O.U.R. Streetcar: The Trolley that Ran Through Renaissance

 

1911 Tulsa Postcard
Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society.  Used with Permission.

Tulsa’s transportation system has evolved from horse-drawn wagons and buggies to streetcars, jitneys, automobiles, electric bicycles, and scooters. (“Jitney” was slang for a five cent piece.  Small buses that carried people for 5 cents a ride became known as jitneys.) From 1905 through 1935 an electric double rail trolley system wound through the city carrying hundreds of Tulsans to work, shopping, recreation and back home again.  This is a short history of the Tulsa streetcar system, including one line that ran  through present day Renaissance.  

Before the introduction of the trolley in 1905, horse-drawn vehicles were the primary mode of transportation. Tulsa's horses were well accustomed to the unpaved, dusty, and sometimes mud-filled roads. Hitching posts in front of homes and businesses were common at the time.  In November 1905, Tulsa Mayor C. L. Reeder signed an ordinance that set fare prices and franchised early routes, marking the advent of the electric trolley. The first company to operate was the Tulsa Streetcar Railway (T.S.R.) Initially, the routes circulated downtown along Main, Third, and Fifth Streets, despite the limited number of paved roads within the city limits.  Some of the first routes even had rails buried in dirt streets. 

Newspapers documented the growing pains that came with progress. An article from June 1907 describes mayhem when a streetcar turning at the southwest corner of Main and Third Street startled horses hitched at the Robison Hotel.  The horses then took "to their heels," and tipped over buggies as they sprinted down Main Street, while others "cavorted about in fancy steps," clearing the entire street of horses and rigs.

City ordinances established that streetcars were to have the right of way,  yielding only to emergency vehicles (primarily steam-powered fire engines.)  Streetcars were not to exceed eight miles per hour in business districts and fifteen miles per hour in residential districts. The fare for adults was 5 cents with free transfers between lines for a continuous trip. Children aged 12 to 5 years old were charged 2.5 cents, while children under five, police, fire personnel, and US postal workers were all carried for free. Downtown Green colored cars ran North and South on Main while Red colored cars ran west on fifth and east on third.    

1907 Tulsa Postcard
Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society.  Used with Permission.

The Sand Springs Railway developed a line connecting Sand Springs to Tulsa in 1909.  Also in 1909, a new company, Oklahoma Union Traction or Railway (O.U.T. or O.U.R.), was established by Mr. Grant C. Stebbins. Mr. Stebbins negotiated with Kendall College, a Muskogee Presbyterian women’s college, and convinced them to relocate to Tulsa.  Kendall College made the move in 1907 and became the University of Tulsa. The University of Tulsa line traveled from downtown, east along First Street to Lewis Avenue, and then ran south on Lewis until it reached Seventh Street and continued east.  The route crossed Delaware Avenue and ended at the university. Mr. Stebbins ultimately went on to establish the Tulsa Maple Ridge addition and build a mansion that still stands at 1030 E. 19th Street .

Black and white picture view of Main Avenue in Tulsa, OK, looking north from 3rd Street.
Sign on the trolley reads, "This Car to Highland Park."
Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society.  Used with permission.

O.U.R. also established a line that reached west to Owen Park and connected south to Orcutt Park (now known as Swan Lake). New routes continued to be established in the teens and early ‘20’s, including a sixteen-mile line to Sapulpa and a line that ran north along Denver Avenue to Pine Street.

The street cars operated year-round including holidays, although in 1914, Christmas was said to have been marred when one operator had “imbibed heavily of the exhilarating spirits and humorously attracted the attention of the passengers.  Most of them returned his “Merry Christmas” as they disembarked.  However, concern about his responsibility grew and the police were notified.  He was removed, taken to the police station and retained only long enough to overcome his intoxication.”  Thankfully, it seems no one was harmed on Christmas Day 1914.

Of most interest to the Renaissance community will be the fact that a trolley line ran through the east side, Mary Jane’s side, of our neighborhood.  A 1924 news article heralded an O.U.R. route. The headline read: "Rosemont to come into its own at last: Counts 258 new homes." The article continues…

… That vast area bounded on the north by *10^th Street and on the west by Lewis Avenue, is coming into sudden life.  It is getting itself all set for boom.  The reason is to be found in the fact that the O.U.R. is now building its double track lines into that portion of the oil capital. 

In the section marked off by the two streets mentioned there are now 258 houses either under construction or newly finished.  A Tribute reporter counted them, this week, and carried a reliable witness along to verify his count.  This means that homes for a thousand people are just completed or are being built in the far southeast part of Tulsa, and the spring is yet young. 

About 15 years ago a persuasive fellow by the name of Givens procured a tract of land which was more than two miles from the city limits of the day.  It was also entirely unimproved and lay in a direction which was not considered at all in the trend of the cities growth.  However, the new owner had some nice maps made, and then went east to sell his lots.  He sold them….When the purchasers of lots in the addition of Rosemont …came to look at their possessions they nearly dropped in their tracks.  The addition was there, certainly, but there was no city within a half hour’s walk, and walking was about the only way a person could get from the addition to town.  There were not even roads, much less street car lines or other means of transportation. 

The new street car lines, paved streets…will also be of immense benefit to several other additions which are either already sold out or practically sold.   Among these is East Lawn addition which was first put on in 1919 and was sold out by the end of 1920.  The location of this addition is excellent in most regards and the lots were eagerly taken.  The owners of the tract modernized it as far as possible, even putting in water lines at their own expense, but the expected transportation failed to come.  The people had to depend on jitneys or walk several blocks to get a car line…The improvements now underway will be of immense benefit to the people in this addition.  

*10^th Street in 1924 is present day 11^th Street. 

The long-awaited trolley route that entered the current-day Renaissance Neighborhood initiated downtown, traveled east along 11th Street, turned south onto Delaware Avenue, then east onto present day 13th Street. The line continued down 13th Street, past Harvard, all the way to Louisville Avenue, where it turned south and ended at the fairgrounds near 21^st Street.

The dissolution of the streetcar system began in the mid-1920’s.  In part, this was due to the advent of increasingly affordable, comfortable and convenient automobiles and abundant petroleum.  Smaller, more comfortable, enclosed buses continued to provide some public transportation.  The T.S.R. ended operations in 1926 and by 1935 O.U.R. routes were also suspended. 

1907 Image of the "first Tulsa Streetcar"
Tulsa Historical Society.  Used with permission.

If one looks closely at various spots in the city there are unmistakable clues giving away what once was a trolley route.  Widened intersections can be seen along 13^th Street, perhaps allowing passing cars more space or simply more space for passengers embarking and disembarking.  There are also parts of the old route with clear scars visible in the road making evident where the rails would have been.  Perhaps they are still there…the old rails buried under the asphalt.

Looking west on 13th Street just East of Harvard Avenue.
Taken by the author in March of 2024.  

Looking east on 13th Street just east of Harvard Avenue.
Taken by the author in March of 2024.  

References:

Tulsa People Article with Patrick McNicholas' time travel photo.  

Stumbled on this beautifully written blog by Marc Carlson, former Librarian of Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Tulsa, and  Historical Researcher. Wish I had found this before his death in 2022.    

Fantastic article on the trolley system by Steve Gerkin published by This Land Press.

The Bates Line published some great posts on the streetcar/trolley.  See this for an idea of the map of the routes:

And more information on Grant Stebbins here: