the population boomed to 72,000. Many of these new residents came from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. The second surge of oil discoveries occurred between 1915 and 1930, and firmly established Tulsa as the "Oil Capital of the World." Wealthy oilmen such as Waite Phillips, William Skelly and J. Paul Getty built stately mansions and beautiful modern headquarters. The prevalence of the Art Deco style of architecture during this period resulted in a treasure trove of beautiful structures. Cultural institutions such as a Symphony and professional Ballet and Opera Companies were founded, as well as Theatre Tulsa, the oldest surviving community theatre west of the Mississippi River. In 1932 Waite Phillips donated his exquisite Italianate mansion "Philbrook" to the city of Tulsa for use as an art museum.
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Race riot: 1921
The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 – also known as the 1921 Race Riot, the Tulsa Race War, or the Greenwood Riot – was one of the nation's worst acts of racial violence and large-scale civil disorder. From May 31 to June 1, 1921 during 16 hours of rioting, 39 people were officially reported killed, over 800 people were admitted to local hospitals with injuries, an estimated 10,000 were left homeless, 35 city blocks composed of 1,256 residences were destroyed by fire, and $1.8 million (nearly $17 million after adjustment for inflation) in property damage.
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"America's Most Beautiful City": Mid-20th Century
For the majority of Tulsans, the mid 20th Century proved a time of continuing prosperity. The wealth generated by the early oil industry also helped Tulsa become a leader in the aviation industry. During WWII Spartan Aviation was a training site for hundreds of allied pilots. In 1942 Douglas Aircraft built its mile-long Air Force Plant No. 3 to build bombers. Following the war, Tulsa become an important maintenance center for American Airlines and numerous other aviation related businesses developed alongside.
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Oil bust and recovery: 1982-Present
 Following the "Oil Bust" of 1982-84 the title of "Oil Capital of the World" was relinquished to Houston. City leaders worked to diversify the city away from a largely petroleum-based economy, bringing blue collar factory jobs as well as Internet and telecommunications firms to Tulsa during the 1990s, and enhancing the already important aviation industry. During this time, customer-service and reservations call centers became an important part of the local economy. Showing that petroleum is still an important player, an abundant supply of natural gas also helped with recovery.
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