Paris has the Eiffel Tower. Rome has the Coliseum. And Tulsa?
We have the Golden Driller.
The Golden Driller has been a part of Tulsa for as long
as some people can remember. He is an
icon and one of the most photographed citizens of our city.
Mr. Driller was originally built in 1953 by the
Mid-Continent Supply Company of Ft. Worth for the International Petroleum
Exhibit. He was such a huge success that
he was resurrected for the 1959 show.
Again, the citizens of Tulsa loved him so much that in 1966, he became a
permanent part of our city and the man we know and love today.
Standing in front of the Tulsa Expo Center Building (the
IPE for those of you in the know) he stands 76 feet tall and weighs in at
43,500 pounds. He is the largest
free-standing statue in the world and the 4th tallest statue in the United
States. And in 1979 he became Oklahoma’s
Official State Monument. In recognition
of this honor, he received a fresh coat of paint and the TULSA belt buckle he
wears today.
Interesting tidbit – his hand rests on an actual oil
derrick (obviously one that has been decommissioned) that was salvaged from an
oil field in Seminole.
In 2010, Mr. Driller was named by Time Magazine as one of
their Top 50 American Roadside Attractions – number 15, to be exact.
He’s been dressed in kilts, ties, radio station t-shirts,
and even a lederhosen. You can find his
likeness on mouse pads, t-shirts, a brand of beer (Marshall’s Golden Driller
Wheat), dinner plates, and magnets. In
short – the Golden Driller is Tulsa.
So cruise by the fairgrounds and check him out. Trust me – he’s hard to miss.
