How Cushing Becomes The 'Pipeline Crossroads Of The World'

Road Trip Oklahoma continues Friday in the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World," Cushing. News 9's Lauren Nelson set out to see where their nickname comes from.

Cushing is the hub of the oil industry in the state. But we wanted to know, how did they become the pipeline crossroads of the world?

"Well, it started back in 1912 when the first gusher was hit, the tom slick oil well," said Brent Thompson, director of Cushing Chamber.

It turns out it goes all the way back to the days of horse-drawn wagons. Obviously not an efficient mode of transportation, they needed a place to store the sweet crude oil.

"As they brought it back here, they began to try to store it," said Thompson. "That's where the infrastructure began in terms of the tanks that you see in the background."

With the tanks in place, plenty of oil companies built pipelines to Cushing, creating a crossroads of oil transportation and storage.

It became a political point for the President, when he visited last month.

"Many communities our size don't get that opportunity very often. We were excited to have him," Thompson said.

But even though the President has taken notice of Cushing's standing in the oil industry, the small town's big nickname is lost on some Oklahomans.

"It's kind of amazing, because there's probably more people outside of Oklahoma that recognize Cushing as that than there are inside the state of Oklahoma," Thompson said.

But Cushing doesn't plan on slowing down any time soon.

"We are storing somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 million barrels of oil a day," Thompson said.

From 1912 to 2012, the Pipeline Crossroads of the World is rich in history, giving this Oklahoma town superstar status.