Historic Tour 6: The Springs

In 1903, Charles Page arrived in Tulsa from Michigan. A naturally entrepreneurial man, Page was drawn to the area by the ongoing oil boom and soon found success. By 1907, Page was beginning to believe that his lifelong dream of creating a thriving industrial community that could serve as a haven to widows and orphans was a real possibility.

He considered Red Fork and other local areas, but he knew he'd found the right spot when his eyes turned to an area north of the Arkansas River from which flowed several clear, sandy springs.

After years of planning, construction of the Keystone Expressway began in 1968. The expressway's route followed that of the M.K. & T. railroad which had stopped operating in the area only a few years before. A few buildings had to be destroyed to make room for the Keystone Expressway, but its addition enabled more Sandites to commute to Tulsa for work and other opportunities.

Unfortunately, one major landmark was lost in construction: the springs that gave our city its name. Where many clear, sandy springs once flowed out of the banks of Home Hill, now all that remains is the small fountain of water by the Katy trail, south of the Expressway near Adams Road.