City of Owasso history

In June of 1893 plans began to be made for a rail line to be extended south from Bartlesville to the cattle ranches in the vicinity of Bird Creek.

Preston Ballard, owner of the general store, established a post office in the general store on February 10, 1898 and was appointed the first postmaster.

The 1st train came into Elm Creek on November 1, 1899.

The name of the Elm Creek post office was officially changed to Owasso on January 24, 1900.

The first newspaper was The Owasso Ledger, and was first published on August 7, 1903 by U. P. Wardrip.

On March 26, 1904, the secretary of the interior approved a plat for the town of Owasso, and the town soon incorporated.

The Pioneer Telephone and Telegraph Company was granted a franchise on February 6, 1905 for the town’s first telephone exchange.

Until the first water tower was erected in 1924, with Spavinaw as the water source, water was brought into town in barrels from the Owasso Lake and sold for $0.50 a barrel.

The grocery store was located in the north half of the building, while the south half housed, at various times, a bakery, cafes, and a dry goods store. It was built by John Komma in 1928 to house the Mapes and Komma Grocery and Market, a business owned by W.T. Mapes and Rose Komma.

Prosperity continued until about 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression.

Then in 1952 rapid growth began as transportation access allowed industry to develop in the nearby area and residents to commute to jobs.

An annual festival, Progress Days, was created in 1953 and continued into the twenty-first century as Trail Days.

Originally the streets were named for Civil War–era Union and Confederate generals but were renamed in 1960.

The Port of Catoosa, the nation's most inland water port, was completed southeast of town in 1971, and the Tulsa International Airport, to the south, grew larger as well, adding to the available amenities and employment opportunities.

Prior to opening the museum, the Owasso Historical Society (organized on April 26, 1979) had stored historical items in the Owasso Library.

Parsons on August 31, 1987, it was utilized by several businesses, including a flower shop, an insurance office, and a pump supply store.

After the Historical Society purchased the building, volunteer labor refurbished it to be used as a museum, which was officially opened on November 3, 1991.