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Noble County - Three Sands

On June 30, 1921, oil was discovered in the NE 1/4 of section 16 of the Glenrose township in Noble county. The off-set well to the east flowed naturally 3,000 barrels a day. This developed into one of the best known oil fields in history - the Tonkawa field or "3 Sands."

Owners of royalty became rich overnight. Many others benefited in various ways. Any man who could swing a hammer could find a job building houses, or board sidewalks. One such sidedwalk extended for three miles north and south from the Three Sands post office.

The major oil producing companies usually built groups of company houses conveniently located on their leases for employees. These were called "Camps" and the houses were often "shotgun" houses, with three or four rooms all in a line.

Comar Oil Company's main camp and headquarters were located near the discovery well. They erected a large cafeteria for company employees and a gymnasium there for the community meetings and entertainment. The cost of the gymnasium was $60,000 and it seated 2,500 people.

The information on this town was taken from: The Noble County Genealogy Society History of Noble County Oklahoma Perry, OK: McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., 1987. Permission was granted by the Noble County Genealogy Society to Cheryl DeJager and the Cherokee Strip Museum to use this information for research purposes. The information should not be used for publication or for other purposes without the express permission of the Noble County Genealogy Society.

Note: Not all of the photographs contained in this exhibit are available at the Cherokee Strip Museum. Photographs may have been edited for presentation on the web site.

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Oil Field
Oil Field
Oil Field
Street Scene