A version of the Golden Driller was originally built in 1952 by the Mid-Continent Supply Company of Fort Worth as a temporary feature of the International Petroleum Exposition.

Due to the positive attention it attracted, the company donated the statue to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds Trust Authority which had it anatomically redesigned[3] and permanently installed in front of the Tulsa Expo Center for the 1966 International Petroleum Exposition.

An inscription at the base of the statue reads: "The Golden Driller, a symbol of the International Petroleum Exposition.

Dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind."

As part of an online promotional contest sponsored by Kimberly-Clark in October 2006, the Golden Driller was named the grand prize as a top ten "quirkiest destination" in the United States, winning its nominator a $90,000 international vacation for two.