Petroleum Industry Manuscript Collections


Allman, George
Papers 1917-1952
.33 foot

Oil field worker. Personal correspondence (1945-1950); war ration books, bills, and receipts (1944-1948); Catholic church programs (1951); road maps and travel guides; farmers’ handbooks (1947-1951); and telephone directories (1928-1950) from Oklahoma and Texas towns.
View the George Allman Collection inventory

Andrus, Selden Eugene (1858-1941)
Papers 1886-1908
1.25 feet

Businessman. Business and personal correspondence (1886-1908); fraternal organization correspondence (1902-1908); and legal documents (1901-1908) relating to Andrus’s mining and petroleum interests in Oklahoma and his memberships in fraternal organizations.
View the Selden Eugene Andrus Collection inventory

Campbell, Charles Duncan (b. 1877)
Papers 1901-1921
.10 foot

Oilman and postmaster. Correspondence (1905-1907) from Wilbur E. Campbell concerning his oil company and the Prairie Oil Company, his purchase of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, sub-division, and the introduction of a land-purchasing bill into the 1907 Oklahoma legislature. The collection also includes a letter (1907) from T. S. Boyers concerning Boyers’s family history, and letters (1901) from W. T. Flynn concerning Campbell’s appointment as postmaster of Apache, Oklahoma Territory.

Campbell, Robert Boyers
Papers 1907-1948
.10 foot

Collector. A letter (1907) from W. E. Campbell to his son, R. B. Campbell, describing the successes of the elder Campbell’s oil company; news clippings regarding oil in Oklahoma; and a reprint (1948) of an article regarding the elder Campbell.

Carpenter, Everett
Papers 1911-1977
.10 foot

Petroleum geologist. Correspondence (1950-1977) between Dan H. Carpenter and Everett Carpenter’s associates regarding Everett’s fiftieth anniversary as a petroleum geologist. Some letters concern the history of petroleum geology. Other materials in the collection include Everett Carpenter’s geology thesis (1911) and petroleum-related publications.
View the Everett Carpenter Collection inventory

Chi Upsilon Collection
Records 1919-1955
.50 foot

Professional geology society for women. Correspondence (1921-1941); minutes of meetings (1920-1921); constitutions and bylaws (1920-1955); newspaper articles (n.d.); and manuscripts (1919-1937) regarding the establishment, history, members, and operation of the Alpha chapter (University of Oklahoma) of Chi Upsilon.
View the Chi Upsilon Collection inventory

Childs, (Mrs.) William Oscar (1868-1957)
Papers 1926-1956
.66 foot

Philanthropist. Correspondence (1926-1955) concerning the Childs family’s move to Oklahoma in the 1920s and William O. Childs’s subsequent involvement in the Oklahoma oil industry, as well as his membership in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, his death in 1936, and Mrs. Childs’s memorial gifts of chime carillons to the Scottish Rite Temple, Guthrie, Oklahoma, and to the University of Oklahoma in 1955. Included are the acceptance speech (1956) at the University of Oklahoma’s dedication of the chimes and an original purchase agreement (1955) for one of the three chimes Mrs. Childs donated.

Cities Service Oil and Gas Corporation Collection
Records 1896-1982
40 feet

Petroleum-related corporation. Administrative reports (1913-1980) and publications (1923-1982) regarding the history and operations (1896-1982), both domestic and international, of the Cities Service Oil Company, later the Cities Service Oil and Gas Corporation, as well as of other energy industry companies. Also included are biographical sketches of corporate officers such as Arthur W. Ambimages/rose, Singer B. Irelan, J. Edgar Heston, Robert L. Kidd, and Henry Doherty.
View the Cities Service Oil and Gas Corporation Collection inventory

Colcord, Charles Francis (1859-1934)
Papers 1885-1935
15.33 feet

Civic leader and businessman. Correspondence (1901-1935) relating to Colcord’s oil and other business activities; general correspondence (1909-1930) to Colcord; and correspondence (1909-1930) from Colcord, his wife, Harriet Scoresby Colcord, his sons, Ray and Sidney Colcord, and his brother, Will C. Colcord; genealogical material (n.d.) concerning the Colcord family; scrapbooks and newspaper clippings (1910-1934) relating to Colcord, including some concerning the 1934 Charles F. Urschel kidnapping case, for which Colcord offered a reward; miscellaneous printed material (1920-1934) collected by Colcord; and a manuscript of his autobiography, published in 1970.

Conklin, Richard A. (1885-1952)
Papers 1914-1953
.10 foot

Petroleum geologist. Correspondence (1921-1922) to Conklin from his colleagues concerning personnel changes at Roxana Petroleum Corporation, Ardmore, Oklahoma, including Conklin’s resignation as head geologist in 1922 and his subsequent employment; an employment contract (1914) between Conklin and the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatshappij, an allied corporation of Roxana Petroleum based in the Netherlands; and certificates (1929-1946) issued to Conklin by the University of Oklahoma. Also included is a reprint of a biographical article (1952) written by Albert S. Clinkscales shortly after Conklin’s death.

Cornell, Doris
Papers 1933-1979
.33 foot

Collector. Bank statements and financial records (1934-1971); Cities Service Oil Company contracts and correspondence (1954-1962); tax returns and filings for Lewis E. Rape and Mrs. C. C. Custer (1933-1951); a Cosgrove Fire Protection, Inc., promissory note and purchase agreement (1973); and correspondence (1917) from Frank Phillips to Lewis E. Rape regarding a well drilling near Salter, Oklahoma.
View the Doris Cornell Collection inventory

Cushing Refining and Gasoline Company Collection
Records 1927-1945
2 feet

Refining and gasoline company. Correspondence (1927-1945) to and from other petroleum companies regarding orders and shipments of petroleum products, and from federal agencies concerning the rationing and price regulation of gasoline during World War II; pamphlets (1941-1943) from federal agencies concerning gasoline rationing and price controls during World War II; and additional business records (ca. 1935-1945) concerning Cushing’s production. Also included in this collection is a blueprint (n.d.) of an underground oil tank.

Dolman, Lewis Samuel
Printed materials 1930
1 item

Attorney. An incomplete copy of the Krohn Oil Review (1930), with a map of the Madill, Oklahoma, oil field.

Drake, Noah Fields (1864-1945)
Papers 1894-1948
.10 foot

Professor and geologist. Geological reports (1916-1935) from oil and gas companies in Oklahoma; reprints of articles (1897-1945); and two field notebooks and a class notebook (1894-1895) belonging to Fields, a professor of geology and mining at the University of Arkansas.

Finney, Thomas McKean, and Frank Florer Finney
Papers 1827-1977
8 feet

Indian traders. Papers of Thomas M. Finney, Indian trader at Gray Horse, Osage Agency, Oklahoma Territory, and of Frank F. Finney, historian and employee of the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company, including correspondence (1925-1936) relating to T. M. Finney’s book Pioneer Days of the Osage Indians, West of ’96; historical materials (1827-1977) such as correspondence, news clippings, magazine articles, and bibliographic notes of Frank Finney on topics such as the Cherokee Strip, the Osage Indian Agency, Gray Horse Trading Post, the Dalton Gang, Kaw Indian Agency, Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, peyotism, President Herbert Hoover’s early days in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and Maria Tallchief; field notebooks (1915-1949) kept by Frank Finney while an employee of the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company; finished and unfinished articles and stories (1891-1969) by Frank Finney, Thomas Finney, and J. E. Finney, including research notes, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles; and oil and gas files (1896-1972) of Frank Finney, with articles and documents primarily relating to the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company and oil and gas leases on Osage Indian lands.

Foster, Henry Vernon
Papers 1872-1990
7.5 feet

Oil producer. Henry Vernon Foster’s correspondence and business records (1872-1990) which detail the Foster lease in the Osage Nation, initiated in 1896; early discoveries of oil in the Osage Nation; the history of the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company; Foster’s discovery well in the Seminole field; and his Oklahoma #1 in the Oklahoma City field. Also included in the collection are contracts and other legal documents showing lease ownership and stock ownership of the I.T.I.O. Company (1900-1940); correspondence of Henry Foster (Henry Vernon Foster’s father); a ledger of shares in the I.T.I.O. company regarding start-up and leases; documents regarding negotiations of separation between Cities Service Oil Company and Foster Petroleum; documents regarding Foster’s businesses prior to his dealings in the Osage Nation; and business files (1900-1937) relating to Foster’s ranching activities.
View the Henry Vernon Foster Collection inventory

Frederickson, Mary Brownlee
Papers 1920-1930
.33 foot

Writer. Typescripts and manuscripts (1920-1930) of poetry and stories regarding the Oklahoma oil fields and oil industry, all by Mary B. Frederickson.

Goodrich, Harold Beach
Papers 1904-1943
.25 foot

Petroleum geologist. Correspondence (1931-1943) of Goodrich regarding his geological interests and research; blueprints and charts (ca. 1930) showing geological data, as well as one entitled "Graphic History of Oklahoma Oil Production, 1930," all compiled by Goodrich; news clippings (ca. 1940) regarding geological developments; data, in manuscript form, regarding the availability of oil in California; and a bibliography of sources regarding oil in California, compiled by Goodrich.
View the Harold Beach Goodrich Collection inventory

Gould, Charles Newton (1868-1949)
Papers 1897-1948
11 feet

Geologist. Correspondence (1914-1941) regarding personal matters, Oklahoma place names, and the geology of Oklahoma; manuscripts (1907-1946), both book-length and shorter, and both published and unpublished, regarding the history, place names, and geology of Oklahoma; book reviews (n.d.) of Gould's works; poetry (n.d.) by Gould; speeches (n.d.) delivered by Gould; and newspaper clippings (1900-1946) regarding Gould's life and his writings.
View the Charles Newton Gould Collection inventory

Grisso, Walker D. (1905-1965)
Papers 1953-1965
10 feet

Oil producer and lawyer. Correspondence (1953-1965) between Grisso, Arthur McAnally, and Col. John Virden on subjects such as the American Southwest, the Albert Jennings Fountain murder case, the Maxwell land grant, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, western saloons, and the oil industry in Oklahoma.

Hamilton, Charles W.
Papers 1909-1962
2.66 feet

Petroleum geologist. Correspondence with the Mexican Gulf Oil Company (1912-1922); Hamilton’s family correspondence (1909-1926), including some (1914) concerning the Mexican Revolution; general business correspondence (1911-1923), including some with E. L. DeGolyer; Hamilton’s geology class notes (1914-1915); Hamilton’s diary (1912-1914); printed material and reports (1913-1959) concerning oil production in Oklahoma, the Middle East, and Central and South America; and a draft of a book-length work by Hamilton, entitled "Americans in the Middle East."

Heydrick, L. C.
Papers 1901-1953
.33 foot

Oil prospector. Correspondence (1901, 1931-1939, 1944, 1953) relating to Jesse A. Heydrick’s discovery of oil in Red Fork, Oklahoma; a manuscript (1931) of unpublished chapters for John W. Flenner’s History of Early Oil Developments in Oklahoma; legal papers (1901); newspaper clippings; and a bound report (1953) by Heydrick, entitled "Red Fork Discovery, June 1901."

Hine, L. T.
Papers 1903-1935
.10 foot

Real estate agent. Correspondence (1925-1935), including legal and financial documents from Hine’s real estate business in Purcell, Oklahoma; oil leases (1925); and correspondence and papers (1909-1926) relating to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, of which Hine was a member.

Hutchison, L. L.
Papers 1909-1911
.33 foot

Geologist. Correspondence (1910-1911) recommending Hutchison for employment as a consulting geologist; geological analyses (1911); and publications by Hutchison.
View the L. L. Hutchison Collection inventory

Johnson, Edward Bryant (1865-1935)
Papers 1882-1929
7 feet

Banker and rancher. Correspondence (1882-1929); legal and financial records (1896-1928); diaries (1928-1929); and related biographical items concerning the banking, ranching, oil interests, and life of Edward Johnson, a Chickasaw Indian businessman and banker in Norman, Oklahoma.

Johnston, Paul Imbrie (b. 1886)
Records 1927-1973
3 feet

Business executive. Corporate records (1934-1973), including articles of incorporation and minutes of the Oklahoma Public Services Corporation, the Oklahoma-Kansas Natural Gas Company, the Atlantic Oil Corporation, and the Continental Investment Corporation; operating manuals and brochures (1927-1930) of the Eason Oil Company, the Mid-Continent Petroleum Corporation, the Independent Oil and Gas Company, and the Transcontinental Oil Company; and a notebook (1957) labelled "Proxy Contest," including lists of stock sales and stockholders for the Atlantic Oil Corporation.

Keown, William H.
Printed materials 1951-1977
.33 foot

Collector. Publications regarding aspects of the oil industry including water, flooding, and conservation; abstracts of real estate titles from Oklahoma counties; and directories from both the East Texas and Oklahoma City petroleum landmen associations.

Kerr-McGee Corporation Collection
Printed material 1928-1978
.66 foot

Energy corporation. Photocopies and printed material (1928-1978) issued by the public relations department of the Kerr-McGee Corporation, including biographical information on Robert S. Kerr and Dean A. McGee; reports (1976-1977) to the Securities and Exchange Commission; reference material (n.d.) used for the report on drilling operations in the corporation’s annual reports (1960-1966); chronologies of corporate history and general statistics (1962-1977); an index (1977) to the minutes of the board of trustees meetings; and clippings and press releases (1975-1977), including information on Karen Silkwood.

Ledbetter, Eugene P.
Papers 1892-1952
2.33 feet

Attorney. Case files (1892-1952) of Ledbetter, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, attorney, concerning oil, gas, and railroad leases and stock; the payment of Oklahoma supreme court justices’ salaries (1933-1935); and the payment of a reward offered for the arrest of George "Machine Gun" Kelly (1934).

Malone, E. L.
Papers 1904-1905
.10 foot

Oil field worker. Letters (1904-1905) from E. L. Malone to his wife and son, describing oil field life and Oklahoma Territory boom towns.

McGhee, George
Records 1924-1980
20 feet

Oilman. Records of the McGhee Production Company in Dallas, Texas, including correspondence, abstracts of title, inventories, exploration program information, logs, and petroleum reserve data for fields in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, and notes about fields in other states.
View the George McGhee Collection inventory

Miles, Ray
Records 1904-2000
1.33 feet

Historian. Correspondence (1985-1999) and research materials (1904-2000) regarding Ray Miles’s dissertation and biography on oilman Thomas Baker Slick, titled King of the Wildcatters: The Life and Times of Tom Slick, 1883-1930.

Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Collection
Records 1908-1936
39.66 feet

Ranch. General correspondence (1917-1936) and financial records (1923-1924) from the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch in Marland, Oklahoma; plus general correspondence (1908-1932), legal papers and contracts (1908-1932), route schedules (1910-1929), and scrapbooks (1908-1926) from the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Collection
Printed materials 1934-1948
.33 foot

State regulatory agency. Copies of monthly reports from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, including Oklahoma allocated pools allotment reports (1945-1948), daily allocation reports (1946-1947), pipe lines run (1946-1947), notifications of intentions to drill (1946-1947), and abandoned oil and gas wells (1946-1947); and copies of monthly reports (1934-1937) on the Oklahoma labor market, from the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

Oklahoma Geological Survey Collection
Records 1908-1982
44 feet

State geological survey. Records of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, including correspondence (1908-1982); area geological reports (1915-1948); field notes (1908) taken during geological expeditions; reports of the governing board (1974-1979); and book manuscripts and galley proofs (n.d.) about geology in Oklahoma. Correspondence from the University of Oklahoma Departments of Geology and Geography is also present in this collection.

Oklahoma Labor Studies Collection
Printed materials 1934
1 item

Subject collection. Pamphlet (1934) entitled "Agreement Between Local 231, International Association of Oil Field, Gas Well and Refinery Workers of America, and Empire Oil and Refining Co."

Parker, Everett C. (b. ca. 1893)
Manuscript n.d.
1 item

Petroleum geologist. An autobiography (n.d.) of Parker, who recounts his activities as a student at the University of Oklahoma and as a petroleum geologist for the Marland Oil Company.

Prevost, Charles Albert
Papers 1918-1919
.10 foot

Investor. Correspondence, advertisements, and stock certificates (1918-1919) from the Okmulgee-Youngstown Oil Company and the Indian Chief Oil and Gas Company, along with an advertisement (1919) regarding the productivity of the Okmulgee (Oklahoma) oil field.

Randall, William B. (b. 1882)
Papers 1905-1929
.10 foot

Oil field contractor. A time book (1905-1906) kept by Randall while an oil rig contractor; a life insurance policy (1919) issued to Randall; a certificate (1919) of his election as a trustee of Ramona, Oklahoma; and numerous novelty postcards (1907-1913). Also in this collection are a high school diploma (1914) issued by Ramona High School; a map (1904) of Oklahoma and Indian Territories; and a blueprint (1934) for an oil field apparatus.

Red Rabbit Oil Company Collection
Ledger 1919
1 item

Petroleum company. A ledger (1919) containing the articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, and minutes of the stockholders’ meetings of the Red Rabbit Oil Company of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Rutherford, L. Morton, II
Papers 1940
2 items

Attorney. A report (1940) of the Oklahoma state senate Committee on Oil Investigation, of which Rutherford was a member; and a letter (1940) to his son regarding the same.

Schonwald, Fred P.
Papers 1875-1977
.33 foot

Oil producer. Business and personal correspondence (1934-1966); catalogs (1953-1958) of art exhibits and collections; publications relating to the oil industry; a copy of a map of the U.S. northwestern territories (ca. 1875); and minutes and correspondence (1962-1977) of the Indian Territory Posse of Oklahoma Westerners.

Slick, Thomas Baker (1883-1929)
Papers 1914-1973
4 feet

Oilman. Correspondence (1920-1939); reports (1930-1939); leases and deeds (1914-1973); and tax records (1926-1933) from the estate of Tom Slick, all regarding his petroleum and real estate business interests in Oklahoma.

Totco, Incorporated Collection
Printed materials 1984
3 items

Petroleum company. Full-color posters (1984) honoring the oil field worker and oil drilling profession, 1920-1930.

Turlington, Marcellus Martin (1868-1949)
Records 1891-1937
4 feet

Physician. Ledgers (1906-1937) in which Turlington recorded medical services rendered and the fees charged. Two of these ledgers record accident and disability cases of workers from the nearby Seminole oil field, and the others document changing social and health-care conditions in Indian Territory and Oklahoma during this period. Also in this collection are certificates (1891-1906) awarded Turlington during his career.

Williams, Arthur James (1877-1954)
Papers 1905-1951
7 feet

Professor. Correspondence (1913-1930) from the Oklahoma Bureau of Geology regarding its publications and operations, and the geological and mineral characteristics and potential of Oklahoma counties; geological reports (1913-1930), with accompanying maps, regarding the geological and mineral characteristics and resources of Oklahoma counties; oil well logs (1905-1925), organized by county; and registers of students grades (1915-1951) compiled by Williams while a member of the University of Oklahoma faculty.
View the Arthur James Williams Collection inventory

Wimberly, Harrington (b. 1901)
Records 1924-1948
6.33 feet

Journalist and political leader. Official stenographer’s reports (1945-1946) of the eight hearings of the U.S. Federal Power Commission’s investigation of the natural gas industry; and reports (1947-1948) containing the findings of the commission. Also included in this collection are supporting documents (1924-1943) used during the investigation, including maps, charts, publications, and reports. Among the publications are the annual reports (1924-1940) of the Federal Power Commission, of which Wimberly was vice chairman.

Wolfe, Oscar (1888-1963)
Manuscript 1960
1 item

Pipeline consultant. A two-volume manuscript (1960) entitled "The Hydraulic Design of Oil and Gas Pipe Lines," written by Oscar Wolfe.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Historic Sites
and Federal Writers’ Project Collection
Records 1937-1941
23 feet

Federal project. Book-length manuscripts, research and project reports (1937-1941) and administrative records (1937-1941) generated by the WPA Historic Sites and Federal Writers’ projects for Oklahoma during the 1930s. Arranged by county and by subject, these project files reflect the WPA research and findings regarding birthplaces and homes of prominent Oklahomans, cemeteries and burial sites, churches, missions and schools, cities, towns, and post offices, ghost towns, roads and trails, stagecoaches and stage lines, and Indians of North America in Oklahoma, including agencies and reservations, treaties, tribal government centers, councils and meetings, chiefs and leaders, judicial centers, jails and prisons, stomp grounds, ceremonial rites and dances, and settlements and villages. Also included are reports regarding geographical features and regions of Oklahoma, arranged by name, including caverns, mountains, rivers, springs and prairies, ranches, ruins and antiquities, bridges, crossings and ferries, battlefields, soil and mineral conservation, state parks, and land runs. In addition, there are reports regarding biographies of prominent Oklahomans, business enterprises and industries, judicial centers, Masonic (freemason) orders, banks and banking, trading posts and stores, military posts and camps, and transcripts of interviews conducted with oil field workers regarding the petroleum industry in Oklahoma.

Zweigel Mercantile Company Collection
Records 1904-1940
51.50 feet

General store. General correspondence (1912-1930); bills of lading (1911-1921); account ledgers (1904-1928); and orders (1914-1924) of the Zweigel Mercantile Company of Atoka, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma. The collection also includes oil, gas, and mining leases (1935) to Choctaw Indian lands.