Editing Drumright, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
[[File:Drumright 1920.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|Historical Drumright (1920)]]
The town sprang up nearly overnight in 1912, after wildcatter [[Tom Slick]] struck oil on the farm of Frank Wheeler, causing a rush of speculators, oilfield workers, and merchants into the area. A post office was established in the community on December 28, 1912. Local landowners James W. Fulkerson and Aaron Drumright platted a townsite, which was initially called Fulkerson, The town was renamed for Aaron Drumright, a farmer and later local businessman whose farm was part of the townsite.<ref name="EOHC-Drumright">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=DR008 Linda D. Wilson, "Drumright," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed June 1, 2015.</ref>

Oil workers flooded into town so quickly that they lived in tents or shacks made from [[box cars]], causing the community to be known locally as "Ragtown." Hotels and boarding houses were constructed next, as well as amenities like gambling dens, dance halls, and roadhouses, where the workers could spend their money. Drumright incorporated as a town on May 27, 1913. In 1914, the city built a two-story building of stone to serve as an elementary and high school. It was called Washington School, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRIS 81000462). Two banks opened in the town during 1914. Drumright was designated a first-class city after an election on April 18, 1916. The 1920 census reported a population of 6,460.<ref name="EOHC-Drumright"/>

The [[Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway]], an [[Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad]] (AT&SF) subsidiary, built a track from Frey Junction (south of Oilton) to Drumright in 1915.<ref name=Railroads>{{cite web|url= https://digitalprairie.ok.gov/digital/collection/okresources/id/70284 |title= Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway Company, Cushing Traction Company, and Oil Belt Terminal Railway Company| publisher=Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978, pp. 35-39 (accessed of Oklahoma Digital Prairie)|accessdate=July 26, 2022}}</ref> The following year, the AT&SF built a line north from Shamrock to Drumright. The Oil Fields and Santa Fe Railway was merged into the AT&SF in 1941.<ref name=Merger>{{cite web|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DEXeuzn1J_QC&dq=%22199+ICC+635%22&pg=PR13 |title=Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company Merger|year=1942 |accessdate=July 26, 2022}}</ref>

In 1919 a riot broke out in Drumright during a strike by telephone workers. The town's mayor and chief of police were locked in the town jail by rioters. The Governor of Oklahoma sent six militia units to town to restore order.

Drumright hosted [[minor league baseball]]. The [[Drumright Oilers]] teams played as members of the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level [[Western Association]] and [[Oklahoma State League]] between 1920 and 1923.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Drumright&state=OK&country=US | title=Drumright, Oklahoma Encyclopedia }}</ref><ref name="encyc">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1=Lloyd Johnson |editor2=Miles Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=[[Baseball America]] |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}</ref> In the fall of 1922, [[Babe Ruth]] and his [[New York Yankees]] teammate [[Bob Meusel]] played in an exhibition game in Drumright while on a barnstorming tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greenecountynewsonline.com/2023/06/14/baseball-subject-of-author-talk-june-17/|title=Baseball subject of author talk June 17 - Greene County News Online}}</ref>

Beginning with the [[Great Depression|Depression]] of the 1930s, the town declined as oil production waned, and a large refinery at the edge of town closed in the 1950s.

[[Tornado]]es have caused loss of life and property damage in Drumright on at least two occasions: on [[Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1956|April 2, 1956]], when five people were killed and several homes, a school, and the public library were damaged; and on [[Tornado outbreak of June 8, 1974|June 8, 1974]], when 12 people were killed, a nursing home was destroyed, and about 100 homes were damaged or destroyed.<ref name="EOHC-Drumright"/>