The contrast in color was striking to early explorers coming upstream, and resulted in the naming of the river.

Red Fork originally was on what was to become Route 66, stretching back to Lookout Mountain and west towards Berryhill.

[3] While mostly residential, Red Fork is home to television station KTUL (Channel 8); a unique; railroad-themed restaurant; an award-winning bed and breakfast in a 120-year-old rock home; Route 66-related businesses; historic schools; a BNSF railroad yard; and a popular Tulsa Park recreation center.

Nearby are two colleges; a major Tulsa regional library; and oil and transportation-related businesses, among others.

The privately owned park was built in 1929, but went out of business in the 1950s, after both the Casa Loma bath house and dance hall buildings burned down.