Oscar Weber Bilby invented hamburger in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has its own claim to the hamburger’s origin. On the Fourth of July, 1891, Oscar Weber Bilby built an iron grill at his ranch near the community of Bowden, located 4 miles north of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

He shaped some freshly-ground angus meat into round patties, and fried them on the grill until they were juicy and done.

He served them to his friends on his wife’s homemade buns along with freshly-churned ice cream and hand-mixed root beer. The meal was so delicious that the Fourth of July feed became an annual event, sometimes bringing in a crowd of 125 people.

In 1933, Bilby family opened Weber’s Root Beer Stand in Tulsa using the same grill used by Oscar Weber Bilby in 1891.

On April 13 1995, Governor Frank Keating proclaimed that the first true hamburger on a bun, after meticulous research, was created and consumed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1891, calling Tulsa, "The Real Birthplace of the Hamburger."
Oscar Weber Bilby invented hamburger in Oklahoma