Bartlesville, Oklahoma is located in Washington County in northeastern Oklahoma, 45 miles north of Tulsa. Bartlesville was the birthplace and headquarters of Phillips Petroleum Company, now ConocoPhillips based out of Houston, which still has a very strong local presence. Employees were transferred regularily all over the world and back. As a result, Bartlesville has a sophistication and cosmopolitian flair not normally found in a town this size.

Bartlesville is home to the Price Tower, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Subsequent work on the Price Tower, i.e., renovations, was undertaken by William Wesley Peters as the chief design architect with John DeKoven Hill as associate architect and interior designer. Both were apprentices who studied under Mr. Wright. In fact, Mr. Peters was Wright's first architectural apprentice and was instrumental in establishing the successor firm to Wright's practice, Taliesin Architects.

Wright called his creation "the tree that escaped the crowded forrest." 

The Bartlesville Performing Arts Center, also known as the Community Center, was designed by Taliesin Architects associated with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.  William Wesley Peters, again, was the chief design architect with Cornelia Brierly being the interior designer.   Both Peters and Brierly were apprentices of Mr. Wright. 

The Performing Arts Center houses the acoustically superb 1,700 seat performance hall.  Ransom Wilson and his Solsti New York Orchestra, while performing here, recognized it as one of the finest performance halls in the United States.  The result was the OK Mozart International Festival.

The OK Mozart International Festival, is celebrating it's Silver 25th Anniversary in 2009, and has been broadcast nationally by National Public Radio.  OK Mozart was founded by Ransom Wilson along with Nan Bulinger of Bartlesville. Wilson is winner of the National Public Radio Wulsin Award and awarded the Award of Merit in Gold by the Republic of Austria for recognition of the contribution he has made to recognition of the work of Mozart in America. Wilson, along with the orchestra he founded in 1981, Solsti New York, was the orchestra-in-residence for years, and now Amici New York holds that position for the concert which attracts visitors from all over the country as well as internationally.  

Bartlesville combines the old with the new, and has a mix of buildings from around Statehood combined with new, state of the art buildings.  We offer a little something for everyone. 

Will Rogers once said, if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait a minute.

 For our visitors from the U.K., we occasionally offer fog.   

Situated in the open prairies of Oklahoma, Bartlesville offers the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Spring time offers an incredible variety of colors. 

 Prairie Flowers from Washington, Osage and Nowata Counties in Oklahoma.  Clockwise from top left, Green Milkweed, Sensitive Briar a low growing plant, Rudbeckia and Cone Flowers, and Butterfly Bush or Butterfly Weed.  Below is Blue Wild Indigo. 

The Woolaroc Ranch, Museum and Wildlife Preserve is a museum, and 3,700 acre wildlife preserve that is home to many species of native and exotic wildlife, such as elk, buffalo, deer and longhorn cattle.  It was built originally as a retreat for oilman Frank Phillips and has a museum of outstanging western art, artifacts and Native American items, and features an 1840's mountain man camp (check scheduals) where you can see an authentic Indian tepee with buffalo skin bedding, and nature trail.   

Now, lest a visitor think that Bartlesville is all open prairie, let me share a different perspective. 

One of the Hidden Treasures of Bartlesville is the Pathfinder Parkway, conceived of by Joel Smith, Pathfinder is a 12 mile path through some of the most beautiful, deep hardwood forrests, and across the Caney River on a suspension bridge created just for the foot and bicycle path.  No motorized vehicles are permitted, and most of the path completely avoids traffic.  The tranquil relaxation that accompanies sitting under the cool limbs watching the river as it flow past, strolling through the woods and perhaps catching a glimpse or hearing the haunting call or drumming (hammering on wood) of a huge Pileated Woodpecker, cousin of the presumed extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker, or watching a hugh owl, disturbed from it's normal daytime rest reduces the stress of daily life.  Water fountains and restrooms are located along the path which connects many of Bartlesville's parks.   

Main Pathfinder access points are at Johnstone, Sooner and Jo Allyn Lowe Parks and on the Polaris Drive and Wesleyan Church parking areas where Pathfinder runs underneath Silverlake Road.   Other access points are at the east end of Melody Lane, and near the RV park just west of the Caney River and south of Adams Blvd (south of Courtesy Care). 

Former City Planner, Joel Smith originally planned for Pathfinder to run along both sides of the Caney River and to connect to Circle Mountain, and while currently only 12 miles have been built, work continues with the recently opened connection from Jo Allyn Lowe Park to the Colonial Estates Addition. 

Over the years, I have had the pleasure to assist a number of families relocating into Bartlesville.  On at least 6 occasions, the people indicated that their company had offered to pay their way so they could see if they wanted to go to work for them.  All 6 indicated that they had planned to enjoy an all expenses paid "vacation," then say "no thanks," but that Pathfinder Parkway changed their minds. 

While I was pleased that they all felt comfortable enough to open up and share this with me, as a Realtor and Certified General Appraiser, I never would have dreamed that Pathfinder Parkway was that big an asset in drawing people to Bartlesville.   

If you are, or speak to any of Bartlesville's Leaders, please encourage them to continue the project as Joel Smith envisioned it on both sides of the Caney River and out to Circle Mountain. 

Photos in this Pathfinder section were taken by Martha Ledgerwood of BartlesvilleParks.com and are used with permission.    Thanks Martha!