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Oklahoma City Discovery Well
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	SE 57th St. and ITIO Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Coordinates	35°24′29″N 97°27′40″W / 35.40806°N 97.46111°W / 35.40806; -97.46111
Area	less than one acre
Built	1928 (1928)
NRHP reference No.	77001095
Added to NRHP	December 9, 1977

The Oklahoma City Discovery Well was the first successful oil well to be drilled in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The December 4, 1928 discovery opened the Oklahoma City Oil Field to extensive exploitation, creating an oil boom that sustained the area through the Great Depression. Because much of the oil was under the existing city, the Oklahoma City field pioneered the use of directional drilling to allow lateral displacement of well bores to reach deposits under developed areas.

The well is located at the present-day intersection of SE 59th Street and Bryant Boulevard. It was drilled by the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company (ITIO). Beginning on June 12, 1928, the drilling crew drilled more than 6,000 feet (1,800 m). In early December they broke through the Arbuckle Limestone layer, noting that the bottom of the formation was saturated with oil and was under gas pressure. Since they were drilling with a cable tool rig, the flow of gas and oil could not be controlled, and on December 4 the gas blew the tools out of the well. The well produced 110,000 barrels of oil during its first 27 days. However, the well began to produce water by the end of 1928 and was abandoned.

The discovery well was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 9, 1977. The present site preserves the concrete drilling derrick foundations and the capped well head.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Ruth, Kent (February 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: ITIO and Foster Petroleum Company No. 1 Oklahoma City". National Park Service. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
3. Dean, Michael (November 28, 2009). "OKC Discovery Well". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
4. Hyne, Norman J. (2012). Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling & Production (3 ed.). PennWell Corporation. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-59370-269-4.

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Arcadia	Arcadia Round Barn Arcadia Route 66 Roadbed Edward Richardson Building Tuton's Drugstore
Edmond	American Legion Hut Cartmill Farm House Citizens State Bank Edmond Armory Edmond Ice Company Gower Cemetery Hopewell Baptist Church Kivlehen House Old North The "Y" Chapel of Song
Jones	"Ringing the Wild Horse" Site Charles G. Jones Farmstead
Luther	Booher Site Engels' Dry Goods Store Threatt Filling Station
Midwest City	Quillin Site
Nichols Hills	Frank and Merle Buttram House and Grounds
Nicoma Park	Goodholm House
Oklahoma City	Automobile Alley Avery Building Bourne Dairy Braniff Building Cain's Coffee Building Calvary Baptist Church Capitol-Lincoln Terrace Historic District Carey Place Historic District Central High School Citizens Bank Tower Citizens State Bank Colcord Hotel Cotton-Exchange Building Crown Heights Historic District Czech Hall of Oklahoma City-Lodge Laska Dunbar Elementary School Edgemere Park Historic District Edwards Heights Historic District Edwards Historic District Edwards House Electric Transformer House Elks Lodge Elks Victory Lodge-Ruby's Grill Building Fairchild Winery Farmers Public Market Fidelity National Building Film Exchange Historic District First Christian Church First Christian Church Historic District First Church of Christ, Scientist First National Bank and Trust Company Building Gatewood East Historic District Hales Mansion Harbour-Longmire Building Harding Junior High School Harn House Haywood Building Heierding Building Heritage Hills Historic and Architectural District Hightower Building Journal Record Building Jefferson Park Historic District Jewel Theater J.I. Case Plow Works Building Kaiser's Ice Cream Parlour Kelley Club Kingman-More Building Lake Overholser Bridge Lake Overholser Dam Lincoln Park Bathhouse Lincoln Plaza Historic District Lincoln Terrace East Historic District Littlepage Building Luster House Mager Mortgage Company Building Magnolia Petroleum Building Main Public Library Main Street Arcade Maney Historic District The Mayfair Medical Arts Building Merchants Transfer and Storage Mesta Park Mid-Continent Life Building Mideke Supply Building Milk Bottle Grocery Miller-Jackson Building Miller's Boulevard Historic District Municipal Auditorium Mutual Savings and Loan Association Building North Hudson Historic District Norton-Johnson Buick Company Oklahoma City Discovery Well Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant Oklahoma City Municipal Building Oklahoma City National Memorial Oklahoma City University Oklahoma County Courthouse Oklahoma County Home for Girls Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company Building Oklahoma Hardware Building Oklahoma Historical Society Building Oklahoma Publishing Company Building Oklahoma State Capitol Old Douglass High School Osler Building Overholser Mansion Paseo Neighborhood Historic District Pilgrim Congregational Church Pioneer Building Plaza Court Point 8 Site Pollock House Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal Office Building Putnam Heights Historic Preservation District Rock Island Plow Building St. Joseph's Cathedral St. Paul's Cathedral Santa Fe Depot Shepherd Historic District Sherman Machine and Iron Works Building Sieber Grocery and Apartment Hotel Sinopoulo House Skirvin Hotel Smith and Kernke Funeral Directors Spanish Village Historic District Spencer No. 2 Site Stanford Furniture Co. Building Stockyards City Historic District Sunshine Cleaners Taft Junior High School Tiffany House Town House Hotel Tradesman's National Bank Building Union Depot United Founders Tower Walcourt Building Weather Service Building Wells Fargo and Company Livery Stable Wesley Hospital Will Rogers Gardens
Spencer	Nagle Site
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma and List of National Historic Landmarks in Oklahoma

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• Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma
• Buildings and structures completed in 1928
• Buildings and structures in Oklahoma City
• Oil wells in Oklahoma
• National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma City
• Oil wells on the National Register of Historic Places
• Oklahoma Registered Historic Place stubs