10 fun facts about Owasso
Where the name came from, how the railroad shaped the town, and how it grew.
- 1881
It began as Elm Creek
Settlement started in 1881 in the Cherokee Nation's Cooweescoowee District of Indian Territory. The community was named for Elm Creek, a tributary of Bird Creek, and H.T. "Tole" Richardson is recorded as the first settler.
- Feb 10, 1898
The post office opened in a general store
Preston Ballard opened a post office inside his general store and became the first postmaster.
- Nov 1, 1899
The first train rolled in
The rail line was finished in 1899 and the first train reached Elm Creek on November 1 of that year. The Santa Fe's parent company took over the line.
- Jan 24, 1900
Elm Creek became Owasso
The post office was officially renamed Owasso. The name comes from an Osage word usually translated as "the end of the trail" or "turn around," a nod to the rail line turning around at the depot.
- Mar 26, 1904
The townsite was platted
The Secretary of the Interior signed Owasso's townsite plat on March 26, 1904, part of the town's early incorporation.
- 1905
Tulsa came later by rail
The rail line did not reach Tulsa until 1905, six years after the first train arrived in Owasso.
- Before 1924
Water came by the barrel
Before the first water tower went up in 1924, residents bought water hauled from Owasso Lake in barrels, at 50 cents a barrel.
- Sep 28, 1972
It became a city
Owasso was incorporated as a city on September 28, 1972.
- 2010 to 2020
It grew by about a third
The Census counted 28,915 people in 2010 and 38,240 in 2020, a gain of about 32 percent in one decade.
- Today
From a rail turnaround to a city of 38,000+
A town named for a turnaround at the depot now counts more than 38,000 residents (2020 Census).
Sources: Wikipedia's Owasso article (History), which cites the Tulsa City-County Library and other references, summarized in our own words; population from the U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts. Checked November 4, 2026. Photo credits.
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