TULSA, OKLAHOMA
The International Petroleum Exhibition Building on the Tulsa Fairgrounds is home to the giant "Golden Driller" of Tulsa. Constructed in 1966, he symbolizes Oklahoma's strong oil-based economy.
Sent by Keli, a Swap-Bot partner from USA.
This is from Wikipedia : The Golden Driller is a 76-foot-tall (23 m), 43,500-pound (19,700 kg) statue of an oil worker, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although it is claimed to be the largest free-standing statue in the world, there are many taller statues. It is currently the third tallest statue in the United States.
It was originally built in 1953 by the Mid-Continent Supply Company of Fort Worth for the International Petroleum Exposition. Six years later, it was temporarily erected again for the 1959 show. Due to the positive attention it attracted, the company donated the statue to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds Trust Authority which had it permanently installed in front of the Tulsa Expo Center for the 1966 International Petroleum Exposition. The statue's right hand rests on an oil derrick which had been moved from a depleted oil field in Seminole, Oklahoma.
An inscription at the base of the statue reads: "The Golden Driller, a symbol of the International Petroleum Exposition. Dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind."
In 1979, the Golden Driller was adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature as the state monument.
As part of an online promotional contest sponsored by Kimberly-Clark in October 2006, the Golden Driller was named the grand prize as a top ten "quirkiest destination" in the United States, winning its nominator a $90,000 international vacation for two.
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