You’ll find Carter Nine’s remnants in Osage County, Oklahoma, where it once thrived as a company town established by Carter Oil Company in 1922. At its peak, this petroleum hub boasted 300 homes, a school, post office, and general store – all secured behind a guarded fence. After the refinery’s closure in 1945, the town rapidly declined through changes between oil companies. Today, this ghost town’s subtle landscape traces tell a larger story of Oklahoma’s oil boom era.
Key Takeaways
- Carter Nine was established in 1922 as a company town in Oklahoma, housing workers for a petroleum refinery owned by Carter Oil Company.
- At its peak, the town contained nearly 300 homes, a school, post office, general store, and service station for refinery workers.
- The town experienced decline after the refinery’s closure in 1945, with population dropping from 300 houses to just 39 by 1950s.
- Following ownership changes through Skelly Oil and Phillips Petroleum, Carter Nine eventually became abandoned, transforming into a ghost town.
- Today, no original structures remain of Carter Nine, with only subtle landscape traces marking where this once-thriving oil community existed.
Birth of a Company Town: The Carter Oil Legacy
When John Joyce Carter founded the Carter Oil Company in Sisterville, West Virginia in 1893, he couldn’t have predicted how his venture would transform Oklahoma’s oil industry.
After establishing headquarters in Tulsa in 1915, the company’s innovative company culture helped shape the region’s oil heritage through groundbreaking technical leadership and geological expertise. Shortly after its founding, the company became a Standard Oil subsidiary and continued to grow in influence.
Carter Oil’s move to Tulsa marked a turning point, as their innovative mindset revolutionized the region’s approach to oil exploration.
You’ll find Carter Oil’s influence most prominently in their development of the Hewitt Field, where their No. 33 Noble well achieved an impressive 12,800 barrels per day in 1924.
The company expanded its operations significantly into Salt Creek and Billy Creek in Wyoming, demonstrating their commitment to regional growth.
The company’s commitment to scientific methods and research initiatives, including their pioneering laboratory in Tulsa, set new standards for the industry.
Their technical prowess and strategic expansion made them a driving force in Oklahoma’s oil boom, laying the foundation for what would become one of America’s most significant oil-producing regions.
Life Behind the Fence: Early Community Development
If you’d lived in Carter Nine during its early days, you’d have found yourself in one of fifty company-owned houses arranged behind a perimeter fence that controlled access to the refinery town.
The fence separated company property from surrounding lands while creating a close-knit community of refinery workers and their families who shared similar daily routines and experiences. Children received their education at the town’s local school that served the growing population. Like many mining and boomtowns of the era, the community’s fate was tied to the success of its primary industry.
As the town prospered in the 1920s, about fifty additional private homes sprang up outside the fence, expanding the community while maintaining its distinct company-town character.
Company Housing Layout
Fifty company-owned houses stood within Carter Nine’s fenced perimeter, marking the core of this carefully planned oil refinery town. You’d find these homes arranged in a uniform pattern, reflecting Carter Oil Company’s emphasis on housing uniformity and company identity. The standardized designs made maintenance efficient while reinforcing the corporate structure that governed daily life.
Beyond the fence, another fifty private residences emerged during the 1920s, offering a stark contrast to the controlled environment within. As the community flourished, the housing count grew to 300 units, though this expansion wouldn’t last.
Security and Access Control
A chain-link barrier marked the clear division between Carter Nine’s controlled sanctuary and the outside world. You’d find guards stationed at checkpoints, scrutinizing every person and vehicle attempting to enter the fenced perimeter that enclosed 50 company houses.
The security challenges of operating a booming refinery town demanded strict access restrictions, with officials monitoring visitors and deliveries through a regulated pass system.
If you lived inside the fence, you’d experience the paradox of protection and constraint. While the barriers and patrols effectively prevented theft, vandalism, and unauthorized entry common to boomtowns, they also regulated your daily movements.
The company’s extensive security infrastructure – from strategically placed lighting to patrol routes – guaranteed both your safety and the refinery’s interests remained closely guarded.
Community Social Structure
Behind Carter Nine’s chain-link fence, you’d discover a meticulously structured social hierarchy that shaped daily life in the 1920s oil boom era. The physical barrier separated 50 company-owned homes from 50 private residences, creating distinct social boundaries between Carter Oil employees and independent residents.
You’d find community bonds centered around the eight-teacher school, where families gathered and children learned until 1942. The company store, post office, and service station served as key meeting points where social connections flourished despite the rigid divisions.
While Carter Oil maintained tight control over the community through its offices and facilities, residents forged relationships through shared experiences. This delicate balance of corporate oversight and neighborhood solidarity defined life in Carter Nine until declining oil operations gradually dissolved these social structures.
Building the Backbone: Infrastructure and Services
If you’d visited Carter Nine during its heyday, you’d have found a company town complete with fenced housing complexes, a post office, and a general store serving the oil workers and their families.
The AT&SF railway‘s strategic spur line connected Carter Nine’s refineries to the wider region, while mule-drawn freighters and early vehicles navigated the developing road networks.
Local children attended the town’s school until its closure in 1942, after which they transferred to neighboring communities for their education.
Schools and Public Buildings
Carter Nine’s educational and public infrastructure took shape during the town’s booming oil years of the 1920s and 1930s. The town’s school legacy included a dedicated faculty of eight teachers who served the children of refinery workers both within and outside the gated community.
You’d have found essential community services concentrated in key buildings: a general store, service station, and company offices that kept the town running smoothly. The post office, established in 1928, connected residents to the outside world, while the naphtha plant anchored the town’s industrial foundation.
When the high school closed in 1942, students began attending classes in nearby Shidler – an early sign of the town’s impending decline. By 1945, most public buildings would follow the refinery into obsolescence.
Railway and Transportation Development
Transportation networks laid the groundwork for Carter Nine’s development long before the first oil derrick appeared.
You’ll find the roots of this connectivity in the ambitious railway expansion of 1897-1907, when Oklahoma’s rail construction boom transformed the region. Major lines like the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway carved essential pathways through Carter County in 1887, while the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad established critical north-south routes.
The area’s evolution into one of Oklahoma’s transportation hubs accelerated when oil discoveries sparked new rail development. The Oklahoma Central Railroad, established in 1914, added crucial infrastructure to the growing network of rail lines.
Between 1913 and 1916, specialized lines like the Oklahoma, New Mexico and Pacific Railway and the Ringling and Oil Fields Railway emerged to serve the booming energy sector. These rail arteries didn’t just move oil – they brought supplies, workers, and commerce that would shape Carter Nine’s destiny. The Burlington Northern remained the county’s sole rail line throughout the twentieth century, continuing to serve the region’s transportation needs.
Company Housing Complexes
Three distinct phases marked the evolution of Carter Nine’s company housing, beginning with the Carter Oil Company’s strategic decision in 1922 to build a fenced and gated complex near their refinery operations.
Initially, workers endured primitive conditions in tents and one-room shacks exposed to harsh weather. As the company town matured, you’d find improved living conditions in two-room row houses, with the complex expanding to include 50 company-owned homes inside the gates and 50 private residences beyond them. Residents could access diverse articles on community development through the town’s information center.
The housing evolution reached its peak during the boom years, supporting up to 300 homes alongside essential infrastructure like schools, a post office, and company stores.
Working Class Heroes: The Oil Industry Workforce
Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry employed a massive workforce of nearly 50,000 workers by late 2024, ranking the state third nationally behind Texas and Louisiana. Employment has shown recent fluctuations with 200 workers lost since November 2024.
You’ll find that oil worker challenges have shaped the industry’s character, from the 1980s boom when employment peaked at 120,000 workers to the subsequent busts that tested their economic resilience.
Despite the risks, these workers earned nearly double the state’s average wage, with production crews making $54,645 annually in 2000. The complex industry structure includes multiple companies operating simultaneously at most worksites.
Most worked for small operators – 69% of firms had fewer than five employees.
The sector’s backbone consisted of self-employed contractors and wage workers who braved physically demanding conditions.
During downturns, they’ve shown remarkable adaptability, especially in rural areas where oil and gas jobs dominate the economy.
Prosperity and Progress: Peak Years of Carter Nine
If you’d visited Carter Nine during its heyday, you’d have found a bustling company town centered around a thriving oil refinery operated successively by Carter Oil, Skelly Oil, and Phillips Petroleum companies.
From its fenced beginnings with 50 company houses in 1922, the town expanded to include roughly 300 homes, both company-owned and private residences, reflecting the prosperity brought by steady refinery employment.
The town’s growth brought essential infrastructure including an eight-teacher school, post office, general store, and service station, creating a self-sufficient community for its working-class residents.
Thriving Oil Refinery Operations
During the early 1920s, Carter Nine emerged as a bustling hub of petroleum processing when Carter Oil Company established its advanced refinery complex in 1922.
You’d find cutting-edge refinery technology here, including a substantial naphtha plant that was essential for gasoline production. The facility’s strategic location near the prolific Burbank oilfield, which pumped out over 70,000 barrels daily from 1,800 wells, guaranteed a steady supply of crude oil for processing.
The refinery’s impressive oil production capabilities helped fuel Oklahoma’s rise as a major petroleum producer, while modern pipeline networks slashed transportation costs by 40%. This success reflected Oklahoma’s dominance as it ranked first in oil production among Mid-Continent states for over two decades.
As operations expanded under various owners – from Carter Oil to Skelly Oil and finally Phillips Petroleum – the complex drove remarkable economic growth until its closure in 1945.
Housing and Infrastructure Growth
Carter Nine’s rapid transformation from open land to a thriving company town began in 1922 when Carter Oil Company erected 50 houses within a fenced perimeter to accommodate its refinery workers.
The housing trends quickly expanded beyond the gates, with 50 more private homes built during the 1920s. At its peak, you’d find nearly 300 housing units dotting the landscape.
The community dynamics flourished as essential infrastructure took shape. You could send your kids to the local school, staffed by eight teachers, while handling daily errands at the general store and service station.
A post office opened in 1928, connecting residents to the outside world. The naphtha plant and company offices created a self-contained environment where work and home life seamlessly merged.
The Changing Hands: From Carter to Phillips Petroleum
After establishing itself as a company town in 1922, Carter Nine’s refinery operations passed through three major oil companies’ hands, shaping the community’s destiny over several decades.
You’ll find that Carter Oil Company‘s initial establishment set the foundation, but ownership changes soon followed as Skelly Oil Company took control of the refinery.
The refinery impact became most apparent during the final shift to Phillips Petroleum Company, which operated the facility until its closure in 1945.
These corporate changes directly affected Carter Nine’s importance. You can trace the town’s decline through its population shifts – from a peak of 300 houses to just 39 by the 1950s.
The high school’s closure in 1942 marked a turning point, sending students to nearby Shidler as the community began its transformation into a ghost town.
Education and Social Life in an Oil Town
As oil wealth flowed into Carter Nine during the 1920s, the town established a thorough educational system anchored by an eight-teacher school that served the refinery workers’ families.
You’d find the school at the heart of community events, where PTAs organized sports activities, picnics, and creative educational programs that brought families together.
The school’s influence extended beyond academics, fostering social bonds that strengthened the company town’s identity.
Schools served as more than learning centers – they were the glue binding Carter Nine’s social fabric together.
However, you can trace Carter Nine’s decline through its educational shifts – the high school closed in 1942, sending students to nearby Shidler.
As the Carter Oil refinery shut down and families moved away, the student population dwindled.
Economic Rise and Fall: A Boom to Bust Story
The 1895 blanket lease of 1.5 million acres in Osage County sparked Oklahoma’s transformation into an oil empire, setting the stage for Carter Nine’s dramatic rise and fall.
By 1907, you’d have witnessed the region pumping over five million barrels annually, with oil exploration reaching fever pitch around Carter Nine’s future site.
When Carter Oil Company established the town in 1922, you’d have found a bustling community of 50 company houses, where workers enjoyed the fruits of Oklahoma’s peak production years.
The local Osage families were earning an astounding $65,000 annually by 1926.
But economic policies couldn’t prevent the inevitable decline. As oil fields depleted and market conditions shifted, Carter Nine’s fortunes reversed.
The refinery’s closure in 1945 dealt the final blow, transforming a once-thriving community of 300 homes into a mere shadow of 39 houses by the 1950s.
The Final Chapter: Abandonment and Ghost Town Status
From 1945 onwards, Carter Nine’s transformation into a ghost town unfolded with stark finality.
After the refinery’s closure, you’d have witnessed a dramatic shift in population dynamics as families packed up and left, with housing numbers plummeting from 300 to just 39 by the 1950s.
The town’s cultural heritage rapidly dissolved as key institutions shuttered – the high school had already closed in 1942, and the post office soon followed.
Today, you won’t find a single original structure standing at the site.
What was once a bustling company town has vanished completely, leaving only subtle traces in the Oklahoma landscape.
The fenced compound that once housed refinery workers exists now only in memory, marking Carter Nine as a true ghost town in every sense.
Historical Significance in Oklahoma’s Oil Country
While Carter Nine‘s physical remnants have vanished, its legacy endures as a prime example of Oklahoma’s oil boom era company towns. You’ll find its story woven into the fabric of Osage County’s petroleum heritage, where Carter Oil Company established this gated community in 1922 to support their refinery operations.
During the height of Oklahoma’s oil boom, Carter Nine showcased remarkable community resilience, growing from 50 company-owned houses to nearly 300 homes.
The town’s infrastructure included everything workers needed – from schools and stores to a post office and service station. As part of the Mid-Continent’s expanding oil production, Carter Nine represented how companies created self-contained communities to maximize efficiency and maintain a stable workforce, leaving an indelible mark on Oklahoma’s industrial development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were There Any Notable Crimes or Law Enforcement Incidents in Carter Nine?
Unlike the Wild West tales you’ve heard, you won’t find documented crime history or law enforcement incidents in Carter Nine’s records. It operated as a controlled company town until its 1950s closure.
What Entertainment and Recreational Activities Were Available for Residents?
You’d find your entertainment centered around the school’s local sports, the general store’s social gatherings, and informal community meetings. For broader recreation, you could explore nearby towns or outdoor activities.
How Did the Great Depression Specifically Impact Carter Nine’s Economy?
You’d think being an oil town would protect Carter Nine, but economic decline hit hard – layoffs from petroleum gluts, farming losses, and bank failures devastated the community, though neighbors showed remarkable resilience helping each other survive.
Did Any Famous or Noteworthy Individuals Come From Carter Nine?
You won’t find any famous residents or individuals of historical significance from Carter Nine in available records. The town’s brief existence as a company settlement didn’t produce any widely recognized personalities.
What Natural Disasters or Environmental Challenges Did the Town Face?
You’d have faced brutal weather extremes in primitive housing, with freezing winters and scorching summers. Though specific flood damage and drought challenges aren’t documented, severe storms and tornadoes threatened the poorly-built town.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Nine
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRIJ7Iq6-6g
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNfMVENHWOs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLOFQjcNQY0
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Oklahoma
- https://carteroilusa.com/about-us/
- https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv945525
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=HE020
- https://petroleumhistory.org/oil-industry-history/volume-13/
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=OS006
