Commerce in Oklahoma
Diversification
The state emerged from World War II in a strong economic position. The Cold War established an expansive American military commitment across the globe. The growth of defense and related industries boosted and diversified Oklahoma’s economy. Using the Cold War as a justification, the government made unprecedented investments in infrastructure, research, and education, spurring economic development wherever those activities were conducted. The baby boom increased demand for government services, housing, and consumer goods and services. The end of the twin crises of the Great Depression and World War II marked the beginning of a rapid transition to a car-centric economy. New technologies such as television and air conditioning followed the growing electrification of the countryside and gained widespread adoption. Oklahoma’s industries embraced new inventions, innovations, and relationships, resulting in a healthy and profitable environment for entrepreneurs. Shifting production methods in agriculture resulted in the movement of people to cities called urbanization, where jobs created from this economic development awaited the migrants.
The state’s connection with the air force would stimulate Oklahoma’s economy as that branch moved to the forefront of the US military. From the Berlin Airlift to the Korean War to the Vietnam War, the United States’ way of war increasingly depended on airplanes. Tinker employees worked on thousands of C-47 Skytrains, A-7 Corsair IIs, F-4 Phantoms, and B-52 Stratofortresses. In addition to hosting those planes, in 1961, the base at Altus briefly became the site of several intercontinental ballistic missiles. Vance became the first government-owned, contractor-operated base, a model that was used on other air force bases. The country’s international commitments and conflicts ensured the continued survival of Oklahoma’s air force bases and the industries that serve them. In 1958, because of Oklahoma’s strong connection to the air force and aviation, Congress approved the construction of a large Federal Aviation Administration campus. The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center employs thousands of people. The nearness of the air force bases and the FAA has resulted in several aviation companies, such as Boeing, building facilities here.
The Berlin Airlift demonstrated the value of air power and increased tensions during the Cold War (image courtesy Department of Defense).
An ICBM being delivered to Altus (image courtesy of Old Greer County Museum).
The passage of the 1944 GI Bill, the 1956 Interstate Highway Act, and the National Defense Education Act of 1958 provided government funding for a more broadly educated workforce, infrastructure, and university research. The sustained investment in research and development supported an increase in the number of private businesses doing similar work and the number of trained professionals available to qualify for high-paying positions. The investment in infrastructure—in particular highways, the communication network, and the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System—reduced costs and increased efficiency for private businesses public organizations, and individuals alike. All of these efforts were spurred by or impacted by the Cold War. A desire to be equal to or better than the Soviet Union in all measurements motivated governmental officials to invest heavily in multiple areas to achieve those goals.
Baby boomers stimulated the economy throughout their lifespan. An explosion of housing developments began with the first of the baby boom generations. Building adequate educational facilities was a challenge for local and state governments. In 1965, the federal government began funding education for all these children with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The large number of youths in a certain age group resulted in the invention of the concept of a “teenager,” and specific consumer goods were marketed to them, such as unique fashions like blue jeans, transistor radios, and rock ’n’ roll music. When the baby boom generation reached college age, universities scrambled to add staff and facilities to accommodate the incredible demand of a generation that attended college at historic levels. Class sizes exploded because of a lack of instructors. Many male students found themselves sleeping in barracks with dozens of other students as their first dorm experience because of the record number of students. The student movement, which provided significant support for civil rights and antiwar movements, began as a protest against the impersonal, bureaucratic approach universities had adopted toward them.
Hospitals had to expand their nurseries in response to the baby boom (2012.201.B0265.0516, OPUBCO Collection, OHS).
A Veteran’s Village in Stillwater (image courtesy Edmon Low Library).
From the 1920s onward, the country developed new industries related to cars. Gas stations, road-building, motels, car lots, auto mechanics, and even drive-in movies and restaurants began or increased in number. One does not need to look far to find examples of businesses or economic activity related to the automotive industry. Sonic Drive-In and Love’s Country Travel Stops are successful businesses that serve the needs of people using automobiles. Tire manufacturing is a major industry in Oklahoma. The construction of I-35 and I-40 employed a large number of workers, and the crisscrossing of these two highways increased trucks traveling through the state dramatically.
Inventions and innovations impacted families and businesses. For families, the postwar environment embraced the idea that the consumer goods one owned were a reflection of one’s status. This moved shopping to the center of many families’ lives. TG&Y and C. R. Anthony’s were two businesses founded in Oklahoma that served the strong, continuing demand for consumer goods. Businesses also benefitted from inventions. Oklahomans developed several industry-specific inventions. Garman Kimmell, an engineer, developed a pressure regulator that transformed the oil and gas industry. He built a company called Kimray after this initial success and continued building. Edwin “Ed” Malzahn built the first service-line trencher, called the Ditch Witch, which made the process of laying wire or pipe underground significantly easier and more efficient. Nazih Zuhdi, a Lebanese immigrant to Oklahoma, invented several pieces of medical technology, including a heart-lung machine and an artificial heart, which saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
Top Hat would become Sonic Drive-in, an Oklahoma-based company, that benefitted from car culture (image courtesy of The Oklahoman).
TG&Y warehouse, 1953 (2012.201.B0967.0407, OPUBCO Collection, OHS).
