Gilcrease was the son of William Lee Gilcrease and Mary " Elizabeth " ( Vowell ) Gilcrease ( Muscogee Creek ) , and was born in Robeline , Natchitoches Parish , Louisiana , on February 8 , 1890 . Mary " Elizabeth " ( Vowell ) Gilcrease was of Muscogee ancestry and an enrolled member of the Muscogee ( Creek ) Nation , and shortly after the birth , the family moved to Indian Territory to take advantage of the allotments in the Creek Nation . The family lived on Creek Nation tribal lands near Eufaula , Oklahoma . Gilcrease 's father ran a cotton gin in the nearby community of Mounds , Oklahoma . As a boy , he was often called " Indian Tom . " Tom 's early education was limited and took place in one-room schools in Indian Territory . He then attended Bacone College , where his most influential teacher was Alexander Posey , who taught his students the arts , sciences , writing , and , most importantly , their American Indian heritage . The latter included learning about the Trail of Tears and important Indian leaders , such as Sequoyah and Sitting Bull ; about how to make bows and arrows and to hunt , and about the operations of the Creek National Council at Okmulgee . After Bacone College , he enrolled in the Kansas State Teacher 's College ( renamed in 1974 as Emporia State University ) at Emporia , Kansas . At the turn of the 20th century , the federal government dissolved the Indian Nations land by distributing parcels into private ownership . At age nine , Gilcrease 's 1/8 Creek heritage entitled him to receive 160 acres ( 650,000 m ² ) , located about twenty miles ( 32 km ) southwest of Tulsa , Oklahoma . In 1905 , drillers struck oil in the area . His land , sitting astride the huge Glenn Pool Reserve , made Gilcrease a multi-millionaire by the time he was twenty . Though he struggled early in his career , he proved to be an astute businessman . He founded the Gilcrease Oil Company in 1922 , and with early successes , was able to purchase more land . Gilcrease established his company headquarters in San Antonio , Texas in 1937 and also maintained an office in Europe . In 1949 , the headquarters of the company moved to Tulsa
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Thomas Gilcrease