Burbank, Oklahoma

Burbank is a town in western Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Burbank had a population of 123.

History

Burbank was founded in 1903 on the Osage Reservation. The founder was Anthony "Gabe" Carlton, a mixed-blood Osage and a Chouteau family descendant, who owned the townsite and named it after the artist Elbridge Ayer Burbank (1858-1949) who spent his life painting the Indians of over 125 tribes.

And is also home to the world famous Haley and Jamie lessert Burbank had about 200 residents and an economy based on farming and ranching until May 1920 when E.W. Marland discovered petroleum northeast of the town. Burbank became a boom town, and other towns in the area such as Whizbang sprang up overnight to exploit the rich petroleum resources. The Burbank field was mostly located in Osage County but extended into Kay County. The Burbank field extended over an area about long and wide. Burbank quickly grew into a town of 3,000 people.

Several major petroleum companies participated in the boom of the Burbank Field. Leases of oil land were obtained from the Osage Indians, usually by auction under the "Million Dollar Elm" tree in Pawhuska, the county seat and capital of the Osage Indians. Colonel Ellsworth Walters was the auctioneer and more than a million dollars was often bid for the mineral rights to 160 acre (65 ha) tracts in the Burbank Field. Rich and famous oilmen such as Marland, Frank Phillips, L. E. Phillips, Waite Phillips, and William G. Skelly stood in the shade of the Elm tree and bid in the auctions.

Oil production in the Burbank field expanded from 134,408 barrels in 1920 to a peak production of 26,206,741 barrels in 1923. Production dropped by one-half in 1926 and by 1930 the boom period was over. Burbank's population dropped to 372 in 1930. The value of the 160 million barrels the Burbank field produced during its heyday was almost 286 million dollars.

The Osage tribe and its members received $45 million in royalties from the Burbank field in the 1920s. The Osage, unlike many tribes, had retained collective ownership of mineral rights on their former reservation. Osage with a full headright (those on the 1906 tribal roll) received up to $15,000 each annually in oil royalties, the equivalent of more than $150,000 in 2010 dollars. The Osage were the "richest people in the world."

By 2002 the population of the community had decreased.

In previous eras a grocery store existed, as did two of each of the following: cinemas and hotels.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Burbank had a population of 123. The median age was 38.1 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 127.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 114.6 males age 18 and over.

There were 43 households in Burbank, of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.2% were married-couple households, 25.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 14.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 60 || 48.8%

| Black or African American || 2 || 1.6%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 15 || 12.2%

| Asian || 2 || 1.6%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 0 || 0.0%

| Two or more races || 44 || 35.8%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 0 || 0.0%

2000 census

As of the census

Burbank School District 20 was formerly the area school district. Circa 1904, a school opened in Burbank. In 1968 the high school closed.

Burbank, Oklahoma

History

2020 census

2000 census

Notable person

See also

References

Further reading

External links