1918 Tulsa Aero View

[MyDogHunts]

Download :  https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71005372/




The Library of Congress has two downloads of the Aero view of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1918.  If you wish to participate perhaps you should download and print a copy (a print is still cool if it is old & a subject of discussion).

I printed mine at AHHA on a day of $5/hour access to the studios (Tue., Thur., Sat.).  Copy centers can print pretty cheap.  There is a charge for printer use at AHHA.  Thing is: this is a  special map/illustration.

If you try to locate the Sager hotel building at 1st & Detroit on this 1918 image you will see it did not exist in this birds eye view of Tulsa.  County records show 1918 construction.  Just afterwards.  Earlier someone noted it was 1910.  What did exist on the fringe area here are three small buildings.  Guess?  “Men’s, Women’s, & Colored,” is my guess for 1918.

The buildings to the East of course is ½ now El Guappo’s.  The other half?  Reputation: house of ill-repute.

South of Third & east of Main is mostly gone except for about a half dozen buildings.  The Grocery @ Elgin & 1st (NW) is also still standing.  Note:  across the street… Santa Fe depot does not exist yet.  County records show it should.  The Yokozuna building shows in the aero view.

I’d like to see this in 3-D.  We got the technology & this is a key asset.

The map is a wonderful resource.  Would love to talk about it.

[AquaMan]

I love that rendering. I've seen it before and noted several inaccuracies in locations and dates. Since it is a drawing and not an aerial photo I can only guess that the artist wasn't too interested in details, the details were lacking or simply got tired and thought no one would care.

For instance, the placement of the railroad as it curves near Detroit and Cincinnati to cross the Arkansas River close to 31st street is wrong. Detroit and Cincinnati are on the wrong side of the tracks. Then it shows a mountain on the west side of the river at 31st. It isn't there. I wouldn't have noticed but my home is between Cincinnati and Detroit. It was built in 1917 (corroborated by phone book listings at the time, available at TCCL) as well as Lee Stadium. Neither one is shown. Some homes on my street predate by 8 years this map but are not indicated.

There are others but it is interesting for its look and general placement of buildings and growth of the city, not its accuracy.

[MyDogHunts]

The upper portion of the map is stylized.  That's acceptable for this image as it works as art... like a stuffed moose head in Pittsburgh, the city that gave us much art that now resides in NYC & DC, a moose head is all we know.

But none of those streets go as far as 31st.  Seems for style, the draftsman stopped well before 21st.  The idea that the railroad crosses before Boston is wrong.  He stopped at Cry Baby as you can't see the the river bank from this perspective.

Do you see Philbrook?  Way out there.  Cherry street & about 3-more streets South, thats all.  Lots of detail here.  Heck of a historical document.  Just a beginning.

[MyDogHunts]

Mountain looks well placed for understanding our topography, Turkey Mt. Is South.  Check out number of windows in a structure...

[dsjeffries]

Did you notice the east-west street names on the left (east) side of the map?
From the bottom up:
Admiral
Hodges
Burnet
Collins
Querry
Fostoria*
5th
Birch
6th

*This may helps explain the Forstoria Building at Utica & Archer.

[AquaMan]

Mountain looks well placed for understanding our topography, Turkey Mt. Is South.  Check out number of windows in a structure...

I know its art. It shows Lincoln Elementary at 15th and Peoria and Madison ave to the west. Upon closer inspection I found my house (at least a cluster of buildings on the block) at 19th and Detroit, though Lee Stadium which pre-dated this map and my home is not shown. 19th at that time was named Tookah street. The railroad is a bit off at that point though, it would indicate that it crossed Detroit at 15th-18th where housing existed, once again, it is art. The map does go as far south as 20th. It then shows a mountain, presumably Turkey mountain, way too far north by a couple miles. So, its credibility for placement, naming or existence of buildings in 1918 is low.

[Hoss]

I know its art. It shows Lincoln Elementary at 15th and Peoria and Madison ave to the west. Upon closer inspection I found my house (at least a cluster of buildings on the block) at 19th and Detroit, though Lee Stadium which pre-dated this map and my home is not shown. 19th at that time was named Tookah street. The railroad is a bit off at that point though, once again, it is art. It then shows a mountain, presumably Turkey mountain, way too far north by a couple miles. So, its credibility for placement, naming or existence of buildings in 1918 is low.

As a guy who started at Lincoln in Kindergarten (1972) and I barely remember it, wasn't it at 15th and Peoria?  I grew up at the 1400 block of S Elgin (no longer there due to the IDL) until I was about 6 when they started buying the houses for the IDL construction.

[AquaMan]

As a guy who started at Lincoln in Kindergarten (1972) and I barely remember it, wasn't it at 15th and Peoria?  I grew up at the 1400 block of S Elgin (no longer there due to the IDL) until I was about 6 when they started buying the houses for the IDL construction.

Yes, and it still is. The Kindergarten and gymnasium are the separate two story building where the deli is now. The rest of the school is in the traditional "L" or "U" shape that Kendall, Whittier and Lee all used. I coached a little league baseball game on the Lincoln playground in the late 80's. Glad they didn't raze it for a cheap shopping center.

[AquaMan]

If you look around 3rd and Mabell, you can see the trolley crossing over the railroad tracks and continuing south east on third. Fun.

[MyDogHunts]

Art or Map?  Definately both.  Detailed?  Heck yes.   Not like the railroad ties are shown. It's a great map.  Using the Sanborne insurance maps I have correlated outhouse locations and more!

 Now I know why Hodges Bend got it's name, but it's a block north.

  So much...  We are lucky to have this.

[MyDogHunts]

If you look around 3rd and Mabell, you can see the trolley crossing over the railroad tracks and continuing south east on third. Fun.

That area is now known (as it approaches the Arkansas) as Heavy Traffic Way.  Would love to know when that name was first applied.  Because of the terrain this is the logical route that any future highway would snake through.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Sweet.!!   Rose Pawn Shop building was there at 2nd and Elgin.  Have heard it was a Ford dealership about then.  Old man named Mr. Brown used to work there when young, he said, and worked at Rose's too when he was old.

[saintnicster]

OK Historical society sells a 17x27 print online for 10$, along with other maps.  I bought my copy through them

https://pay.apps.ok.gov/okhistory/store/app/subcategory.php?category=2&subcategory=16

[godboko71]

The track placement as noted is off. That said my house is on that map, even has the part of upstairs that was built at the time. Pretty cool. What's interesting to me, the houses that still stand in this neighborhood are all represented by shape and style in this map drawing.

County assessor website has a built date of  1915 but we have found documentation that predates that for the house around 1910-1912. Close enough that it does not matter.

[BKDotCom]

What's that large building next to the 21st 11th street Arkansas bridge?