Cushing (, , ''meaning: "Soft-seat town"'') is a city in

Payne County, Oklahoma Payne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 81,646. Its county seat is Stillwater. The county was created in 1890 as part of Oklahoma Territory and is named for Capt. David L. Pa ...

, United States. The population was 7,826 at the time of the 2010 census, a decline of 6.5% since 8,371 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Cushing was established after the

Land Run of 1891 The Land Run of 1891 was a set of horse races to settle land acquired by the federal government through the opening of several small Indian reservations in Oklahoma Territory. The race involved approximately 20,000 homestead principle, homesteader ...

by William "Billy Rae" Little. It was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He served as United States Postmaster General ...

. A 1912 oil boom led to the city's development as a refining center,''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'
"Cushing"
By D. Earl Newsome, Accessed June 9, 2010. with over 50 refineries operating in Cushing over its history. Today, Cushing is a major trading hub for

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...

and a price settlement point for

West Texas Intermediate West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a grade or mix of crude oil; the term is also used to refer to the spot price, the futures price, or assessed price for that oil. In colloquial usage, WTI usually refers to the WTI Crude Oil futures contract t ...

on the

New York Mercantile Exchange The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is a commodity futures exchange owned and operated by CME Group of Chicago. NYMEX is located at One North End Avenue in Brookfield Place in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City. ...

and is known as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World."

History

The area that became Cushing was part of the

Sac and Fox Nation The Sac and Fox Nation (Sauk language: Thâkîwaki) is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) Indian peoples. They are based in central Oklahoma. Originally from the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan area, they ...

. With the

, a former government trader for the tribe, William Rea "Billy" Little, built a house, established his claim, and laid out town lots. The town got a post office on November 10, 1891, and was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General John Wanamaker. In 1902, the

Eastern Oklahoma Railway The Eastern Oklahoma Railway was incorporated under the laws of Oklahoma Territory on July 24, 1899. The railroad constructed much of its own track. This included Guthrie junction (Eastern Oklahoma junction) to Cushing junction, 47.9 miles, in ...

line to Cushing was built. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway added service on its own line built in 1903.

Wildcatter A wildcatter is an individual who drills wildcat wells, which are exploration oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. Notable wildcatters include Glenn McCarthy, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., Mike Benedum, Joe Trees, Clem S. Clark ...

Thomas B. Slick started an oil boom on March 17, 1912, when he brought in a gusher east of Cushing. Other wells were soon drilled nearby, and the oil field became known as the

Cushing-Drumright Oil Field The Cushing Oil Field, also known as the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field, is an oil field in northeastern Oklahoma, part of the Mid-Continent oil province. The by field includes southeastern Payne County, northwestern Creek County, and northeaster ...

. The city became a center for exploration of and production from nearby oil fields and also a refining center, when Consumers Oil Company opened a refinery in 1913. Production centered on the new town of Drumright, and Cushing became a refining center. Eventually, 23 oil companies and five oil-field supply houses located in the town, and more than 50 refineries once operated in the Cushing area. Pipelines and storage facilities have since made it "the pipeline crossroads of the world". The oil boom did not last long. Production peaked in 1915 with 8.3 million barrels of oil, but went down by 50% in 1916. During the 1970s and 1980s refining operations continued in Cushing until the last two refineries, Kerr-McGee and Hudson, closed. Rail service ended in 1982. As the oil fields started to run dry, starting in the 1940s, production and refining became less important. The town retained a great asset in the Shell pipeline terminal, with 39 storage tanks and pipelines that could move as much as 1.5 million barrels a day. This enhanced Cushing's status as "Pipeline Crossroads of the World." The maze of pipelines and tanks that had been built led to the NYMEX choosing Cushing as the official delivery point for its light sweet crude futures contract in 1983. In May 2023, Cushing was selected as the site for a $5.56 billion crude oil refinery for processing 250,000 barrels per day of light and sweet crudes into low-carbon transportation fuels. The next-generation refinery, built with a goal of zero-carbon footprint operation, should be operational in 2027.

Geography

Cushing is located in

Payne County Payne County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 81,646. Its county seat is Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. The county was created in ...

at the intersection of

Oklahoma State Highway 18 State Highway 18, abbreviated as SH-18 or OK-18, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was once one of the longest state highways in the Oklahoma road system, but now has a total length of . Route description State Highway ...

and

Oklahoma State Highway 33 State Highway 33 (SH-33 or OK-33) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is a major highway that traverses most of the state, and at one time traversed its entirety. Its general orientation is west to east. Route description Roge ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.13% is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 8,371 people, 3,071 households, and 2,002 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,636 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.66%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.02%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 7.97%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.13% Asian, 0.90% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 4.32% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.70% of the population. There were 3,071 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,483, and the median income for a family was $32,284. Males had a median income of $26,710 versus $17,711 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,620. About 15.1% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Cushing is a major

hub within the United States and worldwide

oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products ...

. It is a "vital transshipment point with many intersecting pipelines, storage facilities and easy access to refiners and suppliers." Crude oil flows "inbound to Cushing from all directions and outbound through dozens of pipelines." Crude oil tank farms around Cushing have over 90 million

barrels A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids ...

of storage capacity. The new refinery announced in May 2023 is expected to create 423 direct jobs and produce a payroll of $39.3 million, resulting in a total economic impact of $18.2 billion over the following decade.

Sports

Cushing was home to

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

. The Cushing Oilers and Cushing Refiners played as members of the Class D

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third ...

(1921), the Class D

Oklahoma State League The Oklahoma State League was a Class D level minor baseball league based in Oklahoma that existed in 1912 and again from 1922 to 1924. L.S. Dodds (1912), Leo Meyer (1912), C.E. Plott (1922), E.A. Daniels (1922–1924) and A.L. Ragan (1924) serve ...

(1923–1924) and Southwestern League (1925).

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

member

Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained ...

made his professional debut with the 1923 Cushing Refiners.

Parks and recreation

The foundations of Cushing Municipal Park were established in 1935 with Cushing Memorial Park, constructed by the WPA. Over time, more and more features have been added, including a Duck Pond, a picnic pavilion, gazebos, various playground areas, skate park, disc golf course, sand volleyball court, and baseball diamond. The Cushing Aquatic Center includes a splashpad, wading pool, full sized pool with swim lanes, and a three-tiered ramp with 5 pool slides. Main Street is the locale for the Downtown Cushing Centennial Park, which has a stage and picnic tables with umbrellas. Buffalo Rock Golf and Venue Golf Course, originally the Cushing Country Club dating from 1921, is an 18-hole course open to the public. Cushing Lake, 6 miles west of the city, offers a boat ramp, dock, and picnic area.

Government

Cushing has a commissioner-manager form of government. The

Cimarron Correctional Facility Cimarron Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in unincorporated Payne County, Oklahoma, located southwest of the city of Cushing. It is owned and operated by CoreCivic, formerly Corrections Corporation of America, under contract w ...

is located three miles southwest of Cushing. Due to reductions by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in the number of inmates put in private prisons because of budgetary issues, owner CoreCivic announced closure of the facility in July 2020.

Education

The Cushing school district has five schools that include a

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

, two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district serves approximately 1,800 students.Cushing School DistrictEducation.com
(accessed June 9, 2010).

Transportation

Cushing is at the eastern intersection of State Highway 33 (east-west) and State Highway 18 (north-south). Cushing is served by the Cushing Municipal Airport (KCUH, or FAA Identifier CUH), featuring a paved 5201' x 100' runway. Commercial air transportation is available out of the

Stillwater Regional Airport Stillwater Regional Airport is in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States, three miles (4.8 km) northwest of Stillwater. History After World War II the airfield was one of six locations in the nation that stored surplus military aircraft; ...

about 20 miles to the northwest, and the

Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...

, about 59 miles to the east-northeast.

Historic Sites

The following are NRHP-listed: *The Bassett House *Luke D. Berry House * Cushing American Legion Building *Cushing Armory *Gillespie Drilling Company Building *Christian K. Usher Luston House

Notable people

* Paul Blair, professional baseball playerNews services and staff reports (December 28, 2013) "Star center fielder won two titles with Orioles" ''The Washington Post'', page B4. Retrieved December 28, 201

/ref> * Al Buell, former painter of pin-up art * Kelly Cook, former

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

* Harold DeMarsh, first ever NCAA Wrestling Champion * Brian Kelly, professional boxer * Frank Lewis, Olympic gold medalist in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

Robert Pearce Robert Pearce may refer to: * Robert Pearce (politician) (1840–1922), British Member of Parliament for Leek, 1906–1910 and 1910–1918 * Bobby Pearce (rower) (1905–1976), Australian-Canadian sculler * Robert Pearce (wrestler) (1908–1996) ...

, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

Robert Pearce
''National Wrestling Hall of Fame''. Retrieved August 28, 2022. *

Jay Rubenstein Jay Rubenstein (born 1967) is an American historian of the Middle Ages. Life Rubenstein grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma and attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota where he graduated with a B.A. in 1989. From 1989 to 1991 he studied at ...

, Rhodes Scholar, MacArthur Fellow, medieval historian *

Bob Shirley Robert Charles Shirley (born June 25, 1954) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1977 to 1987, for the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yank ...

, former professional baseball pitcher

References

Energy Information Administration The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and pub ...

. {{Authority control Cities in Oklahoma Cities in Payne County, Oklahoma