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Black Gold, Texas Tea
OIL IN TEXAS
THE EARLY YEARS OF OIL
• Texans had found very little use for oil until the 1880’s when trains began using it as fuel.
• Early wells in Texas were not very productive; producing only about 10 barrels a day.
• In 1894, drillers hit what was then considered a big oil well in Corsicana, Texas.
OIL PUMP
ROAD TO SPINDLETOP
• Patillo Higgins was businessman who was convinced who could discover oil near his hometown of Beaumont, Texas.
• He drilled on the salt dome of Spindletop Hill, but he was not able to find any oil.
• He was convinced that oil was located in this area, so he placed ads to find other people to drill in this location.
PATILLO HIGGINS
ANTHONY LUCAS
• Anthony Lucas, a salt miner from Louisiana, was convinced Higgins was right, so he leased land from Higgins on Spindletop Hill.
• Lease- to contract to use something for a set period of time in exchange for money.
• Lucas drilled to 575 ft. and his equipment collapsed.
• Out of money, Lucas got the help of the company that drilled for oil in Corsicana. He began to drill again.
ANTHONY LUCAS
SPINDLETOP HILL
• On January 10, 1901, Lucas drilled into the largest oil well that the world had ever known.
• When the oil was discovered, the force of the gusher shot 12,000 pounds of drilling pipe from the ground.
• This oil well produced between 75,000-100,000 barrels a day.
• It would lead to many rushing to this area to drill for oil.
SPINDLETOP GUSHER
OIL IN TEXAS
• Because of the discovery at Spindletop, new industries came to Texas and switched to oil for fuel.
• Oil was used for fuel by the growing car industry, mills, railroads, and other factories.
• At the time, oil was a cheap fuel source. A barrel of oil would cost 3 cents in 1901.
• Oil today costs about $102 a barrel.
BOOMTOWNS
• Boomtown- a town which receives a great deal of growth in population because of sudden economic growth.
• Because of the success of oil drilling, boomtowns would pop up almost overnight.
• People were searching for the next place to get rich quick.
• Some boomtowns disappeared as quick as they came while others remained somewhat successful.
BOOMTOWNS
• Many boomtowns had problems
• Lack of infrastructure such as roads, sewage systems, and legal systems led to many problems.
• Streets so muddy that people would get stuck.
• Water was often unsafe to drink and led to diseases like dysentery.
• Oil sold for 3 cents a barrel, but a glass of clean water would sell for 5 cents.
WORK ON RIGS
• Life working on a rig was usually very hard and dangerous.
• Most people worked at least 12 hours a day.
• Slick surfaces, long hours, and dangerous gasses made life difficult
• If workers did not like the conditions, bosses had many more willing workers to choose from.
NEW INDUSTRIES
• Oil refineries were new industries that developed because the oil had to be cleaned to be used by machinery.
• Tool repair companies were created to fix oil rigs and tools that were required for these industries.
• Sawmills developed to produce lumber to help create oil derricks.
THE SEARCH FOR OIL
• Wildcatter- a person who drills for oil in places not known for oil in search of new sources
• Wildcatters discovered oil in north, south, east and west Texas.
OIL DERRICKS
TEXAS OIL ACROSS THE WORLD
• Texas was producing more oil than anywhere else in the world.
• During the Great Depression, Texas was overproducing oil.
• To keep oil prices up, The Texas Railroad Commission regulated the production of oil.
EFFECTS OF OIL
• Oil created many businesses in Texas
• Produced fuel for cars and planes
• Petrochemicals from oil are used to create plastic and synthetic rubber
• Cars and planes became huge industries in Texas as the 1900’s progressed and transportation became much better.