Texas And Oil An Industry That Produced A Culture

The state of Texas had its trials and tribulations in the 19th century

. It remembered the Alamo, became a state of the Union, witnessed the Civil War, and helped pioneer the old west with railroads and settlements into the 20th century. However, as Texas turned the calendar to 1901 and the world began celebrating the new century, Texas celebrated something else oil!

It was on January 10, 1901 that the first oil drilling rig struck oil and formed a 100 foot fountain of black gold at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas. From that day on, the poorer, more modest agricultural days of Texas were over and a new era of Texas oil investments began.

The 1901 oil discovery near Beaumont was not the first oil discovery in Texas. The Spanish and other European countries that owned Texas land prior to the U.S. knew about shallow oil fields as early as the 1500s. In fact, around 1866, an Eastern Texas landowner opened a pipeline of oil. The industrial age had not fully kick-started yet and the price of oil versus the cost of drilling was not economically justifiable.

After oil came in at Spindletop, the new oil field soon began producing in excess of 100,000 barrels per day, and within a few years oil drilling rigs quickly sprung up all across Texas producing over 17 million barrels annually. This oil production turning point began what became known as the Texas Oil Boom. Nowhere in the world were there oil fields so productive as the ones in Texas. The new frenzy of oil exploration and production in Texas led the United States to become the largest producer of oil in the world.

As oil and production continued throughout the 20th century, the benefits to Texas were numerous. State revenue from oil taxes helped build and support public schools across the state. The Texas University system gained one of the largest endowments in the country when it was donated land late in the 19th century that later produced oil. Oil barren philanthropists have donated large amounts of money to support Texas programs such as health and scientific research, education, as well as cultural organizations like fine arts, literature, and historical museums.

Even today, Texas is known to carry untapped oil deposits of over five billion barrels. That is about one-fourth of all known U.S. oil deposits. In addition, natural gas is also prominent in Texas with about one-fourth of all U.S. gas production located in Texas. That makes Texas the single largest producer of oil and gas in the country, making it a prime location for oil and gas investments.

Texas is a state that has evolved its history, industry, economy, and its entire culture around oil. Texas retains some of the top US oil and gas deposits. And with new advances in drilling technology and continued growth in Texas oil investments, the state is poised to continue producing economically efficient oil and gas for the US for years to come.

by: Trey Christian

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