1. Spindletop Oil Industry
Chapter 16.2 Notes

2. Early Uses of Oil Spanish explorers used oil to patch their boats
Native Americans used tar to waterproof baskets
Sailors used pitch and tar to seal boats
Workers used oil to grease machinery, axels, and wheels
Tanners used oil to keep leather from drying out
People used Kerosene for lighting during the 1800’s

4. First Oil Fields
Melrose Petroleum Oil Company set up the first oil well in Texas
This well, located in Oil Springs, produced about 10 barrels of oil per day
The Corsicana Oil Field in Navarro County produced large quantities of oil in 1890’s
By 1900, Corsicana was producing 60,000 barrels of oil per year

6. A Gusher Starts a Boom Lucas Gusher
Oil workers struck oil at the Lucas Gusher, located on Spindletop Hill, south of Beaumont on January 10, 1901
Lucas Gusher shot out 100,000 barrels of oil per day. This was more oil than all the other oil wells in the United States combined.
Within 2 years Spindletop had produced 17,500,000 barrels of oil
As the number of well grew, production declined

7. A Gusher Starts a Boom
Production fell to less than 4 million barrels by 1904
The oil boom brought wildcatters and roughnecks to Texas
Wildcatters-oil seekers who take great risk by drilling in areas not known to have oil
Roughnecks- field hand who work the oil fields

9. More Discoveries Across the State
Wildcatters made many more oil discoveries in the Gulf coast region, north and central Texas, the Panhandle, and the Permian Basin in West Texas
Money from the sale and learning of oil fields funded the University of Texas, Texas A & M, and other colleges
Today, taxes on oil companies are a prime source of revenue for Texas

10. Spindletop Gusher
Land prices in Beaumont rise
Population of Beaumont explodes
Oil Companies form

11. Spindletop Gusher
Cities grow around new refineries
Auto industry grows
New jobs are created