Spindletop is a salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals found at depth intrudes vertically into surrounding rock strata, forming a diapir oil field An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area. In addition, there may be exploratory wells probing the edges, pipelines to located in south Beaumont Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf Coast, Texas Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and sixth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite Evaporites are water-soluble mineral sediments that result from the evaporation of bodies of surficial water. Evaporites are considered sedimentary rocks layer of Jurassic The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 199.6± 0.6 Ma to 145.5± 4 Ma, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era, also known as the "Age of Reptiles". The start of the period is marked by the major Triassic– age.[1] On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil ("came in"). The new oil field soon produced more than 100,000 barrels of oil per day.[2] Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger with Chevron, Gulf was one of the chief instruments of the legendary Mellon family fortune; both Gulf and and Texaco Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel, "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand, now part of Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation. Headquartered in San Ramon, California, and active in more than 180 countries, it is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining, marketing and transport; chemicals manufacturing and sales; and power, were formed to develop production at Spindletop.[3]

The strike at Spindletop represented a turning point for Texas and the nation. No oil field in the world had ever been so productive.[2] The frenzy of oil exploration and the economic development it generated in the state became known as the Texas Oil Boom The Texas Oil Boom, sometimes called the Gusher Age, was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in U.S. State of Texas during the early 20th century that began with the discovery of a large petroleum reserve near Beaumont, Texas. The find was unprecedented in its size and ushered in an age of rapid regional development and. The United States soon became the leading oil producer in the world.

Contents

History

There had long been suspicions that oil might be under "Spindletop Hill." The area was known for its sulfur Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Sulfur, in its native form, is a bright yellow crystalline solid. In nature, it can be found as the pure element and as sulfide and sulfate minerals. It is an essential element for life and is found in springs A spring is a component of the hydrosphere, namely any natural occurrence where water flows to the surface of the earth from below the surface. Thus it is where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface and bubbling gas seepages that would ignite if lit. In August 1892, George W. O'Brien, George W. Carroll, Pattillo Higgins Pattillo Higgins was a businessman as well as a self-taught geologist. He earned the nickname the "Prophet of Spindletop" for his endeavors in the oil business, which accrued a fortune for many. He partnered to form the Gladys City Oil Gas and Manufacturing Company and later, established the Higgins Standard Oil Company and others formed the Gladys City Oil, Gas, and Manufacturing Company to do exploratory drilling on Spindletop Hill. The company drilled many dry holes and ran into trouble, as investors began to balk at pouring more money into drilling with no oil to show for it.

Pattillo Higgins left the company and teamed with Captain Anthony F. Lucas, the leading expert in the U.S. on salt dome formations. Lucas made a lease agreement in 1899 with the Gladys City Company and a later agreement with Higgins. Lucas drilled to 575 ft (175 m) before running out of money. He secured additional funding from John H. Galey and James M. Guffey of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, located in the United States, is the second largest city in the state and is the county seat of Allegheny County. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571. Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial, but the deal left Lucas with only a small share of the lease and Higgins with nothing.[4]

Lucas continued drilling and on January 10, 1901, at a depth of 1,139 ft (347 m), what is known as the Lucas Gusher or the Lucas Geyser blew oil over 150 ft (46 m) in the air at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day (16,000 m3/d)(4,200,000 gallons). It took nine days before the well was brought under control.[2] Spindletop was the largest gusher An oil gusher is an uncapped oil well connected to a reservoir of petroleum oil that is under high pressure. The oil can shoot 200 feet (60 m) or higher into the air the world had seen and catapulted Beaumont into an oil-fueled boomtown A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major metropolitan area,. Beaumont's population of 10,000 tripled in three months and eventually rose to 50,000.[5] Speculation led land prices to increase rapidly. By the end of 1902, over 500 companies were formed and 285 active wells were in operation.[2]

Production began to decline rapidly after 1902, and the wells produced only 10,000 barrels per day (1,600 m3/d) by 1904.[2] On November 14, 1925, the Yount-Lee Oil Company brought in its McFaddin No. 2 at a depth of about 2,500 feet (760 m), sparking a second boom, which culminated in the field's peak production year of 1927, during which 21 million barrels were produced.[2] Over the ten years following the McFaddin discovery, over 72 million more barrels of oil were produced, mostly from the newer areas of the field.[citation needed] Spindletop continued as a productive source of oil until about 1936.[citation needed] It was then mined for sulfur from the 1950s to about 1975.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Hyne, Norman J., Nontechnical guide to petroleum geology, exploration, drilling, and production, Pennwell Books, 2nd ed. p. 193 ISBN 978-0878148233
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wooster, Robert; Sanders, Christine Moor: Spindletop Oilfield from the Handbook of Texas The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association . The original Handbook was the brainchild of TSHA President Walter Prescott Webb of The University of Texas history department. It was published as a two-volume set in 1952, with a Online. Retrieved 18 October 2009., Texas State Historical Association
  3. ^ Daniel Yergin, The Prize, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991, p.75-78.
  4. ^ Daniel Yergin, The Prize, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991, p.75.
  5. ^ Daniel Yergin, The Prize, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991, p.69.

External links

Texas portal Texas is a state in the South and Southwest regions of the United States of America. With an area of 268,581 square miles and a population of 22.8 million, Texas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the
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Keeper of the Register In the USA, the Keeper of the Register is a National Park Service (NPS) official, responsible for deciding on the eligibility of historic properties for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Keeper's authority may be delegated as he or she sees fit. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for each state submits · History of the National Register of Historic Places The History of the National Register of Historic Places began in 1966 when the United States government passed the National Historic Preservation Act , which created the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Upon its inception, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) became the lead agency for the Register. The Register has continued to grow · Property types The U.S. National Register of Historic Places classifies its listings by various types of properties. Listed properties generally fall into one of five categories, though there are special considerations for other types of properties which do not fit into these five broad categories or fit into more specialized subcategories. The five general · Historic district A historic district in the United States is a group of buildings, properties or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non- · Contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property is any property, structure or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant. Government agencies, at the state, national, and local level in the United States,
List of entries The National Register of Historic Places in the United States is a register including buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects. The Register automatically includes all National Historic Landmarks as well as all historic areas administered by the U.S. National Park Service. There have been more than 80,000 separate listings on the · National Park Service The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act · National Historic Landmarks All NHLs are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the exception of the White House, but most National Register properties are not NHLs · National Battlefields This category is for national military parks, and similar designations of battlefields in the United States, managed by the National Park Service · National Historic Sites National Historic Sites in the United States are principally managed by the National Park Service, though several are privately managed as affiliated areas of the National Park System · National Historical Parks National Historical Parks in the United States, managed by the National Park Service · National Memorials National Memorials in the United States are designated by Congress and either administered or affiliated with the National Park Service. Some, such as the Lincoln Memorial, do not have the word "National" in their official names · National Monuments Categories: Monuments and memorials in the United States | Protected areas of the United States
City of Beaumont Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf Coast Fun Capital of the World
Counties Jefferson Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson · Orange Orange County is a county of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 84,966. The county seat is the city of Orange. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area · Hardin Hardin County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. In 2000, its population was 48,073. The county is named for a family from Liberty County, Texas. The seat of the county is Kountze. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area
Important businesses ExxonMobil The Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are located in Irving, Texas · Jason's Deli Joe and Rusty grew up in food business. Their fathers owned neighborhood grocery stores in Beaumont. The original Jason’s Deli location is still in operation at its original location in that city. The chain started franchising in 1988 with the first franchised store opened in Tucson, Arizona · City of Beaumont Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf Coast · Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, and heavy earth-mover machinery · Port of Beaumont · Entergy Entergy Corporation NYSE: ETR, based in New Orleans, Louisiana is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. A member of the Fortune 500, Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest · Conn's · Ohmstede Limited
Education Higher Education Lamar University Lamar University is a comprehensive university offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees; located in Beaumont, Texas, and a member of The Texas State University System. As of Spring 2009, the university had 13,485 students, the highest enrollment in the university’s 85-year history · Lamar Institute of Technology Primary & Secondary Education Beaumont Independent School District · West Brook High School
Community Events & Culture South Texas State Fair The South Texas State Fair is an annual regional state fair held in Beaumont, Texas. The fair features a livestock show, a commercial exhibition, and a carnival Midway. Food concessions are a major attraction of the fair. Reflecting Beaumont's location in Southeast Texas, normal carnival foods can be found alongside barbecue, Tex-Mex, and Cajun · Beaumont Jazz & Blues Fest · Boom Town Film Festival · Crockett Street · Dog Jam · Babe Didrikson Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete named by the Guinness Book of Records, along with Lottie Dod, as the most versatile female competitor. She achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field ·
Landmarks Montagne Center · Vincent-Beck Stadium · Provost Umphrey Stadium · Ford Park · Hotel Beaumont · Julie Rogers Theater · Edison Museum · Spindletop · Jefferson Theatre · Art Museum of Southeast Texas · Beaumont Commercial District
Parks and Preserves Beaumont Botanical Gardens · Beaumont Country Club · Big Thicket National Preserve The Big Thicket is the name of a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. While no exact boundaries exist, the area occupies much of Hardin County, Liberty, Tyler, San Jacinto, and Polk Counties and is roughly bounded by the San Jacinto River, Neches River, and Pine Island Bayou. To the north, it blends into the larger Piney Woods terrestrial · Village Creek State Park
Bodies of Water

Neches River The Neches River flows for 416 miles (669 km) through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and Lake B. A. Steinhagen are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee, Beaumont, Vidor, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves, · Sabine River · Gulf of Mexico · Village Creek

Categories: History of the petroleum industry | Oil fields in Texas | National Historic Landmarks in Texas | 1900 establishments | Texaco | Beaumont, Texas

 

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