1966 Map of Avant NW

About this map

Avant Oil Field and the neighboring South Barnsdall Oil Field dominate this portion of the Osage Nation, where petroleum extraction defines the industrial footprint. The landscape is carved by the deep Cedar Canyon and numerous drainages including Bull Creek and Clem Creek. This particular 1983 edition is significant for its purple revisions, which indicate the planned inundation of the valley floor. Large swaths of land near Wildhorse Creek are hatched to show areas to be submerged by the creation of Skiatook Lake, marking a permanent shift from a creek-bottom landscape to a reservoir environment. Researchers can find the boundaries of Bigheart and Black Dog townships alongside localized features like a Quarry and various scattered oil wells that trace the region's economic history.