Osage County, Oklahoma: The Oil Murders That Created the FBI

Osage County, Oklahoma. It's around 3 in the morning on March 10, 1923. In Fairfax, Oklahoma, Rita Smith sleeps in her bedroom. Her husband, Bill, is in the adjacent room. Their teenage white servant, Nettie Brookshire, sleeps upstairs. Five gallons of nitroglycerin sits beneath the house. The explosion obliterates the structure. Neighbors three blocks away feel their windows rattle. The Smith house simply disappears. Rita and Nettie die instantly. Bill survives, barely, with massive injuries. TIMELINE 1808: and 1839, the Osage ceded 96. 1870: under relentless pressure from white settlers in Kansas, they negotiated one final move. 1897: the Phoenix Oil Company drilled their first successful well along Butler Creek. 1912: lease auctions were held under the famous million-dollar elm tree in Pawhuska. WHY THIS MATTERS The story of Osage County is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know. Episode 174 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters If you liked this: Episode 182 (Boise City, Oklahoma) Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-historyAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy