Whizbang, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Whizbang, officially called Denoya, Oklahoma, was an Oklahoma petroleum boom town in the 1920s and 1930s. Located in Osage County
1.5 miles north and 1.5 miles west of the present town of Shidler
, The Whizbang area at its peak had a population of 10,000 persons and 300 businesses and was considered the rowdiest of the many oil field towns in Oklahoma. With the exhaustion of the petroleum reserves in the late 1920s Whizbang declined. The post office, established in 1921, was closed in 1942, and today nothing remains of the town except a network of old roads.
Whizbang was officially known as Denoya by the post office which did not consider the name Whizbang to be dignified. Denoya was the name of a prominent French/Osage
Indian family.
Persons who lived and worked near Whizbang during its heyday included oilmen E.W. Marland and Frank Phillips and future actors Ben Johnson, Jr.
, a cowboy and rodeo star, and Clark Gable
who worked as a roustabout in the oil fields
Whizbang was a violent place. The bank was robbed twice and "it wasn't safe for a woman to be on the streets after dark." Highway robbers frequently robbed travelers along the road to Shidler at a place called "Pistol Hill." A man called "Jose Alvarado", whose real name was Bert Bryant was hired by oil companies to keep the peace. Alvarado, a Texan, had ridden with Pancho Villa
in Mexico. He was considered "everything from a cold-blooded killer to a Robin Hood." Alvardo was once arrested for stealing $2,500 from a brothel owner, but he returned the money and was acquitted. He got into a gunfight with a lawman from a neighboring town over a woman. The other lawman killed the woman and shot Alvarado in the chest. In the ensuing melee, Alvarado shot the other man four times and had both his legs broken by bullets. The two men survived, were put in the same hospital, and became friends.
Osage County, Oklahoma
Osage County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coterminous with the Osage Indian Reservation, it is the home of the federally recognized Osage Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,472 a 6.8 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 44,437...
1.5 miles north and 1.5 miles west of the present town of Shidler
Shidler, Oklahoma
Shidler is a city in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census, a 15.2 percent decrease from 520 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shidler is located at ....
, The Whizbang area at its peak had a population of 10,000 persons and 300 businesses and was considered the rowdiest of the many oil field towns in Oklahoma. With the exhaustion of the petroleum reserves in the late 1920s Whizbang declined. The post office, established in 1921, was closed in 1942, and today nothing remains of the town except a network of old roads.
Whizbang was officially known as Denoya by the post office which did not consider the name Whizbang to be dignified. Denoya was the name of a prominent French/Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
Indian family.
Persons who lived and worked near Whizbang during its heyday included oilmen E.W. Marland and Frank Phillips and future actors Ben Johnson, Jr.
Ben Johnson (actor)
Ben "Son" Johnson, Jr. was an American motion picture actor who was mainly cast in Westerns. He was also a rodeo cowboy, stuntman, and rancher.-Personal life:...
, a cowboy and rodeo star, and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
who worked as a roustabout in the oil fields
History
Perhaps the most infamous of the Oklahoma oil boom towns, Whizbang (or Denoya) came into existence overnight in 1921 when E.W. Marland drilled a 600 barrel per day oil well and precipitated an "oil rush" to the area. Both the quality and quantity of the petroleum were superb. The origin of the name "Whizbang" is uncertain. It may refer to a cartoon character of the day or to a madame of a brothel who called herself Whizbang Red. Customers planning to visit her establishment said they were going to see "Whizbang" and the name was quickly applied to the whole town.Whizbang was a violent place. The bank was robbed twice and "it wasn't safe for a woman to be on the streets after dark." Highway robbers frequently robbed travelers along the road to Shidler at a place called "Pistol Hill." A man called "Jose Alvarado", whose real name was Bert Bryant was hired by oil companies to keep the peace. Alvarado, a Texan, had ridden with Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
in Mexico. He was considered "everything from a cold-blooded killer to a Robin Hood." Alvardo was once arrested for stealing $2,500 from a brothel owner, but he returned the money and was acquitted. He got into a gunfight with a lawman from a neighboring town over a woman. The other lawman killed the woman and shot Alvarado in the chest. In the ensuing melee, Alvarado shot the other man four times and had both his legs broken by bullets. The two men survived, were put in the same hospital, and became friends.