Frank Phillips struck oil in northeastern Oklahoma in 1905 and spent the next 45 years figuring out what to do with the money. His answer was Woolaroc - a portmanteau of 'woods, lakes, rocks' that described his 3,700-acre ranch and wildlife preserve in the Osage Hills. What started as a vacation retreat accumulated into something extraordinary: a museum housing one of the world's finest Western art collections, the aircraft that came in third in the 1927 race from Oakland to Hawaii (beating Lindbergh's transatlantic flight by months), a shrunken head, a lock of Napoleon's hair, one of the original 1830s Colt revolvers, and whatever else caught Phillips's attention over four decades. Woolaroc is what happens when unlimited money meets unlimited curiosity and zero editorial filter.
Frank Phillips was a barber from Iowa who moved to Indian Territory (soon to be Oklahoma) in 1903 and struck oil two years later. He founded Phillips Petroleum, which became one of the major American oil companies. By the 1920s, Phillips was fabulously wealthy and looking for something to do with the money. He bought ranch land in the Osage Hills, built a lodge, stocked the property with bison, elk, deer, and exotic animals, and called it Woolaroc. Business partners and dignitaries visited for hunting and parties. The lodge became a museum; the collections grew.
In 1927, two weeks before Lindbergh flew the Atlantic, a more dangerous race happened: Oakland to Hawaii, 2,400 miles over open ocean. Eight aircraft entered; two finished; two crashed in the Pacific; three made emergency landings. The third-place aircraft, 'Woolaroc,' was sponsored by Phillips and piloted by Art Goebel. Phillips was so proud he bought the aircraft and made it the museum's centerpiece. The plane hangs in the main gallery today, preserved exactly as it was in 1927 - a reminder that Lindbergh's flight wasn't the only or even the most dangerous crossing that year.
Phillips collected obsessively and without any clear organizing principle. Western art became the core - works by Remington, Russell, and other masters of cowboy and Native American scenes. But the museum also holds firearms (including a Sam Colt Patterson revolver), Native American artifacts (including a shrunken head), a lock of Napoleon's hair, a collection of barbed wire, a chunk of the Petrified Forest, Phillips's personal Colt .45, and cases of curiosities that defy categorization. The collection policy seems to have been 'if it's interesting, buy it.' The result is overwhelming and wonderful.
The 3,700-acre preserve surrounding the museum is home to bison, longhorn cattle, elk, deer, and various exotic species Phillips imported. The animals roam freely; visitors drive through on ranch roads. The Osage Hills provide a surprisingly scenic backdrop - this is cross-timber country, where Eastern forests meet Western prairie. The lodge Phillips built remains, as does his private residence. The preserve feels like a private kingdom, which is essentially what it was. Phillips created his own world out here, complete with museum, wildlife park, and the solitude money can buy.
Woolaroc is located 14 miles southwest of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on Highway 123. The museum and preserve are open year-round; hours vary seasonally. Admission includes the museum, the wildlife preserve drive, and various outdoor exhibits. The collection is extensive - allow at least two hours. The preserve roads require driving carefully; animals have right of way. Bartlesville has additional Phillips legacy sites, including the Phillips Petroleum headquarters (now ConocoPhillips) and the Price Tower designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Tulsa International Airport is 50 miles south. The drive through the Osage Hills is scenic, particularly in fall.
Located at 36.79°N, 96.04°W in the Osage Hills of northeastern Oklahoma, 14 miles southwest of Bartlesville. From altitude, Woolaroc appears as a preserved enclave of forested hills amid ranch land - the wildlife preserve is evident as fenced woodland. The lodge and museum complex are visible at the preserve's center. Bartlesville is to the northeast; Tulsa is 50 miles south. The Osage Hills terrain - wooded ridges and grass valleys - is distinctive in otherwise prairie Oklahoma. Tulsa International Airport is the nearest commercial service.