Oil refinery at Cushing, OK 1991

These are video shots made in October of 1991 of the Hudson Oil Co. oil refinery at Cushing, Oklahoma. The refinery was last operational in 1982 and was the final oil refinery in Cushing (Cushing had at one time as many as 10 refineries back around 1910). Sometime in the late 1990's, demolition began of this industrial complex. Today, little remains of the refinery. Cushing continues to be a major petroleum pipeline hub within the United States and the surrounding area has numerous producing oil fields.
This refinery was originally built in 1922 (not sure who was the original owner). In 1943, Midland Cooperatives Inc. of Minneapolis, MN purchased the refinery and operated it until the Hudson takeover.
I had originally come to Cushing back in 1983 to photograph this refinery as well as other oil refineries in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas (many also now gone), using 35mm slide and print film. The video camera shots were more or less just an amateur means of capturing how the refinery complex was arranged. The shots from the car, a 1988 Mercury Cougar, take you on a "U" shaped trip around the older portion of the refinery. Closeups include storage tanks, the loading platform for railroad tank cars (ATSF RR (Santa Fe) which pulled up the last tracks in Cushing apparently sometime in 1983), various refining units, flare towers not to mention the "cat cracker" refining unit at the newer portion of the facility.
Hope you enjoy this reminder of what was at one time a major part of Cushing's economy along with the sights and sounds of the local crickets, grasshoppers, two noisy crows and someone's black cat crossing the road!

[@hackatak]

When we moved to Cushing in the early 70's, I remember hearing the steam whistles from the refinery sounding start of the workday, lunchtime, and end of day. They were LOUD!

[@leigh10970]

When I look at this video, I can smell the refinery!! Grew up with it virtually in the back yard. Seeing the viaduct brings back a lot of memories. My grandpa owned Stiles' Bait shop on the west end of it!

[@davidcaylor4286]

I remember that bait shop. My parents moved us from Cushing to Texas in 1964 but we had many trips back to Cushing to visit and spend summer with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunts. They were also business owners in Cushing. Fond memories.

[@OSUOiler]

I remember this from my childhood, both the elevated roadway and the refinery facilities. A tiny bit of equipment is left, but other than that, it has changed a lot. It's funny, I could tell exactly where you were going just from some the points of reference that do still exist today. Crazy how time transforms a place.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Thanks for your comments! I've been back to Cushing since the recording of this video and have noticed the changes too. The refinery, its associated tank farm and even the highway bridge are long gone.

[@cooliesass]

Instead of Hudson Oil Refinery, the name was Midland Refinery when I was a kid... and it truly was the backyard of my neighborhood throughout my "childhood/growing-up-years". I am so mesmerized by this video that you've posted! If you have any more videos of this area I would like to see them, and thank you for posting this one!

[@bigugly11]

Awesome video of Hudson and even the infamous Cushing Viaduct !!

[@heyyarnold5855]

Wow what a flashback to my early childhood.. I grew up not far from the viaduct and my dad had a used car lot in town by the police department.. man its all different now

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Thanks for your comments! Yes, the viaduct is long gone pretty much replaced by the road that's now paved between where the two different segments of where the refinery used to exist.

[@litlhottie]

I used to deliver newspapers to Hudson...this is sad

[@vietnamcombatveteran2274]

were their any fires there, seems not too many tanks and only one flare, we had some bad fires here in philadelphia at the refineries bad stuff.....

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I don't know too much about the history of the Hudson oil refinery in Cushing, OK though I've never heard of there being a fire here as well. Perhaps a local Cushing resident who reads your question can answer it. Thanks for your interest!

[@pl747]

are there not any refineries around Cushing now? pipeline center of the united states.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

At its height in the 1920s, Cushing had ten oil refineries. Now there are none in or around Cushing. The nearest refinery to Cushing is in Tulsa about forty miles away.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

There may be a new oil refinery in Cushing, OK a few years from now. Check out this KZbin link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYKqZ3WfnLmKf6c

[@Eric-zi1oz]

This makes me sad. We need more domestic oil and stop relying on the Arabs and our enemies like Venezuela to supply our oil.