Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 4,248, up slightly from the population of 4,222 reported at the 2010 census.

History

Bristow began in 1898, when the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ("SL&SF") built a track between Sapulpa and Oklahoma City. The town was named for Joseph L. Bristow, an Assistant U.S. Postmaster General who later served as a U.S. senator from Kansas. A post office was established April 25, 1898. By the 1900 census, the population was 626.

Bristow was designated as the county seat for Creek County at statehood when its population was 1,134. However, the county held a special election on August 20, 1908, to decide whether the seat would remain in Bristow or move to Sapulpa, which claimed to be more centrally located. Bristow had a larger population and claimed to have better railroad connections. Sapulpa won the election, but Bristow claimed voting irregularities. The election was voided and a new vote was held November 20, 1912. Again, Sapulpa won the election and the title of county seat.

The local economy depended heavily on cotton. Bristow had seven cotton gins and two cottonseed oil mills in the early 20th century. Other farms in the surrounding area produced corn, peanuts, potatoes and fruit. Oil and gas were discovered in the area around 1915. The discovery led to the construction of three refineries and four pipeline companies by 1930. The Oklahoma-Southwestern Railway built a short line from a connection with the SL&SF at Bristow through the oilfields to Slick in 1920, but declining oilfield production and other factors lead to abandonment of that trackage in 1930. The peak census population was 6,619 in 1930.

|date=August 2010

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Bristow had a population of 4,248. The median age was 35.9 years. 28.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,665 households in Bristow, of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.0% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

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| White || 66.5%

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| Black or African American || 6.7%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 10.8%

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| Asian || 0.5%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.1%

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| Some other race || 0.8%

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| Two or more races || 14.6%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4.4%

|}

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,325 people, 1,793 households, and 1,161 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,019 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.42% White, 8.51% African American, 10.64% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 4.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.

Government

Bristow has a home rule form of government.

Jones Memorial Airport (FAA ID: 3F7), about 3 miles to the southwest, contains a 4001’x75’ asphalt runway completed in June 2020. The airport has an annual economic impact of $7.2 million.

Rail freight service is provided by the Stillwater Central Railroad. Passenger trains no longer stop in Bristow, but the Bristow Historical Train Depot & Museum is open for visitation, complete with the original wood floors from 1923.

Arts and entertainment

The Freeland Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2009. The 795-seat theater cost $6.1 million, paid for by a combination of public and private funding.

The Bristow News, previously the Bristow News and Record Citizen,

Parks and recreation

Klingensmith Park is a 320-acre facility featuring Lake Mesina, as well as the NRHP-listed Klingensmith Park Amphitheater, which was a WPA project from 1936 dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1937, and still in use.

The Town Square opens onto Historic Route 66/Main Street. It is complete with a small amphitheater and is the site of many community activities. has two softball fields and two baseball fields, as well as the Bristow Rodeo Grounds.

The VFW Post 3656 Wake Island Memorial, complete with a display of artillery and military equipment, commemorates the Battle of Wake Island during World War II.

Bristow Golf & Country Club has a public 9-hole regulation-length course.

Heyburn Lake is about 13 miles to the northeast. RV and tent camping is available, and the lake features picnic areas, a playground, a boat launch, swimming and fishing.

NRHP Sites

thumb|upright|The Bristow Chrysler Plymouth sign

Besides the Klingensmith Park Amphitheater, NRHP sites in Bristow include:

The old Beard Motor Company, a/k/a Bristow Chrysler Plymouth, at 210 E. 9th, being two blocks off Main near its intersection with the old Route 66. Built in 1947, the facility is notable not only for its Art Moderne style, but also for its Chrysler Plymouth tower/sign out front, intended to be visible to Route 66 traffic. This is not to be confused with the Bristow Motor Company Building at 500 N. Main, which is also NRHP-listed. On August 1, 2025, state leaders broke ground on a $1 million project to refurbish and relocate the 102’-tall Chrysler Tower two blocks closer to Route 66, to better serve as a tourist attraction and an economic booster for the community, with completion anticipated by the Summer of 2026.

The Art Deco style Bristow Firestone Service Station at 321 N. Main, the Gothic Revival style Bristow Presbyterian Church at 6th and Elm, and the Creek Masonic Lodge No. 226 at 417 N. Main, are all substantial buildings that are NRHP-listed.

Highway-associated sites include the Texaco Service Station at 201 W. 4th Ave., the Bristow Tire Shop at 115 W. Fourth St., the Tank Farm Loop Route 66 Roadbed at the junction of SH-66 and Old Highway 66 0.6 miles west of the I-44 overpass, and the Little Deep Fork Creek Bridge east of the junction of E0830 Rd. and N3700 Rd.

Notable people

  • Brent Ashabranner, Peace Corps administrator and author, lived in Bristow during his teen years in the 1930s
  • Gene Autry, actor, rodeo performer, and singer known as The Singing Cowboy, was a telegrapher in Bristow's Frisco Train Depot, now known as the Bristow Historical Train Depot & Museum.
  • Robert Hughes, Winningest boys high school basketball coach in the United States with 1,333 wins
  • Clovis Maksoud, diplomat, writer, and journalist
  • Tom Paxton, folk singer, moved to Bristow with his parents in 1948
  • Albert A. Rollestone, philanthropist and oil pioneer, lived in Bristow 1915–1924
  • Norma Smallwood, Miss America 1926, first Native American Miss America, married Thomas Gilcrease 1928
  • Robert Symonds, actor
  • Joe Lee Wilson, jazz singer

References

  • City of Bristow official website