Creek County stretches across a varied part of northeastern-central Oklahoma where the Tulsa-area edge at Sapulpa meets the smaller communities and rolling uplands farther west. Bristow anchors the southwest-central corridor, Mannford sits near Keystone Lake in the north, and a dense network of creeks cuts through the county between them. This page brings those patterns together with four maps covering boundaries and roads, major-city distribution, water and terrain, and elevation. High-resolution JPG versions of the same maps are available in one ZIP for printing, classroom work, presentations, or general local reference. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
A useful way to orient yourself is to treat Sapulpa and Bristow as two main reference points rather than looking for a single geographic center. Sapulpa lies along the eastern side next to Tulsa County and serves as the county seat. Bristow is farther southwest along Interstate 44 and the historic Route 66 corridor. Mannford occupies the northern extension near Keystone Lake, while Drumright, Oilton, Kiefer, Mounds, Kellyville, and smaller places fill out a settlement pattern that reaches in several directions.
Table of Contents
The Sapulpa–Bristow corridor shapes the county map
The boundary and road map makes the county’s east-west transportation pattern immediately visible. Interstate 44 crosses the southwest near Bristow and continues northeast toward Sapulpa, while State Highway 66 follows the same broad corridor through several communities. Around Bristow, State Highways 16 and 48 provide north-south connections. Farther north, State Highways 33 and 51 serve the Drumright, Oilton, and Mannford side of the county.
Creek County’s outline is irregular, especially along the eastern and northern sides. Sapulpa, Kiefer, and Mounds occupy the narrow eastern section against Tulsa County, while the Mannford area extends north toward Keystone Lake. The southern half is broader and includes the country south of Bristow and around Slick. Seeing the outline first is helpful because a straight road can move through very different parts of the county in a short distance.
Sapulpa has the densest concentration of mapped streets and developed land, and the Creek County Courthouse is marked there. The county’s official website identifies Sapulpa as the seat of government. Bristow, by contrast, stands out as a western transportation center. The Oklahoma Historical Society describes Bristow at the junction of State Highways 16 and 48 and Historic Route 66, which matches the road pattern visible on the county map and helps explain why the city remains an important reference point between Tulsa and central Oklahoma.
Major cities are split between the Tulsa edge, the north, and the west
The city distribution map ranks six major cities and places them on the same county outline. Sapulpa is shown as the largest of the six, followed by Bristow, Mannford, Kiefer, Drumright, and Mounds. The numbers are city-size values used in the map’s ranking, not mileage labels. They should not be read as driving distance, travel time, or the current population of every incorporated place in the county.
Location is the more important story. Sapulpa, Kiefer, and Mounds form a compact group along the eastern side. Bristow sits well to the southwest, Mannford occupies the northern extension, and Drumright lies close to the western boundary. That distribution makes Creek County different from a county where most population is clustered around one central city. It also explains why a road map and a city map answer slightly different questions: one emphasizes connections, while the other makes the spread of communities easier to compare.
Smaller places add useful detail to that pattern. Oilton appears in the northwest, Kellyville lies southwest of Sapulpa, Slick is in the southeastern interior, and Shamrock is west of the county’s middle. These names help fill the spaces between the six ranked cities and give a better sense of how local roads cross rural terrain. For exact driving directions, use a current navigation service, but for explaining where communities sit relative to one another, the map provides a clear county-scale view.
Keystone Lake and a dense creek network define the water map
Water is most conspicuous in the north, where the Cimarron River approaches the broad arms of Keystone Lake near Mannford. The reservoir’s irregular shoreline is large enough to become a regional landmark on the map rather than a minor background feature. Lagoon Creek is labeled nearby, and the terrain shading around the lake shows how valleys open toward the reservoir.
Farther south, Lake Heyburn sits near the county’s center with Browns Creek and Turkey Creek draining through the surrounding hills. Lake Sahoma appears east of center, and Polecat Creek becomes one of the strongest named channels on the eastern side. Rock Creek, Little Deep Fork Creek, Salt Creek, and the Deep Fork system add another set of valleys across the south and southwest. The result is a landscape divided by many short tributaries rather than dominated by one river alone.
This is a geographic reference map, not a regulatory flood map or a legal water-boundary product. It is useful for locating named streams, comparing lakes with nearby towns, or seeing how channels cut through the terrain. It should not be used to determine whether a parcel is inside a floodplain, whether a waterway is navigable, or where a legal riparian boundary falls. Those questions require the appropriate FEMA, local-government, survey, or other official records.
Elevation reveals a dissected landscape between 187 and 337 meters
The elevation map gives an actual countywide range of about 187 to 337 meters and a mean near 254 meters. Brown and tan colors recur across the west and central uplands, while green bands trace lower valleys and broader low ground toward parts of the east and north. The shaded relief makes clear that much of Creek County is broken into short ridges and drainage valleys rather than forming one uninterrupted plain.
Terrain north and west of Bristow, as well as the country extending toward Drumright, contains repeated ridges separated by narrow lower corridors. Along the Cimarron River and Keystone Lake, the elevation drops toward the water. On the eastern side near Sapulpa, low ground is mixed with smaller ridges and creek valleys. Pairing this image with the water map makes it easier to see why Polecat Creek, Rock Creek, Little Deep Fork Creek, and other channels follow the lower green areas between higher slopes.
The elevation surface is generalized for county-scale comparison. It is not survey-grade information for a building lot, roadway design, drainage engineering, or a property boundary. Those tasks need the underlying USGS elevation data and, when necessary, professional field surveying. Here the map is best used to compare broad uplands and lowlands, relate streams to valleys, and understand why roads and communities encounter different terrain across the county.
Transportation history helps explain today’s settlement pattern
Creek County’s present-day cities were shaped by more than topography. The Oklahoma Historical Society notes that railroad construction in the late nineteenth century linked Sapulpa with areas farther west, and communities including Bristow and Kellyville developed along those connections. Early twentieth-century oil development then accelerated growth around Drumright, Kiefer, and Oilton. The map still shows these places as separate centers spread across the east, west, and middle of the county.
Historic Route 66 adds another layer. Bristow is one of the county’s well-known Route 66 communities, and Sapulpa is also closely tied to the highway’s Oklahoma story. Modern I-44 does not duplicate the old road at every point, but both routes reinforce the importance of the corridor that connects Bristow with the Tulsa side of the county. Looking at the road map with this history in mind explains why the county’s most familiar cities are not arranged around a simple geographic center.
The Creek County government site states that the county was established at Oklahoma statehood in 1907 and places the courthouse in Sapulpa. Those facts provide useful administrative context, but the maps on this page focus on features that are stable and visible: boundaries, roads, lakes, streams, communities, and terrain. For current demographic totals or municipal changes, a recent Census or local-government source is the better companion.
Match the map to the question you need to answer
Choose the boundary and road map when you need to place a town, highway, neighboring county, or courthouse within Creek County. The city distribution map is better when the question is how Sapulpa, Bristow, Mannford, Kiefer, Drumright, and Mounds are arranged relative to one another. For named creeks, reservoirs, and valley locations, use the terrain and water map. When the main issue is the contrast between ridges and low ground, the elevation map provides the clearest picture.
Combining two maps can answer questions that one map alone cannot. Mannford makes more sense when its location is compared with Keystone Lake. Bristow’s road junction becomes more informative when the surrounding rolling terrain is visible. On the eastern side, the city map shows the close grouping of Sapulpa, Kiefer, and Mounds, while the water and elevation maps add Polecat Creek and the lowland pattern around that corridor.
Each image intentionally leaves some information out so labels remain readable. The road map is not a live navigation service, the city ranking is not a substitute for current municipal statistics, the water map does not define flood regulation, and the elevation surface does not replace a survey. Used within those limits, the four maps provide a practical way to move from a broad county overview to specific questions about settlement, water, and terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best reference cities for understanding Creek County?
Sapulpa and Bristow work well as a pair. Sapulpa is the county seat on the eastern side near Tulsa, while Bristow anchors the southwest-central I-44 and Route 66 corridor. Adding Mannford in the north and Drumright in the west gives an even clearer picture of how widely the county’s communities are distributed.
Where is Keystone Lake on the Creek County maps?
Keystone Lake is shown along the northern side near Mannford. The water map also shows the Cimarron River approaching the reservoir and the irregular lake arms extending near the county boundary. Comparing the road map and water map is the easiest way to see how Mannford relates to the reservoir.
Can the 187–337 meter elevation range be used for construction or parcel surveying?
No. That range comes from a generalized county-scale elevation surface. It is useful for comparing uplands, valleys, and the terrain around waterways, but building design, drainage engineering, and parcel-specific elevation work require the original elevation datasets and, where appropriate, a professional survey.
Map File Information
Download the four high-resolution Creek County JPG map files in one ZIP archive.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and References
- Creek County, Oklahoma – Official Website
- Oklahoma Historical Society – Creek County
- Oklahoma Historical Society – Bristow
- U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- USGS – National Hydrography
- USGS – 3D Elevation Program
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
