Oil in Oklahoma was first discovered in 1859 by accident, at a location near Salina, in what was then Oklahoma Territory. The oil came for from a well that had been drilled for salt.

 

In 1907, shortly before Oklahoma formally became a state, it produced the most oil of any state or territory in the United States.

From 1907 to 1930, Oklahoma and California traded the title of number one US oil producer back and forth between them. Oklahoma oil production actually peaked in 1927, at 762,000 barrels per day.

In the latter quarter of the 20th century, an average decline of 3.1%/year, until additional drilling led to a temporary increase from 1980 to 1984, followed by a decline at 6.6% per year until the average decline of 3.1% occured in 1994.

The deepest natural gas well in Oklahoma is 24,928 feet, in Beckham County, and the deepest producing oil well is 15,500 feet, in Comanche County.

The first woman to drill a producing oil well on her own property, and the first female oil operator in Oklahoma was Lulu M. Hefner.