Tulsa Oklahoma, Golden Driller
Tulsa, Oklahoma was once the Oil Capital of the country. There were oil rigs in every direction you looked, and it was a trade show for oil drillers that brought the Golden Driller her.
An oilfield supply company from Texas brought the statue with them for their booth’s display at the trade show that was held on the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. The giant roustabout had a big grin under a tin helmet and a gloved right hand. It became a popular attraction during the trade show and so much so that six years later the company brought it back for another trade show.
The 76-foot statue would become a permanent fixture on the Fairgrounds in 1966, and while a little different version it was originally, it still an attraction for residents and visitors. The original owners would abandon the statute by 1979, and it would be abused and neglected for a few years before the city made it an official part of the landscape and repaired it.
The Golden Driller is America’s tallest statue in the free-standing spectrum, and an Oklahoma oil derrick serves as a resting place for his gloved right hand. Weight almost 22 tons the concrete and steel structure has withstood several tornadoes and is dedicated “to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God’s abundance a better life for mankind.”
The bare chest has made some feel uncomfortable, but the mention of covering it up with a shirt is always shot down. Oklahomans that appreciate the history of their state are sensitive about that subject and choose to maintain the image it has, learn more.
