Washington County: Oil History, Architecture and Trails

The Nellie Johnstone Number One was drilled in Bartlesville in 1897 and was Oklahoma’s first commercial oil well. From this specific beginning, you can explore the region’s history further at the Bartlesville Area History Museum, which presents the region’s history through exhibits and artifacts. The museum is on the top floor of Bartlesville City Hall, which previously housed the Hotel Maire during the oil boom. Photographs and videos complement the artifacts and bring Bartlesville’s heritage to life.

Architecture and Film History

The Price Tower in Washington County is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only fully realized skyscraper and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Nearby stands the Frank Phillips Home, a 26-room mansion. These two buildings represent different scales of architecture: a skyscraper and a mansion. The Tom Mix Museum & Western Theater explores another side of cultural history. It houses a large collection of personal belongings and film props from the silent film “King of the Cowboys.” The museum also includes a 30-seat theater where Tom Mix films are shown.

Trails and Outdoor Recreation

The 12-mile, paved Pathfinder Parkway in Bartlesville is used for walking, jogging and cycling, and runs mostly along the Caney River and Turkey Creek. Signs along its birdwatching trails point out birds that can be seen and heard along the way. This makes the parkway a longer trail with nature observation as a focus, without requiring any additional activity.

The Tower Center at Unity Square also has paved trails, for cycling and skating. The activities listed differ: the parkway is for walking, jogging and cycling, while the Tower Center is for cycling and skating. Bartlesville’s park system also includes 18 parks and open spaces, covering more than 860 developed acres in total. This places specific trail options alongside a broader overview of the city’s parks and open spaces.

Music, Events and a Scenic Route

The annual OKM Music Festival takes place in Bartlesville in summer. If you’d like to plan your stay around it, check the event dates for your intended travel period in advance. The Bartlesville Community Center has an event hall with a capacity of 1,700 people, adding a larger venue to the area’s cultural offerings.

The Highway 60 Scenic Byway also begins in Bartlesville. It extends for 70.2 miles, a different scale from the 12-mile Pathfinder Parkway. One figure describes a scenic byway; the other describes a paved trail with named activities such as walking and cycling. For travel planning, these are different kinds of location and route references.

Places to Consider When Planning

Dewey is in Washington County on U.S. Highway 75, seven miles northeast of downtown Bartlesville. If you’re looking for a hotel in Washington County, it may help to first decide which location best suits the places you plan to visit: Dewey, located on the highway, or Bartlesville, with the museums, trails and cultural attractions described here. The mileage places Dewey in relation to downtown Bartlesville and gives you a specific point of reference between the two place names.

Discover more destinations: Bartlesville, Dewey, Oklahoma, Mcclain County, Pawnee County, Comanche County, Johnston County, Washita County.

Go to the regional travel overview: Oklahoma.