The town grew rapidly to a population of approximately 5,000 due to the discovery of petroleum nearby (see Whizbang) and the arrival of the Osage Railway (one of the Muskogee Roads) in February 1922.

In that year, Shidler had 19 oil-well supply businesses and six plants manufacturing gasoline.

By the late 1920s, the oil boom had subsided and Shidler began to lose population.

Shidler today is a quiet farming and ranching community, although there is still some petroleum production in the area.

[6] Shidler is located 29 miles (47 km) northwest of Pawhuska, the seat of Osage County.

[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.