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History · Shidler

Shidler dates to 1921, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1930.

1921founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
3famous people
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Photo: Smallchief · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Shidler began

When was Shidler founded?

1921

Shidler dates its founding to 1921 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 1,177 in 19302020 census: 328105 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1922.The full story ↓

What stands out about Shidler’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Shidler are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Shidler’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shidler’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shidler’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Shidler came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shidler.

Read it all →

Shidler was founded in December 1921 and named for Eugene S. Shidler, a Pawhuska banker and rancher. The town grew rapidly to a population of approximately 5,000 due to the discovery of petroleum nearby (see Whizbang) and the arrival of the Osage Railway (one of the Muskogee Roads) in February 1922. In that year, Shidler had 19 oil-well supply businesses and six plants manufacturing gasoline. Shidler had a reputation for lawlessness, with bank and highway robberies common. By the late 1920s, the oil boom had subsided and Shidler began to lose population. Shidler's population in the 1930 census was 1,177 and the downward trend continued. Shidler today is a quiet farming and ranching community, although there is still some petroleum production in the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Shidler, 1916 to 1947

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1916On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1920Born hereCal Worthington is born here
  4. 1921
    FoundingShidler is established
  5. 1922Post officeThe Shidler post office opens
  6. 1936Born hereEd Meyer is born here
  7. 1947Born hereLeo Brooks is born here
By decade

Shidler, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Shidler, OK 20032011Shidler, OK 2003OKMap-doton-Shidler2004OKMap-doton-Shidler
On the map

Shidler on the map, 1916 to 1964

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Shidler. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Shidler on the 1916 USGS mapShidler on the 1964 USGS map1916Foraker sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Shidler.

People over time

Shidler, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20019401960198020002020Peak: 1,177

Between 328 and 1,177 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Shidler’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Shidler

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
C
Cal WorthingtonAmerican businessman · b. 1920
E
Ed MeyerAmerican football player · b. 1936
L
Leo BrooksAmerican football player · b. 1947

Questions about Shidler’s history

What year was Shidler founded?

In 1921, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Shidler’s post office opened in 1922, and the census of 1930 counted 1,177 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.