Road Trip Oklahoma visits Cushing

Road Trip Oklahoma is on the road again, this time visiting Cushing on April 20.

Cushing, Oklahoma is currently known as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World," but at its inception in 1841, it was a small agricultural town whose main business was cotton. Founded by a government trader to the Sac and Fox Nation, Cushing was named for the private secretary to the U.S. Postmaster General at the time, Marshall Cushing. With agriculture driving the local economy, Cushing had two grain elevators, five hotels, three lumber yards, five saloons, six blacksmith shops, and eight general stores. Business was booming, but it was soon to explode.

In March of 1912, oil was discovered. Word spread quickly, and of the first 46 wells that were dug, 45 produced oil. Cushing couldn't have foreseen and was unprepared for the sudden influx of people wanting a piece of the action. People rented rooms, filled the hotels, erected tents, and slept in chairs, on the floor, and on pool tables when there were no more beds. At the height of the oil boom in Cushing, it was home to twenty-three oil companies and five oil-field supply houses.

The oil business in Cushing declined in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and the town experienced economic crisis in the 70s and 80s, but this small Oklahoma town is very much alive and well, and was once again in the spotlight in March when President Obama stopped in to talk about his energy plan.

Join Oklahoma's Own News 9 on April 20 as we discover what makes Cushing great.