Between 1915 and 1916, the Sapulpa and Oil Field Railroad[10] (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built a line northward from Depew to Shamrock.

The town adopted an Irish theme, with streets named Tipperary, Dublin, Killarney, Blarney, and Cork.

Numerous oilfield camps began to spring up in the vicinity, and Shamrock developed a reputation as a bawdy town with saloons, gambling halls, and brothels.

Two noted oilmen, Tom Slick and Harry Sinclair, had a few drinks one night and were racing horse teams up and down Shamrock's main street.

[11] The Big Six gambling hall had a one-legged fiddle player who was known to take off his wooden leg and use it as a club to keep order in the place.

[12] The editorial in the first issue dated January 1, 1916, summarized the paper's view and intent: “Shamrock is on the map to stay and the Brogue is here to boost for the town.

The mission of a newspaper is to boost for its own home town first, last and all the time, and that is the program that the Brogue will follow.”[12] The other paper was the Shamrock Blarney, first printed on March 9, 1916.

[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), all land.