El Dorado [key]. <1> City (2020 pop. 17,756), seat of Union co., S central Ark; inc. 1845. The discovery of oil in 1921 made it the oil center of the state. The city has oil refineries, chemical plants, and poultry-packing houses, as well as diverse manufactures. <2> City (2020 pop. 12,870), seat of Butler co., SE Kansas; inc. 1870. Located on the Walnut River, considerable growth came to the area after the discovery of a major oil reserve there in 1915, which quickly became the largest oil field in the U.S. However, in 1916, an altercation between a Black shoe shiner and a white oil worker lead to large race riots, and many Blacks fled the city. During World War II, a number of German and Italian POWs were housed in a camp in the city. In 1958, a tornado swept through town; fifty years later, the city opened a Memorial Park in honor of the 13 people who died then.
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