Nellie Johnstone No. 1 oil strike near Bartlesville in Indian Territory

Background. Bartlesville was incorporated in Indian Territory in January 1897, shortly before the oil strike. The area was part of the Osage Nation's reservation lands, where the Bureau of Indian Affairs had granted leasing rights in 1896. The discovery occurred on land leased from the Osage, reflecting the legal framework governing mineral rights in Indian Territory prior to statehood.

Discovery. The Nellie Johnstone well discovered oil on April 15, 1897, along the banks of the Caney River near Bartlesville. The Bartlesville passage describes this as Oklahoma's first commercial oil well. The strike occurred in what was then Indian Territory, before the region became the state of Oklahoma.

Legal Context. The oil strike occurred on land leased from the Osage Nation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs had granted a request in March 1896, stipulating that the lessee pay the Osage tribe a 10% royalty on all petroleum sales produced on the reservation. This legal arrangement defined the commercial nature of the well.