All DestinationsOsage County, Oklahoma
A former oil-boom town surrounded by ranch land and wide-open prairie landscapes on the north edge of Osage County.
“Wide-open sky, ranch country, and a horizon that never ends.”
Highlights
About Shidler
Shidler sits in the far northern reaches of Osage County, where the prairie stretches to every horizon and the pace of life slows to match the landscape. It boomed with the Burbank oil field in the 1920s and today is ranch country — genuine, unhurried, and beautiful in a way that doesn't try hard. For those seeking the raw, unedited Osage experience, Shidler delivers.
Shidler is the nearest community to the northern reaches of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve — one of the last intact tallgrass prairie ecosystems in North America. The 40,000-acre preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy is home to a free-roaming bison herd and miles of trails through what the Great Plains once looked like.
Shidler grew almost overnight when the Burbank oil field came in, topping 5,000 residents in the early 1920s. The boom-era brick buildings still line Main Street, and the ranches that surround town keep cattle on pastures that look unchanged from a century ago.
With minimal light pollution and flat-to-rolling terrain in every direction, Shidler offers some of the darkest skies in Oklahoma. The Milky Way core is visible on clear summer nights, and the silence — actual, complete silence — makes it one of the most restorative spots in the state.
Plan Your Visit
Osage County Tourism
Our tourism office is happy to help you plan the perfect visit.
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