Did You Know

When World War I broke out there was a great fear across the U.S. that there would not be enough domestic oil produced to support the U.S. economy as well as the war effort. In 1917, in response to this overwhelming fear, Principal Chief Fred Lookout, along with the help of Assistant Principal Chief Paul Red Eagle and the 7th Osage Tribal Council, passed a resolution that would create the Naval Reserve. The reserve was a 5,120-acre tract of oil-rich land in Osage County, between Hominy and Fairfax, that could be used by the United States Navy for emergency wartime oil production.

In 1927 the U.S. Naval Department returned the reserve to the Osage Tribe. In the 10 years the reserve belonged to the U.S. Navy, it was never used. The area where the reserve was is still referred to as the Naval Reserve by many Osage County inhabitants. There is even a county road named Naval Reserve road that cuts through the former reserve.