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Yale, OK
Yale is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma. The population was 1,059 at the 2020 census. Yale's founding in 1895 is attributed to a local farmer, Sterling F. Underwood, who established a post office by that name in his general store, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the present town. In 1913, oil was found in Yale and the city experienced an oil boom. By the end of 1914 the combined Yale and Cushing fields were reportedly producing 220,000 barrels a day. By February 1915 twenty-two million barrels of oil were reported in storage in the Yale Field, and fourteen refineries operated. In 1915, after the initial boom, oil production began dropping. By 1921 major producers began to shut down or drastically cut back their operations. Explorers moved to new fields. Pioneer retailers also began to depart.
Currently, Yale hosts six churches, four restaurants, one grocery store, two gas stations, a tag agency, an apparel outfitter, and one weekly newspaper. Just outside of Yale is a smoke shop and casino. As an Oklahoma Historical Society affiliate historic site, the Jim Thorpe House, once home of Oklahoma-born Olympic champion Jim Thorpe, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and vocalist Chet Baker was born in Yale in 1929.
