OIL IN TEXAS

The discovery of oil in Texas changed the lives of Texans drastically.

Created by Vanessa Johnson

Black Gold in East Texas

On October 30, 1930, oil was discovered at the Daisy Bradford No. 3 located between Henderson and Tyler.The Lou Della Crim, located south of Kilgore, spewed oil on December 27, 1930.Oil was discovered at the Lathrop well, situated on the J.K. Lathrop lease of Gregg County, on January 26, 1931.The East Texas oil field was HUGE!

Picture taken of exhibit by Vanessa Johnson at the East Texas Oil Museum

Black Gold in Southeast Texas

Spindletop: When at first you don’t succeed; try, try again!At Spindletop, the Lucas Gusher produced oil on January 10, 1901.In 1926, a second boom occurred at Spindletop when a gusher was struck the Yount-Lee Oil Company.

Picture of exhibit taken by Vanessa Johnson at Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

How did the big boom of oil change the towns involved?

Many new people flocked to the small towns. Spindletop: The town grew from about 9,000 to over 50,000 over night.Kilgore (Lou Della Crim): The town grew from under 800 people to about 8,000 people in 24 hours.The main industry of the towns changed to oil production.

Problems with BoomtownsNew townspeople faced lack of housing.People had to pay for showers and toilet usage.Warehouses became popular housing options.Prior to the oil boom, the town of Kilgore consisted of poor, but happy church-going farmers. After the oil boom, the town became overwhelmed with strangers, making housing scarce.Because there were no restrictions on oil production, many of the fields were pumped dry.

Benefits of the oil boom

Towns flourished and thrived economically.Individuals that played a part in the oil discoveries became wealthy quickly.As oil was produced so heavily, the price of oil dropped extremely low, causing its increase in use for transportation.

Photographs taken by Vanessa Johnson at Spindletop-Gladys City Museum

Oil Companies that were created from the Spindletop wells.

TexacoGuffey Oil CompanyChevronClarkMagnolia Oil CompanyMobilHumble Oil CompanyExxon

Awesome Oil MuseumsThe East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, TxSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum in Beaumont, Texas

The East Texas Oil Museum

Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

Great books to read about the discovery of oil in Texas

Stars Over Texas by Carolyn AdamsCattle and Oil (The Growth of Texas Industries by Trisha JamesTEXAS by Michael EnnisA Historical Album of TEXAS by Charles A. WillisBLUEBONNET at the East Texas Oil Museum by Mary Brooke Casad

Resources that helped in finding the facts for this lesson:

Adams, C. (1983). Stars over texas. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press.Ennis, M. (1999). Art of the state texas the spirit of america. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers.East Texas Oil Museum, . (2000). East texas oil museum online. Retrieved from http://www.easttexasoilmuseum.com/index.htmlJames, T. (2010). Cattle and oil the growth of texas industries. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, . (2000). Spindletop-gladys city boomtown museum walking tour. Retrieved from http://www.spindletop.org/timeline/index.htmlTexas State Historical Association, . (2000). Oil and texas: a cultural history-texas alamanac. Retrieved from http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/business/oil-and-texas-cultural-historyWillis, C. (1995). A historical album of texas. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press.