Ch. 20: A New Century Sec. 1: The Modern Era Begins

Dawn of a New Era 1543 - Oil first found in Texas in by survivors of the de Soto Expedition 1866 - First Oil Well Drilled in Oil Springs, Texas by Lyne Barret. 1890 - Oil Springs has 40 wells, refinery and pipeline to Railroads in Nacogdoches, TX.

New Demands for Oil Lubrication of machine parts Greasing wagon axles Before 20th Century Lubrication of machine parts Greasing wagon axles Kerosene for lighting lamps During 20th Century Fuel for Automobiles Planes, Tanks Ships Farm Equipment Engine Lubricant

Spindletop –The First Gusher Spindletop Hill in Beaumont was located on a Salt Dome Pattillo Higgins and Anthony Lucas struck oil on Spindletop Hill on January 10, 1901 500,000 barrels of oil spewed for six days before the well was capped.

Salt Dome Trap

The Oil Boom After the Spindletop Gusher, people competed for land to drill for oil. Leases – contracts to hold land to drill on Companies – Oil operator organized 100 companies and operated 200 wells within months of the strike.

The Oil Boom Boomtowns – A town that has rapid population and economic growth due to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil. Beaumont grew from a lumber town of 9,000 to 50,000 Oil Workers, speculators, gamblers, adventurers all flocked to the oil boom towns like Beaumont

The Lucas Gusher – 1901 ‘Black Gold’ ‘Texas Tea’

Economic Development Spindletop led to the rise of a whole new economy and new future for Texas Huge oil Companies were forming Refineries built to refine oil to gasoline

Economic Development Pipelines and tankers built to carry oil Storage Facilities built to store oil Lumber used to build oil derricks

‘Boiler Avenue’ – Spindletop - 1903 By 1903 more than 400 wells were drilling on the Salt Dome.

Oil in Southeast Texas After Spindletop, Oil operators spread their searches throughout Southeast Texas where salt domes were found Oil Fields opened all throughout this region Saratoga Sour Lake Balston

Humble Oil Company -1904 1904 – Drillers discover a salt dome about 20 miles North of Houston, in Humble This was the beginning of the Humble Oil Company, which later became Exxon Company, U.S.A, part of Exxon Corporation Refineries were first located in Humble, then moved to the community of Goose Creek.

Goose Creek Field - 1916 Located Southeast of Houston close to Galveston Much of the drilling took place in Galveston Bay - offshore Made it easy for ocean shipping A large refinery was built here and the town was later renamed Baytown

Oil in North Texas 1901 – Petrolia-19 miles from Wichita Falls Electra – discovered by cattle rancher W.T. Waggoner had the first big boom in North Texas Burkburnett – 1918– well named ‘Fowler’s Folly’ – gusher that produced thousands of barrels a day

Other Oil Discoveries Oil in North Central Texas in 1917 Breckenridege, Mexia, Corsicana, Luling Geologists believed fault zone contained oil in Central Texas. 1922 – Oil workers drilled into a fault near Luling and struck oil

Fault Trap

Houston and the Oil Industry Houston – “Where 17 railroads meet the sea” Houston provided banking, insurance, transportation, and legal services for oil companies Gradually Houston became the center of the oil industry Houston Ship Channel opened the city as a modern port

Dallas Dominates Central Texas By 1900 Dallas is the major city in Central Texas Railroad Companies/Central Location made the city a natural distribution center Leading retail center for TX, OK, NM Dallas becomes a “White Collar” city Neiman-Marcus Stores were begun in Dallas