How old-fashioned is an Oklahoma onion burger? According to burger lore, it dates back to the Great Railroad Strike of 1922 and held strong through the great depression. There were a lot of people out of work, and money was tight. Homer Davis and his son Ross ran the Hamburger Inn, located near the intersection of the now-famous Route 66 and U.S. Route 81. To make their hamburgers more affordable, they started adding a generous amount of thinly sliced onions to the patties to stretch the more expensive ground beef. It later became known as the “Depression Burger.” It sold for five cents, which is roughly ninety-six cents in 2025 dollars.

The method to make an onion burger is simple: Place a ball of ground beef on a hot griddle, and pile on a healthy amount of paper-thin onions. The meat t

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